And Here I'll Stay

This is Book Nineteen of The Brides of the West series. Anna Lee Murray had been jilted, and this was the third time. Unfortunately for her, everyone in town knew it and teased her endlessly about it. But this time, it was too much. How could she face the crowd of 'I told you so' friends and family? What could she do? Running away seemed her best bet, but as she stood there, holding on to her best friends shirt, and crying ineffectively, it dawned on her.

"Marry me Joe," she blurted.

Joe Callahan had known Anna Lee all his life. They grew up together in the town of Wayward. He'd always been there to bail her out of trouble, and Anna Lee seemed to have an abundance of trouble. But this? Marrying her? And yet he found himself saying yes.

Trouble was, Anna Lee loved Joe, he was her best friend, but was that a real basis for a marriage? And did she really know him all that well? Still, he married her and spending the night in an exciting city like San Antonio seemed like a dream, that is until bedtime. When Joe crawled into the bed with her, she shrieked. "You can't sleep with me!" she protested.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "Hide and watch!"