Marrying Mr. Wright, page 1
part #3 of Mysterious Ways Series
Marrying Mr. Wright
Mysterious Ways Book 3
By Dawn M. Turner
Copyright 2021 by Dawn M. Turner
Cover designed by the author
Cowboy Sunset photo by Poulson’s Photography of Adobe Stock
Bride photo by “papaleguas” of FreeImages.com
Back Cover photo of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone by Lynn Yeh of Adobe Stock
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or any information retrieval or storage system without the prior written permission of the author.
BISAC: Fiction/Christian/Romance
Whether quoted or paraphrased by characters, scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
OTHER WORK BY THIS AUTHOR
NON-FICTION BOOKS
Authors Unchained: Some Rules Were Made to be Broken
Patchwork Baby Blanket (crochet pattern)
Various beading patterns available on Etsy
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN BOOKS
The Blind Date (short-short story prequel to In God’s Time)
In God’s Time
Keep Her
Prequels to the Donovan Legacy Series
Promises
Beyond Hope
Donovan Legacy Series
Truth
Defender
Healer
Peace
Christmas Past, Present, & Future Novella Series
The Christmas Trolls
An Impossible Gift
A Promise Kept
Mysterious Ways Series
At First Catch
New Beginning
Marrying Mr. Wright
Labor Of Love (a Mysterious Ways short story – ebook only)
The Preacher’s Wife
Torn (a Mysterious Ways short story – ebook only)
From The Heavens (coming...)
URBAN FANTASY PUBLISHED AS D.M. TURNER
Wolf: The Complete Collection
Baby Makes Three: The Complete Collection
Alpha: The Complete Collection
Lethal Attraction (novelette)
Pack of Trouble
Change (short story - ebook only)
The Prisoner (short story - ebook only)
Enforcer: The Complete Collection
Protective Instincts
Tough Choices
Restoration (novelette - ebook only)*
Missing (novelette - ebook only)*
Tough Love (short story - ebook only)*
Bridging the Gap (paperback only, contains the stories marked * )
Rogue (coming...)
Special thanks to Joy Avery Melville for her wonderful editing talents! Without you, I’d never have found the holes, both big and small, that made so much difference for Ben and Amber’s story. Thanks so much for powering through the edits with me, even when I grumbled and growled.
And a hearty Thank you! once again to my baby sister, Rebekka, for lending her proof-reading aid!
A faithful man will abound with blessings,…
Proverbs 18:20a
Prologue
“You boys plannin’ to just stand around all day? Or do you actually intend to get some work done?” Cord Walker leaned forward, elbow on the saddle horn, reins loose in his fingers, and pinned the three of them with a stern look that did nothing to hide amusement.
Twenty-four-year-old Ben Wright intercepted grins from his twin friends, Travis and Trevor Walker. They’d neglected work, having gotten caught up in a discussion. Ben leaned against the side of the flatbed trailer next to Travis. Trevor perched thoughtfully on the stack of hay bales he was supposed to be passing to them.
“Why don’t I ask him?” Travis nodded toward Mr. Walker.
“Yeah, right.” Trevor snorted a laugh and lurched to his feet. “Like Dad isn’t compromised, too, and therefore biased.” He chuckled, grabbed the next bale, and heaved it to the edge of the trailer.
Ben got a firm grip on the bale and hefted it onto the growing stack in the barn.
“Biased about what?” Mr. Walker asked.
Travis eyed his brother.
Trevor gave him a knowing look and shrugged.
Ben bit back a grin at the silent communication between the brothers and waited to see what Travis decided. Mr. Walker was happily married with two adult children. Ben doubted he’d understand their concerns about marriage.
“Well, I’m sure you know Tim’s getting married,” Travis offered then waited for confirmation.
“Of course. I suspect everyone in the entire state of Wyoming knows that by now.”
“Exactly. It’s all he talks about to every soul he meets.” Trevor rolled his eyes and dropped a bale in front of his brother with a grunt. “The man’s obsessed. He’s totally lost himself.” He shook his head with a sympathetic frown.
“Don’t you boys like Debbie?” Mr. Walker raised a brow in surprise.
His bay mare shifted, growing restless.
He steadied her with a gentle touch of his hand.
She relaxed.
Ben envied the man his easy way with horses. I hope to be that good one day.
Travis frowned deep with disapproval. “Oh, well, she’s sweet enough, sure, but she’s completely ruined Tim.”
Trevor nodded and sighed. “If that’s what marriage does to a man, I’ll be just as happy without it.” Another bale plopped at the edge of the trailer in front of Travis.
“Same here.” Travis grunted and hauled the hay to the growing stack.
“What if God has plans for you to marry?” Mr. Walker half-grinned.
A shudder ran up Ben’s spine. Mr. Walker had aimed the question at his sons, but he might as well have included Ben in his look. I’ve already been down that road. No interest in going there again. His marriage had been an unholy nightmare. Granted, not all marriages are like that, and I’d love to have the kind of marriage Cord Walker and his wife have. I certainly don’t want another one like mine or my parents. With my family’s track record… a good marriage isn’t something I can expect. His chest tightened painfully.
“I so seldom leave the ranch, I’m not likely to meet anyone,” Trevor scoffed, dragging Ben’s attention back to the conversation. “I’ve no time to go looking for a woman, even if I wanted one. If God wants me to marry, He’ll have to bring her here and throw her right into my arms.”
Travis rolled his eyes and laughed. “Please! He’ll have to drop a woman on my head from the heavens to prove it to me.”
Even if God did all that and had her stomp on my foot, I’d never have the courage to ask her out, much less to marry me.
Ben glanced up, the quiet making him aware that everyone stared at him. He looked from one to the next as panic sailed through him. Had he voiced his thoughts out loud? Good heavens, I hope not. “What? Don’t look at me. I’ve already done the marriage thing, and you know how that worked out. I’m not eager to go there again.”
He grabbed a bale, tucking his chin to hide the sort-of lie. If I could find a good woman, and summon the courage to ask her to marry me, sure I’d love to be married, but I’m not about to risk making the same mistake twice. My judgment can’t be trusted. His marriage to Robin had proven that in stellar fashion.
“Mark my words, boys. You should be careful challenging God. He has a tendency to rise to the occasion, often when you least expect it.”
“Yeah, right.” Travis snorted.
“Mark my words.” Mr. Walker tapped the mare’s ribs with his heels and left them to finish their work.
What if Mr. Walker is right? Ben frantically considered his thoughts. Had he somehow challenged God like Travis and Trevor had? No. Nothing to worry about. He relaxed and returned to work.
Chapter 1
Friday, May 21, 2010
3 years later
“Um… Amber? Carrie? I think we’re lost.”
Instant dread jarred Amber Phillips upright in the passenger seat. She hadn’t meant to doze while navigating for her friend, Heather Marks. She studied the hilly, grass-covered terrain flying by the car windows.
A high mountain ridge lay ahead, suggesting they were at least going in the right direction, but the sun was behind them to the left instead of immediately to their left. Not good.
We should be going north, not northeast. Where are we?
Had Heather turned off the main road? If she hadn’t, they couldn’t be lost. If Heather had made a wrong turn, they’d end up in Timbuktu.
I don’t even know where Timbuktu is. How am I supposed to get us back on the right track from there? Have we driven as far as Montana already? I shouldn’t have fallen asleep and left us at the mercy of Heather’s horrid sense of direction.
“Where are we?” Their friend, Carrie Whitaker, stirred behind them, leaning forward to put an elbow on each of the front seats.
“I have no idea.” Tears accompanied Heather’s soft admission.
They reached the top of a rise, and Amber’s stomach fell.
A mountain range popped up on the western horizon. Coming at Yellowstone from the south, a
She studied the map. I should’ve grabbed a topographical map while I was at it. The road map showed no mountain range to the west of Yellowstone. However, it indicated one to the east.
“Did you make any turns?” Amber asked.
“Two or three. Maybe four. There was a detour due to an accident a couple of hours ago.”
Heather had been driving without guidance for a couple of hours? Amber suppressed a groan. “Have you seen any signs? Highway markers? Town limits? Anything?”
“Um… we drove through a couple of towns, and I saw a sign a ways back since then. I only saw ‘Mystery’ on it before I was past it. It may have been for a town. It didn’t look official though.”
“Mystery?” Amber pulled out the map of Wyoming, looking through the town and road indexes. Nothing named Mystery. Maybe it’s the name of a ranch? A chill shivered up her spine. What if we aren’t in Wyoming anymore?
They’d left Cheyenne early that morning, headed for a lodge in the Yellowstone National Park. They’d stopped in Dubois for lunch, which narrowed down the options some.
Studying the map, Amber wanted to groan. There aren’t many places along our route for Heather to get turned around, so we’re either headed for Utah or Montana. We can rule out the former, given the location of the sun. We could, however, be over the state border into Montana at this point. Still… the mountain doesn’t fit.
“Do you know what towns you drove through the last couple of hours?” Carrie asked.
“No.”
“Idea. Keep driving on this road,” Carrie offered. “We’ll run into civilization somewhere eventually. Then we’ll figure out where we are and take it from there.”
“Um… what if we run out of gas?”
Heather’s fear-etched words dragged Amber’s gaze to the gas gauge. Her friend’s fear wasn’t unfounded. The gauge read low. Heather barely stifled a sob, her eyes flooding.
Amber put a hand on her distressed friend’s shoulder and shared a worried look with Carrie. “It’s okay, Heather. If we run out of gas, this is ranching territory. We’ll just walk to one of the ranches and get help.” They’d already passed a couple of driveways that appeared well-used. Lord, let a house be within easy walking distance if we run out of gas! “I think Carrie’s right. This road must go somewhere. Let’s stay on it until we reach a town or ranch or something.”
“What about our reservation at the lodge? They won’t hold it after nine tonight if we don’t call.”
“Once we know where we are and how late we’ll be, we’ll let them know. It’s okay.” Amber forced a cheery tone and smile. Hopefully it’s that easy. She tugged her cellphone from her pocket and surreptitiously glanced at it. No bars. She peered into the back seat to see Carrie doing the same thing.
Her friend scowled.
Apparently she doesn’t have service either.
Amber shook her head with a look of warning when Carrie met her gaze. Heather doesn’t need to know we have no cellphone reception. It’ll only upset her more.
Carrie nodded.
“I’m sorry,” Heather whispered. “I should’ve wakened you when we reached that detour. I thought I only needed to follow the signs and other cars and we’d be fine.”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have gone to sleep on you. I’m supposed to be navigating. I’m sorry.” Amber lifted her bangs from her forehead and blew out a breath.
As they rounded a bend over another hill, a town appeared. If you can call five buildings and a couple of trailers a town. A small sign at the southern edge said simply, “Welcome to Mystery.” No date of establishment. No elevation. No population.
They aren’t kidding. It was a mystery, indeed, that anyone wanted to live there, much less had the means to make any sort of living in such a place. The paved road seemed to dead end at the far end of the two rows of buildings, with nothing more than a couple of dirt roads leading away from there. Nothing provided a clue as to whether or not they were still in Wyoming.
“Pull into the restaurant.” Carrie pointed over Heather’s shoulder at a building badly in need of painting. “We’ll have something to drink. I’m sure they can tell us where we are and how to get where we’re going.”
Amber climbed out of the car, looking around as she stretched then tugged down the hems of her black denim shorts.
The restaurant needed renovations, and it wasn’t the only one. The buildings appeared solid and sound but could stand different windows, new fascia boards, improvement of the wood walkways, and new paint and signs. The church was the only place in town in decent shape. A gas station across the street farther down offered assurance that they wouldn’t be stranded.
With work, this town could be quaint. Sparse but quaint. Some real walkways between buildings wouldn’t hurt either. The place probably turned into a mud pit when it rained. Not exactly tourist-friendly. Easy to rectify though, with the funds and enough hands to do the work. Her fingers itched to sketch and tackle such a challenging project.
“Amber, are you coming?” Carrie called.
Shaking her head at the sad condition of the town, Amber turned to deal with more important matters than remodeling a town she’d probably never see again. Where in the world are we, and how do we get to the lodge in Yellowstone?
“Good afternoon, ladies. Have a seat anywhere you’d like.” A woman, probably in her forties, waved toward the array of tables then sidled around the counter toward them with a welcoming smile. She wore a bright-white apron over fitted blue jeans and a red-checkered button-up shirt. She disappeared through a door in the back then returned to set a plate in front of a cowboy perched on a stool at the counter.
Amber scanned the room. Despite the ragged exterior of the building, the interior was in good condition. Dated but good. Everything looked clean enough to eat off of it. The employees obviously took pride in the place. Reassuring.
The waitress dug into a pocket of her apron for a pad and pen. “What can I get you ladies to drink?”
“Just water for me, thanks.” Heather slipped into a booth along the far wall from the register, drawing one foot under her and leaning against the wall, her expression still crestfallen.
Concerned gaze on their friend, Carrie took the seat opposite Heather. “Same here.”
“Would you like well water or bottled?” the waitress asked.
Amber wasn’t sure who looked more shocked by the question. Heather or Carrie. She bit back a snicker at their stunned expressions. For a moment at least, Heather had forgotten to be miserable.
“Do you have good well water?” Carrie asked.
“Some of the best around,” the waitress replied with confidence.
“That’ll work then.”
Heather nodded in agreement.
“And for you?” The waitress turned dark brown eyes on Amber.
“I’m dying for a Dr. Pepper,” Amber admitted. “Do you have any?”
“We sure do.” She hurried away to get their drinks.
Amber slipped into the seat next to Heather and spread the map on the table, studying it. “Heather, you don’t remember any of the road signs we passed?”
“I wish I did. Maybe we’d be able to get out of this mess.”
“I’m sure the waitress can help,” Carrie said without a hint of doubt.
“I’ll bet she can, too,” Amber seconded.
Not for the first time, Amber wondered at the wisdom of bringing Heather. They’d thought the time away from Chicago, the three of them hiking in Yellowstone, would get her mind off things and remind her that life had fun left in it. Maybe we should’ve sent her home to visit her mother and stepfather instead.
Heather had just broken up with her boyfriend of two years, and all she’d wanted to do was sulk, despite the fact Colin wasn’t worth sulking over. Not for a second. The fact he’d dumped her for another woman he’d been seeing on the sly for over a year proved that. Cheating jerk.
Amber still hadn’t confessed about breaking up with her boyfriend, Spencer. One breakup in their little group was enough for Heather to deal with. Although Amber hoped never to see Spencer again, as unlikely as that was to happen, Heather had actually thought he was a nice guy.
