Her Cowboy Billionaire Bad Boy

by Liz Isaacson

Cy had invited the family that shared his last name and the family he’d built at Rev for Vets.

  Patsy had invited her family, the family she’d become part of at the lodge, and anyone who knew her family from town.

  A ball of emotion lodged in his throat, and if Ames didn’t show up in the next five minutes, Cy was going to be late.

  He couldn’t be late.

  Patsy’s mother had arrived in town last night, and she’d gone to Jackson Hole to pick her up. Cy was meeting her that morning, and then he and Patsy would separate again, only to meet again later at the altar.

  He breathed in, reminding himself that today was the hinge-point of his whole life. He wanted what was on the other side of the door, and he wanted it badly.

  The sound of an engine hummed on the air, and he faced the narrow strip of land that separated his property from the more commercial parking lot he’d poured for his motorcycle shop. Three rows of apple trees that were fully leafed out prevented him from seeing much of Rev for Vets, which had been his goal.

  A truck came around the corner, and relief filled Cy. He lifted his hand to wave to Ames, and he went to the other side of the drive so he’d be on the right side to get in the passenger seat.

  “Come on, Blue,” he said to the dog, and he opened the back passenger door so she could jump inside.

  When he got in, Ames was chuckling as the pit bull tried to lick his face. Their eyes met, and Cy joined in the laughter.

  “It’s good to see you, brother,” Ames said. “You look ready to get married.”

  “Do I?” Cy asked. “What does that look like anyway?”

  Ames put the truck in drive and started forward again. “I don’t know. You’re glowing or something.”

  “Glowing?” Cy thought that was probably a fine sheen of sweat, because he couldn’t believe he was about to do this again.

  He wanted to do it, but getting married was something a person thought they’d only do once in their life. Cy was going to do it twice, and he hoped he and Patsy would be able to enjoy a long, happy life together.

  “Something,” Ames said, glancing at Cy.

  “You have that something too,” Cy said, watching Ames as he drove. “Have you texted Sophia yet?”

  Ames started laughing and shook his head. “You’re worse than Mom.”

  “You should text her.” Cy didn’t understand why Ames was being so stubborn about this. Since Patsy and Sophia were best friends, Cy knew when his brother didn’t call Sophia over Christmas. He’d heard from Patsy that Sophia had been upset about Ames’s silence. Cy had found so much happiness in Coral Canyon, with his new shop, with Patsy, and with himself. He just wanted that for Ames too.

  One look at Ames, and anyone would know that he wasn’t happy. He’d tried running away to Texas, but thankfully, Colton had convinced him to come to Coral Canyon for the summer.

  Cy had been praying for the last few days that a summer was all Ames needed to realize how happy he could be with Sophia and with all the other brothers in this mountain valley.

  “I don’t need to text her,” Ames said. “I’m going to see her at the wedding today.”

  “And then what?” Cy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Ames said. “I’m handling it.”

  “Handling it?” Cy shook his head, a vein of disgust flowing through him. “Ames, she’s not a criminal.”

  “Relax, Cy,” he said. “Today is about you. It’s your wedding day.”

  “Yeah.” He looked out the window, his right hand moving to his left wrist, but he hadn’t put his rubber band on today. He hadn’t worn it for months now, actually, because he took his medication every day, and he’d learned other ways to bleed his anxiety out of his system.

  “Are you excited?” Ames asked.

  “Yes,” Cy said. “You’re still okay to stay at my place with Blue?”

  “Yep,” he said. “Thanks for letting me take care of the house and your dog.”

  “You’re doing me the favor.”

  Ames chuckled, but the sound was a little darker than normal. “Trust me, you’re saving me—and Colton’s life.”

  “Colton?”

  “He’s definitely worse than Mom. He’s always on my case about what time I get up and what time I get home at night. You’d think I was fourteen and not forty.”

  “You’re sleeping in?” Cy asked, swinging his attention back to his brother. He’d never known Ames to get up later than the sun, other than when he worked the overnight shift on the police force.

  “I get in a little late,” he said, his voice a light type of forced casual. “It takes me a while to settle down, so I’m not going to bed very early. Not nine-thirty like Colt.”

  “Why are you getting in late?” He hadn’t heard of his brother getting a job or anything like that.

  “Well, Sophia works during the day,” Ames said. “So I can’t see her until evening. I mean, I guess we spent all day together yesterday, but you know.” He shrugged one shoulder, his words sinking into Cy’s ears and mind slowly.

  Ames gave him plenty of time to absorb what he’d said, a smile spreading across his face at a slow rate.

  “You’re already seeing her,” Cy said, a frown pulling at his eyebrows. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

  “It happened really fast,” he said.

  “Keep talking,” Cy said. “I want all the details you can give me in the five minutes it’ll take us to get to the orchard.”

  “Five minutes?”

  “Go,” Cy said.

  Ames complied, and he told Cy about Sophia finding him in the drugstore, taking him to the hospital, and going to her cabin on Friday night.

  They’d gone to the watering hole yesterday, and Ames had just said, “I did the rope swing a bunch of times. Have you been?” when he pulled off the highway and the site of Cy’s wedding spread before them.

  Patsy’s car was there, and Cy found her standing with another blonde woman near the back row of chairs they’d set up last night.

  Cy swallowed, his mind being split into two trains of thought. “Good for you, Ames,” he said. “I’ll take my alarm off, so I don’t text you about stuff you’re already doing.”

  “That would be great,” Ames said dryly.

  “You should’ve just told me,” Cy said. “Then I wouldn’t have done it.”

  “It happened after your text on Sunday,” he said. “I figured I had seven more days before you’d text again. And honestly, if you had texted tonight—your wedding night—I’d seriously be angry with you.”

  He pulled in next to Patsy’s car, and both women turned toward the truck. Cy nodded and got out, ready to do his best to charm Patsy’s mother.

  “Hey,” he said as he came around the front of the truck, a smile already on his face.

  “Mom,” Patsy said, her pretty face all lit up. Cy hoped that meant she’d enjoyed her evening and morning with her mother, someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. She’d told Cy that she hadn’t spoken much to her mother over the years, and their relationship was somewhat strained.

  “Here he is. My fiancé, Cy Hammond.” She took his hand in hers. “Cy, my mother, Edith.”

  “Ma’am,” Cy said, reaching to take her into a hug. “That’s right, I’m a hugger.” He chuckled as he embraced her mother, glad when Edith gave him a healthy pat on the back.

  “How was the flight?” he asked as he stepped back.

  “Good,” she said. “A couple of layovers, but nothing too major.” She looked at Patsy, and he knew where she got the sparkling sapphire eyes. “It’s so beautiful here. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to look outside and see such huge mountains.”

  “I love it here,” Cy said. He fell back to Patsy’s side and indicated Ames. “This is my twin brother, Ames. I’ve got to give him all the instructions for taking care of the house, so he’s tagging along this morning.”

  Ames shook Edith’s hand, and Blue came trotting over to them after running off into the orchard
for a moment. “And my dog, Blue Velvet.”

  Edith bent down as she spoke to Blue in a high-pitched voice women reserved for babies and pets, and Cy met Patsy’s eyes. She nodded, and happiness burst through him. He’d wanted the reunion with her mother to go well, because it had happened so close to their actual wedding.

  “Well, let’s get to breakfast,” Patsy said. “Then I have to get to the salon to get my hair and makeup done.”

  “Cy needs to do that too,” Ames said, and everyone laughed. Patsy had actually cut his hair last night, into the perfect “wedding day” cut, and all he needed to do was change out of his jeans and motorcycle boots and into his tuxedo and cowboy hat.

  Patsy had insisted he wear the cowboy hat, and Cy would do anything to make her happy. He’d gone shopping with Colt and Wes, and they’d all paid far too much for the nicest dress hats the shop in town could order.

  They’d come in last week, and Cy could admit he liked the hat more than any other he’d worn in the past couple of years.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Edith said. “Is everyone okay with Breakfast Plate?”

  Hours later, Cy had given Ames the directions. He’d showered and changed into the right clothes. He’d taken the custom pair of cufflinks from his father and put them on.

  All of his brothers stood in the tent with him, waiting for the signal that Patsy was ready for this shindig to begin. No one seemed as nervous as him—except for Ames.

  He manned the doorway, constantly parting the drapes that hung down to check for something.

  He recognized Ames on the outside, because Cy saw him every time he looked in the mirror. But there was absolutely something different about him too.

  “He seems happier, doesn’t he?” Wes asked.

  Cy looked at him to find him nodding toward Ames.

  “I don’t know,” Cy said. “He still seems like the on-edge, might-go-crazy-if-this-doesn’t-start-on-time police officer I’m used to.”

  “No way,” Colton said. “He’s much calmer now.”

  Gray turned from the fan, which he’d been standing in front of. He still ran a lot, but he wasn’t currently training for a marathon, so he’d put on some bulk in his shoulders and chest.

  “He’s quieter,” Gray said. “I know that.”

  “That’s not hard in this crowd,” Cy said. The Whittaker brothers were really loud, and with the number of chairs they’d set up for this ceremony, everything felt too loud for Cy.

  Ames lifted his left hand and gestured the rest of them forward. “We’re on, boys.”

  Wes grabbed onto Cy and said, “Love you, little brother.”

  Colton went next, holding Cy in a tight grip. “This is amazing. I’m so happy for you.”

  Gray hugged him too, saying, “You’re perfect for each other.”

  One by one, they left the tent, and Cy caught Ames’s eye. “You better go,” Cy said. “You’re first down the aisle.”

  Ames grabbed onto him, and the two clapped each other on the back. Neither said anything, because they didn’t need to. They had a sense for the other, and Cy definitely knew there was something different about Ames. Different in a good way, too.

  He determined he’d have to find out exactly what it was once he returned from his honeymoon, because Patsy deserved his full attention for the next couple of weeks.

  Finally, it was just Cy and his father, and Cy’s pulse bobbed in the back of his throat.

  “You’re a good man,” his dad said. “I’m so proud to be your father.”

  “Thank you, Dad.” Cy hugged him the longest, because his father had done more for him than anyone else, except maybe his mother. And Ames.

  “Hug your mother when you get out there,” Dad said. “She hates that I get to be in here and she doesn’t.” He smiled and left the tent.

  Cy took one more deep breath and then he left the tent, took several long steps, and drew his mother into a hug. He bent down and hugged Grams.

  Then he took his spot at the altar and turned to look down the aisle that ran through the middle of all the chairs.

  He was ready for this next step of his life. Beyond ready. He just needed Patsy at his side, and he could get through anything.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sophia stood at the front of the line, her arm linked through Ames’s. The nearness of him made her blood feel like someone had poured popping candy into her veins. He smelled amazing, like fresh air, warm cinnamon, and a forest-y element that made her want to pull him close, breathe him in, and kiss him until she couldn’t think straight.

  Just the scent of him caused her thoughts to scatter.

  They’d had an amazing day yesterday. Utterly amazing. One of the best of her life. He’d been flirty and fun, soft and strong, adventurous and encouraging. She’d enjoyed lying on a blanket with him while the summer sun dried them off, and she’d started slipping down a steep slope of being in deep with him as they’d gone to dinner together.

  He’d come up to her cabin after he’d run back to Colton’s to shower, and she’d made caramel-swirl brownies and homemade vanilla bean ice cream for the two of them.

  He’d groaned when he’d eaten it, and Sophia loved eliciting that response from someone—especially him.

  He’d held her hand, and they’d snuggled on the couch together while they talked late into the night. But he’d once again left without kissing her, and Sophia needed to find out what that was about.

  Tonight. She’d ask him tonight, after the wedding.

  Her desire to kiss him seemed to double with every second that passed, and she hoped she made it down this aisle without embarrassing herself.

  “He looks so happy,” she murmured. “Doesn’t he, Ames?”

  “That he does,” Ames said, his voice just as low as hers. He’d kept his wardrobe conservative this time, and he spoke to everything female in her in that dark tuxedo, with that pure black cowboy hat on his head. He looked exactly like Cy down on the other end of the aisle, except Cy wore sunshine on his face, and Sophia knew if she looked at Ames, she’d find a storm.

  Finally, the music started, and Ames’s arm tightened against hers. “Ready, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said without moving her mouth, and she repositioned her bouquet as she took the first step down the aisle with Ames as her escort.

  She knew a lot of the people in the audience, because the entire Whittaker clan had come. She beamed at them, and waved her flowers slightly to Averie and Chrissy, two of the older children whom she’d spent a lot of time with over the past few years.

  She caught sight of Marcy and Wyatt—which wasn’t hard, because Wyatt Walker was the tallest man in the crowd. “Sophie!” Warren called, and Marcy immediately shushed him. Sophia giggled quietly, and she was surprised to hear Ames doing the same thing.

  They reached the end of the aisle, and he went left with her, taking her to the end of the marked area where the bridesmaids were supposed to stand.

  He circled around the back of the altar and took the spot closest to the aisle. Sophia turned so she could watch her best friend walk down the aisle with her father.

  Once everyone in the wedding party had taken their spot, Patsy took her first step. Each one after that seemed to take a very long time, as her father had been fighting cancer for a few years now. She seemed to be gripping his arm with everything she had to keep him upright, but the smile on her face did not slip even once.

  Sophia admired Patsy on so many levels, and she drew from her strength over and over.

  Ames stepped forward once Patsy’s father had pressed a shaking kiss to her cheek and handed her to Cy. He escorted the older gentleman to the first row, where he sat next to Patsy’s brother.

  Once Ames had re-taken his spot in the wedding party, Cy nodded to the pastor, who welcomed everyone to the “happiest event happening in Coral Canyon today.”

  Sophia felt that joy streaming through her, filling all the empty spots inside her. Patsy deserved the whole w
orld, and if there was anyone who could give it to her, it was Cy Hammond.

  She watched her friend for the first few minutes, and then she found her gaze wandering to Ames. He didn’t look at her at first, and then the next time she let her eyes dart toward him, he was looking at her—and he didn’t look away.

  A smile sprang to her face, but Ames didn’t return it. He was always so stoic. He kept everything he felt behind a cage, and Sophia wished he could just let go and allow himself to get caught up in the magic and joy of his twin’s wedding.

  She lifted her eyebrows, silently asking him why he looked like a serial killer at a wedding. She broadened her smile, and Ames finally ducked his head slightly—but not before she saw the first inklings of a smile.

  Ah, so his bad boy exterior could be cracked. Sophia stifled a giggle and focused on the ceremony.

  Patsy had just finished reading her vows for Cy, and he turned toward her and said in that loud, Hammond voice, “Patsy, it’s true that you almost ran me over when we first met. I think I may have fallen in love with you a little bit then. Every day since has been an exercise in falling, and I’m so glad and grateful you said yes into that speaker system at Whiskey Mountain Lodge.”

  Sophia could remember that day keenly, and she pressed one hand over her heart as a silent aww moved through her. Cy had always adored Patsy, and anyone with even one good eye had been able to see it.

  “I can’t wait to ride into the sunset with you, side-by-side on our motorcycles. Which are not horses.” He chuckled. “I love you, and you’ve made me a better man, a better friend, and a better brother.”

  Sophia could not imagine anything more romantic, and the next thing she knew, Cy and Patsy were pronounced husband and wife, and she cheered along with everyone else as they sealed their union with a kiss.

  The roar filled the trees, then the sky, then everywhere. Sophia basked in the good energy here, with so many good people who’d come to celebrate this day with Patsy and Cy.

  She’d always wanted a big wedding too, and she’d never thought she’d get it. She wasn’t even sure her family would come if she told them she was getting married.