The Cowboy's Sweet Elopement

by Jean Oram

  “I was scared.”

  He nodded to show her he was listening, even though all he wanted to do was sweep her into his arms, kiss her and take her home.

  She was wearing the locket he’d given her for Christmas, and she clenched it in her hand. “I was afraid, and I didn’t think about what you were facing. I just wanted to be able to stand on my own two feet again and meet you in the middle.”

  “I realize that now, and I’m sorry.”

  “You mean a lot to me and always have. I was scared.”

  “I was scared, too. I was feeling… stuff.” He finished awkwardly, shaking his head at his sudden inability to express himself. And becoming aware of their growing audience.

  “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

  “No, it’s not,” he said fiercely. “We’re in this together, remember? We both get to screw up.”

  Her smile flickered, a hint of those beloved dimples flashing and fading.

  “I love you, April. Not just the fun rescue parts. All of you.”

  Her laugh was watery, her eyes damp. “I love you, too, Brant. Even the rescuey parts.”

  He took her hands in his. “I know we’re doing everything backward and upside down, but I eloped because my heart belongs to you and it always has.” He got down on one knee, pulling something small from his pocket. “And I hope that this ring will show you just how much I care, and how much I want to be with you. Always.”

  He held up a sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring, the gems sparkling under the string of lights hanging above them. “This is for you, if you will continue to have me. Not as your rescuer, but as your husband. Your partner. A man who sometimes needs you to hold me up, too.”

  “No.” She started to cry, and he felt the room spin, the hardwood floor grinding into his kneecap. “No, Brant. You’re not listening. I want you to rescue me. I want you and nobody else. Just you. Completely the way you are—all imperfect and rescuey—because that’s how you show me you care. I get that now.”

  “Is that a yes?” Carmichael asked. He had been milling about, a cup of punch in his hands.

  April nodded, her eyes wet. “Yes. It’s a yes!”

  She threw herself into Brant’s arms, and he rocked backward, trying to brace them as they tumbled onto the old barn floor. The ring in his fingers went flying, but with April pulled tight against him, feeling so right and at home, he couldn’t muster the attention to care. Because his wife was back in his arms, exactly where she belonged.

  April was still in Brant’s embrace, sprawled in the middle of the old barn’s dance floor. She was laughing, sobbing, unable to control herself, and couldn’t seem to stop. People were cheering, reaching down to see if they needed help up.

  They waved away the assistance, continuing to embrace.

  “Daddy Brant, Daddy Brant,” Kurt was saying, tugging on Brant’s arm. April shifted, sitting up beside him.

  “What’s up, Kurt?” Brant asked.

  “You need this,” he whispered. He held out his hand, the gem-encrusted ring clutched in his fingers.

  April gasped as she took it in. “You can’t afford that.”

  “Well, I figure I might once I shove my wife out of the clinic and no longer have to pay her salary.”

  “What?”

  “Jenny said she needs you full-time. And you were right, there was never a job for you at the clinic. I made that up. Just like I made up a job for…” He glanced around, realizing half the town was surrounding them, listening to every word they said.

  “It’s okay. We all know you created a job for Robyn, too,” Donna Nestner said, giving him a warm smile.

  “Helping us strays is what you do best,” April whispered.

  He grinned, leaning his forehead against hers, looking more relaxed than he had in weeks.“You were never a stray.”

  April shrugged, happy to be one if it meant Brant would take her in and ensure she had a good home.

  Still sitting on the floor, Brant accepted the ring from Kurt, then faced April, their happy guests surrounding them. Joy sprung loose within April and she felt as though she was finally in the very place she’d always wanted to be.

  “Brant Wylder, rescue me.” She flung out her left hand, her bare ring finger ready and waiting.

  He hesitated, eyebrows raised.

  She leaned in, saying, “My heart needs rescuing, and you’re the only one capable of handling that job.”

  He slid the ring on her finger, and as she gazed up at her loving husband, she’d never felt more certain of anything in her entire life.

  Brant couldn’t stop smiling. He had his arms around his wife, and they’d been holding each other since the moment she’d accepted the ring. They were already married, but he felt as though they should be planning a wedding.

  As Brant and April looked on, Kurt bounced from one group of people to another, telling everyone his parents were engaged.

  Brant laughed, loving the boy’s energy, and sending April out into a slow spin before pulling her back to him for a kiss.

  It was all real. And all of it was his.

  He hadn’t even had to shout and fight, like Heath had suggested.

  April looked up at Brant, her eyes bright with happiness. She clutched his jaw, bringing him closer for a kiss, but paused when he winced. She angled his face, taking in the bruise there. Her brows furrowed and she sighed, no doubt worrying that her new husband and her ex were going to end up in regular fistfights.

  “Heath and I had a conversation this afternoon,” he told her.

  Her shoulders drooped as she gave a sigh.

  “And we came to an understanding.”

  Now her eyes widened, her brows lifted. “You did?”

  “We did. We figured out how the four of us will all fit together.”

  “Really?”

  Brant nodded. “Good things happen.”

  Her worries seemed to settle, and he knew she understood that while the conversation hadn’t been easy, it had been good.

  “Heath’s a good man,” he said, reinforcing the change in the two men’s relationship.

  Brant finally got that kiss. It was tender and sweet and full of love. “And so are you,” she whispered. “And everyone knows it.”

  “So you didn’t ruin my reputation, after all?”

  “Oh, I can still try, if you’d like?”

  “No, no. I’m good. I’ve thrown and received more punches while with you than I have in my whole adult life.”

  She frowned, her pitying look a bit too amused to be truly sympathetic.

  “There’s that bratty MacFarlane side coming out in you again.”

  She laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

  “I hope not.” He liked how it kept him on his toes. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as Karen and Carly sidled up beside April to look at her ring. Soon the three were eyeing Jackie, who was flitting about the barn, laughing, chatting and being her usual bubbly self.

  “She’s ignoring Cole,” Laura announced, slipping into the semicircle that had formed. Brant groaned. He still had one more surprise for April, and her friends were stealing her away to play matchmaker, which he knew from experience could take all evening.

  He forced himself to be patient. This was married life, and he wouldn’t change it for the world. Even if he still needed April for one more thing to ensure a happy ending to their night.

  “We should take her to a football game,” Karen announced, referring to Jackie.

  “Seat them together,” April agreed, leaning in, her eyes sparkling.

  The sport’s not in season,” Carly replied, crossing her arms.

  “Blind date?” Karen asked. She winced at her own suggestion.

  “Some sort of setup,” Carly mused.

  “She needs to find true love,” April said.

  “We’ll think of something,” Laura assured them. “Start a group text.”

  Karen pulled out her phone to set up the secret conversation
, and April gave Brant a big smile, her arm around his waist as she leaned in. “I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about that stuff any longer.” She began drawing them slowly away from her group of friends.

  “I almost forgot,” he said. “I have one more thing for you.”

  “You do?” He loved seeing the surprise in April’s expression. “You must have had a busy day.”

  “You have no idea.” After talking with Heath, he’d brought the man to the ranch house to sober him up, before hitching up the trailer and taking him and his horse home. After dropping them off, he’d kept driving, hitting the jewelry store, then stopping at his clinic for one more thing after cleaning himself up for the party.

  “It was kind of a backup plan,” he said, guiding her and Kurt toward the barn’s enormous doors. “Or maybe it was Plan A. I can’t remember.” He was too happy to make sense, and simply pulled her hand. “It’s out in the truck.”

  “What’s in the truck?” Kurt asked, bouncing along beside them.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Is it a dog?”

  “You leaving already?” Myles asked with a smile. He’d been manning the door, and handed April and Kurt their coats. Brant was still wearing his from when he’d arrived.

  “Daddy Brant has a surprise!” Kurt said. “He and my mom are engaged!”

  Brant helped April into her coat, in the process noticing a table ladened with gifts he hadn’t seen earlier. He looked at April in surprise and she shrugged. “You know how Sweetheart Creek is.”

  “I do.”

  “Don’t worry, Daddy Brant,” Kurt said seriously, catching Brant eyeing the table. “I can help you open them all. There are too many for two people. It’ll spoil you.”

  “Oh? It will?”

  Myles chuckled and Kurt nodded knowledgeably. The boy walked to the table and patted a square box. “I heard this one’s a waffle maker. Sorry for the spoiler alert.” He adjusted his small cowboy hat in a way Brant sometimes caught himself doing.

  Brant whispered to April, “Maybe we can have another little surprise a few months down the line.”

  It took her a moment to figure out what he meant. “Only one?” she asked innocently, as they made their way through the rows of vehicles parked in the grassy area behind the barn.

  “I was thinking maybe two or three?”

  “Boy, that’s a lot. You might have to rescue me from things such as cooking dinner and changing diapers.”

  “I’m pretty sure it would be my pleasure.” He slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her close as they walked. “But in the meantime, I have something else to eat up your time and distract you. Are you ready?”

  He thought about covering her eyes, but Kurt was already pulling himself up on the running board of Brant’s truck, clinging to the side mirror as he peeked through the window.

  A pale brown furry face looked out at him.

  Kurt lost his grip on the mirror as the dog barked, causing the boy to slide to the ground. He laughed. “It’s a puppy!”

  “It is,” Brant said. “And it belongs to all three of us.” He said to April, “They’re a lot of work, but I thought… puppy. New beginnings. No old bad habits to break. Other than those me and Dodge may have picked up throughout our bachelor years, because the two of us plan on sticking around to help with this newbie.”

  “Hmm. Maybe I should trade you in, as that sounds a lot easier than what we’ve been trying to do.” She winked to show she was kidding, and he planted a wet kiss on her lips.

  “Don’t you dare trade me in.”

  “I want to name it,” Kurt announced.

  “Go for it.” He turned to April. “If that’s okay with you?”

  She was grinning. “You know how long I’ve wanted a dog? Especially one from you?”

  “I’m not sure why I resisted. Maybe it was my fear of being in the friend zone.”

  “The friend zone?”

  He shrugged. “Like maybe I’d be stuck there forever if I got you a dog. There’d be no further reason to keep me around, as you’d only want me for my pet procurement skills.”

  “Um-hmm.” Her fingers traced their way up his thick plaid jacket, twining together at the nape of his neck, and sending a shiver down his spine. “Is that the truth?”

  “I honestly don’t know. But you have been hinting around for some time.”

  “I wanted a dog even longer than I wanted you.” She kissed him.

  “Is that true?”

  “No. But now I have it all.”

  “Not yet,” he said, his gaze drifting to her belly. “But soon. Soon.”

  Epilogue

  Jackie Moorhouse

  * * *

  Jackie smiled automatically, her mind blank as she nodded along, pretending to listen to a gushing, happy April, who had finally released Brant long enough to socialize with a few guests at their wedding reception.

  Everything was suddenly perfect for April and Brant again. Just like that.

  So easy.

  They’d barely been broken up for five minutes and now they were engaged, or still married, or whatever it was. They were even talking about babies.

  How did everyone just fall in love and make it all happen so fast, anyway?

  Although maybe things would happen for her soon, too. Jackie bit her bottom lip, telling herself not to smile, not to give anything away. Her eyes cut toward Cole Wylder. He was standing near the table of drinks in what she figured were his favorite pair of tan boots, Wranglers she recognized as new last week, and a Western button-up shirt that brought out the mountain-lake color of his eyes. He had topped the outfit with a black cowboy hat that gave him a hint of that wild something she’d had a taste of after his welcome back party, and had been daydreaming about ever since.

  Forget the awkwardness that had surrounded them since his arrival. That was now gone. But it had been replaced with something even worse—a longing and feeling of missed timing.

  As though sensing her thoughts, Cole’s gaze scanned the partygoers. His eyes cut to hers and a warmth filled her with yearning. He gave a brief nod and turned away. Violet Granger came up beside him, looped her arm through his and leaned toward him to whisper something in his ear.

  Jackie’s heart stopped.

  She and Cole had kissed after his party when he’d walked her home last night, but Jackie had turned down anything further. She wasn’t doing one-night whatevers anymore, and he’d told her he’d sworn off women until summer, so he could focus on reconnecting with his family. That had made the whole night a nonstarter for both of them.

  So what was Cole doing letting Violet flirt with him? Because that was what she was doing, laughing, trailing a finger down his biceps.

  Surely Cole was still thinking about Jackie, like she was still thinking about him? There’d been a connection between them that had surely meant something.

  Maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should have taken whatever she could get.

  Her heart sank. She didn’t want anyone’s leftover scraps of love any longer. She was thirty-two. It was time to ask for more than some quick, fun fling, and start searching for something real, like her friends were finding.

  She sighed, feeling dejected as Violet laughed at something Cole said, showing too many teeth and trying way too hard. She liked Violet, but she was the one who’d been waiting for Cole to return. Return to her.

  Cole’s head turned, his eyes locking on Jackie’s for a brief second that felt like an eternity. The skin near his eyes wrinkled and a hint of a smile sent a flurry of heat through her body. He gave her a slow nod before gently sliding his arm out of Violet’s grip and saying something to her that made the woman frown.

  Maybe Jackie didn’t need to search. Maybe the beginning of what she was looking for was already right in front of her, and all she had to do was be patient for just a little longer.

  And let Cole Wylder know that when he was ready to date again, she was the very first woman in line.
>
  Thank you for reading THE COWBOY’S SWEET ELOPEMENT. I hope you loved Brant and April’s story! Find out what happens to Cole in the next book as an old crush finds her way onto the scene in THE COWBOY’S SURPRISE RETURN.

  * * *

  Cole’s looking to mend fences and patch his reputation after leaving town, but when his eye catches on a sad looking Jackie Moorhouse he begins to find a deepening connection with the last woman he’d ever expected.

  Click to start reading THE COWBOY’S SURPRISE RETURN!

  * * *

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  …Turn the page for a sneak peek of Cole and Jackie’s story, THE COWBOY’S SURPRISE RETURN…

  Sneak Peek from THE COWBOY’S SURPRISE RETURN

  ** Unedited EARLY sneak peek! **

  Jackie was done. She’d been sitting off to the side where the bar ended near the front of The Watering Hole, pretending to have a good time for almost two hours. Sure, she’d floated from table to table so people wouldn’t think something was up, but she’d mostly stuck to herself, sorting through her mood. All she could think about was the fight she’d had with her friend April MacFarlane on their walk over to The Watering Hole, and how her friend took love for granted.

  April had called her a chicken for not throwing herself all over her long-time crush Cole Wylder as soon as he’d stepped foot in Sweetheart Creek again. But anyone could see that his years away had weighed on him, and that he wasn’t the same man who’d left town. It was right there in the haunted glimmer in his eyes, available for all to see.

  Jackie sighed and swirled the drink she’d been nursing all night. Like a fool, she’d continued to carry the burden of her childhood crush even when Cole had disappeared for five years. Now she wasn’t even sure the man she’d dreamed of for so longer still existed.

  To make it even worse was the realization that April had been right: milk lasted longer than Jackie’s boyfriends. She was a good-time friend and a flirt the local men didn’t consider marriage material. And so what had she done? She’d pinned her hopes and future dreams on a man who didn’t do serious or long-term.