by Katie Lane
The little white chapel sat in the midst of a field of summer flowers, its spire piercing the sky and its stained-glass windows sparkling in the sun. Summer released his arm and swept off her hat. She stared at the chapel, and when she spoke, her voice was soft and uncertain. Nothing like the strong, confident woman he had fallen in love with.
“My sisters love this little white chapel. They love the history of the mail-order brides who were married here. And the legend that if you wish on the spire, you’ll find the man of your dreams.” She paused, and he could see tears glistening on her thick, dark lashes. “I tried to stay away from such foolishness. Foolish dreams of falling in love with the perfect man and living happily ever after was what got my mama saddled with a deadbeat husband. So rather than become my mama, I became my daddy. I became a heartless person who ran from any kind of commitment or attachment. It was easy to do. None of the men I dated ever held my interest for very long.”
She paused. “But then you came into my life. This solemn loner computer nerd with the most soulful eyes I’d ever seen. You didn’t let me bulldoze you, but you didn’t try to bulldoze me either. You treated me with respect and equality. You seemed to look right through my tough-girl act and see the scared woman beneath.”
She looked at him, and a tear splashed down her cheek. “You were right, Ryker. I was scared. When I found out you had kept a secret from me, I felt like my worst fear had been realized. The fear that I would end up like my mama, in love with a man I couldn’t trust. But I can trust you. You’ve proven it time and time again. You proved it by staying right by my side after the accident. By not leaving when I thought I might be pregnant. And by coming back even after I tried to push you away.”
Another tear fell, and he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her in the worst way. But there was something he needed to hear first. Something he had to hear.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. But this fear my daddy left me with isn’t going to be easy to get rid of. And I’m sure in our future I’ll do something else stupid.”
“Our future?”
Her jaw turned stubborn. “Yes, our future. And please don’t tell me that you’re going to let my stupidity ruin what we have together. I know you’re mad, but you need to get over it. I love you, Ryker Cord Evans. I might be a little controlling and slightly stubborn and a tiny bit pushy. But you are never going to find a woman better for you than me.”
Her declaration made all the tattered pieces of Ryker’s heart come together, and he tipped his head up to the beautiful blue summer sky and laughed with sheer joy.
Which ticked Summer off.
“Are you laughing at me?”
He looked at her and smiled. “Okay, I’ll marry you.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
He waved a hand at the church. “Isn’t this why you tricked me into bidding on your basket and brought me to the little white chapel? It was your way of telling me that I’m your dream man and you want to marry me?”
She blinked. “Well, yes, but I didn’t think I’d be the one doing the proposing.”
“But I thought you liked having control?”
The look on her face was comical. “Not for all things.”
He might’ve continued to tease her, but he had more important things to do. Like seal the deal. He got down on one knee and took her hand. “Marry me, Summer Lynn Hadley. Marry me right here in the little white chapel as soon as we can get the marriage license. Because I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life becoming your dream man.”
The scowl disappeared from Summer’s face to be replaced by a smile that matched the brightness of the sun overhead. “Well, if you insist.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
What kind of underwear do you have on?
Summer bit back a smile as she read the text, and quickly texted back. Tighty whities.
The reply came only seconds later. Hmm? I was hoping for none.
Before she could answer Ryker, her phone was snatched away by Autumn.
“Enough, Summer. You are only minutes away from walking down the aisle, and you’re not even close to being ready.” Autumn opened a bobby pin with her teeth and crammed it into Summer’s up-do, scraping her scalp in the process.
“Oww!” Summer pulled back. “Would you stop already? I’ve been fluffed, puffed, and stuffed into a corset that’s killing me, and I’ve had just about all I can take.”
Autumn picked up another hairpin. “I don’t care. I let you pick a short dress when a long one would’ve been more appropriate. I even let you wear cowboy boots instead of heels. But I refuse to let you walk down the aisle with your hair looking like it was combed in a blender.” She rammed in the hairpin and stood back to examine her work. “There. Perfect.”
“I don’t know if I’d ever call Summer perfect,” Spring said with a teasing smile on her face. “But you do look beautiful, big sis. Are you ready to chain yourself to one man for the rest of your life?”
“Stop teasing.” Autumn took Summer’s dress off the hanger and held it out. “We don’t want Summer getting cold feet.”
At one time, she’d had more than cold feet. She’d been terrified of commitment. But not anymore. The last month and a half had proven to her that Ryker was a man worth committing to. He wasn’t just her friend. He was her lover. Her protector. Her savior. And she was more than happy to be all those things to him.
“I’m not going to get cold feet.” She pulled on her dress and let Autumn zip her in. “I want to be chained to Ryker for the rest of my life. That way, he can’t get away from me.”
Spring laughed. “I don’t think he wants to get away. He sold his business because you had to stay here to plan the wedding. He can’t stand being away from you for more than a second.”
“That’s not the reason he sold his business. He sold Headhunters because he realized that Dallas isn’t where he wants to live. He loves Bliss and wants to live here. He claims it’s because he never had a lot of friends and the people of Bliss have made him feel so welcome. But I think it has more to do with his father. Ryker is closer to Cord than he’s willing to admit.”
“Speaking of Cord Evans.” Autumn opened a box and handed Summer the cowboy boots Cord had had specially made for her. They were a pretty lavender with her and Ryker’s initials stitched inside the hearts on the sides.
“I love those boots,” Spring said as Summer sat down to pull them on. “I love them almost as much as I love the ones Cord gave to me and Autumn.” She lifted her foot to show off her pink cowboy boots. “He’s such a nice man.”
Summer didn’t mention that Cord hadn’t always been so nice. Maybe because Cord was working hard to turn his life around and put the past behind him. She had to agree that the past was best left there. There were some things in her past that needed to be left behind. Like her trust issues. She knew she was still going to have them from time to time, but she wasn’t going to let them control her life anymore.
Someone tapped on the door. When Autumn opened it, Cord stood there looking like a dashing rodeo star in his western tux and black hat. “Your Granny Bon told me to tell you that everyone’s waiting and you need to get a move on. But I figure a bride should be able to take her good sweet time.” He winked at Summer. “I’ll be out here waiting whenever you’re ready.” Since Dirk was Ryker’s best man, Cord had asked if he could walk Summer down the aisle. She couldn’t have asked for a better escort.
“I’ll be right there,” she said. “Just give me a couple seconds.”
When Autumn closed the door, Summer took both of her sisters by the hands. “Before we head into the chapel, I want to apologize to both of you. You were right to close the store. It should’ve been closed long ago—or never even opened. I’m sorry for coming up with the harebrained idea in the first place and for bulldozing you two into joining me.”
Seasons had been a harebrained idea. Once Summer got over her family closing the store, i
t felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Ryker was right. Clothes didn’t get her excited. She didn’t care what she wore, and she really didn’t care what other people wore. She didn’t know why she ever thought owning a retail clothing store was a good idea.
Of course, now she would have to figure out what she wanted to do. Ryker had already figured out what he wanted to do—even if he didn’t know it yet. He’d not only been working with Cord on building the online part of his business, he’d also been working with other businesses in the town. It seemed he didn’t love running companies as much as he loved being a computer consultant and making businesses successful online. Summer only wished she could figure out what she loved. While she had enjoyed her time off, she couldn’t see herself being a stay-at-home housewife. She needed to keep busy. She needed to have a plan. But she would figure that out later. For now, the only plan she needed was to marry a good man and live happily ever after.
She pulled her sisters in for a group hug. “I love you both, and I promise I’ll never boss you around again.” Autumn and Spring burst out laughing as if that was the funniest joke they’d ever heard. Summer couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. I’ll probably spend the rest of my life bossing you two around, but that’s what big sisters are for.”
They hugged for a moment longer before Autumn pulled back. “We need to go.” She picked up the bridal bouquet that sat on the vanity and handed it to Summer, then stepped back to look at her. Tears welled in her eyes. “You were right. The dress is perfect.”
The wedding ceremony was short and sweet, which worked out well given that the chapel’s air conditioning quit halfway through and everyone almost got heat stroke on the hot August day.
But Summer didn’t notice the heat. All she noticed was the love in a pair of pretty brown eyes. Love that she knew would last a lifetime. When the ceremony was over, she and Ryker stayed for pictures before heading to Dirk’s ranch, where the reception was being held. But on the way there, Ryker made a wrong turn.
“Where are you going?” Summer asked. “Dirk’s is the other direction.”
Ryker glanced over at her and smiled. “I know, but I wanted to give you your wedding gift first.”
Her eyes widened. “Wedding gift? I was supposed to get you a wedding gift? I thought the rings were our gifts to each other.”
“They were, but this is something extra. A special surprise.”
She loved surprises, but she loved to guess what they were even more. She thought she had it figured out when he pulled onto the highway that led to Bliss. “You bought that cute Victorian house that just went up for sale right down the street from Waylon and Spring’s.”
“No, but it sounds like a good idea. The room above Ms. Marble’s garage is nice, but way too small.”
“If it’s not the house, what is it?”
He winked. “You’ll have to wait and find out.”
Summer had never been good at waiting. She was a fidgety mess by the time Ryker parked in front of the vacant building they’d been going to turn into Ms. Marble’s bakery.
“Why are you stopping here?” she asked.
Instead of answering, Ryker got out and came around to open her door. He took her hand and helped her from the car, then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Now this isn’t set in stone. If I’m wrong, then all you have to do is say so.” He led her toward the glass door that was papered just like the windows. He took out a key and unlocked it, then he held the door while she walked in.
It was dark inside, and she couldn’t see a thing. But then Ryker switched on the lights, and she saw everything. She stared in amazement at the cute little tables and blue chairs and the sparkling display case. The marble countertop held a cash register and a vase of fresh pink Gerber daisies. Behind the counter she could see through the doorway that led to the kitchen. It had shiny commercial ovens and mixers and large stainless-steel counter for decorating.
“It’s Ms. Marble’s bakery,” she breathed. “It looks just like I dreamed it would.” She turned and hugged Ryker. “This is so sweet, honey.” She pulled back, feeling horrible that he’d gone to all the trouble for nothing. “I should’ve told you sooner, but with the excitement of the wedding I just forgot. Ms. Marble doesn’t want a bakery. That wasn’t her dream at all.”
Ryker smiled. “I know. She told me.”
Summer looked around in confusion. “Then who is this for?”
He walked over and took hold of the sheet that was hanging on the wall. He tugged, and the sheet fell to the floor. Underneath was a sign that stood out in the blue sky of bakery clouds like a brilliant neon rainbow.
Summer’s Blissful Bakery.
Her eyes widened. “It’s mine?” She looked at him in disbelief. “You did all this for me?”
He held up a hand. “Like I said before, nothing is set in stone. If I was wrong, if this isn’t what you want, that’s okay. I’m sure we can find someone to sell—”
Before he could finish, she threw her arms around him and hugged him close. “Over my dead body, Ryker Evans. This is mine. All mine.”
He drew back. “So you like it?”
“I love it. Who wouldn’t love a bakery? Especially a bakery your husband went to all the trouble to give to you.” She kissed him. She kissed him with all the love in her heart. And he kissed her back until they were both breathless and wanting more.
“I could lock the door,” he whispered against her lips. “No one can see in. And I’m dying to see those tighty whities. Or more like tear them off with my teeth.”
She nipped at his bottom lip. “I would love that too, but we have an entire town waiting to celebrate our marriage.”
“I can be fast. Real fast.” His hands slid to the hem of her dress. It was halfway up her thighs, when he pulled away from the kiss. “Shit.”
“What?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I forgot a condom.” She couldn’t help laughing. “It’s not funny,” he said.
“It’s a little funny.” She gave him a big smacky kiss on the lips. “But lucky for you, I bought plenty and they’re waiting for us on the vibrating bed in Room 7 at the motor lodge.”
He grinned. “I married an extremely smart woman.”
“Hell yeah, you did.”
His smile faded, and his eyes grew serious. “I know you’ll want time to get your bakery started. But after it’s up and running, I was thinking that maybe we wouldn’t need to worry about birth control.”
She didn’t think her heart could get any fuller, but it did. “Are you saying you want to make babies with me, Ryker?”
“Only when you’re ready.”
She loved that he always considered her wants and needs. She knew he was the kind of man who always would. She looped her arms around his neck. “I think I can handle making cakes and babies as long as you’re right there beside me.”
Ryker lifted her completely off the floor and swung her around until she was dizzy with joy. “There’s no other place I want to be.”
Sneak Peek!
Here’s a sneak peek of the next book in
the Brides of Bliss Texas series.
Autumn Texas Bride
will be out September 2018!
“You from around here? You look familiar?”
Maverick Murdock had hoped that sunglasses, a cowboy hat, and a week’s growth of beard would’ve been enough of a disguise. Obviously not. He tried not to show any reaction as he looked back at the old guy who sat behind the counter of the gas station.
“Nope. Just passing through.” He handed him three twenties.
The old guy put the money in the drawer of the cash register and pulled out change. “Well, if you have time for lunch, you should stop by Lucy’s Place Diner. Carly’s pot roast is the best in Texas.” He turned and handed him the change. “And the Tender Heart museum is sure worth taking a look at. Did you ever read the Tender Heart western series? The author Lucy Arrington lived right here i
n Bliss. Her family still does. Her great nieces and nephews own some of the biggest ranches in the county, her great-grandson is soon to be elected our new mayor, and one of her great-granddaughters married our sheriff and the other is about to open up a bakery on Main Street.”
Maverick wasn’t interested in bakeries, old book series, or dusty museums. He was in Bliss for one reason and one reason only.
Intense, mind-blowing, tension-relieving sex.
He slid the change in the front pocket of his jeans. “Actually, I’m looking for a friend of mine. Do you know Summer Hadley?”
The old guy smiled, showing off a chipped front tooth. “I sure do. She’s the great-granddaughter who’s opening the bakery.”
Maverick was more than a little surprised. Summer had never mentioned being a granddaughter of a famous writer. Nor had she ever mentioned liking to bake. Of course, in college, all they’d talked about was sports, and recently . . . they hadn’t talked about much of anything. It was hard to talk when your lips were busy doing other things.
“How do you know Summer?” the old guy asked.
“We’re old college friends.” Friends with benefits. Really good benefits that Maverick couldn’t seem to get out of his mind.
The old guy grinned. “I bet those Hadley Triplets were as hard to tell apart in school as they are now. If not for their haircuts, I wouldn’t have a clue.”
“I haven’t seen Autumn and Spring in awhile, but, in college, the sisters were identical. I could only tell them apart by their personalities.” Summer was direct, driven, and out-spoken. Spring was bright, vivacious, and personable. And Autumn was . . . weird. She never said much when he was around. She’d just stared. It made him feel creepy. Unlike Summer who made him feel hot.
“Where is this bakery?” he asked.