“No, that’s not it.” Impulsively, Skylar reached out and touched the other woman’s arm. “You deserve a better wedding than that. Actually, I love the idea. Matt and José are best buddies, after all. I think you and I might become friends, too.” She shrugged, feeling a certainty and sense of rightness. “Let’s see what the men think, all right?”
Chantal looked so relieved that Skylar knew she’d made the right decision. A wedding was another new beginning, too. Why not share it? After all, she would no longer be alone, nor would Chantal.
José agreed. Skylar got the impression he’d do anything Chantal asked him to do, even though it meant waiting to get married. Though Matt, she reflected happily, had also consented to the plan.
First, though, he said he had something to tell her. Taking her aside, he swallowed hard, letting her know whatever he had to say was important to him.
“After the gun battle, I took steps to have my name legally changed back to what it was before. Miguel Lopez.”
He sounded so worried about her reaction that she had to kiss his cheek. “I’m glad. What made you decide?”
Voice wickedly low, he nuzzled her neck, sending heat all through her body. “Because I wanted our son to carry on the family name. Do you mind being Mrs. Lopez instead of Mrs. Landeta?”
She tried to frown and look serious, but failed completely. The idea of having his son made her dizzy. “Of course not. But does that mean I have to call you Miguel instead of Matt?”
“Nope.” Eyes full of warmth, the tenderness and heat of his gaze had her curling her toes. “I’m used to Matt.”
“Then by all means, Mr. Lopez, let’s go get the paperwork done.”
He froze. “Do you have your birth certificate? I checked out the paperwork José had. In Texas, you need a certified copy of your birth certificate, among other things.”
She grinned at his worried expression. “You know, I just got back from vacation. Because I’m a worrywart, I always have a certified copy with me. Along with my passport, my driver’s license and anything else I might need.”
On that note, they headed to town.
* * *
The morning of their wedding, Matt woke to the ominous rumble of thunder and the howl of the wind. Sliding out from under the sheets, careful not to wake Skylar, he padded to the window and peered outside.
Lightning flashed, illuminating rain blowing sideways in sheets.
Perfect, he thought ruefully. Their relationship had never been smooth. Of course it would storm.
He’d have to scrap their plans to have the ceremony on the back patio. Pacing, he stopped and smiled slowly as an idea struck him. Of course. He knew exactly where they’d be wed.
“Matt?” Awake now, Skylar sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Was that rain I heard?”
“And thunder and lightning. But no worries, I’ll just move the location and we’ll be fine.”
Frowning, she ran her fingers through her tousled red hair. “Good thing my dress is satin instead of silk. Where are you thinking?”
Climbing back into the bed, he gave her a slow, suggestive kiss. “Leave that to me. I promise you’ll love it.”
When he went in to deepen the kiss, she pushed him away. “Move,” she ordered, smiling slightly to take the sting from her words. “Not till after we’re married, Mr. Lopez.”
As she sauntered toward the bathroom for a shower, she gave him a saucy smile over her shoulder. “Tonight, I’ll show you again how much I love you.” Then she closed the door in his face.
He couldn’t help it—he laughed. He couldn’t wait.
Humming under his breath, Matt went to one of his other bathrooms and took his own shower. Afterward, he made a few phone calls and changed the location of the double wedding. He sent one of his ranch hands into town for umbrellas and got dressed in his Western suit. Through it all, Talia watched solemnly, as if she understood what was happening.
José arrived an hour before the ceremony. Chantal was already there, closeted in a guest room getting dressed, just as Skylar was in the master bedroom. Like Matt, José had been forbidden to see his bride until the ceremony.
When Matt told José where the wedding was to be held, José chuckled and agreed it was perfect. The two men played cards and hung out in the kitchen while they waited.
The justice of the peace arrived. He was given an umbrella and led away.
When Skylar and Chantal appeared on the stairs, both Matt and José sucked in their breath. Matt could hardly tear his gaze away from the beautiful woman who was to be his wife. She’d chosen a champagne- colored dress that fit her body lovingly. Her red hair had been piled on top of her head with corkscrew tendrils framing her face.
The wedding, attended only by the ranch hands, was tiny. Matt had no family and he’d learned neither did Skylar. José’s remaining relatives were all in Mexico, and Chantal wasn’t speaking to her parents. Talia’s attendance, Skylar said, was more than enough for her. She’d make a new family here with him.
Everyone else was already in place, waiting. Matt took Skylar on his arm, his heart swelling with gratitude. Next to him, José did the same.
At the doorway, each man opened his huge black umbrella and walked outside, protecting his woman from the downpour.
Luckily, the wind had died down and the rain no longer came in sideways sheets. The steady deluge only drenched their feet. When they reached the old barn, Skylar squeezed his arm and grinned.
“Perfect,” she said. “Our place.”
His heart swelled. He’d known she’d understand.
Inside, among the horses and the scent of hay and manure and leather, the justice of the peace stood on a raised platform in front of the stallion stall. Talia had dashed ahead and was seated expectantly on the floor near him. Flowers decorated every stall door, and if a horse nibbled on them here and there, well, that was to be expected.
They’d all four chosen to embellish the traditional vows slightly with a few simple words.
“You are my heart and my life,” Matt told Skylar when it was time for him to do so, “my shelter from the storm and my rainbow after the rain.”
As Skylar repeated the words back to him, to his shock he felt his eyes fill. Not with tears of sorrow or pain, but with tears of joy at this new beginning. A life full of love and hope, rather than pain and regret. For both of them.
The justice of the peace turned to José and Chantal. Matt barely listened as they spoke their vows. He couldn’t tear his now-blurry gaze from Skylar. His woman, his wife.
With trembling fingers, she reached up and wiped his eyes. Wonder and love and joy shone on her face, mirroring the emotions in his heart.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the justice of the peace intoned. “Gentlemen, you may kiss your bride.”
And so Matt did, gladly. Beside him, José did the same.
The ranch hands clapped and cheered. Talia barked. As Skylar gazed up at him, her green eyes went dark with passion and the promise of what was to come later.
Arm in arm, they turned to face their new future.
When they turned to exit the barn, they found the rain had stopped. Above them, in the still-gray sky, a rainbow glowed, transcendent.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Cowboy with a Cause by Carla Cassidy.
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Chapter 1
Adam Benson sat in his pickup truck parked at the curb and stared at the two-story house out his passenger-side window. It was a nice place, painted pale beige with rust-colored trim. A large tree in the front yard sported all the colors of autumn, with bright red and orange leaves beginning to group at the base.
The Room for Rent sign had been in the front window for a couple of months, and for the past few weeks each time Adam drove by the place, he’d considered the possibility of checking it out.
Shoving a hand into the pocket of his lightweight black jacket, he found the two small plastic chips inside and rubbed them together as he considered his next move.
There was no question that he was in transition. With two months of sobriety behind him and a ranch that no longer felt like his home, he knew it was time to make some significant changes in his life.
With a new decisiveness, he opened the truck door and got out. Great location, he told himself as he looked down Main Street. This house was one of the last on the block that hadn’t been sold and torn down to make room for commercial property. From here he could easily walk the main drag of the small town of Grady Gulch.
He turned back to look at the house. The place had belonged to Olive Brooks for as long as he could remember. The older woman had been a fixture in town, working at the post office and involved in every charity event. Then about a year ago she’d become ill with cancer and her only daughter had come to town from someplace back east to nurse her. Olive had passed away and her daughter had remained in the house.
It was a little strange. Nobody around town that Adam had spoken to seemed to have seen Melanie Brooks since her mother’s death, although he’d heard a few unpleasant rumors about her.
He jingled his sobriety chips once again. He knew personally about gossip and ugly rumors. In the past year he and his family had experienced enough of both to last a lifetime.
He finally sighed, irritated with his own hesitation. “Doesn’t hurt to check it out,” he muttered under his breath as he headed toward the front porch.
Next door to the house the pizza place was in full lunch swing, the scents of robust sauce and spicy sausage filling the air. Adam’s stomach rumbled, and he decided that after checking out the room for rent, he’d head to the Cowboy Café for lunch. Although the pizza smelled great, at noon the place was usually overrun by high school kids grabbing a slice of pizza before their afternoon classes began.
Besides, the Cowboy Café was the place in town to get a hearty meal and a healthy serving of what people were saying and thinking. In the past couple of months it had felt more like home than the ranch where he’d grown up.
As he walked up the stairs to the porch, he noticed that the railing was more than a little wobbly and needed to be replaced. Up close the house paint wasn’t quite as fresh as it appeared from the street. A little TLC was definitely needed, he thought, not that it was his problem. That was one of the luxuries of not owning where you lived: you weren’t responsible for any of the maintenance.
He knocked on the door, and as he waited for a reply, he turned and looked back at the street where his truck was parked. Within an hour everyone in town would know that he’d been here. That was the way things worked in small towns like Grady Gulch. There were few secrets that could be sustained for any length of time.
However, there was one person in town who was keeping a dark, evil secret, a person who had murdered two women in their beds. So far law enforcement and everyone else had no idea who that killer might be and if or when he might strike again. The murders of two women who had worked as waitresses at the popular café had definitely put a gray pall over the town.
He shoved this disturbing thought aside and knocked again, this time hearing a woman’s voice respond for him to hang on. The door finally opened and he got his first look at Melanie Brooks.
Stunning. She was absolutely stunning, with pale blond hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves and eyes that were bluer than any he’d ever seen before. She was slender and wore a pair of black slacks, a black blouse and an irritated scowl that looked permanently etched onto her face. He couldn’t discern how tall she might be as she sat in a wheelchair.
Adam swept his cowboy hat from his head, quickly raked his fingers through his dark hair and hoped his shock at her condition didn’t show on his face. “Good afternoon. I’m Adam Benson and I’m here about the room for rent.”
She blinked in obvious surprise and there was a long, awkward silence.
“You have a sign in your window? A room for rent?” he prompted.
She used her arms to move herself backward and then gestured for him to step into the foyer. “Adam Benson,” she mused, her eyes narrowed as her gaze held his. “I heard you were a drunk.”
Adam took a step back, stunned by her unexpected words. “I was,” he admitted with painful honesty. “But I’m not drinking anymore. And the rumors I heard about you were that you’re a sour, rude and cranky woman. The verdict is still out on that.”
Her eyes narrowed even more. “You have a big ranch on the edge of town. Why would you need to rent a room?”
“My brother, his new wife and son have all moved into the ranch house and I’m looking for a change of address.” His decision to leave the house where he’d grown up was far more complicated than that, but he figured Melanie didn’t need to know the details. “So, can I see the room?”
“It’s actually more than just a room. Follow me.” She moved out of the foyer and into a large, airy living room with a staircase that led up to the second floor. She stopped at the foot of the staircase, the dainty frown still etched in her forehead.
For somebody who had had a sign hanging in the window for months, she seemed reluctant to allow him to see the space she was renting. Was her reluctance based on the fact that he was a male? Or was it specifically aimed at him personally? Certainly the reputation of all the Benson brothers had taken a beating in the past year, but over the past couple of months things had calmed down.
“Look, Ms. Brooks, I just need a place to hang my hat. I’m not looking for any trouble. I’ll pay the rent on time and be a respectful tenant. Speaking of rent, what are you looking to get each month?”
She told him a figure that seemed a little high and he wondered if she’d done it on purpose to chase him away or if she’d intended to ask for that kind of money from anyone who showed an interest.
“Sounds good,” he replied.
“I’m actually renting the entire second floor. I’m certainly not using any of the rooms upstairs.” A touch of bitterness laced her voice. “Go on up and have a look around.”
Adam nodded, and as he climbed the stairs, he wondered what had put her in the wheelchair. He reminded himself that it—that she—was none of his business. He was simply looking for peace and quiet, for a haven where he could gather himself together and figure out what exactly he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
The upstairs was comprised of three bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the rooms was set up like a sitting room, with a sofa, a television and an overstuffed chair with a reading lamp behind it. Adam could easily visualize himself in that big chair in the evenings, leisurely reading the newspaper or a novel.
The view from the window was of Main Street, and he stood for a moment and looked outside, trying to get a feel for the space.
The bedrooms were decorated in earth tones, making them feel neither masculine nor feminine but simply functional. The larger of the two bedrooms was located next to the sitting room and also had a view of Main Street out the window. Everything was neat and tidy and it all felt oddly right to him.
He wasn’t sure what Melanie might have heard about him or his brothers, and she appeared to be the cranky sort, but surely they wouldn’t have much interaction if he moved in here.
It was just a room, not a relationship, he reminded himsel
f as he walked back down the stairs. Melanie had remained where he’d left her, at the foot of the stairs and she watched him solemnly as he hit the lower landing.
“We’d share kitchen space,” she said. “You’d get the upper cabinets and I use the lower ones. You buy your own food and cook it and clean up the mess afterward.” She said the words resolutely, as if she’d come to some sort of decision about him while he’d been upstairs. “It would be a month-to-month lease. I can get rid of you or you can move out with thirty days’ notice. If you drink, you’re out. If you’re a messy pig, you’re out, and if you think I’m rude or whatever, then you deal with it or move out.”
He watched her closely, seeking any sign of a sense of humor lurking in her amazing blue eyes, but there didn’t appear to be any. It was almost as if she were daring him to move in, confident that within thirty days he’d either want to move or she’d have a good reason to kick him out.
“I’ll take it,” he replied. “I’m assuming you want first and last months’ rent along with a deposit of an additional month?”
She nodded. “When would you want to move in?”
“Tomorrow morning around nine?”
She released a deep sigh, although Adam couldn’t tell if the sigh was of relief or apprehension. “That would be fine,” she replied as she headed back toward the front door.
He followed behind her, noting how her hair shone in the sunlight that danced in through the windows. As they reached the front door, he turned and faced her once again.
Once again he was struck by her beauty. Her features were classic, high cheekbones emphasizing the slenderness of her face and her straight, perfect nose. She had a generous mouth, which might have been incredibly sexy if the corners weren’t turned downward. Those lips would be inviting if she’d just smile a little bit.
For just a moment as he gazed at her, he saw a hint of vulnerability in the depths of her eyes, and a surge of unexpected protectiveness welled up inside him. How did she manage to live here by herself?
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