by Beth Wiseman
She thought of Tiff and her prince, and knew she could get through this. Inhaling one last calming breath, she headed across the sand toward the stairs.
“Yoo-hoo, Kelsey!”
Kelsey swung her gaze away from the hotel and a little farther down the beach. Instantly her insides tensed.
The “posse” had arrived.
Yup, there they were—her red-headed aunt Esther Mae Wilcox and her two best pals, Norma Sue Jenkins and Adela Ledbetter Green. All three ladies waved wildly at her from the ocean’s edge. Their excitement made her smile, despite her misgivings. Millie, one of her aunt’s tiny black Yorkie-poos, dashed back and forth beside the sparkling waves, a blur as she chased the taunting sea gulls, her shrill bark carrying on the breeze. The pup’s sheer joy made Kelsey chuckle. She waved the hand holding her shoes, keeping a firm grip on the long, heavy skirt of her dress.
“Kelsey!” Aunt E exclaimed again. Hustling forward, caftan flowing, she engulfed Kelsey in her yellow, floral-printed chiffon arms. “Aren’t you just a sight for sore eyes?”
“It’s good to see you, too.” A lump lodged in Kelsey throat and she hugged as good as she got. Though her aunt and her pals added to her trepidation because of their meddlesome matchmaking ways, her spirits lifted.
Everyone talked at once, getting their greetings and their hugging out of the way. Millie raced between her feet and Kelsey picked up the curly-haired mass of wriggling pooch, giving her a hug. The pup licked Kelsey’s jaw, then strained to run free, the cawing birds just too tempting.
Aunt E’s scarlet hair whipped about her face like flames in the wind as she studied Kelsey from head to toe. “My, don’t you look radiant tonight! Norma Sue, Adela, isn’t my niece the most beautiful sight in gold?”
“Lovely, Kelsey. Just lovely.” Admiration warmed Adela’s blue eyes, making them even more vivid than usual in contrast with her soft cap of snow-white hair.
“Yup.” A ranch woman with a large personality and a smile as wide as her ample hips, Norma Sue had shed her Stetson for the occasion and her short, steel wool curls ruffled freely in the breeze. “Honey, you’re gonna blow the socks off of every single male at this shindig tonight.”
And there it was. Two minutes in and they’d already started matchmaking. No wonder these three innocent-looking ladies were known wide and far as the Matchmakin’ Posse of Mule Hollow, their tiny Texas hometown.
“Now, y’all, I’m telling you right up front,” Kelsey said. “I’m not looking for love or even a relationship and y’all aren’t pushing me into anything either.”
Aunt E harrumphed. “That low-down lying Lance Carson did you a favor walking out of that church. If you’d married that scoundrel, look what you’d have been tied to for the rest of your life.”
“That’s right, young lady,” Norma Sue huffed. “You were raised on a ranch. You know you’ve got to get back in the saddle after you’re bucked off. It’s been two years. That’s more’n time to saddle up.”
Her mouth dried up. True, Kelsey’s life on her family ranch on the outskirts of Boerne, Texas had taught her that, but she didn’t want to get back on the horse and that was the difference. And she had good reason. She looked to Adela for help.
“I agree, dear. You don’t want to let what he did define your life. You have to move forward.”
Her heart fought the steel band tightening around it. “I agree. Lance did me a favor, really. If we had married, I would never have found my calling here in Corpus Christi. I love my life.” It was true. She’d traded in her boots for flip-flops and a bistro by the beach two years ago. She was doing fine. Fine. Enjoying herself and running a business that allowed her a laid-back way of life with good friends and lots of happy customers.
Of course, after what Lance had done, she’d been hurt, embarrassed and madder than—well, let’s just say she’d been one hot Texas cowgirl. But that was then. She was no longer a cowgirl. She was a surfer girl—ok, so she didn’t surf, but she did have an array of flip-flops fit for every occasion. She made the best coffee in the city, the best pastries and sandwiches too. And her soups were to die for—customers’ words, not her own—but exactly what she was aiming for with everything she created. Making her customers happy made her happy.
Her life was fantastic.
It was. Sure, she’d love to drum up a little more business, maybe get some catering jobs so her employees could pull in some extra income for themselves, but that would come. It would.
Looking at the three expectant faces of the matchmakers, her pulse stuttered and her stomach knotted. They were going to be on her like syrup to a hot pancake tonight. To them, a single woman needed a man. End of story.
Kelsey was having none of it, though. And she was about to say so when Millie zipped past them heading toward the water and dove for a low flying sea gull. Was she a pup or a bird?
Millie landed on the receding wave, her hair splayed out like a mop as she floated. Yipping and barking, she began paddling wildly, but instead of returning with the waves, she was pulled farther out. She had to have traveled more than twenty feet in the time Kelsey had watched.
“My baby!” Aunt E exclaimed, running for the water with Norma Sue and Adela on her heels.
Millie was about to be lost at sea.
Kelsey dropped her shoes, hiked up the narrow skirt of her sequined dress and took off running. “I’ll get her, Aunt E,” she shouted. She plunged into the water, maneuvering a shallow dive in the direction of the black mass of yelping fur.
She came up where the puppy had been, only to find Millie had been swept farther away, still treading and yelping frantically. As Kelsey pushed forward, the heavy sequined dress caught water like a sponge. She floundered, scrambled and fought to no avail—the dress tangled around her legs and dragged her beneath the waves.
She clawed for the surface and gasped for air, only to be sucked under once more. Thrashing and twisting, she fought her way back up and kicked her gold encased legs up and out of the water, but the dress clung to them.
Her lungs burned. Flipping and flopping, she tried to reach around for the zipper and couldn’t—the ridiculous fabric weighed her legs down like actual gold. She broke the surface, gasped water and air and then the ocean claimed her again.
This, she thought, was not how she’d envisioned herself going out.
And what about the poor puppy?
Brent Corbin yanked at the collar of his starched white dress shirt and strode out of the Castle and onto the hotel’s back patio. Heading toward the outer corner, he breathed in the scent of ocean air. Soon he’d have to go back inside to join the wedding celebration. But not for a few moments yet.
Brent was happy for his college rodeo pal Steven, and a little envious that Steven had found what he hadn’t been able to find himself. Love seemed elusive for Brent. He was a magnet for women with hang-ups and he was usually in too deep before he realized what a mess he’d gotten himself into.
He’d just reached the railing when screams erupted down by the beach. Three older women in bright colors were waving and jumping and getting all kinds of crazy in the sand. What could they be so excited about? Brent looked out over the water for signs of trouble. The evening sun glinted off the blue water, flaring suddenly off of what appeared to be the golden tail of a—of a mermaid.
The tail flipped and rolled, and suddenly the body of the mermaid appeared, arms flailing before she sank back beneath the water. An instant later she burst again from the waves, her form glowing gold in the sunlight, long blonde hair flowing over her like flaxen seaweed . . . and then she was gone.
The mermaid was in trouble.
Brent vaulted over the hotel rail, landing boot first in the sand and plowed forward, fighting the sand as it sank beneath each step. He kept his eyes on the spot the mermaid had disappeared, yanking off his jacket as he ran. He dropped it to the wet sand, passed the three hysterical women standing ankle-deep in the waves and kept on going. He plunged into the surf just as
he saw the blonde emerge yards away. Her eyes were wide with terror that pierced his heart and drove him forward.
Swimming hard, Brent made it to her before she sank again. He reached for her and grasped a flailing arm. She latched onto him, throwing her free arm around his neck and nearly took him under too, trying to scramble on top of him. Her thick blonde mass of hair covered his face and filled his hands as he struggled to gain control of the situation.
“Whoa, darlin’. It’s all right.” he soothed, holding her at bay while some of her desperation eased. “You have to give me room or we’ll both drown. I gotcha.”
“M—my dress, it’s too heavy! I can’t move.” Huge eyes, blue as the water, locked on him. His heart skipped a beat as a wave crashed over them.
“Millie,” she gasped, and he realized only then the puppy was floating beside them, looking almost finished.
Snapping to, he dragged the mermaid close, fully aware that every nerve ending in his body hummed with new energy when she clung to him. Twisting to his back, he scooped up the bobbing puppy, then, holding tight to both, he kicked hard toward shore doing a one-armed back stroke.
When his boots touched ground in shallow water, he’d never been so happy. Standing, he folded his arms beneath his mermaid’s knees and carried her and her puppy out of the water.
“Kelsey, honey, I thought we’d lost you,” the redhead exclaimed as he trudged to the shallow surf. She reached out a hand. “Here, let me get Millie, you sweet, amazing man, you.”
The pooch leapt from him to the redhead, wiggling and whining with happiness.
The mermaid’s arms wound tighter around his neck as her heart thundered against his. He tightened his hold in response, not at all ready to give her up.
The other two women were talking too, but he didn’t hear what they were saying. He was too focused on the treasure he’d plucked from the sea.
The glitzy gold number weighed the mermaid down in his arms and fabric dangled well past her feet. It was no wonder she’d almost drowned.
“I don’t think this thing was meant to be a swimsuit,” he drawled, hoping to calm the erratic beating of her heart. “You’re trembling.”
“You saved me,” she said between gulps of air.
She was staring at him as if he could jump tall buildings in a single bound. With her looking at him like that, he thought he probably could. “Well, yes, ma’am, that’s what we Texans do when we see damsels in distress.”
She smiled at that and her hand on his shoulder squeezed. “Thank you. You can put me down now.”
“Whoa, not so fast, I’ve got you, so stay put as long as you need to.”
“You are one strong swimmer,” the robust woman with bushy gray hair declared. Planting her hands on her floral print hips, she grinned at him. “I don’t think my horse could have moved as fast as you did getting out there to these two. We can’t thank you enough. I’m Norma Sue.”
“And I’m Adela. You were a true blessing to us today,” said the third woman, a delicate wisp of a woman with wise blue eyes that shone against her short, snowy white hair. “The LORD sent you along at the perfect moment.”
“Yes, he did,” the redhead gushed. “I’m Esther Mae, and this is my niece Kelsey Wilcox. She would have drowned, if not for you. And she was looking so stunning in that gold evening dress too. You should have seen her racing out there to save my Millie.”
“I’m fine now. Got my breath back,” the mermaid insisted, her voice watery but stronger. “You really can put me down now. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. She looked pale and the silky skin of her arms still felt cold. “That was quite a scare you just had.”
Esther Mae scooted close. “Yes, it was, Kelsey. Why, he might need to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or something on you.”
“Hush, Esther Mae Wilcox,” Norma Sue snapped, booting her out of the way with a well-aimed hip. “You only do that with victims who aren’t responding.”
Brent laughed and so did Kelsey, although with a tremor. Reluctant to let her go, his arms tightened about her before he finally complied and set her on her feet. “There you go. Easy does it,” he urged when she wobbled. He kept his hands on her, steadying her.
A brief, uncertain smile fluttered over her lips and he felt it wing its way through him like a butterfly caught on the breeze. She was captivating—no matter that her hair clung to her in dripping sheets. Her blue gaze called to every protective instinct he had.
“Thank you.” Her soft words pulled him from thoughts of kisses in the moonlight.
“That was . . . scary.” She looked down at her ruined gown, tugging at the shimmery cloth. “No, on second thought, this is scary.” The dress stretched out like a sweater on her slim figure and puddled in the sand. She half gasped, half laughed, then her head shot up, alarm on her face. “My cousin’s wedding rehearsal party. Aunt E, I’m going to be late. I have to go change. Can you explain things to Tiffany before I get there? But don’t alarm her,” she warned.
Esther Mae’s mouth dropped open. “I wouldn’t dare,” she said.
Her last name finally clicked with him and Brent’s pulse kicked into high gear. “Your cousin is Tiffany? Steven’s Tiffany?”
Esther Mae brightened—if that were possible. “Yes, do you know my other niece Tiffany and her fiancé Steven? Are you here for the wedding?”
This day couldn’t get any better. Brent went to tip his hat, then realized it was floating out to sea. “We rodeoed together in college. I’m one of his groomsmen, Brent Corbin. I missed rehearsal earlier.”
“You are,” Esther Mae said with emphasis. “Did y’all hear that? Brent, here, is in in the wedding party!”
He still had one hand on Kelsey’s left arm and felt her stiffen.
“Rodeo?” She took a step back. Her gaze swept down him, only now taking in his dripping shirt, dress jeans and finally his ruined ostrich skin boots. “You’re a—a cowboy,” she gasped. “With boots.”
His heart tightened at the way her kissable pink bottom lip dropped and her expression filled with hurt and anger snarled together like thorns and blossoms in berry vines.
It cut to his core as if she’d just accused him of using his boots to kick Millie. What had a cowboy done to her? Because Brent knew without a doubt that she’d been hurt and hurt deeply. Nothing else explained that pain in her incredible eyes.
Distinct groans echoed from the threesome beside him.
“Yeah, I am. I own the Sandbar Ranch, right down the road from Corpus.”
“Sandbar. I do love the name of your ranch.” Adela’s interjection smoothed the tension. She picked up his discarded suit jacket and began brushing it off, then offered it to him with a smile.
“Yes,” Esther Mae jumped in, glancing at Kelsey. “It’s a perfect name, since it’s close to the ocean, right, Kelsey?”
He could feel Kelsey withdrawing. She rubbed her hands on her arms, and he noticed goosebumps.
“The ranch has a long strip of secluded beach. That’s how my dad and mom came up with the name.” He leaned forward and dropped his jacket over her shoulders, wanting to hug her, but instead drawing away and giving her space.
Norma Sue slapped him between the shoulders. “There you go, Brent. Ain’t he a gentleman, Kelsey?”
“Yes, thanks,” Kelsey said, swaying toward him then drawing back and clutching the jacket around her. “I—I have to go.” She turned and started down the beach, dress dragging in the sand.
Brent was speechless.
Esther Mae shot him an apologetic glance, then hustled after his mermaid, her yellow tent of a dress shaking.
Norma Sue slapped him on the back again. “Well, that didn’t go over so well. One no-count cowboy breaks her heart and she locks it away.”
So that explained it. Brent couldn’t take his gaze off of Kelsey as she hurried along the edge of the water where it licked the sand. His interest had been caught from the first moment he’d touched her.
And she didn’t like cowboys.
Just his luck.
Esther Mae came tromping back in the last of the fading light, looking flustered.
“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go change into something dry . . .”
“We have to do something,” Esther Mae told her friends.
They were all studying him. “Is something wrong?”
“Are you seeing anyone?” Esther Mae asked.
“No, ma’am. Not at the moment.”
“Perfect.” She clapped her hands together and her face lit up. “You might be just the cowboy to help my Kelsey jump back in the saddle.”
Norma Sue started nodding. “I do believe she’s right.”
Not at all sure what to make of the sudden turn of events, and still reeling from his reaction to Kelsey—and her reaction to him—he smiled with caution.
“Ladies, I’m thinkin’ that’s somethin’ Kelsey’s gonna have to decide,” he drawled, only to watch all three of them wilt before him. “Look, I get that y’all care for Kelsey. And she’s a lucky woman to have y’all on her side. Especially after the bad hand I gather she’s been dealt. But she looks strong. She’ll find her way.” Promising to see them at the party, he headed toward the hotel to change.
His boots sloshed with water and his sandy clothes scratched as they clung to him, but his heart felt lighter than it had in a very long time. The weekend he’d been dreading for months had just taken an unexpected turn for the better.
Kelsey Wilcox—the most beautiful mermaid he’d never dreamed of—had splashed into his life and she would be at the wedding.
And that changed everything.
He smiled as he climbed the stairs to the Castle. What other unexpected treasures would the night bring?
The story continues in An August Bride by Debra Clopton . . .
PHOTOGRAPH BY SAXTON CREATIONS