The Cowboy's Convenient Bride

by Donna Alward

  She smiled at him. He was all sexiness today, in dark jeans, boots and a clean shirt—had he changed at the ranch? And he was wearing a hat, his good one, clean and dust-free. The quintessential cowboy heading into the city to buy his girl a dress. If that wasn’t swoon-worthy, what was?

  It only took a minute to fasten Rowan in the back and head down the driveway. Laura waited to open her hot chocolate until they were on the highway, heading away from Gibson. To her amusement, Tanner took a sip of coffee and then reached down beside him for a paper sack.

  She laughed. “Let me guess. Honey glazed?”

  “You know me too well,” he said, grinning and shoving half a doughnut into his mouth.

  She was starting to, she realized.

  When he’d swallowed the enormous bite, he glanced over at her. “Thanks for getting my uniform shirt clean, by the way. I don’t think I thanked you before.”

  She smiled. “It wasn’t me. I took it over to Gram’s. She showed me how to get the stain out.”

  “Some home remedy or trick, I suppose,” he commented, focusing on the road again.

  She laughed lightly. “Actually, she had a stain stick. It worked great.”

  Tanner laughed.

  It seemed like no time at all before they were at the mall. She removed Rowan from her seat and put her in a little stroller, small enough to be convenient for the aisles of the department store. They headed straight for the women’s clothing, and Laura noticed some of the sidelong looks that followed them. It was so different from Gibson. The looks were warm and approving, rather than judgmental. As though they were looking at the three of them as a family. It was nice, and she wondered again at the wisdom of staying in Gibson. Maybe in another few years, she’d be able to afford to move outside the town.

  This marriage would give her freedom she couldn’t otherwise afford. Not just from the name change, but the sharing of expenses.

  It was a sobering thought.

  They made their way through women’s wear to the fancy dresses. Laura stared at the clothing on the hangers and her heart sank. There were actual wedding dresses here. Oh, nothing over the top, but long white dresses appropriate for weddings. Once upon a time she’d dreamt of such things.

  “Do you see anything you like?”

  She swallowed, her throat working against the emotion lodged there. “Tanner, I don’t think I can wear a long white dress.”

  “It’s up to you, but I got the impression that the whole ‘white’ thing doesn’t really matter much anymore.” He smiled at her. “Get something you like.”

  The gowns were beautiful, but not right. “Maybe there’s something over here, in the cocktail dress section,” she said, leading him away. Rowan peered around curiously, intrigued by the lights and colors.

  It wasn’t long before she saw a few dresses that she considered appropriate. There was a white one, short and strapless yet modest. She let go of her “no white” idea because the dress was so cute. Then she found a periwinkle satin-y number and a blush-pink lace dress with a ribbon sash, which she adored but wondered how it would look with her red hair.

  “Will you watch Ro while I try these on?” she asked, her stomach curling with excited nerves. The dresses were all so pretty. Not cheap, but not overly expensive, either. Maybe she’d even have occasion to wear it again, though she didn’t know where. Maybe if Cole and Maddy got married...

  She slipped into the dressing room.

  First up was the white dress. She liked it a lot, but the bust was a bit tight, and with it being strapless, she wasn’t sure what would happen with her breasts, since she was still nursing.

  The periwinkle one had a nice style, but the coloring was all wrong with her hair and complexion. She looked completely washed out. She took it off as quickly as she’d put it on.

  “Everything okay in there?” came Tanner’s voice.

  “Just a little longer. Is that okay?”

  He chuckled warmly. “Take your time. Ro’s chewing on her giraffe.”

  She slipped into the pink dress and zipped it up. The moment she turned to the mirror she knew. The pale pink was subtle enough that it didn’t clash with her hair, and the lace overskirt was incredibly feminine. Plus, she didn’t feel as if her bust was on display. The satin ribbon at the waist added a touch of class and formality that would suit a wedding just fine.

  She wouldn’t feel as guilty wearing pink.

  “I think I’ve found it,” she called out.

  “Let’s see,” Tanner suggested.

  “No.” She clung to at least a little bit of wedding protocol. “It’s bad luck.”

  His voice was close to the change room door. “Laura, we’re not exactly conventional here.”

  She pressed her head against the door. “Tanner, please. I’d like to keep something a surprise. Okay?”

  “Of course it’s okay.” His voice was soft. “You’re sure you don’t want to look at something else?”

  She was sure. It fit perfectly and she felt pretty in it. “I’m sure. You’ll learn me fairly quickly, Tanner. I’m kind of low maintenance.”

  He laughed. “Okay, then. We’ll disappear for a minute while you come out.”

  She changed back into her regular clothes and reluctantly hung the dress on the hanger again. She took all three out, gave two to the saleslady to hang back up and then handed her the pink one to hold on to until they were ready to go. “I’m going to look for shoes and a dress for my daughter,” she explained, looking longingly after the dress. She hadn’t wanted to take it off.

  She found Tanner and Rowan in the children’s section. Tanner was staring at the ruffled items, and she hesitated for a moment, committing the image to memory. The lean, rugged cowboy surrounded by tiny lace and eyelet dresses and bloomers.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling and stepping forward. “Find anything you like?”

  “I wouldn’t know where to start.” He had his hands on the handles of the stroller and Laura got all squishy inside.

  “Well, babies are fun to buy for. Especially baby girls. Ruffles, cotton lace, frills and all that stuff.” She ran her fingers over racks of adorable sets, but then found one rack with little pastel dresses. Her heart melted.

  “Oh, look,” she said. She picked up a white cotton lace dress with a pink sash. “Isn’t this cute?”

  “Look at this kid.” He pointed at Rowan, who drooled over her plastic Sophie the Giraffe. “I challenge you to find anything that wouldn’t be cute.”

  Laura browsed for longer than she’d taken with her own dress, but then she spotted a beautiful pink dress with a two-tiered pleated skirt and a little shrug that resembled rosebuds. It was perfect. With Rowan’s dark hair and heavily lashed blue eyes, the pink would be amazing. And Laura already had the perfect pair of white soft shoes to put on her feet.

  “This is the one,” she said, holding it up.

  Tanner looked down at her and her she went all mushy. “You went with the pink one for your dress, didn’t you?”

  She didn’t want him to know for sure. “Well, it’s not the periwinkle.”

  “You mean the purple-y one?”

  She grinned. “Yeah. I did try on a white one, though.”

  He shook his head, his gaze steady on hers. “Nope. It’s the pink one.”

  “What makes you say that?” she challenged, though she was loving every minute of the exchange.

  “Because of the way your face looked when you took it off the rack. It got all... I don’t know. Soft-looking. And now with the pink dress for Rowan...”

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy.

  “Do you think I could look at shoes?”

  “A new dress needs new shoes. Or so Maddy told me.”

  Maddy. An unexpected ally.r />
  The day was like a fairy tale. They went to the shoe department and she found a pair of simple blush-colored pumps. When they were done, they headed back to the first saleslady and Tanner pulled out his bank card and paid for the three items.

  “Tanner, thank you. I promise I’ll pay you back.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” he assured her.

  She had a sudden idea. “Hey, you know how you said you might get a new tie?”

  He nodded.

  “Will you let me get that for you? As a wedding present? I know it’s not exactly equal—”

  “But it would make you feel better,” he finished for her.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “I’d be honored, Laura.” He let go of the stroller for a moment and reached for her hand. “I don’t want us to have to keep track of every penny, you know. We’re both getting something out of this arrangement. For what it’s worth, I’m happy being out of the house. It was past time for me to do it.”

  “So, a tie. What color is your suit?”

  He shrugged. “Black.”

  She laughed. “Of course it is. Black suit, white shirt, right? Okay.”

  They detoured over to men’s wear and stopped at a table with an assortment of silk ties. Laura considered dove gray, black, white, but in the end she chose the light pink one. She picked it up and held it to his shirt front. “What do you say? Are you man enough to wear pink?”

  He laughed. “It’s a tie. It’s not like you’re going to dress me in a tutu. I think I can handle it.”

  He was so easygoing. Did he realize how amazing that made him? Tanner worried about the big stuff and didn’t sweat the small stuff. Laura admired him for that. More than he knew. “Then I will buy it for you. A proper wedding tie.”

  It was a little thing, but she took pride in taking it to the sales counter and paying for it herself. She tucked the little bag into the larger one containing their dresses and her shoes. “Well,” she said, “it’s hardly noon, and we’re done already. What’s next?”

  He patted his belly. “I’m out of doughnuts. I was thinking we could grab some lunch somewhere before heading back.” He chuckled. “You’re an efficient shopper, Laura. I was prepared to spend the day in lots of stores and a lot of time outside change rooms.”

  “You learn to be economical with your time when you have a baby,” she replied, gazing at Rowan in the stroller.

  “She’s been so good today.”

  “Sleeping better lately, too. It might be because I’ve started her on some solids.” Thank God for rice cereal.

  “So, what do you feel like? Mexican? Asian? Sandwiches? Greek?”

  It was all fast food choices yet it felt extravagant just the same. “Asian? Is that okay with you?”

  He laughed. “I’ll eat anything.”

  “Even my cooking?” she teased.

  He grinned. “Well, maybe not your doughnuts, but you haven’t poisoned me yet.”

  At the small restaurant, Laura scanned the menu. When was the last time she’d had takeout like this? She decided on a small order of chicken lo mein and a bottle of water; Tanner ordered a bigger combination meal. Seating was limited, but he snagged them a spot in the corner, and while Tanner waited for their order, Laura put Rowan on her lap and opened a jar of pureed bananas. She’d expressed enough milk for a bottle as well, so she’d be spared any awkward moments during their shopping trip. By the time Tanner returned to the table with the tray, Rowan had gobbled up almost a third of the jar of bananas and was settled happily with the bottle.

  “Wow, you didn’t waste any time.” Tanner divvied up napkins and forks, and then considerately opened her water, since her hands were fairly occupied.

  “I figured I’d feed her before she started screaming about it,” Laura said. “I guess I should have started her on some solids earlier. She loves her cereal, and bananas and applesauce.”

  “It’s not like you’ve ever done this before,” he noted, digging his fork into a mound of fried rice. “She looks pretty happy to me.”

  Indeed, Rowan was drinking away happily, and Laura was having a great time. No one knew them here. They were simply a couple out shopping, enjoying lunch and relaxing. There was nothing to worry about in this moment, and it was a glorious feeling. “You look happy, too,” Tanner said. He speared a piece of saucy chicken and popped it into his mouth.

  “I am. It’s been a lovely morning.”

  “It’s just shopping.” He chuckled a little, but she shook her head. How could she possibly explain that it was far more than a little shopping? What it meant that he’d taken his time and hard-earned money to make this possible? She felt as though she didn’t deserve any of it.

  And she was starting to wish that it were real, that Tanner did care for her and her for him. The last part wasn’t much of a stretch; any woman would be lucky to have such a man on her side.

  “Here,” Tanner said, putting down his fork. “Let me take her for a few minutes. You’ve hardly managed to eat anything.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I’ve held her a few times now and we’re getting used to each other.” He held out his arms and she shifted, taking the empty bottle from Rowan’s lips and wiping a dribble of milk from her chin.

  Laura put Rowan in his arms and watched as he cradled her daughter close, as gently as if she were spun glass. Her pulse thumped as she handed him the flannel blanket. “She might have some gas,” she said.

  “We got it covered, don’t we, short stuff?” he asked the baby. Rowan stared up at him with wide and trusting eyes. Then she burped, dribbling some milk over her chin, which Tanner deftly wiped up with the flannel.

  Laura took the precious opportunity to have two free hands. She forked up some lo mein and the flavors exploded in her mouth. “Mmm, this is so good,” she mumbled, swallowing.

  “Really? It’s not gourmet, you know.” Tanner’s eyebrow was raised in amusement.

  “Doesn’t matter. One, I didn’t cook it.” She scooped more on her fork and met his gaze. “Two, it’s been so long since I had Chinese food. This is a real treat, Tanner. Thanks.”

  She shoveled more into her mouth, chewing happily.

  “I’m glad.” Tanner bounced his knee a bit, keeping Rowan happy. “You deserve to get out now and again.”

  “And the dresses and stuff, too. I promise I’ll pay you back. Do you know I have my website nearly ready to go? I’m putting the finishing touches on my submit-for-quote forms to make them as straightforward as possible. Once I do that, I can start doing up proposal packages and really going after some business.”

  “That’s great.” He was smiling and it was so nice to feel someone’s approval. She hadn’t realized how terribly she’d missed such a simple thing, but clearly she had. Her work at her last job had been satisfactory and her boss had always been pleased, but it wasn’t that this time. She respected Tanner’s opinion, and having him support her choices meant more than he knew.

  She scraped the bottom of the carton and sat back in her chair. “I’m stuffed. What should we do now?”

  “I took the whole day off. Is there anything else you need to do for the wedding?

  There was one thing in particular, but as much as they’d shopped together today and were treating the wedding as a simple event, she found she couldn’t bring it up. It was a sensitive topic and she wasn’t sure how to broach without feeling terrible about disregarding the sanctity of marriage or having it seem that she was making more of it than there was.

  But someday soon, they would need to talk about what they were going to do for wedding rings.

  Chapter Twelve

  In the end, Laura lost the nerve to bring up the subject of rings. Instead, she took a day and went to the city herself, and picked out what she hoped
would be the right size for Tanner in a plain gold band. There was no way she was going to ask him to buy his own wedding ring.

  The weather was nearly summer-like, and when she got returned from town she found him on the front step in a T-shirt and jeans, a tool belt slung low over his hips. “You’re home early,” she called out, realizing how very domestic it sounded.

  “I wanted to fix the front step, and in another few days we’ll be ready for our first cut of hay. I’ll be working longer days at the ranch and probably won’t have time.”

  “Oh.” She’d miss him being home in the evenings, but she was guessing it would be close to dark when he got home. Maybe he was regretting leaving the ranch. If he lived there, he wouldn’t have any travel time.

  But she didn’t say that because she didn’t want it to sound as if she didn’t want him at her house when she did—so very much.

  He stood and she saw the way his muscles filled out the light cotton of his T-shirt, how his jeans sat on his hips, the waistband just above the leather of the tool belt. The wedding ring she’d bought was cushioned in a little ring box in her purse, and Rowan sat on her arm, her small bonneted head looking all around. Laura noticed Rowan following the progress of a butterfly and she smiled. Lord, she was precious. For all of life’s troubles, she wouldn’t trade her little one for anything in the world.

  “She’s looking cute today.” Laura hadn’t realized that Tanner had come down the few steps to meet her, and she started when she realized how close he was.

  “I have to say, I love shopping for the cute little clothes. Sometimes we just go to the secondhand store in town. Babies outgrow things so quickly that they’re hardly ever worn out. Stained a little sometimes, but still in good shape.”

  “My mom always said the best bleach in the world was sunlight.”

  Laura nodded. “Gram said that, too, the day I took your shirt over to wash. We hung it on her line.”

  “Let me help you up the steps. I still have a tread to replace. But it should be much sturdier for you.”

  The third step, the one just before the small landing, was missing, but Laura could see the fresh yellow-y brown boards on the other steps and noted how solid they were beneath her feet, with no creaks or tilts. When she got to the second to-the-top step, Tanner put his hands on her waist and simply lifted her—and Rowan—the eighteen inches to the top.