by J. M. Madden
“Doll,” Wade cried, catching sight of her. “You gotta tell them. Tell them they’re my kids and I’m allowed to see them.”
“You’re not, Wade. I told you that.”
Cheyenne took a few steps forward, and recognized the look in his glazed eyes. “What did you take, Wade?”
“Nothing, Doll, just a pain pill for my hip. I swear.”
She had a feeling it was more than a pain pill. Probably more like half a dozen.
A siren wailed in the distance. Cheyenne skirted the three men and went to the fence, reaching through to reassure herself the girls were fine. They clutched at her hands. “I need you to go inside the house and close the door. We’ll be in in a few minutes, I promise.”
Reluctantly, the girls did as they were told, Beowulf still sticking close to Savannah’s side.
Wade pleaded with her until Deputy Miller arrived to haul him away. Sheridan instructed him to take Wade the next county over, so that there was no chance anything would happen to Wade while he was in their jail.
“You can’t do this, Cheyenne. You’re my wife. Why are you treating me like this?”
There seemed to be genuine bewilderment in his voice, but Cheyenne was so done with him. Sheridan looped his arms around her as the cruiser pulled away. “You okay, babe?”
She nodded and keyed in the code for the gate to open. “I’m going to go check on my girls.”
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
Cheyenne ran up the drive and into the house. Grace burst into tears and fell into her arms, blubbering about dropping the phone and breaking it. Cheyenne wasn’t worried about that. All of the girls crowded in for a hug, even Olivia, and it took a long time to reassure them that the man was gone. Maybe she should have allowed them to watch the cruiser leave with Wade inside it.
Beowulf bumped her leg and she made room to pat him as well as his plume of a tail swept back and forth. Daisy seemed highly unconcerned.
“You guys did great. I’m so proud of you.”
When Sheridan returned, his lips bloody, he had to reassure them he was okay. After he’d cleaned up they crowded around him as well, needing the reassurance.
It was a long time before the house finally settled down.
They were lying in bed three nights later when Sheridan asked her to marry him again. Cheyenne chuckled, her hand brushing over his pecs. “I thought you already decided we were engaged?”
“I did? No. I offered an engagement but you didn’t say yea or nay.”
“Hmph,” she murmured. “My bad. Yay.”
Sheridan craned his neck to look at her in the light from the moon outside. “Yay, as in hoorah? Or Yea as in yes, you accept my engagement?”
“Yeah, that one,” Cheyenne said, giggling. “Although we may have to wait to get married after Chad and Lora do. I don’t think Daddy can handle more than one wedding at a time.”
Sheridan chuckled. “That’s fine. I’m not in a rush. It’s a formality to me anyway. I won’t love you any more just because we’re married.”
Cheyenne glanced up at him. “I might love you more.”
Sheridan laughed, tickling her side. “You haven’t even told me you love me yet.”
“Whaaaat?” she drew it out playfully. “My bad again. I love you, Sheridan.”
He looked at her as if debating the truth of her words. “You sure?”
She nodded. “Positive.”
Sheridan leaned down and kissed her, deeply, before pulling back. “Glad I don’t have to deal with the crazy ex, though.”
They laughed together, but it was very true.
Wade had tested positive for opiates, so with the violation of parole charge, menacing, stalking, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer and more, there was no way he was going to be bothering them for at least the next ten years.
Cheyenne had cried when he’d read her the laundry list of charges, then kissed him soundly.
“I’m so ready to live our lives the way we’re supposed to,” she admitted.
“Hmm,” Sheridan murmured. “Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“Eventually,” she confirmed.
There was sudden cheering from the other side of the bedroom door, then the pounding of retreating feet. “You sure you want to take all of us on?”
He pulled her tight against him. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 18
They settled into life together as if it had always been meant to be, and it was almost too perfect to be believed. But every afternoon when Sheridan came home and she kissed him hello, she was reminded all over again that it was actually real.
At heart, even though she loved kids and teaching, Cheyenne loved running her house and being a wife. When Sheridan asked her when she was going to officially move in, she’d been a little startled. It hadn’t even occurred to her that her other house was sitting empty.
“Well, I guess I’ll go over this week and decide what we need, get some clothes. Are you positive about this, Sheridan? Because once these girls get their junk over here your beautiful designer house is never going to be the same.”
He laughed and tugged on a length of her hair. “Of course I’m sure, Chey. There’s no sense in us living apart if we don’t have to, right? Hell, I can move into your house if you’d prefer. I just want to be with you.”
Tears welled in her eyes and she had to blink them away. “I don’t want to be apart either. And as much as I love my little house it’s not big enough for all of us.”
“Then why don’t you pack up what you need and we’ll move you?”
She nodded, running her hand down his cheek. “We’ll get some essentials now, and after the bridal shower we’ll get the rest. Or decide what to part with.”
“Whatever you want. Is the shower set?”
Cheyenne wiggled her hands. “Kind of. There are some salads I have to put together and some supplies I need to buy. Everything else is being catered. And we’ve been calling it a shower, but it’s gonna be more like a party. Chad and Lora and several of their friends are coming, as well as a bunch of locals. It’s kind of an open invite to anyone that wants to come.”
Sheridan’s brows lifted. “Do I need deputies patrolling?”
She laughed. “I sure hope not! They’re welcome to come eat though.”
“Well, if you need help with anything you let me know.”
Cheyenne wondered if Sheridan would live to regret those words and laughed.
Epilogue
It was the day before the shower and all hands were on deck. When Brock had suggested using his wild horse barn for the wedding shower, she’d kind of laughed, not believing him, but it was working out better than she’d expected.
The horses he currently had in training had been moved to the stalls at the back of the barn and he’d blocked off the entranceway to get there. Then he’d dragged most of the sand out of the ring, through the far side opening, and into a huge pile. She didn’t even know how he’d done that. The remaining bit of sand covered a hard foundation of crushed rock, he’d told her, a perfect base for the plywood sheets to create a floor. And as they settled the sheets onto the ground, the sand filled the cracks, so hopefully no wheelchair tires would get bound up.
Chad had warned them that there would probably be people attending with disabilities, so they were doing their best to accommodate everyone. Brock had done an excellent job leveling as much of the area as he could. If there was a doorjamb, he’d built tiny little ramps to go over them. The gravel barn lot had been layered and rolled with limestone crush, which packed down almost like cement.
The rafters of the barn had been hung with lengths of fabric and twinkling lights, and the doorways were all decorated with white tulle, tied back with rustic twine and decorated with white fabric flowers.
The expanse of the barn had been separated into sections by the grouping of the furniture. Directly to the right of the doorway were a couple of tables to hold gifts folks brought for the coupl
e, then a ‘Bubbly Bar’. That had been Payton’s idea. Guests could grab a glass of champagne, beer or soda, and add things to their drinks if they wanted. There were fruit juices and berries for the champagne, oranges and limes for the beer, and cherries and special syrups for the Cokes. Tomorrow there would also be raspberry sherbet party punch for the kids. Cheyenne thought it might end up being a mess, but they’d worry about that later.
The far right of the barn had been set up for the catering. There were giant barbeques parked outside for roasting chickens and ribs. And the caterer would bring an assortment of side items. There would be enough food to feed people a couple of meals, depending upon how long they stayed.
Cheyenne had ordered cupcakes from Sophia’s in town. Sophia herself promised to deliver them early tomorrow morning.
On the far side of the barn, across from the entrance, they’d set up a seating area where people could sit for games. Cheyenne knew Lora was a little more conservative than the Texans who’d be there, so she’d told Payton to keep the games PG rated. Cheyenne had an idea what a couple of the games would be just by what was stacked over there.
Round tables had been set in the middle for people to eat, draped with white table cloths, and she gaped at them all. “How many did you get?” she asked Brock.
“Well,” he said, taking off his hand to swipe an arm across his sweaty forehead. “Chad says he’s bussing down at least twenty-five people, and others are driving themselves. By the time you count our family, the hands, local ranchers, and every curious yahoo from town looking for free beer, I expect to have the better part of two, three hundred people through here. And that might be conservative. So there are thirty tables that will seat ten.”
Yeah, she supposed that was right. The number of big round tables before her just looked like more than thirty.
“They do realize this is just the shower and not the actual wedding, right?”
Brock shrugged. “The round-ups are all done and people are ready to party. July Fourth is next weekend and this is a good lead up to it. Plus, if they show up here, they might actually get invited to the wedding itself.”
They laughed, because that was probably true.
“And everyone likes music and dancing and you girls got a good band to come play. We’re setting up their stage next.”
Cheyenne looked to the other end of the barn, and the expanse of floor left open for dancing and the stage. This was going to be an incredible party.
“Thank you for letting us use your barn. And for everything you’ve done to help us get ready.”
“He’s my brother too.” Brock shrugged and set his hat back on his head. His eyes drifted back to the Bubbly Bar where Payton was setting out champagne flutes. “Plus,” he said slowly, “this is a good practice run. I have a feeling this won’t be the only time it’s used for this purpose.”
And as she looked at Sheridan hauling in another box of table decorations, Cheyenne had a feeling he was right.
The morning broke in a glorious Texas sunrise, unparalleled in beauty, but in a stroke of luck a slight front had moved through, cooling the area a few precious degrees.
Chad and Lora and their daughter Mercy arrived before noon, and Cheyenne would forever remember the expression on Lora’s face—and Chad’s as well—as they walked into the ‘barn’.
Lora started crying quietly. “Oh…my… goodness…” She turned to Chad and he wrapped her in his arms, murmuring quietly while a gratified smile spread over his face.
Cheyenne glanced at Payton. “I guess we did good.”
Nodding as she pulled from Chad, Lora hugged them both, holding their hands as they wandered around the expanse. She picked up one of the silver painted Mason jars full of baby’s breath and pink carnations. “Did you make these?”
Cheyenne nodded. “Well, Payton and the girls and I did, last week.”
Lora picked up one of the Jenga pieces sitting on a table, then leaned down to read the sign. “Build Memories. Oh,” she breathed, “rather than a registry. That’s so clever.”
She laughed at the ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ sign, and the huge stack of toilet paper rolls beside it. “This is going to be crazy.”
“It will be,” Payton promised.
The next table held a wooden chest and writing utensils, as well as a stack of notecards. “Advice for the Mr. and Mrs. To Be…”
“Oh my,” Lora said with a laugh. “This one could be dangerous.”
“We’ll just have to get people to sign the cards before they drink too much,” Cheyenne laughed. “We also have two different games for the kids. One is a scavenger hunt to find fake gemstone rings hidden all around the barn and another to take silly pictures of the guests with disposable cameras. The guests have to be as silly as they can.”
Lora laughed, shaking her head again, then she fell somber. “I have no relatives left in my family, so you have no idea how important all these things are. I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
They hugged again, and shed a few tears, until Chad called her away to look at something else. The two of them eventually headed into the house to see his mom and dad and get dressed.
The entire day rolled out without a hitch. The private bus full of Chad’s friends from work arrived just as some of the neighbors began pulling in and parking on the grass beyond the field. It wasn’t one o’clock yet, the official time of the party, but some people just enjoyed being early.
Cheyenne and Sheridan and Payton and Brock were already dressed and started welcoming people to the party. Chad had given them a little bit of background about the men and women he worked with, but it was a pleasure getting to meet them in person.
Zeke and Ember she loved as soon as she met, and their son Drew disappeared with Grace and Mercy almost immediately. Zeke’s scarred face made her heart ache for him, but he didn’t seem concerned. Ember looked at him with total devotion in her eyes, and Cheyenne could see they were very much in love.
Cat and Preston Harper were a striking pair, but they both smiled when they came in. They had two kids, Tate, eight, and Dillon, fourteen, almost replicas of their parents. Cheyenne remembered the tall, forbidding sniper from the incident with Lora’s ex, but she’d had no idea the man had a family. Or that he could smile. Tate caught up with Grace, Drew and Mercy while Dillon wandered over to the Bubbly Bar where Olivia and Carolyn were already mixing up very fancy Cokes.
Cassandra and Roger seemed newly engaged, but also deeply in love. It wasn’t until they were walking away that Cheyenne noticed that Cassandra was holding Roger’s prosthetic arm.
“I thought John and Shannon were coming as well?” she asked Chad at one point. “I’m anxious to meet them.”
“They’ll be here,” he promised. “Shannon’s twins are due any day now, and she has to be as comfortable as possible, so John was driving his own vehicle down. Easier with the wheelchair, too, because he has a lift on it.”
“Ah,” she said softly.
A huge shiny motor coach rolled in and parked beside the Denver bus. Two couples walked down the steps, the first couple carrying two little ones, and started walking toward the barn.
The very tall blond woman looked incredibly familiar and she carried a darling dark-haired baby boy on her hip. The woman seemed too… urbane for their ranch, dressed in a beautiful peach-colored pantsuit, but she smiled warmly when they were introduced, and seemed genuinely pleased to be there. A big man stood at her shoulder, holding a beautiful little girl in a pink dress. “Please excuse us. My name is Grif Parks, my wife Kendall, our son Jameson, and our daughter Zoe. Kendall doesn’t get out of the office much, can you tell?”
Kendall laughed and swatted at his arm. “Quit it, Grif.” She glanced around the modified barn. “This is stunning. Thank you so much for having us.”
“Help yourselves to the refreshments,” Cheyenne told them.
A dark-haired woman with pretty blue-grey eyes shook her hand. There was a swatch of bright pink in he
r hair, and she wore a flowing dress that highlighted her little baby bump. “I’m Kendall’s friend Lilly, and this is Diego Ortiz, my fiancé.”
Cheyenne blinked, wondering if the man realized how scrumptious he looked, with the rakish eye patch and the glittering diamond earring. He was dark Hispanic, with a light green eye. Lilly better keep an eye on him or one of the Honeywell women might snag him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Welcome.”
Then she realized, as she looked at them greeting the crowd, who the women were. Both women had been models at one time. Well-known ones.
“Did you know who they were?” she hissed to Sheridan as the couples wandered away.
Grinning, he gave her that implacable cop nod he had, and she shook her head in exasperation.
As the men and some women trooped in, she was amazed at the diversity and the companionship she saw. It was obvious that some of them hadn’t seen each other for a while as well, because they were laughing and joking, catching up as friends do. Even the forbidding Harper, the sniper, was grinning as he was pounded on the back of the heavily scarred Zeke, the only other man almost the same size.
When a black truck pulled near the barn door, Chad waved at the driver where to park. Cheyenne was curious as Chad walked out to open the passenger side door. A small and very pregnant woman took his hand as she maneuvered herself out of the cab. This must be John and Shannon.
The woman was beautiful and pregnancy obviously agreed with her, but it didn’t with the darkly handsome man in the wheelchair that wheeled around the front of the truck. He watched every move the woman made, and snapped at one of the men to ‘get her a fucking chair’.
The woman laughed at him and turned to Cheyenne, “As if I haven’t been sitting for hours already! Hi, I’m Shannon Palmer.”
Cheyenne was charmed. Shannon Palmer was a doll, so sweet and friendly. “I apologize for my husband. He’s a little overprotective of me and the babies. Right now,” she leaned forward conspiratorially, “I kinda need the little girl’s room.”