Dearest Cowboys Box Set

by Mia Brown

  I got up early that day and went for a ride on my horse. Part of me wondered if I would bump into Cassidy like I had the last time, and another part of me wondered if I wanted to. I didn’t want an awkward conversation, but I also didn’t want us to avoid each other forever. What a weird situation I had put myself in.

  I made a mental note not to ever drink so much at a wedding ever again. I hadn’t yet told Joe what had happened either, mostly because I knew he would just rub it in my face and tell me that he had been right all along. The last thing I needed was to see that smug look on his face. I loved Joe to bits, but he would never let me hear the end of this. I would probably eventually end up telling him, but I was going to avoid it for as long as possible. Hopefully by the time he found out everything would’ve died down and Cassidy and I would be back to being friends again.

  After the ride, I fed the horses and then made my way back inside. As I did, I heard a truck pull up into the driveway, and when I turned around, I was surprised to see that it was Cassidy. What was she doing here? I made my way to the car and tried to act as normal as possible. She was wearing those tight overalls again, which was not the right thing to wear when I was desperately trying not to think about her in that way, but I shifted my gaze away from them.

  “Hey, this is a nice surprise,” I said to her. I wasn’t sure whether to go in for a hug or a kiss on the cheek, but in the end, decided on neither. Instead, I stood there with my hands in my pockets looking like a bit of an idiot.

  “Hi, Houston. Sorry, I hope you don’t mind me just showing up like this. I should’ve called beforehand. I…uh, I have some of your stuff. It got mixed up with some of my things when we were packing up. I’ve been meaning to drop it off, but I’ve been a bit busy.”

  “My stuff? Oh wow, I didn’t even realize. Thank you,” I said, and took the bag from her. I wasn’t all that surprised that she had some of my things. We had both packed up in such a hurry that day. “So, uh, how are you? Heard anything from the witch?”

  Cassidy chuckled, and I was relieved to see her laugh. “Nothing at all. She’s obviously not very pleased that we didn’t get her a wedding present.”

  “Or that we didn’t invite her to our own wedding,” I said, and laughed.

  “I guess her invite got lost in the mail,” she said.

  We joked around a bit more, but it was clear that we were both feeling a little bit strange around each other. I sighed. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing by bringing up what had happened, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice. We needed to talk about the elephant in the room.

  “So…uh…about what happened…” I started.

  She waved it off. “Ah, don’t worry about. I know it’s a big weird thing between us, but I guess that’s normal. Honestly, it’s no big deal.”

  “Yeah, well, this is what usually happens when I sleep with my friends. I do it all the time, of course.”

  She chuckled nervously. “So do I. Doesn’t everyone? Isn’t that what weddings are for?”

  I laughed. “Exactly. Look, I had a great time. I want you to know that. I know this is strange, but I figured I might as well just get it out there. I absolutely loved sleeping with you, and I’m not going to deny that. But I definitely think that we’re doing the right thing by putting it in the past. We work well as friends. We always have, and I don’t see why that has to change.”

  “I agree completely,” she said eagerly. She was so eager that it made me almost feel insulted. I had the impression that she regretted sleeping with me. Unlike me, she hadn’t told me that she had enjoyed sleeping with me. She seemed eager to forget the whole thing. I couldn’t say the same. It was a pity that things had to get strange between us now, but I couldn’t regret sleeping with her. I had been with a few women, but sleeping with her had been the best sex I’d ever had. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to think the same.

  “Well, glad we’re friends, then,” I said. I had a feeling that speaking about it had only made things worse.

  “Uh yeah, me too.” She stood uncomfortably for a while and then nodded. “Okay, well, I think I better go. Another busy day ahead for me. I just wanted to make sure that you got your things. I’m glad I caught you.”

  “Thanks for stopping by. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for coffee or something?” I had no idea why I was prolonging the awkwardness, but I couldn’t help myself. I actually didn’t really want her to go.

  She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. Thanks for the offer. I’ll…uh…I’ll see you around.”

  “Sure. See you around.” I hoped she didn’t hear the disappointment in my voice.

  She was just about to turn to go when another car pulled into the driveway, and with surprise, I saw that it was my father. My father had a way of driving that was unlike anybody I knew. He drove with fierce determination, as if he always had somewhere important that he had to be. This was probably quite accurate, though. He was one of the wealthiest ranchers in the area and a very well-known man around town. He more than likely always had somewhere important to go. He always told me when he was coming to see me, so I was surprised to see him arrive without any sort of warning. He got out the car and headed right up to me with a scowl on his face.

  “Uh, Dad, what’s going on?” I asked him. I had never seen this look on his face before. Why did he look so angry? He was making me feel nervous.

  “Houston! How could you? Your mother would be ashamed of you if she were still alive. How could do that to her? To me?”

  I frowned. I hadn’t been spoken to like that by him since I was a teenager. “Dad, what are you talking about?” I turned to look at Cassidy, who was standing there with a shocked look on her face and shrugged. “Sorry,” I whispered.

  “Why are you saying sorry to her?”

  “Dad, why are you talking to me like this? Uh, you know Cassidy…” I said awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to do.

  My dad sighed and turned to Cassidy. “Yes, I know you. Of course I do. Hi, Cassidy. I’m sorry for this outrage. I don’t mean to be rude. I’m just so angry.”

  “What happened?”

  “I heard about the two of you. I thought it maybe just a nasty rumor, but here you are together. I cannot believe that you didn’t tell me.”

  I heard Cassidy gasp, and I groaned as I realized what was going on. Somehow, news had obviously gotten out about the supposed wedding. I had no idea how my father had found out, but I should’ve realized that people would talk. Everyone loved a good gossip.

  “Uh, I can explain,” I started.

  “Me too,” Cassidy said.

  “No, you listen to me. Both of you. Cassidy is a good woman. I like her. I like you,” he said as he turned to address Cassidy. Then he looked back at me. “That’s not the issue. I have no problem with the two of you being in love and getting married. Hell, I think that is fantastic news. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that you didn’t bother to tell me about it.

  Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was for me to find out from some random relative on the phone? I looked like a complete idiot. And I have no idea why you didn’t tell me, either. It’s not like there’s any bad blood between us. You just didn’t think, that’s all.”

  “Dad, you’re misinterpreting this whole situation. I can honestly explain what happened,” I said. “Calm down and let me explain.”

  “I can explain, too,” Cassidy said. “I’m sorry that this happened, Mr. Jones,” she said. “But we really can explain ourselves.”

  My father was not letting us get a word in edgewise, though. He wasn’t listening to us at all. He held up his hand and shook his head.

  “No, you don’t need to explain anything. You thought it would be fun to run off and get married, and you completely forgot about your poor father and his reputation. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything to you, but it means something to me. Now, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’m going to throw you a wedding reception.”

&nb
sp; “Dad, no, you don’t have to. Please, you don’t…”

  “I’m talking,” he said. I sighed. I knew that my father would not listen to reason. He had something on his mind, and he needed to get it out first. I was going to have to listen to this whole thing before ever getting the chance to speak. “I’m happy for you, but I’m upset with you, too. You have to understand. But I’m the sort of man who always makes a plan. So, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to throw you a wedding reception. The fact that you eloped means you obviously don’t want anything too extravagant, which is fine. We can do something low-key if you want and just invite a few people from town. That is fine.”

  “But, Dad…”

  “No, Houston. It’s my turn to talk. I’m happy for you, and I have always wanted to see you end up with a good woman. Cassidy is a great woman. I’ve always thought so. I’m glad you finally woke up and saw it, too. I’m going to give the two of you several hundred acres as well as a prize-winning show horse. This will be your wedding present, and I don’t want you to argue. You may not want to show off, but I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today, and it’s not every day that I find out that my son is married. We will all celebrate together properly. Now, I won’t hear any more of it. Okay? I deserve to be a part of this wedding.”

  I tried to say something, but my father had walked away. I stood there, open-mouthed, trying to figure out what to do. I watched as my father got into his car and drove away. Then I turned to Cassidy.

  “Uh, what just happened?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Cassidy looked just as shocked as I was. She had been right all along. One small lie would lead to an avalanche of them. What had we gotten ourselves into?

  Thirteen

  Cassidy

  I stood there, staring out ahead of me as Houston’s father, Stanton, drove away. I probably should’ve tried to stop him, but both Houston and I seemed glued to the spot. The whole thing had been so crazy that it was almost comical. Almost. I turned to Houston to see if he was thinking the same thing.

  “I feel like I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry,” I said to him.

  He nodded. “I feel the same. Like part of me is expecting my father to drive back and tell us that he was joking.”

  “Do you think he will?” I asked enthusiastically.

  He sighed. “No, definitely not. He was serious. I know him well enough. I can’t believe he found out about the whole thing. It’s a bit silly, though. I mean, we should’ve known that something like this would spread.”

  “Yeah, we should’ve told everyone the truth that night. Or at least stayed in the morning and cleared it up. Instead, we ran away.”

  “I’m sorry, Cassidy. That’s my fault. I’m the one who suggested that we get out of there.”

  “No, don’t be. I completely agreed with you. In fact, if you hadn’t suggested it then I probably would’ve. I wanted to get out of there as much as you. And I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I’m the one who started the stupid lie in the first place.”

  “Yeah, but I’m the one who went along with it,” he said. “In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I’m not surprised the rumor spread. I did everything to make people believe us.”

  “You went as far as sleeping with me,” I said, and then immediately groaned. “I don’t even know why I’m making jokes about this. Sorry.”

  He chuckled. “I’m glad you are. Making jokes is my default response when things are awkward. I’m sorry that my father spoke to us like that. I’ve never seen him so angry.”

  “Nah, don’t be sorry,” I said. “I like your dad. He’s always been someone that I admired. He obviously just has a set of rules that he likes to follow in life, and this went against it. That’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that. Anyway, he was pretty nice to me. I’m surprised he was so happy that you had married me. I thought he’d want you to get together with someone else.”

  “Why do you say that? Like who?”

  I shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Someone a little bit more…put-together.”

  “Someone like Lara?” he said, and we both burst out laughing.

  “Well, she’s definitely your type. From the moment I met her, I thought that the two of you would look good together. Even at the wedding, I was going to suggest that you stand up and give your objections.”

  He chuckled. “You’re absolutely right. She’s totally my type. I’ve always gone for these really mean and bitchy girls. Totally does it for me.”

  I laughed despite the situation. It always surprised me how easy it was to talk and laugh with Houston even when things were going bad. I wondered if he remembered the time I had helped him change his tire. It had been one of the first times the two of us ever spoken. I had been young, but I had known who he was.

  I mean, everyone knew who Houston Jones was. Not only was he good-looking, popular, and nice, but his father was the handsome billionaire who owned one of the biggest and best ranches in the area. It was hard not to know who Houston was. But seeing him standing there unable to change a tire had made me see him in a different light. I’d seen a vulnerable side to him, and I hadn’t minded helping him out at all. I wondered if he could change a tire now, and resisted the urge to ask him.

  “Houston, what are we going to do?” I said with a heavy sigh. “Are you going to tell your dad the truth? We can both go over there if you like.”

  “My dad is way too worked up now, and far too invested in this. If I tell him now, he’s not even going to believe me. I know what he’s like. He is completely convinced that it’s the truth, and I guess I don’t blame him. If I tell him that we lied he’s going to wonder why we did such a thing, and I don’t really have an answer.”

  “Other than the fact that it was fun. Or, that we were drunk,” I said, and we both laughed.

  “My father is a very stubborn man, and he cares a great deal about his reputation. I’ve never wanted to let him down. If my father thinks that I made a fool of him, then it could do some serious damage to our relationship. I feel bad that he thinks I went ahead and got married without him. It’s not something that I would ever do.”

  “I’m sure he’ll realize that when he finds out the truth,” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Look, Cassidy, I also want you to know that I’m not at all ashamed about what happened. I don’t, however, want you to get a bad reputation because of me. I guess I never thought the whole thing through, but I don’t want people to come to the wrong conclusions about you. People have always had a lot of respect for you, and I don’t want that to change. For what it’s worth, I don’t want people thinking that you are the sort of girl who just runs around and has one-night stands with guys.”

  I groaned. “That’s the last thing I am.”

  “I know that.”

  “I’m glad,” I said. “Actually, it never even occurred to me that you might think that of me, so I’m happy you said that now. Uh, I’m not someone who sleeps around. So, uh, I want you to know that I only did that because…”

  “You were drunk and confused me for your husband?” he suggested with a grin.

  I laughed. “Because it felt right. And yes. Those other reasons, too. And it all still feels worth it to me. Pretending to be your wife was fun even if it was short-lived, and even if it meant having to deal with the repercussions now. I would do it all again if it meant seeing that look on Lara’s face when I told her that we were married.”

  “You and me both. I loved that moment.”

  “Well, you made a great date, Houston. I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding partner.” It was true. Everything might have worked out differently if I had gone alone, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t change anything about that night. It had been perfect despite all the imperfections. Perhaps that was what I liked about it.

  “Same goes for you, Cassidy. And, if you’re ever invited to another wedding, I’m more than happy to be your plus-one. In fact, I demand it.”

&nb
sp; I smiled. I was pretty sure there were no more weddings coming up in the near future for me. Eleven weddings in two years was already quite a ridiculous number. “Same goes for you. So, what’s the plan of action, then?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “With your father. What are you going to do about the whole thing? I hate the thought that he is upset with you.” I also didn’t want his father to think that I was the kind of girl who just ran off with his son without telling him. I liked Stanton Jones, and I didn’t want to be the reason for his disappointment.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it. I think that right now it’s best to do nothing at all.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Yeah, for now, I think we should just let the whole thing simmer and fizzle out. If we just keep calm for a day or two, we’ll have this all under control. Once my father has had time to relax, we can go and talk to him. He’s in the middle of some big projects right now, which is probably why he was so stressed. I know him well enough to know that this is the worst time to talk to him. Let him calm down, relax, finish his projects, and then we can talk it through with him.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked him.

  “I’m sure,” he said. “As long as things don’t spread out of control, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  I chuckled. “It might be too late for that.”

  “Yeah, maybe. So, are you sure you don’t want that cup of coffee?”

  I shook my head. “No, I better get going. Just in case your father comes back. But if you need me to come over to talk to him, let me know. I’m sorry about all this, Houston. I feel like I’ve made a complete mess of everything.”

  “Don’t be. We’re in this together,” he said.

  And for some reason, those words made me feel happy. As I drove away though, I began to feel confused. Nicole had told me that I would know for sure by the visit if things between the two of us were definitely over or if there was some sort of lingering hope for us. Now I had no idea. I knew that I enjoyed spending time with him, but I was also sure that he didn’t want to be with me.