by Iris Abbott
They had reached the stables, and two of the ranch hands came forward to take care of Obsidian and Bluebonnet. Landon was reluctant to end his contact with Emma. He followed her as she turned to walk toward the house. “Have you heard from Lynn yet?” he asked trying to prolong their contact. It worked, and she slowed down enough to wait for him. When they were side by side, she answered his question.
“No, I was hoping you had. I guess they are either so busy they fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day or communication lines down there are too damaged for them to send and receive messages.”
Landon could hear the concern in her voice. He found himself in the strange predicament of wanting to comfort Emma. He hadn’t felt this protective instinct toward a female since his parents died and he was left with the sole responsibility of Lynn’s care. His fiancée hadn’t wanted the added responsibility of raising a teenager. She finally confided to Landon that she might not ever want children. That had been the end of their engagement and relationship. Landon could not share his life with someone who wouldn’t take on the responsibility of helping him raise his teenage sister. Somehow he found himself thinking that would not have been a problem with Emma. She would have opened her heart and her arms to Lynn and done her best by his baby sister. Too bad his selfish fiancée couldn’t have been more like Emma.
Whoa! He stopped dead in his tracks even though Emma continued walking toward the house. Where had that thought come from? Emma was his sister’s best friend, and that was the end of that. He did not make a habit of becoming involved with his sister’s friends. Women usually became clingy when he tried to end things. They didn’t always part as friends. That would make things awkward for his sister, and he had no intention of ever doing anything to hurt Lynn’s feelings.
****
Emma had just finished reading the third chapter of her chosen novel when the phone rang. She lunged for it frantically hoping to hear Lynn’s voice on the other end of the line. Actually, it was the bridal shop confirming Lynn’s final gown fitting. “Oh crap,” Emma hissed into the phone. “I’m pretty sure that Lynn forgot about the fitting and she is in Mexico City helping rescue victims of the earthquake. I’m not sure when she’s going to be back in town either. I’m her maid of honor, and she left me in charge of any last minute preparations. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’d be more than willing.”
“Well,” the shop manager confided to Emma, “we always triple check our measurements. Everything should be in order. The owner feels better if there is a final fitting. Just to make sure there aren’t any problems.”
Emma thought for a second. “You know, Lynn and I are practically the same sizes. We use to share clothes all the time. She is a couple of inches taller than me, but if you have a pair of heels, I can borrow that might help.”
“It’s worth a try,” the manager agreed. “Her appointment with the seamstress was at two-thirty. Are you available then?”
“I’ll be there,” Emma promised the lady before verifying the address and hanging up the phone. She checked her watch. She had enough time to grab a quick lunch and drive into town. She would leave word with Ms. Gaines about her whereabouts just in case Landon was interested. She didn’t think for one minute that he would be, but she was a guest in his home. She would be courteous enough to inform him of her whereabouts.
They might never be the best of friends, but she needed to stay on his good side, at least until Lynn’s wedding was over. Tension and undercurrents between the maid of honor and the bride’s closest living family member might spoil the atmosphere of the wedding. There was no way Emma was going to be responsible for ruining her closest friend’s wedding. Nor was she going to give Landon the chance to accuse her of doing so either. And wouldn’t he just love that! She didn’t want a repeat of the graduation party.
A little while later, Emma was standing on a short stool in front of a three-way floor to ceiling mirror while the seamstress fussed with the hem of Lynn’s bridal gown. It seemed to fit her just fine, so she was sure it would fit Lynn too. She didn’t think there would be any danger of Lynn gaining weight in the days leading up to the wedding. If anything the physical exertion of the rescue effort might cause her to drop a few pounds. The cut of the dress would hide any weight loss well.
The white and silver satin gown was a beautiful traditional A-line princess style dress, sleeveless, with a chapel train. It sparkled thanks to the clear, cut crystals and champagne beads that adorned the bodice and train. What truly made the gown unique, however, was the ruched style skirt. The only thing Emma didn’t like about the gown was the corset style back. It just wasn’t her style. She knew the gown would be gorgeous on Lynn. And that was all that mattered.
During the fitting, the manager was busy displaying the latest shipment of wedding gowns. One, in particular, caught Emma’s eye. Before she could stop herself the words of admiration tumbled out of her mouth. “That is the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen. It would definitely be mine if I were planning on getting married anytime soon,” she confided to the manager.
The store manager held up the white and ivory satin, traditional A-line princess-style gown so Emma could get a better look. The dress was a work of art. The sleeveless gown had a sweetheart neckline, which Emma had always favored. The manager brought the dress closer so Emma could get a better look at the detailed hand-sewn floral embroidery with seed pearls over English netting. “The embroidery on the chapel train and bodice are exquisite. This is a rare dress indeed. Any woman would be proud to be married in this dress. Why don’t you try it on,” the manager offered.
Emma hesitated. She was at the wedding boutique to help out her best friend, not shop for a dress of her own. What would she need with a wedding dress, especially one as elaborate as this? Besides it probably had a corset back since that was a popular style right now. That’s it she decided. She would ask to see the back, and that would be the end of that. “Let’s see the back of the gown. Is it corset style? Because that’s not exactly my favorite,” she truthfully confided to the two shop employees.
Emma gasped when the manager straightened out the gown and turned it toward her. No corset style back for this dress. Instead, it had an open back with three diagonal straps meeting at the neckline. “Oh my God it’s exquisite,” Emma exclaimed. It was hard for her to hide her appreciation for such a beautiful dress.
“It’s a size twelve just like the gown you’re wearing now. It doesn’t look as long as some of the other gowns. I bet this dress would fit you with very little alteration at all,” the manager enthused. “You’re already here, and so is the dress. Mabel is finished with the hemline of Ms. James’s dress. You should try this one on, for future reference if nothing else. It won’t last long,” the manager promised as an extra incentive to get Emma to try on the dress.
Emma’s face fell. Even if the dress was a perfect fit and made just for her, there was no way she could afford it on a teacher’s salary. Besides, what would she do with a wedding gown anyway? It would just hang in her closet and collect dust. And that was just what every third-grade teacher needed, a six thousand dollar dust collector.
Emma was not nor had she ever been involved in a serious relationship. She tended to avoid men and all the pitfalls associated with a serious committed relationship. Her main goal in life was to guard herself against becoming dependent on a man who would just use and abuse her like her father did her mom. She wanted more out of life than that.
“It’s a lovely dress. It’s exactly what I would want if I were in the market for a wedding gown. Unfortunately, I’m not and I most likely never will be, so there’s really no need for me to try on the dress.” Emma picked up the skirt of Lynn’s gown and carefully made her way to the changing room. The faster she got out of that store, the better. All the satin and silk must be going to her head. She felt lonelier than she’d felt in a long time. Actually, she hadn’t been this lonely since she’d left the ranch for what she thought was the l
ast time two years ago. She inwardly cringed. There was nothing to ruin a girl’s day more than driving home the fact she was never likely to have a family of her own.
****
Landon felt the breath catch in his throat. It was almost as if he had been sucker punched in the gut. He had never seen anything so gorgeous in all his life. Just the thought of a woman in a wedding gown should give him hives considering his aversion to marriage. He had shied away from all serious relationships with the opposite sex since being dumped by his selfish fiancée several years ago. Marriage, he had decided wasn’t meant for everyone. And he made sure all the women he dated knew his feelings on the subject. He didn’t want to mislead anyone, the way his ex-fiancée had purposefully deceived him.
He had just left his accountant’s office after their monthly meeting to discuss the ranch’s finances and his other various business ventures. The accountant’s office was on Main Street in downtown Rancher’s Bend. It was right across the street from the Satin and Silk Bridal Boutique. The first thing he’d seen when he stepped outside into the afternoon sun had been Emma standing in front of a huge three-way mirror.
He didn’t think the dress with the fancy bunched up skirt and laced up back was exactly Emma’s style, but she still looked gorgeous enough to take his breath away. He began to wonder what it would feel like to hold her in his arms, what it would feel like to slide his body against hers as they made love. And that he thought as he turned and walked away would never happen, because she had about as many hang-ups with the opposite sex as he did. He knew it had to be her doing because no man in his right mind would turn down the chance to be involved with someone like Emma. She was beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. The fact that he noticed her good qualities had to mean that others did too.
Emma, Landon finally realized was nothing like his ex-fiancée. She loved the ranch or at least she had when she and Lynn were at university. She’d come to visit every school break and holiday. He had often wondered why she didn’t go back home to Georgia instead of always staying in Texas. Finally, Lynn had admitted to him that Emma was an only child and she was estranged from her family. Lynn went on to say that Emma hadn’t had a very happy childhood and her parents were too wrapped up in their own problems to give her another thought. That was all Lynn would tell him, insisting that the rest was Emma’s story to tell. He had never really given it much thought, until now. Now he found himself wanting to know more about Emma. He should be scared by this new insight, but strangely he was taking the unfamiliar feelings in stride.
Landon turned back toward the storefront and saw Emma gasp in delight over a gown the store manager was holding up for her inspection. Then he saw her face fall. An utter look of despair broke through for just a second before she could disguise it. Probably no one else would have noticed that look. It was a feeling he was familiar with, so he recognized it as soon as he saw it on someone else. Or maybe he was just becoming attuned to Emma and her expressions. And that he told himself was a daunting thought indeed. He continued to watch as she vigorously shook her head and practically ran from the woman holding the dress.
Landon snapped out of his frozen state as soon as she disappeared from his sight. He started walking toward his SUV. Unless he wanted her to catch him gawking at her like a teenager with his first crush he had better get a move on and head back to the ranch. He had a long list of things to do waiting for him back there anyway. Thankfully the storm cell they’d been expecting broke up and fell apart before reaching their neck of the woods. That didn’t mean he and his ranch hands could sit on their laurels. There were plenty of storms to be found during a Texas summer if one waited long enough. He didn’t have time to be staring into space.
Emma finished changing out of the gowns and put on her old jeans and T-shirt. The manager had talked her into trying on her dream dress after all. Of course, it had been breathtaking on her. It made her even sadder that she would have to turn it down because she would have no use for such an exquisite and expensive item of clothing. She had been right before in her assumption. The gown was practically a work of art. It deserved to be worn and showcased in public at least once, not shoved into the back of a closet to never see the light of day again. The chances of the wedding gown getting the attention it deserved were slim to none if she was the one that ended up taking it home. She handed both wedding dresses back to the seamstress and made arrangements to have Lynn’s gown delivered to the ranch in three days. Then she walked away from the mass of satin and silk mocking her as fast as a woman could and still maintain her dignity.
****
Emma walked into the James home just as Landon was walking out of his home office. “Hey,” she said in the way of a greeting. “The bridal shop called after you had already left for town. Lynn missed her final gown fitting today,” she shrugged. “We’re close enough to the same size that I was able to fill in for her. They just have to adjust the hem slightly. Someone from the boutique will bring it to the ranch when the final alterations are finished. That should be in about three days.” Emma felt like she was babbling. She clamped her mouth shut.
Landon smiled at her. He noticed she didn’t say anything about the other dress. The one he had caught her practically drooling over. He decided not to mention seeing her inside the dress shop. It might make her even more self-conscious around him. He suddenly realized that even though he preferred most females to keep their distance, he didn’t want that with Emma, at least not anymore. He tried to rationalize away this new discovery. If they weren’t getting along it might adversely affect the wedding, and neither of them wanted that to happen. It was just as good of an excuse as any he decided.
He was struck by a sudden inspiration. “Why don’t you go upstairs and change into one of those cute sundresses that you’re always wearing to dinner. There’s a new restaurant in San Antonio I’ve wanted to try for several weeks now. They have a live jazz band and a rather large dance floor. At least that’s what I’ve been told. If I remember correctly, you love jazz, and you also love to dance.”
Emma hesitated. It sounded too much like a date. She didn’t think she was ready to go there, not with Landon. “I don’t know…” She rubbed her suddenly damp palms down the side of her jeans.
Landon had really warmed to the idea now, and there was no way he was going to let Emma spoil his plans for a fun night out on the town. It’s not as if he had too many of those these days. He’d been swamped with work lately. On a ranch as large as his there was always something that needed to be done. “Come on Emma,” he used his most persuasive voice. “Things are going to get more hectic around here the closer we get to the wedding. Don’t you think we deserve to do something for ourselves now, while we still have the time?”
Emma realized he was right, she wanted this. Why should she deny herself? She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be held in his arms as they swayed to a slow jazz tune. She pushed back her doubts and self-protective instincts and gave him a sweet and sincere smile. “Why not, it sounds like fun. I’ll just run upstairs, brush my hair, and change clothes.” She gave him one more shy look from under her lashes before running up the stairs.
Landon watched her disappear and wondered what he had let himself in for this time. It had sounded like a good idea at first, but now he was having doubts. If he held her in his arms on the dance floor, he knew he would want more. He wasn’t sure if Emma was ready for that. Hell, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. They’d been dancing around each other for years. Maybe now it was time to dance together.
****
Emma had a hard time controlling the butterflies in her tummy. She had just had the most succulent lobster dinner she could remember. Now she was silently keeping beat with the jazz music the house band was playing. She was supposed to be relaxing over an after-dinner drink of dessert wine, but she was too keyed up. She was anxiously waiting for the moment Landon would take her out onto the dance floor. She knew it was going to happen. She coul
d feel it with all her being. And she couldn’t wait to be held in his arms.
She took her eyes off the band and darted a glance at Landon. She caught him watching her and all but held her breath when he stood up and stretched out a hand to her in invitation. She had been expecting this, but now that the moment was actually here she was stunned into immobility. They had never danced before not even at the college graduation party two years ago. She had wanted to ask him, but she’d been too awkward and tongue-tied. Then she had made the mistake of ending up on the dance floor with the jerk that had been all hands and arms.
Landon tried to suppress a groan when Emma looked up at him with those stunning blue eyes. He had noticed over the years how her eyes would change color with her different mood swings. When she cried or was angry, they were a bright, intense shade of navy blue. He bet they were an astonishing shade of blue when she was overcome with passion too. Other times they were a medium blue shade more light than dark depending on what she was wearing. Right now he would give all he owned to see those eyes glazed over in passion for him.
“Ms. Sharpe,” he intoned in that deep, dark, sexy voice he saved for thrilling members of the opposite sex. “I believe you owe me a dance.” As if on cue the band began to play a slow bluesy number that was perfect for lovers. They couldn’t have played a more suitable piece of music Landon thought.
Emma placed her hand in Landon’s and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. She was mesmerized by the sultry sway of the music and the seductive brush of Landon’s body against hers. She didn’t protest when he held her almost too close to be considered decent. It felt so good being held in his arms. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Of course, she was about as sexually inexperienced as one could get, so that made sense. She almost allowed the giggle welling in her throat to escape. Wouldn’t Landon be shocked to know he was practically making love to a twenty-four-year-old virgin while on the dance floor? He’d probably make a run for it if he had any hint of what she was thinking and feeling.