Champagne and Cowboys

by Donna Michaels

  Mina sighed and patted the sweater covering her tiny baby bump. “I really hate the thought of you spending the New Year alone.”

  “Sweetheart, I won’t be. I hear the bride is inviting over two hundred guests to the reception. I’m a guest at the ranch for goodness sake.”

  “So this is like a real live Dynasty-type affair, huh?”

  Anna shrugged. “Guess I’ll see how the other half lives.” She held up her glass in a toast and downed the drink.

  “There’s bound to be some good-looking cowboys around.” Mina offered with a sly grin.

  “Probably, and all of them in their late sixties, most likely.” Anna grinned. “Hit me up with some more of that mimosa concoction you made.”

  Mina refilled her glass and picked up her straight juice version.

  Anna held her glass up to that of her friend. “To happily ever after—you most certainly have yours, my friend, and I couldn’t wish it for two more deserving people. And maybe I’m destined to be my own happily ever after.”

  “Mr. Right is out there, Anna, I can feel it. You have to believe it, too. It’s the beginning of a New Year.”

  Anna smiled. She didn’t want to tell her friend that she’d already met and lost her Mr. Right—long ago on a beach in Corpus Christi.

  Chapter Two

  Cole wondered if murdering a Bridezilla would constitute a mercy killing. He glanced at Eva Diamond as she paced back and forth in the elegantly rustic kitchen, her nose stuck in the thick tome she called her day planner. Her assistant, Freddy aka Frederick Manuel Lopez III—one of Denver’s premier wedding planner—sat hunched over his iPad, his finger swiping the screen with impatient fervor.

  “Sweetheart,” Cole said, keeping his voice level, so as to reason with this female holy terror, “if you want to go traditional, then use white tablecloths and black napkins. If you want to go with this desert color theme… thing, then do that. I don’t think anyone is really going to notice.”

  He heard a gasp—from Freddy. He tipped his head, taking on Freddy’s death stare until the little man went back to his task. Cole had been listening, albeit patiently, to this tirade since he came in this evening, late again for supper—for the third time this week. He’d been out with Stephan, Maria’s husband and his ranch foreman, mending the portion of fence that kept wild horses safe from predators. They’d been getting the property ready in preparation for the spring opening of the Diamond Double J Corporate luxury resort. Already they were booked through June with several upper echelon businesses looking to bring in their teams for a bonding experience.

  This wedding at the ranch idea had been his mother’s. It was one of many ideas that Jane Diamond had after his step-father’s death. Jim had met Jane, Cole’s mother, at a restaurant she’d been a waitress at in Austin. Three dates later—smack dab in the middle of his first spring break—she’d called to say she was getting married—full-on Elvis Presley style in Vegas—and he had to be her man of honor.

  He’d been glad that his mom had found someone. He’d never known much about his dad, only that he’d been a rodeo cowboy at one time. Other than that, and the fact that he’d died somewhere in Montana, Cole had never had contact with his dad. After a while, he’d stopped asking questions. For years, it’d been the two of them—him going to school and working extra jobs, as did she just to keep a roof over their heads. When the opportunity came to go on a spring break presented itself, Cole latched on to it, thinking he’d attained nirvana. But the whirlwind wedding put the kibosh on—as it turned out—his one and only spring break. Worse, he’d just met the most beautiful girl, too. Someone, despite their many differences, brought to mind the word relationship. She was his brown-eyed northern girl, far too willing and too trusting of the reckless fool he’d been back then. He wasn’t particularly proud of his past, but he and his friends in Austin had been daredevils, believing life should be grabbed by the horns and ridden hard. He shoved aside the guilt of his past. As stupid as he once was, he was no longer the same person. Cole had become a partner with his mother and step-sister, after Jim Diamond’s death. His mother had asked him to take over the ranch while Eva continued to take care of the philanthropic side of her father’s fortune. Once Jane saw that the ranch was in good hands, she retreated to the southwest where the temperatures were warmer year-round.

  Eva dropped her five-pound planner on the countertop, the thud resonating in the grand hall of a kitchen, jolting everyone, except Cole. He paused before putting the next bite in his mouth. He glanced across the counter and saw Eva, her eyes closed, palm against her brow. D.R.A.M.A.

  “I don’t know how people do this. Planning a wedding on New Year’s Eve? Am I crazy?”

  Cole and Maria exchanged smiles.

  “Shut up, you two. You’re supposed to be helping me,” she said with a pout.

  Cole glanced at Eva, then shoved another bite of cheesy goodness in his mouth. Heaven. He sighed. “Maria, you are an absolute angel in the kitchen. Have I asked you to marry me today?”

  He stood and took his bowl to the sink, stopping to give a one-arm hug to the five-foot-two powerhouse of culinary expertise.

  She swatted his shoulder and gave him a smile that accentuated the deep laugh lines in her face. “You will have to take that up with Stephan.” Maria and Stephan had been married now going on well over forty years. By Cole’s way of thinking, they were as much a part of the successful foundation of this ranch as any of its other illustrious features.

  Yeah, he wished his mother had been here to help Eva with all the wedding details, but a library honoring his late step-dad, had been scheduled to open in Tempe and prevented her from her from flying in until the day before the wedding.

  With a sigh, he walked over and pulled Eva into his arms, pressing his lips to her temple. “Everything’s going to be just fine, sweetheart, you’ll see.”

  “You have your tux?” she mumbled against the front of his shirt.

  “Awaiting your color choice of vest and tie,” he answered, resting his chin on her head. He felt a wet spot on his shirt and heard her sniff. It twisted his heart to think that she’d had to plan her wedding without her groom beside her to make decisions. Holding Eva by her shoulders, he bent down to meet her worried gaze. Her husband-to-be, a seasoned army man, had been given holiday furlough after a year overseas and thus far, it was the weather out east causing the delay in his arrival. He had to give them credit for having a love strong enough to bridge the distance gap, utilizing Facetime and Skype as often as they could.

  “Listen, you’re doing a great job handling all of this. That guy of yours is going to be more focused on his bride. And sweetheart, you don’t want him to see you stressed out, so I’m going to make a suggestion.” He glanced at Freddy. “Why don’t the two of you book a whole day at the spa in Telluride? Kick back. Let everything fall into place.”

  Eva searched his gaze. He knew how she loved to be pampered. With any luck, God would have mercy on his sanity and get Eva out of the house for one whole day.

  “Maybe you’re right.” She blinked and cast a hopeful look at Freddy. “I’ve been a little high-strung, I know. What do you say? My treat?”

  “Mr. C., that’s a brilliant idea. Hate that I hadn’t thought of it myself. But no matter, I’ll take care of booking us—manis, pedis, massage, facials…the works.” His gaze shot to Cole’s. “Want to join us for a seaweed body wrap? They’re delightful.” Freddy gave him a wink.

  Cole cleared his throat to cover the laugh that nearly escaped. “I’ll pass. Have some more work to do in the barn, but thanks. You two go enjoy yourselves. Tables will be in today. You’ve got two sets of linen colors coming to choose from. The orchestra is lined up. Maria has an amazing menu planned. What more do we need?”

  “The groom?” Eva’s eyes shimmered, her face puckered as she tried to hold back the waterworks.

  Maria skirted in front of Cole and draped her arm around the young woman’s waist, talking soothingly, cons
oling in soft motherly tone as they walked together out of the room.

  Cole let out a relieved sigh, coinciding with Freddy’s. Maybe he’d go out and chop a ton of wood just to do something mindless.

  “Brides.” Freddy tossed him a smile. “What can you do?”

  Cole smiled and patted the wedding planner on the shoulder of his gray and black argyle designer sweater, paired with a contrasting red turtleneck. “I wouldn’t want your job for a million bucks. Good luck. T-minus two days and counting.” Cole saluted as he left the kitchen and headed toward his office. It was his sanctuary as well as where he conducted business, most days from a computer. He eased back in his soft tufted leather chair and propped his boots on the desk. He closed his eyes. Bliss.

  His cell phone rang. Peering at the caller ID, he recognized the number and sighed. It was a friend of Eva’s whom he’d met a couple of months ago when he’d been out to dinner with Eva. Given that she had invited herself to join them and then dominated the conversation without so much as a flinch from Eva made him wonder if it was really a “chance” encounter. Eva remained very evasive about the incident, only stating that she worked on one of the Diamonds’ many charities.

  He debated answering. On the third ring, he finally pressed the button. “Hello,” he said, keeping his tone clipped, business-like.

  “Hey, cowboy.”

  Yep, it was Madeline.

  “Hey, Madeline, how are you?” Small talk. He hated it. Especially when he suspected that she was going to sell him something he wasn’t interested in.

  “You knew it was me?” That had earned him points, which would likely cost him dearly. He wanted to tell her that not that many women called him—at least, not socially. He was the one to take the lead in that department—if he were interested. Ranch responsibilities had consumed much of his time these days, drastically curtailing his social life. He pushed back the hair over his ear, trying to remember the last time he’d gotten a haircut. God, he felt old all of a sudden.

  “Suppose you’re busy with the wedding and all?” Her comment was left open ended.

  Cole carefully considered his response. “Things have been a bit busy around here, yes, ma’am.” He heard a sigh and rolled his gaze to the ceiling. Some women—Maddie, in particular—had a fascination with any man in a hat or wearing a pair of boots. He envisioned her holding a lariat, twirling it above her head in anticipation.

  “I just love it when a cowboy calls me ma’am. But you can call me Maddie.”

  Cole chuckled quietly. That’s just the way his mama raised him—it had nothing at all to do with his clothes. For a boy from the south, please, thank you, yes sir, and yes ma’am, were just how you spoke to people. “What can I do for you, Maddie?” He let her comment slide. “Did you need to talk to Eva about something?”

  She giggled. “Why, no, silly. If I’d wanted to talk to her, I’d have called her phone.”

  Cole scratched behind his ear. Tempting as it was to play games with her, he had work to do. “Listen, I’ve got a list a mile long to accomplish today. What’s up?”

  “Oh, sorry. Well, listen, you know I’m coming to the wedding and I just wondered if you had a date yet?”

  A date? He chuckled good-naturedly. “Uh, I’m part of the bridal party. Wait, I am the bridal party. Pretty sure a date isn’t required.”

  Frozen silence followed. Yeah, he’d gone and stepped right into a big pile. Damn. More female drama, and he sure as hell didn’t need her running off to upset Eva.

  “I just thought since neither of us is attached, we might keep each other company. It is New Year’s Eve, after all.”

  Cole stood and walked to the glass French doors that led onto the wraparound porch. The view looked out over the barn and the valley beyond. He’d never planned his life to turn out like this—having enough money to buy a goddamn island if he wanted. But the most challenging aspect hadn’t been his greed, but the greed of others trying to hook up with the wealthy rancher with a business degree and a helluva lot of luck. As a result, he was cautious about the women he met, careful not to allow them too close until he understood if their interest was in him or his money.

  He pondered that question a moment and decided that, with Maddie, it could go either way. She was a beautiful woman, no doubt about that, and true—it was New Year’s Eve. “Tell you what, Maddie. Save me a dance, and let’s see how things go.”

  “Okay, then. I like the sound of that, cowboy.” She spoke low and sultry, and he had to admit, it nudged his libido. Maybe if she’d stop with the whole “cowboy” thing.

  “We’ll see you on Friday, then. Bye, Maddie.”

  “Bye cowb—”

  He disconnected before she could use her fake drawl to call him cowboy once again. He dropped the phone on the desk and opened his laptop. Searching through the files, he found one that he hadn’t opened in a while—a smattering of photos given to him by an old friend back in Austin, a guy he hadn’t heard from in years. He smiled, browsing through the ancient photos that he’d scanned into his computer for safekeeping. From time-to-time over the years, he’d brought them out to look through and wonder where those reckless kids who’d thought they were just having fun had gone.

  Slowing down, he stopped at one, unable to tear his gaze away from the young boy in a scruffy cowboy hat and tanned girl with their arms around each other. The expressions on their faces echoed pure, blissful freedom. No responsibilities. Just having a good time. It wasn’t supposed to last forever. The picture was all that was left of that spring break and… Anna.

  With her dark brown hair tumbling in mermaid-like waves to her waist. She wore ragged cutoff jean shorts and a yellow Madras bikini top that covered enough to be legal and still manage to make him hard. His jaw clenched as memories of what happened a few hours after that picture was taken, swept like a stormy tide into his brain.

  Cole had watched as his friend Kyle danced with Mina, one of the two girls they’d met at the thatched Tiki beach bar earlier in the day. Third day into spring break, everyone is someone’s new best friend, the beer is flowing–life is good. The four of them shared some drinks, took some obligatory photos to capture the memories, and then, without warning, she’d left, indicating she’d forgotten something in her room. He hadn’t seen her again until then, and there was only a couple of days left of break.

  Kyle and Mina were off in their own world, having a great time on the tiny bar’s patchwork dance floor. Anna—at least, he thought that was her name—was seated at a table by herself, nursing a drink, looking somewhere between lost and bored. He wondered if she realized the likelihood she’d end up spending the evening alone.

  He watched her flip her hair over a slender shoulder. Bare-skinned girls roamed Corpus Christi this time of year. Seeing copious amounts of bronzed flesh really didn’t faze him much after the first couple days, but there was something about her. Maybe it was her ease with being alone. She was pretty—oh, yeah, he’d noticed that, too. But quiet in a way that made you wonder if she was thinking herself above all of this, or if she was genuinely shy. He’d already guessed it was her first spring break, just by the way she’d allowed Mina to do all the talking. He tilted his head and assessed her. Nice hair. Decent bod. He scratched his chin and, out of sheer boredom, moved to the open chair next to her.

  “Hi, remember me? My name’s Cole Tanner.”

  She plucked the straw from some fruity drink from between her lips, swallowing before she spoke.

  “Anna Worthington. Yeah, from the bar earlier, right? That’s your friend dancing with my friend, right?”

  He smiled, and with a nod glanced at Mina and Kyle grinding against one another. There was little doubt where that was heading. Anna looked at him through hooded lids as she sipped her drink, as though waiting for him to make the next move. He picked up the cheap Chinese-made umbrella that had been served in her drink.

  “Did you know this really works?” Jesus, that was lame. “Look.” He tugged the tiny
pick mechanism and the thin paper umbrella opened and closed.

  She watched for a moment, then turned her dark-eyed gaze on him. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

  Oh, so she had a wit. Maybe it was his pride, or simply the easy buzz of a few beers that made him lean back in the chair. He regarded her with curiosity. He usually had little trouble with his pick-up lines. Most girls would be giggling like fools at his stupid jokes. This one, he’d decided, was a bit full of herself. “Hey, I’m just trying to make conversation.”

  Her mouth tipped at the corner and she gave him a dubious look. “Really, that’s all?”

  Now he was pissed. Guilty, maybe, but pissed. “Yeah.”

  “It couldn’t be that your friend is all over my best friend and you were hoping maybe you could hook up with me?”

  He stared at her, tempted to ask if she thought spring break was a damn cotillion. And she’d accused him—without any provocation yet on his part—of trying to get some ass. Which wasn’t entirely out of the realm of what one did on spring break—if things worked that way. Her logic confused him. But he had his pride. There were only a million other girls at this beachfront bar that he could probably get to come home with him.

  He leveled his gaze on her and folded his arms across his chest. Time to teach little Miss Thang that he didn’t need to look too hard for companionship. “Darlin’, not if you were the last woman here tonight.”

  She finished her drink, licked her lips, and propped her chin on her hand. She leaned closer until her nose was nearly touching his. “That’s good, cowboy.” She flicked her finger, tipping up the brim of his favorite Kenny Chesney straw hat. “Because the feeling is entirely mutual.”

  God, she was hot.

  “Good,” he snapped, wanting to pull her onto his lap and kiss her senseless.

  “Fine.” She stood and, after a second glance, snatched the tiny umbrella from his fingers.

  “Fine,” he called out loudly as he watched her weave through the crowd, her hips swaying in those cut off shorts as she walked away. She stopped and whispered in Mina’s ear. They both glanced at him. Cole grinned and shook his head. He should’ve known better than to go after a girl from north of the Mason-Dixon line.