A Rancher's Bride

by Vivian Arend

  Her new friend—the sweet woman Kelli had been deceiving, now that she comprehended her folly—leaned forward, concern in Diane’s eyes.

  Kelli tightened her grip on her cup. Had she accidentally said something without meaning to?

  “Tonight’s the big party,” Diane began slowly. “And I happened to find out something I think you should know.”

  The sickening sensation in Kelli’s gut was a firm reminder why she stuck with telling the truth. Her imagination was working overtime coming up with horrifying revelations.

  Once again, her face must’ve given her away because Diane clicked her tongue reassuringly. “Oh, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s nothing terrible, but I wanted to warn you ahead of time that the Talismans will be at the event. My father mentioned it to me because there’s a business item I’m supposed to ask Sean Talisman about, and it’s the only opportunity this week.”

  Relief rushed in. “So, Penny will be there—”

  “I assume so.”

  Damn, this was the best news, relatively speaking, considering all the other disasters Kelli had been imagining. “It’s really not a problem.”

  “So you said before, and I believe you,” Diane said quickly. “It’s just that I know if it were me heading to an event where Jack’s ex-fiancée was about to make an appearance—not that he has one, but you know what I’m saying—I’d want to know.”

  Kelli nodded. “Being forewarned she’ll be there saves me from a few awkward moments. Thanks for telling me, but really, everything’s fine.”

  Diane pulled apart her doughnut, tucking a tidbit in her mouth as she eyed Kelli closely. “You’ve got a dress?”

  “One that will knock your socks off,” Kelli said proudly. “My girlfriends hooked me up, because like we talked about before, I’m more of a jeans-and-flannel girl.”

  “Clothes don’t make a woman or a man.” Although, Diane was tapping her fingers on the table as she said it, and a mischievous smile was spreading. “But fine feathers are nice, and there’s nothing like the right knock-em-dead outfit to make a woman feel like a million dollars.” She checked her watch. “The schedule is light today, what with the formal dance this evening. I’m going to call the spa and sneak us in this afternoon for some pampering.”

  Kelli hesitated.

  “My treat,” Diane added. She lifted a hand as Kelli tried to protest. “You’d be doing me a favour. We’ll get to spend more time together, and frankly, even though you’re too nice to want to rub it in with Penny, I’m a little baser. I’ve seen the way Luke looks at you on an average day. I want to watch her face when she sees how he responds to you all done up.”

  Damn, Luke needed to win an acting award or something if he was pulling off the “hooked on her” thing that hard.

  Kelli didn’t say anything about that part, though. She was working up to accept the offer, not because of Penny per se, but because of that frothy gown, and how much her girlfriends had gone out of their way to help her.

  Hanna’s brimming cup of happiness in finding Brad—maybe some of that magic had spilled over, because getting to be with Luke this past week was a memory Kelli would always cherish.

  She offered Diane a nod. “I’d love to be Cinderella to your fairy godmother, but I’ll warn you now, I’m not very keen on makeup.”

  The other woman slid out from the table. She waited for Kelli to join her before wrapping an arm around Kelli’s waist and guiding her from the room. “You let me worry about that. Fairy godmothers have a way with magic.”

  The guys had returned, and the four of them spent the rest of the morning and lunch together before Diane whisked Kelli off to be buffed and polished. Her nails were done, and her hair was trimmed. When she protested the fancy up-do Diane ordered, her friend stopped dead, planting her hands on her hips to better give her the evil eye.

  “You are not wearing your hair in braids,” Diane told her firmly. “They are perfect for you and ninety-nine percent of the tasks you do. And if I looked cute in braids, I would use them too, but not tonight. Tonight I’m going to let them tame my curls, so you are getting fancied up as well.”

  “I like your hair,” Kelli told her honestly.

  Diane tugged one of the long spirals, and they both smiled as it bounced back.

  “It’s alive and full of energy. It suits you. I’m just not the fancy type,” Kelli insisted.

  Diane’s eyes lit up, but she stayed bossy. “Give me your phone.”

  Kelli wasn’t sure what was going on, but she pulled it out and opened it up.

  Diane typed rapidly. Kelli assumed it was in search for a hairstyle to suggest, although why she wasn’t using her own phone—

  A moment later, the familiar sound of a text message pinged.

  Diane read the screen then passed the phone back with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. “See? We agree.”

  Messenger was open and there was a text to and from Tansy.

  Diane had written first: hey. This is Diane, and I’m with Kelli. She says you’re one of her BFFs, so help me out and tell her she can’t wear braids to the formal dance.

  * * *

  Tansy: Hi, Diane. <3 for taking care of my girl.

  * * *

  Tansy: Hey, Kelli? Don’t be an ass, listen to Diane. You’ll make Hanna cry if you don’t do that dress justice. Also—pictures or it never happened.

  Which is why an hour later Kelli was working hard to keep a smile on her face because Diane had gone all-out in charge and then had the guts to refuse to let Kelli watch whatever it was the hairdresser was doing to her.

  The gleam in Diane’s eye got brighter and brighter as Kelli struggled to not fidget like a two-year-old.

  “That’s perfect,” Diane finally told the hairdresser. “I’ll take her upstairs so I can do her makeup.”

  The chair turned back to the mirror, and Kelli spotted her reflection for the first time. She swore softly. “Is that really me?”

  Diane stepped behind the chair, her hair pulled back in a sleek bun with a gorgeous brightly coloured half-turban wrapped around it. “Our guys are not going to know what hit them.”

  Kelli, lifting her hand to the ringlets hanging on either side of her temples. It wasn’t something she was going to fuss with every day, but it was good to know that she cleaned up nice. “It looks good. Thank you, Diane.”

  Her friend held up a finger, her phone in her hand. “Hey, darlin’. We’re done with our primping, but we need to get our makeup and dresses on. You boys dressed up yet?”

  Diane had set her phone to speaker, and Jack’s deep tones carried clearly on the air. “Nearly ready. You want me to get him out of here?”

  “You read my mind, lovely man. We’ll meet you at the ball.”

  A hearty chuckle carried over the line. “What’re you up to, woman?”

  “Good trouble,” Diane promised. “Now, skedaddle.”

  He blew her a kiss then hung up.

  Diane flashed her a grin. “Come on, Cinderella. We have a little more work to do before storming the castle.”

  The week had been amazing, but as it came to a close, Luke was tempted to ignore the final event and curl up in front of the fireplace with Kelli.

  The only reason he hadn’t was because she actually seemed excited by the idea of the fancy ball, and by this point he was getting more entertainment out of watching her than the sheer pleasure of their indulgent getaway.

  He ignored the glasses of wine on the table and grabbed a longneck instead, twisting to observe the growing crowd. “It’s going to be a shock to the system heading home,” he admitted to Jack.

  “Don’t kid yourself,” Jack replied. “You’re just as eager as I am to get back to find out what’s been going on while we’ve been gone. There’s something about being in the field that does a man good.”

  “Amen to that.”

  They clinked bottles, grinning at each other.

  Music played softly in the background, and a few people we
re already on the dance floor. There was another thing to look forward to, Luke reminded himself. Dancing offered a reason to have Kelli in his arms, and he was grateful.

  Getting horizontal with her was amazing. Having her against him, or close by and just talking had turned out to be nearly as sweet.

  “We’re thinking about having you come south in May.” Jack dropped the bomb like it was nothing. Luke wiped beer from the side of his mouth as he tried to stay calm. “Want you to take a look at what we’ve got that might work with any of the bloodlines you’re developing.”

  Luke caught Jack by the hand and shook it gratefully. “We’d be delighted.”

  “No guarantees yet.” Jack seemed reluctant to point that out. “But you and Kelli have impressed the hell out of Diane. She’s not an easy sell.”

  “She’s a good businesswoman. No expectations, but we’d sure appreciate the chance to work closer with you.”

  “Luke?”

  The familiar female voice had the bubbles of excitement in his belly fading far too quickly.

  Jack’s eyes widened slightly in the second before Luke pivoted to find Penny Talisman standing before him.

  Her parents were farther behind her, pacing into the room. Sean nodded briefly as he met Luke’s gaze. Then he ignored him, sliding forward to shake hands with Timothy Carlyn.

  Luke pulled himself together and focused on the woman in front of him. “Penny. How’ve you been?”

  She shrugged, smoothing back her long blonde hair and tucking it behind her ear. Everything exactly in place. “Keeping busy, same as usual. My father has me dealing with the European market. The contacts I made this last summer are turning out to be very profitable.”

  “Good for you.”

  She looked uncomfortable, reaching around him to introduce herself to Jack.

  Luke probably should’ve done that. But then again, he didn’t really feel like it. He didn’t feel like doing her any favours, or making the effort to be rude, or…anything. He was pretty much not registering on the emotional scale when it came to her. Which was interesting.

  He glanced at his watch and wondered exactly when the girls were going to show up. He debated sending Kelli a text to warn her Penny was there, but before he could act, a slim man in a very expensive suit marched up to join them.

  Luke didn’t recognize the stranger, but when the man stopped next to Penny and grabbed her hand, Luke raised a brow.

  It wasn’t jealousy. All he felt for Penny was a lingering business interest because of their ranches’ continuing interaction.

  Still, Penny’s cheeks flushed. She pulled herself together to introduce the man. “Dimitri Zabou. From Italy.”

  “And now from here,” he said with a whisper of an accent, lifting Penny’s hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles as he stared into her eyes. “Penny and I are engaged.”

  Oh, really? Luke was doing some math and coming up with intriguing information.

  Dimitri excused himself. “Your father promised to introduce me to someone. Come join us as soon as you can, Cara Mia.”

  Jack wandered off after offering Luke a particularly meaningful glance. Penny wavered, unsteady on her elegant heels in a way he’d never seen in all their years together.

  He glanced toward the door, wondering again where the hell Kelli was. “Congratulations. I wish you and Dimitri well.”

  Happily, he meant it. It was good to feel no lingering animosity toward her.

  Penny slid sideways to get his attention. “This might sound stupid, but I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping us come to our senses and calling off our engagement.”

  He shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

  She rushed on, fidgeting on the spot as if she were eager to leave but determined to have her say. “I’m glad you’re with Kelli. I’m glad to know you have someone who makes you happy. Because I know I wasn’t it. And the situation might look bad, but I really am in love with Dimitri. Our relationship is different than what you and I had. Maybe that’s why it’s so good to see you’ve found the same thing. With Kelli.”

  “You can tell that from just five minutes and a couple lines of conversation?” He didn’t mean the comment to come out so blunt, but so be it.

  Her lips twisted into a smile. Something far more genuine than he remembered seeing over all their years together. “I could tell from the first minute. You’re a lot happier than I’ve ever seen you, Luke. And I’m glad. I wish you the best.”

  Penny laid her fingers on top of his arm and stepped closer, leaning in to kiss his cheek. She could’ve vanished, because at that moment, the doors opened and Kelli walked in.

  Lights shimmered off her cream-coloured dress. Like usual, her hair was pulled back from her face, but this time instead of the long length lying over her shoulder in a braid, some magic held it high on her head like a crown.

  Their gazes met, and he couldn’t look away. It wasn’t only that she was beautiful, though she was. So much happiness shone in her eyes, his kneecaps turned to jelly as he walked forward to join her.

  She moved slowly, sliding across the floor as if she were sneaking up on a newborn foal. Her hips swayed under the dress, fabric sparkling as she moved. The neckline swooped downward, lying in a half circle that exposed the top swells of her breasts. Demure and yet sexy as sin.

  They met in the middle of the room, and he caught her fingers in his. “I’d kiss you, but I don’t want to mess you up.”

  Kelli grinned. “I like it when you mess me up, but yeah, considering how long it took Diane to put on my lipstick, maybe you should hold back for a minute.”

  It would take a lot more willpower than she might realize. “You look incredible.”

  She twirled on the spot, the skirt flaring from her thighs, her cream-coloured cowboy boots the only somewhat-familiar part of her outfit.

  “It feels weird, and yet really, really good.” She turned back and smoothed a hand up his lapels. “And wow. Shiny man.”

  He pulled out his phone and slid an arm around her. “Smile,” he prompted.

  She laughed and leaned against him as he took a selfie.

  “Hold still,” someone else ordered, lifting a huge camera to indicate what was going on. “I’m taking official shots for the gala.”

  Luke put his phone away, and they posed for a bit before the man handed them a card. Luke slipped it into his pocket before guiding Kelli to the dance floor.

  Holding her against his body as they slid into a slow dance was near perfection.

  “Did I see Penny?” Kelli asked.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her lips. “I guess.”

  She laughed, the sound seeming to roll all the way up from her toes before bursting over both of them like bright sunshine. “Good answer.”

  “Not that I want to spend a lot of time talking about her, but FYI, she’s engaged to someone she met this past summer.”

  Kelli’s eyes widened then anger rolled across her face.

  “Shush. Don’t look so indignant. She and I are over and done. I just thought I should let you know.”

  “She’s really lucky you’re not the vindictive type,” Kelli said.

  “She’s lucky you believe me when I say it’s okay, because I’m sure you would have made her life hell in my defense, wouldn’t you, my wild woman?”

  Kelli growled, but her smile was back as she covertly rocked against him in a way that had to be designed to blow his mind and shred his self-control.

  They danced, trading off as others came in to steal her from him. He took his turn with the other women, the wives and daughters, but through it all he couldn’t keep his gaze off Kelli.

  He’d started their week unthinkingly, but somewhere in there, the magic had happened. The blinkers had been taken off, and he’d finally figured out what was there all along.

  Kelli truly was perfect for him, not just for Silver Stone.

  As the dance continued, cameras clicked. Conversations drifted from general
to more specific, invitations were hinted at, and Luke knew it was a turning point for his entire life.

  15

  Kelli had never really thought in detail about what happened to Cinderella that night after she’d left the ball.

  Oh, she knew about the escaping-down-the-stairs business and losing the shoe. Even though fairytales hadn’t been a huge part of her repertoire growing up, she’d read enough to Caleb’s girls. While Disney played it down, Kelli was fairly certain that the hours right after the ball had involved a ton of tears and regret that the beautiful adventure was over.

  Those emotions were in her future as well, but as Luke led her into their bedroom she pushed aside the impending sadness and focused on here and now.

  She’d been a princess tonight. Something she’d never expected or longed for, but damn, once in her life, the evening had been truly magical.

  Tomorrow was back to reality, but tonight she would cling to the make-believe world and let Luke pull her into his arms again in the privacy of the darkened room.

  He hummed, one of Walker’s songs, if Kelli recognized it properly, as the two of them danced in their bare feet on the soft carpet in front of the window. Light spilled over them, sparkles reflecting every now and then off the dress.

  His hands held her so firmly. She rested her head against his chest and sighed happily. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for bringing me.”

  He chuckled. “We both fit in well. I knew you would.”

  “I don’t know if this really is me,” Kelli teased, changing position so she could slide her hands around his neck, swaying against his body. “I’m a ranch hand, not a debutante.”

  “You’re Kelli. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, and I can’t fucking wait to be inside you again.”

  A zing shot through her entire system. “Okay.”

  The magic of the evening continued, and Kelli grabbed on to it with both hands as firmly as she held his shoulders.

  Luke kissed her, and her mind fled. Nothing anchored her to the ground except his hands roving over her, curving under her butt before he slid one hand up the bare skin of her back and into her hair.