Strong-Willed Cowboy (The Buckskin Brotherhood Book 5)

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Stephanie Bond

  “I think so. Aunt Lilith will expect it. Do you have a favorite kind? Ed’s poised and ready to have them flown in.”

  “No, no, we’re not flying in anything. What’s in the flower aisle of the market right now? You’d think I’d know, but when I shop there, I skip that section completely. I don’t have a favorite. Let’s go with something pretty and available.”

  “That’s mums, and I have some growing in my yard. I have more than enough.”

  “Perfect! I vote mums for me, mums for Millie, and mums for any other situation that needs a touch of color.”

  “Lucy’s an artist. Let’s ask her to create a bridal bouquet and one for the maid of honor. If she has time, she could do something with the arched trellis—maybe autumn leaves and mums.”

  “Sounds great to me. Should I call her or would you like to?”

  “I nominate you. I have a sandwich, a drink and I’m driving. Last I checked, you just had a sandwich.”

  “I’m on it.” She called Lucy, who was eager to help with the flowers. Kate hung up and turned to Henri. “Everyone’s being so nice about this crazy scheme.”

  “Nobody likes a bully.”

  “Aunt Lilith?”

  “Yes, Aunt Lilith. It’s hard to believe you came from the same family tree. Why do you think she’s so nasty?”

  “My mom says it’s partly because Aunt Lilith’s the second-born and she’s always been unhappy about it. But their biggest fight was over my dad. They both liked him and he chose my mom.”

  “Probably because your mom’s nice and Lilith’s a pain in the ass. I’m just sorry he died so young.”

  “It hasn’t been a bed of roses, but Mom’s a survivor.”

  “How did Lilith end up in the chips?”

  “She married a very rich older man. Then he conveniently died, leaving her with piles of money.”

  “Well, I’m all for prying her away from some of her precious money. Oh! I just thought of one more thing. Do you have someone in mind for conducting the ceremony?”

  “Yikes! That would be an important detail, wouldn’t it?”

  “It would, especially at the last minute.”

  “How well do you know the pastor at the Apple Grove Church?”

  “Not well. He’s new, and I haven’t gone much since Charley died.”

  “When I married Enrique, the pastor insisted on several counseling sessions. Would this guy want that?”

  “I think he did something similar with Matt and Lucy, now that you mention it.”

  “I’ll try to find his contact info. Ah, here we go.” She keyed in the number. After a couple of rings, his voicemail clicked on.

  This is Reverend George Stevens. Sorry I missed your call. I’m currently attending a retreat and will be unavailable until late Saturday night. See you in church on Sunday!

  Kate disconnected the call. “That’s clearly not an option.”

  “I just remembered something.”

  “You’re an ordained minister?”

  “You don’t have to be to marry people in Montana. Or in most states these days.”

  “I didn’t know that. In any case, I thought you were walking me down the aisle.”

  “I am. I wasn’t thinking of me. Red used to perform marriage ceremonies.”

  “Red? Anastasia?”

  “Yep. She’s gone into semi-retirement to concentrate on her barrel racing and jewelry, but if you don’t mind a little kookiness in your ceremony, I’ll bet she’d do it if you ask.”

  “And it’s legal? I don’t want Aunt Lilith challenging this.”

  “It’s absolutely legal. Getting the marriage license is the legal part. The ceremony is just the icing on the wedding cake.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s something else. A cake. I’ll bet if we don’t have a picture of us cutting a big ol’ cake, Aunt Lilith will—”

  “I was going to surprise you with this, but I guess you need to know. Ed’s chef is making a cake. The Babes will take care of getting it out to the fire pit.”

  Kate’s throat tightened. “That’s…” She had to clear her throat and start again. “That’s so….” She couldn’t go on.

  Henri gave her a quick glance. “It’s okay, I hope? That I didn’t consult with you about the cake?”

  She nodded vigorously and thumbed tears from her eyes.

  “Did I make you cry?”

  She gulped. “Happy tears.”

  “Well, those are just fine.” Henri reached over and patted her arm.

  Kate took several deep breaths and leaned back against the seat. “Bless the Babes.”

  “I’ve said that more times than you can imagine. Hey, look at that, we’re home already. And look who’s waiting to take you to the Teton County Courthouse.”

  Chapter Seven

  Rafe levered himself out of the Adirondack chair on Kate’s porch as Henri drove in. Nice of her to drop Kate off here before heading up to her house. Typical Henri, though. She was pulling out all the stops for this wedding.

  He clattered down the steps and made it to the passenger side of the truck in time to open Kate’s door.

  She picked up a sack of trash from one of the fast food chains in Great Falls before she let him help her down. “How long have you been waiting?”

  “Not long. I’m early, but I’d finished my work and decided to come on over in case you got back sooner.”

  “And here we are.” She closed the door. “If you’ll grab the stuff in the back seat, I’ll run in and get my paperwork.”

  “You bet.”

  “Hey, Rafe,” Henri called from the driver’s seat. “I heard about last night’s party. How’re you doing after all that booze?”

  “Just fine, ma’am. Thanks for asking.” He opened the back door.

  “The garment bag is for you and Nick. They had your sizes in the computer, just like I thought. I told them to hang onto the file, since we’ll likely have more weddings in the future.”

  “Good idea.” He lifted the garment bag from the hook above the door frame. Draping it over one shoulder, he grabbed the large, elegant shopping bag in his other hand. “I sure do appreciate this. What do I owe you?”

  “We’ll talk about it later.”

  He laughed. “We’re not playing that game. You can’t cover the cost of the entire wedding. How much?”

  “Tell you what. You pay Red the honorarium for performing the ceremony and we’ll call it even.”

  “Red? I thought she quit doing that.”

  “She’s agreed to step in, since the pastor of the church isn’t available tomorrow.”

  “That’s very sweet of her. And I’ll happily pay her going rate, but the honorarium would be my expense to begin with, so I still—”

  “It’s almost two.” Henri put the truck in reverse. “You’d better take that stuff in the house so you can head out. No telling how many other couples are ahead of you.”

  “Good point, but don’t think I’m letting this go.”

  “We’ll discuss it when things calm down.”

  “All right. And thank you for taking Kate shopping.” He held up the bag. “Looks like you found something.”

  “Oh, we did, and you’ll love it, but you’re not allowed to see it until the ceremony.”

  “Henri... this isn’t….”

  “I know. Not a wedding in the sense most people think of it. But—”

  “Nothing will change. It’s just a piece of paper.”

  “But without that piece of paper, the rest is pointless. Better get truckin’, cowboy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He closed the door and gave her a wave.

  She backed her truck around and drove toward her house. He started toward the cottage.

  Just a piece of paper. He’d been telling himself that ever since he’d opened his eyes this morning, his brain fuzzy from drinking with the Brotherhood.

  But the trip to the courthouse brought everything into sharp focus. It was as real as the earth beneath his boots a
nd the blue autumn sky overhead. This afternoon he was getting a license to marry Kate.

  She was standing on the other side of the screen door as he started up the steps. “I waited in here, in case you had anything private to discuss with Henri.”

  “Nothing private, just the usual.” He opened the door and she stepped aside as he walked in. “She wants to pay for Nick’s and my duds and I’m not letting her do that.”

  “Good luck getting her to take the money. I figured you’d want to leave the garment bag in the house for now.”

  “Yes, please.” He handed her the shopping bag. “It’s heavier than I expected.”

  “That’s because she bought me fancy boots to go with the dress. You can hang the garment bag in the coat closet. That’ll keep the shirts from getting wrinkled.”

  “What about your dress? Shouldn’t you hang that up before we leave?”

  “Do I have time?”

  “If you make it quick.”

  “I will.” She headed down the hall. “My paperwork is on the table by the door if you want to double-check what I’m taking.”

  “Okay.” After hanging up the garment bag, he walked to the small table by the door and flipped through the papers she’d stacked there. Her birth certificate was on top.

  Katherine Adelaide Gifford. He’d never asked if Kate was a nickname. Or if she had a middle name. Her birth date wasn’t a surprise, though. Millie had thrown a party for her in July.

  He’d teased her about being eighteen months older than he was. They’d still been able to tease each other back then. The bachelor auction had changed that dynamic. Would it change back anytime soon? Would they be able to kid about this marriage?

  Underneath the birth certificate was her divorce decree and under that a print-out of her social security info.

  “That should do it, right?” She came out carrying a denim jacket and her shoulder purse. “I have my driver’s license in my wallet.”

  “Then I think you’re set.” He handed her the papers.

  “Good. Off we go.”

  He ushered her out the door and helped her into the front seat of his truck. She used to ride shotgun all the time, but she hadn’t been in the passenger seat of his truck since the night he’d brought her home from the party after the bachelor auction. Two months of misery.

  When he climbed behind the wheel, she glanced at him. “You washed it. And vacuumed the inside.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “It looks very nice.”

  “Thank you.” He turned the key and put the truck in gear. “Ever been to Choteau?”

  “Never. Have you?”

  “Oh, yeah. Charley and Henri brought all of us over there about a year after I signed on at the Buckskin. The town’s on the Dinosaur Trail, and Charley was fascinated with those critters. He wanted us to see the museum. It has life-sized models.”

  “Sounds like the kind of educational trip I used to take in school.”

  “Sort of, only with a bunch of wranglers instead of school kids. Leo had just hired on that summer and you could tell he couldn’t figure out why Charley would organize such an outing. He hadn’t been here long enough to get it.”

  “Get what? I mean, dinosaurs are very cool, but—”

  “Charley was a teacher at heart, and a natural father figure. He wanted to share something he loved with… well, people he cared about.”

  “I’m sad that I never got to meet him.”

  “I wish you could have, too. He would have loved you and vice versa.”

  “That museum sounds wonderful. Too bad we’re crunched for time. I need to be home by five at the latest. Four-thirty would be better.”

  “Same with me. Guys are taking my shifts on Sunday. I don’t want to show up late for barn duty this afternoon.”

  “You’re working your regular shifts on Saturday?”

  “I swapped out with Garrett so I’m on morning and he has afternoon. Henri moved some trail rides to Sunday and hired a couple of kids from Apple Grove High to handle feeding tomorrow night.”

  “She’s like a field marshal in a military campaign. You should have seen her optimizing our shopping trip.”

  He grinned. “I’ll bet. I would feel bad about throwing all this at her if I didn’t know she relishes the challenge.”

  “Especially when she’s pitted against a super-villain like Aunt Lilith.”

  “A super-villain? I know you don’t like her, but—”

  “Take my word for it. She’d give Lex Luthor a run for his money.”

  “If you say so.” He glanced at the papers she held in her lap. “Who nicknamed you Kate?”

  “I did. When I was in kindergarten, I realized I had one of those names with a million variations. Either I picked one I liked, or I risked being saddled with one I hated. I told the teacher to call me Kate.”

  “I’ll bet you did. I can see you marching up to her and announcing your decision. I wish I’d known you at five.”

  “When you were a toddler of three and a half?”

  “I was always tall for my age. I could have passed for five.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure you could have. Is Rafe short for Rafael?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Who shortened it?”

  “The guys I hung out with and got into trouble with. They thought Rafe sounded badass. By the time I’d lost the urge to be badass, the name had stuck so I kept it.”

  “I can’t imagine you as a troublemaker.”

  “I wasn’t, but I was desperate for friends, a posse where I belonged. They could smell that desperation. I was big and strong, useful in a fight. They lured me in.”

  “Were you in fights?”

  “Plenty. Then came the one where a guy was almost killed. The leader of our gang had a knife. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have slit that teenager’s throat.”

  She shuddered. “So you left the group?”

  “No, they kicked me out for interfering. Best thing that could have happened. I left town, turned into a saddle tramp and ended up here.”

  “How could I have known you for more than two years and never heard any of that?”

  “It’s not something you bring up when everyone’s out to have a good time. Until I took you home from the party after the bachelor auction, we hadn’t spent much time alone. We were always with the Buckskin gang.”

  “Huh. I guess you’re right. Was that deliberate on your part?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Sometimes I’d consider engineering more alone time. Then I’d remember the fire in your eyes and the steel in your voice when you announced you were never getting married again. I have no trouble picturing you laying down the law to your kindergarten teacher. No point in arguing with you when you speak with such conviction.”

  “Then why did you offer to take me home after the party two months ago?”

  “You’d bid way more than you could afford so you could go on that ride with me. I thought the game had changed. I acted on that assumption.”

  “And that’s my fault.” She was quiet for a while after that. “You probably wonder why I bid so much.”

  “It’s crossed my mind.”

  “You know the old expression, dog in the manger?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “That was me on the night of the bachelor auction. I was scared that I might win the all-day horseback ride with you and complicate the delicate balance we had going, but I couldn’t bear the idea of some other woman winning you.”

  He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want anyone else to win, either. Where does that put us, Kate?”

  Chapter Eight

  “I don’t know.” Kate glanced down at the papers in her lap. “Digging out my divorce decree reminded me of how complicated and traumatic it was trying to get out of that legal contract with Enrique.”

  Rafe sighed. “When I saw it listed as required paperwork, I figured seeing it again would be a downer.”

  “People who haven’t been
through it have no idea. You go into a marriage with all these hopes and dreams. Then if you discover you chose poorly, you’re legally bound in ways you never thought about. And they act in ways you never expected.”

  “I talked to Leo this morning. He had an idea that might help ease your mind, but it would cost money.”

  “It’s too late to get a prenup, if that’s what he suggested. We don’t have time.”

  “You can get the same thing afterward. It’s called a post-nup. It would make our eventual…” He paused to cough. “Our divorce smooth as silk. I’ll split the cost with you.”

  “You will?” She glanced at him in surprise. “Are you nervous about being legally tied to me?”

  He kept his attention on the road as he gave a nonchalant shrug. “Sure I am.”

  “I don’t believe you. You’d only be doing it to give me peace of mind. It’s a good idea, though. I didn’t realize such a thing was available.”

  “Me, either. I guess living in Southern California gave Leo an education about such things. Want to do it, then?”

  “Yes, but since I’m the only one worried about this, I won’t let you pay half. You’re already taking on extra expense. And speaking of that, I’m paying for the license.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “I looked it up. The groom is responsible for the license.”

  “Who cares? There’s nothing traditional about this wedding, so why should you—”

  “You’re already saving me a whole bunch of money. If we were going the traditional route I’d be paying for a pricey rehearsal dinner at the Moose and an outrageously expensive trip to Lake Tahoe. Well, unless you’d set your heart on some other luxurious getaway.”

  Her heart was too busy aching to be set on anything. He’d thought about what a real wedding would have been like, even to the point of choosing where he’d take her on their honeymoon—a place she’d told him months ago was on her wish list.

  “Hey, that was my lame attempt to lighten the mood. Clearly it was a misfire. Sorry.”

  “You remembered Lake Tahoe. I don’t know exactly when I mentioned it, but not recently, that’s for sure.”