Still, she looked for a long moment before moving into Jilly James’s upscale wedding gown store. In the two huge front windows, she saw many different styles of wedding dresses, recognizing the names Vera Wang and Oleg Cassini. Kira didn’t have that kind of money for a wedding dress and Tara wondered why Maud Whitcomb insisted upon this shop. The vets were hardworking, but money was scarce and they were all saving, plus giving some back to the Bar C. She was the only one with a reasonably healthy bank account, thanks to her saving most of her pay while she was on combat deployment.
“Maud!” Shay cried as she entered the shop. “Wow, you’re all dressed up!”
Tara followed Dair in, shutting the door that had a tinkling bell on the top of it. Dair had lost her lower left leg to an IED, but beneath the dark green pantsuit she wore, no one would suspect she was an amputee. She turned, seeing Maud, who was dressed in a tasteful tangerine linen pantsuit with a white silk tee beneath it. She looked elegant.
“Hey,” Dair teased mercilessly, “what happened to your red baseball cap, Maud? I didn’t think you went anywhere without that poor, ragged thing.”
Maud laughed heartily, coming forward, arms open, embracing Kira, Shay and Dair. “Oh, every once in a while, girls, I do leave that flea-bitten cap at home. Glad to see all of you again!”
Tara stood smiling because the women embraced each other with real warmth. When Maud released them, she moved toward her.
“It’s been a long time, Tara, since I saw you last. You were eighteen and getting ready to leave for the military. Welcome to Wyoming once again,” and she held out her long, spare hand to her. “We’re glad you’ve come home safe and sound.”
Tara shook her hand, feeling the calluses on Maud’s palm. She might be the richest rancher in the valley, but it was immediately obvious Maud worked outdoors a lot. “I was ready to leave at that time, as you know. But I’m glad to be home.”
Releasing her hand, Maud curved her arm around Tara’s shoulders and led her over to the other three women. “We’re glad to have you back with us, too. You’re one of us now. And I remember you as a little girl, growing up here in the valley. The school plays. You were a sports maniac, good at everything you took on.”
Tara knew why so many loved Maud. She was warm, sincere and made everyone feel special and welcome. Maud released her and they all stood in a loose circle. “Oh, those school plays,” Tara groaned, watching Maud nod. She knew the Whitcombs had no children, but they had adopted several, and Tara had gone to school with them. The Whitcombs were at every school play, videotaping it like the proud parents they were of their beloved brood.
“Yes, and I remember Peter Pan; you got to play him, swinging back and forth on those wires attached to your harness. You were a little thing, then, but so great as Peter!”
Shay nodded. “Yep, Tara was a star, no doubt.”
“Wow,” Dair murmured, “I’d love to see that video of you, Tara.”
Rolling her eyes, Tara muttered, “No …”
“I have the video,” Maud said proudly, giving Tara a wink. “Maybe we’ll plan an all-girls’ day at our ranch soon, and I’ll share it with you.”
Kira gave Tara a wicked grin. “Oh, I’d love that! I’ll bet you were a cute little Peter Pan.”
“I’ve never lived it down,” Tara lamented, good-natured about the teasing.
“Well, fish to fry for another day,” Maud said. “I talked to Jilly beforehand, Kira, and she’s got certain gowns for you to try on.”
Kira gave Maud a distressed look. “Maud, I can’t afford a designer wedding gown. Garret and I just don’t have that kind of money.”
“Well,” Maud drawled, “those of your generation who get married? That’s a big deal. And stop worrying about it. Steve and I are going to give you two wedding gifts. One is that we’re paying for whatever wedding gown you desire. The price doesn’t matter. Okay?”
Tara heard Kira gasp, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes huge at Maud’s unexpected gift. She had no idea the cost of a wedding gown but was sure it was pricey. And then, Kira burst into tears. They all made reassuring sounds, surrounding Kira, their arms wrapped around one another, comforting her. She saw Maud’s light gray eyes tear up. So did hers.
A wedding was a big deal. She knew real love was hard to come by. Her parents had gotten married and then she came along. Her father adored her mother. And he loved her. Tara knew only the good, wonderful side of loving parents.
Jilly came out with her assistant, Mary, who carried a tray of wineglasses filled with champagne. Kira wiped her eyes and hugged the hell out of Maud, who held her tightly for a moment.
Tara liked Jilly James, who was in her late twenties, dressed in pink-linen trousers with a very feminine dark fuchsia long-sleeved blouse, her black hair up in a bun on her head. Her blue eyes were glistening, too. Not a dry eye in the place after Maud’s surprise gift to Kira and Garret.
Tara could hardly wait to tell Harper about her girls’ afternoon out to find Kira’s special wedding dress. She wasn’t very frilly or feminine anyway, but she did enjoy girlie things like this. As everyone took their proffered glass of champagne, Jilly made sure Shay received one filled with orange juice, and they all toasted Kira’s coming marriage to Garret.
As she sipped the bubbly French champagne, which Maud had purchased for the occasion, Tara stood back, watching how the ranch owner adroitly took Kira over to a rack along the wall, telling her that these were the gowns in Kira’s size eight. Tara loved that wedding dresses were in more than just white. She preferred the antique cream-colored ones herself, and she wondered which color Kira would choose.
Dair came over to her. “Nice, huh?”
“Very,” Tara murmured. “Wonderful to see Kira so happy.”
“Garret’s deliriously in love with Kira,” Dair said, sipping her champagne. “He adores her.”
“That’s what real love is about,” Tara agreed. “My dad worships my mother to this day. I was lucky; I grew up in a very loving family where my parents really did and do love each other.”
Dair met her gaze. “You are very, very lucky. A lot of kids don’t grow up in what I’d term a happy home.”
“No, most of them are dysfunctional, more or less.”
Dair grimaced. “My father used to beat the hell out of me. I hated him.”
“I’m sorry, Dair. I didn’t know.”
Holding up the glass, Dair managed a sour grin. “Must be the champagne loosening my tongue. I’m sure you’ll hear me talk about my family in our Friday-night meetings with Lilly Hilbert sooner or later.”
Reaching out, Tara murmured, “I’m sure, but still, I’m sorry, Dair. You didn’t deserve that. No child does.”
“No,” Dair sighed, “but it happens way too often. From my experience? About seventy percent of the people who decide to bring children into the world are horrible parents. They don’t have a clue what a good parent is and does with their child or children.” She grimaced. “Enough of me; this is a happy day and we should be celebrating. Come on, it looks like Kira has found her gown. Let’s join them.”
Tara felt such sadness for Dair. Not only did she have a terrible father but she’d lost part of her left leg in combat. Dair was someone she admired and respected because she didn’t let a lost partial limb stop her from being a darned good wrangler. And she knew Noah Mabrey had proposed to Dair, and that she’d said she would marry him. She wondered when that might come about as they wandered over to a gown Jilly was holding up for Kira to look at more closely.
“Wow,” Tara murmured, “that’s beautiful, Kira!”
“Do you like it?” Kira asked her and Dair.
“I like it because it looks like an antique from a bygone era,” Dair said, motioning to the cream-colored dress.
“Tara? What do you think?” Kira asked, touching the lace atop the fabric gently, her gaze on the gown.
“I love it because of the top of it and the three-quarter sleeves are pure lace. An
d the beaded appliqué of leaves over the shoulders really set it off.”
“This is a strapless trumpet gown,” Jilly told them proudly, gesturing down the front of it. “It’s so feminine, with the lacy top and sleeves. The trumpet silhouette flows into an A-line beaded lace skirt. It was designed by Oleg Cassini, and he truly knows how to bring out a woman’s beautiful body and make her look elegant.”
“Well,” Tara said, “I love the lace, the appliqué falling over each shoulder of the top.”
Maud came forward, sliding her fingers down the ivory fabric. “Very nice, Kira. What do you think?”
“I think it’s lovely. I like the lace that flows over the entire gown, the appliqué of the leaves. I love nature. This is perfect for me, Maud.”
“Then,” she said with a smile, giving Jilly a nod, “let’s get you into it to see how it looks.”
Tara sat with Dair and Shay. She had seen Dair going through some of the gowns in another section, saw her pick up the price tag, frown and then reluctantly release it, moving on. She had moseyed around the elegant shop and seen the price tags, too. Thousands of dollars for each gown. There was just no way any of them could afford such things. Maud was unbelievably generous, and she was glad the ranch owner was springing for Kira’s dress. That was such utter kindness and Maud was such a role model. She had millions, but she spread her wealth around to those who would never attain such a lofty economic status or afford such finery.
“This is so wonderful,” Shay sighed. “I love days like this.”
“Wish we had more of them,” Dair agreed.
“I don’t know,” Tara said, “we’re happy at the Bar C. Oh, I know things go wrong all the time, but we get them fixed.”
“And you’re happy with us?” Shay asked her.
“Completely,” Tara said. “My mom and dad are okay with the fact I’m not living with them anymore.”
“I know you see them at least once a week,” Dair said.
“Yes. I love having lunch with my mom at Kassie’s. My dad’s schedule doesn’t allow him that kind of time off, but I do get to see him when I go over to have dinner with them on Saturdays. It’s working out, Shay. Don’t be concerned about me. Okay? I know what a worrywart you are,” and she gave Shay a gentle smile.
“Okay,” Shay said with a laugh, “I’ll stop worrying about you.”
Sitting back in a satin-covered white chair, Tara sipped the last of her champagne. She was getting a pleasant buzz from it, glad that she only had one glass. Dair had loosened up, too, and that made her smile. She was part Native American through her Comanche mother and was an intense, focused person. Noah, the man who loved her, had gentled some of Dair’s rough edges. Just as Harper was helping Tara in his own quiet way.
Leaning back, Tara closed her eyes, picturing Harper in that muscle shirt and jeans. Damn, he looked good! For years, she hadn’t thought much about sex. The demands of her military job put that fully aside. But now? Harper was someone she was looking forward to seeing every day. He gave her a sense of peace and contentment. No man had made her feel like making a nest and calling it home, and yet Harper had done just that without saying or doing anything other than being himself. Her heart moved with strong feelings for him. What would it be like to kiss him? To feel his arms come around her? Nightly, she was asking herself those questions again and again.
Where was this going with Harper? Where did she want it to go? What did he think about her? About them? So many questions she longed to know the answers to.
Chapter Seven
May 2
Harper couldn’t contain his smile as he ate dinner with Tara after she got back from the Jackson Hole wedding dress party. He knew she’d gone there with trepidation, fearing running into Cree Elson, but it hadn’t happened.
Instead, she’d had a wonderful afternoon with all the girls and was slightly tipsy when she returned home because she’d drunk champagne. Kira now had her wedding dress ordered, and Tara had shown him a photo of it on her cell phone. He somberly promised he wouldn’t tell Garret what it looked like. After all, the groom wasn’t to see his beloved until he stood in front of the altar with the reverend, waiting for Kira to be led down the aisle by her father. Yep, he crossed his heart and hoped to die in front of Tara, he’d keep her secret. She was worried Garret would see or hear about the beautiful dress beforehand. He was, after all, a black ops guy.
“And next week? Dair, Shay and I will be meeting Maud again at Jilly’s to choose our bridesmaids’ dresses. Kira will be with us and she wants us to be happy with the color and choice.” Laughing, Tara said, holding his smile, “Do you know how long it’s been since I wore a dress?”
He sipped the gumbo soup he’d heated up earlier. “Seriously?”
“Well, I was in combat all the time. We’d get flown back to Bagram and I’d be exhausted, stumble to my B-hut and crash. There was no place to dress up in a skirt, blouse or anything else.”
His smile disappeared as he thought about her explanation. Tara was more excited than he’d ever seen her, cheeks flushed and blue eyes dancing with happiness. “Well, maybe getting out of the military will bring you back to the womanly things you might want to experience once more.”
Tara gave him a wicked look but dug into her meal of the spicy-tasting gumbo soup. She loved leftover soup because it was better tasting the day after. “Being a wrangler discourages it, too. I’ve decided I’m doomed to wear jeans the rest of my life, Harper.”
“Nah,” he teased. “We could always go to the barn dances held in the valley all year long. They bring in a caller, a fiddler or two, and folks of all ages come to square dance. You probably know all about that because you were born and raised here.”
Nodding, she picked up her glass of water, taking a sip. “I love the barn dances! We actually had a circuit around the valley when I was growing up. There are fifteen ranches here in the valley and each one held a dance at some point during the year. Maud and Steve, of course, threw the biggest and best one because they had the money to do it. I know everyone in the valley was touched by their generosity and kindness. And they always held their spring barn dance in March, when we were sick of snow, knowing it was going to last through early June.”
“I heard from Garret earlier today that there’s a barn dance over at the Red Tail Ranch next Saturday. Would you be interested in going with me?” And he held his breath because Harper would damn near do anything to hold this woman close to him. Anything … just once…. “Come on,” he cajoled. “I don’t have two left feet, Tara. I promise I won’t step on your toes. How about it?”
“Are Dara, Kira and Shay going?”
“I think so. I’m surprised they didn’t talk about it with you today.”
“Well, we’re not exactly a couple, Sutton. Maybe that’s why?”
He returned her wry look. “True. But it would get you out of here for a while, you could wear a dress, plus you could see a lot of the people you grew up with at the dance, too. I’m sure they want to welcome you back to the valley.”
“I’d love to go with you.”
“Great. Now you need a dress, huh?” and he grinned wolfishly, thinking how beautiful she would look in one, his imagination going wild with possibilities. Harper wondered if Tara had decided to go with him because of the idea of meeting some of her old friends and ranch families. Or was it because she wanted to go with him? He didn’t have the nerve to ask. He couldn’t even joke about it because never had he wanted to get to know a woman more than Tara.
Groaning, she said, “Oh, jeez … you’re right, Harper.” She looked up toward the living room. “I don’t own a dress. I guess I could go back to my parents’ house. They left my old bedroom just the way it used to be. Mom hasn’t thrown out any of the clothes I wore in high school.”
“Well,” he said, “haven’t styles changed since then? I mean, I’m sure you’ll look great in anything you wear.” Harper realized he was sliding into enemy territory. He honestly didn�
�t know that much about women’s fashion. All he knew was what he liked. He didn’t know one designer from another. He saw Tara wrestling with the idea of going to visit her old high-school closet for something to wear. “Could you ask Jilly when you see her next week? I’ll bet she’s got lots of nice clothes you could choose from.”
“Yeah, but it’s the money, Harper. I have a nice nest egg sitting in the bank, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a new outfit.” And then she grimaced. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
He reached out, squeezing her hand. Any excuse would do. “I understand where you’re coming from, Tara. You and Shay are about the same height and size. Maybe she’s got something you could borrow?” He saw Tara wrinkle her nose. Oops. Wrong thing to suggest. Forcing himself to remove his hand, he muttered, “Look, anything you wear will be fine with me. Okay?” He instantly saw the worry leave her eyes.
“I have a nice trouser and blazer set. Do you mind square dancing with me in something that isn’t a dress?”
“No, I don’t care what you wear.” Or don’t wear. But he clamped his lips shut to stop the rest of his words from escaping. Sometimes his mouth got ahead of his brain. “You’ll look beautiful, Tara, no matter what you decide to wear. I’ll be proud to escort you.” That seemed to mollify her, helped her overcome her anxiety. She was so damned readable. Did everyone else see her that way? Or was Tara only opening up to him? Allowing him that special, intimate privilege of seeing her for who she fully was? That idea warmed his heart. When her golden hair, which was loose, slipped forward over her shoulders, he itched to slide his fingers through those molten strands. More and more, it seemed every day, there was this driving need to get inside Tara’s head and heart. Why now? He was so damned poor at relationships and sustaining one. Tara deserved better than that.
May 10
Tara tried to tame her nervousness over going with Harper to the barn dance held at the Dvorak family Red Tail Ranch. The May evening was chilly. It had snowed two days earlier, dumping a new foot of it across the valley. By this time, she was tired of snow, yearning to see green sprouting through the white stuff, heralding their short spring and summer season. Usually, from early June to mid-September, there was lots of sunshine and the valley sprang to rich, green life, which Tara loved.
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