by Beck, J. L.
The groom turned his head to smile at her.
Damn, he looks familiar. Who—?
Continuing to beam at her, he patted her arm. “Rand couldn’t make it.”
She shook her head in a total warped and unaccounted for confusion.
The whorish Aussie woman spoke up from next to the preacher, “Rand has a message for you.”
“W-what?” Daisy spluttered.
“Yes, um…” the preacher cut in.
Her gaze shot back over to the strange but familiar man who stood where her groom should have been. “What the hell is this about and WHO the hell are you?”
He grinned.
Why does this idiot keep grinning while my wedding disintegrates around me? Doesn’t he know how near he is to getting some painful suffering? And that smile is so like Rand’s…his eyes too—what in all that was holy is going on here?
“The message Mr. Monroe sent is…well, odd,” the preacher continued while looking uncomfortable.
Her stomach rolled and she thought she might lose her breakfast, lunch and yesterday’s dinner. “Where is he?” she shouted.
“He couldn’t make it. Seems like he is repeating what you did to him all those years ago!” The mouthy about to be mud stomped under Daisy’s boots woman shouted back in her thick Aussie accent.
Daisy gulped and looked from her to the man standing next to her.
“Yes, he got…well, caught up in something else. I’m Rand’s brother, Hunter.” He stretched his hand out to her.
Daisy looked from his face to his offered hand. What the holy stars did he think this was? A god dammed cotillion? Like I’m gonna take his hand and do a dammed curtsy? She dropped her bouquet and slapped his hand hard.
Looking shocked, he pulled it back and shook it as if it stung.
“I’m going to murder him!” she screamed as she grabbed her long wedding dress into her hands, so she could high-heel-foot-sprint and made her way up to the podium. There was now gonna be one dead ass Aussie hussy laid into the Triple K cemetery out back, by God!
Shouts and gasps came from behind her, as the small gathering seemed to come alive with confusion.
“Momma…No!” Brea shouted from somewhere behind her.
Ignoring everything and the shouts, she made her fast and furious way up the three steps to grab the Aussie witch’s hair by her bleached to hell roots.
The woman screamed and grabbed at Daisy’s velvet wedding dress.
Daisy heard the material rip and she roared as she tossed the whorish outback hellcat off the podium.
Her scream rent the air as she landed in the grass below with a rolling thump.
The preacher looked horrified and gaped at her for a mere second, then he dove off the side with a terrified shout of fear.
Daisy felt a little more satisfied than a moment before as she could see that hussy would have a sore ass for plenty of days. She put her shaking hands on her ample hips and gazed all around. “Today is my weddin’ day and I’d better find my groom or ya’ll gonna pay!”
Rand’s supposed brother grabbed her arm. “It isn’t what you think, he—”
“And YOU! Wanna be Rand!” She swung at him and hit him square in the jaw. “Step outta my face!”
He stumbled back as he shouted in pain.
“DEAD!” she screamed again, “Rand Monroe is a dead man! Buy his grave marker now because he will be six feet under!”
‘Hunter Fake Rand’ approached her again, to hold her arms and keep her immobile as she cried and shouted like a woman gone insane. “Mable! Where is the shotgun?”
Mable stood in the front row next to a crying Brea. “Now, Daisy. I did not bring a shotgun to this damn wedding! There has got to be some kind of explanation for all of this.”
“There is one all right!” Daisy shouted back. “Revenge! He’s gone and done it. Left me at the altar!” Tears rolled down her face as she clenched her hands into fists.
“Daisy calm down!” someone shouted from the crowd.
“DEAD!” she repeated like she only knew one word in all the world’s vocabulary.
“Daisy!” Rand shouted from somewhere.
She stilled as his voice cut through her shock and rage. “Where are you dead man?”
“Daisy. Calm. The. Fuck. Down!” His voice shouted back.
Gasping for air, she fought off the man’s hands. “You left me! Left me with your brother of all things! Left me at the—”
He was shaking her. “Daisy wake up!”
Her eyes popped open and there were those beautiful dark cobalt eyes above her.
Rand let her arms go and sighed. “You were having a night—”
She slugged him right in that yummy mouth of his.
He reeled back from the bed, as blood dribbled down from his lower lip. “Are you nuts?”
Daisy sat up in bed and stared all around. Then her rounded eyes swung over to Rand.
He stood there wiping the blood from his lip. His blue eyes blazing at her.
“Oh, lord…” she muttered quietly.
He shook his head. “I’m afraid the lord has nothing to do with it.”
Biting her lip, she couldn’t seem to piece it all together.
Rand approached the bed with cautionary steps. “What was that all about?”
Blinking her eyes, she focused on his face. “I—it was—then you…”
Looking perplexed at her non-coherent explanation, Rand laughed. “That bad, uh?”
Daisy wasn’t about to tell him anything about it. No…he would think she was using it as an excuse to back out of marrying him…AGAIN.
Sitting on the bed, he grasped her hands with both of his. “Well, I think I may have to tie you up every night.”
Tilting her head while her brain was still trying to figure things out, she wondered at this statement. “That sounds kinda hot.”
He chuckled and patted her hand. “No, it sounds like a safety measure.” He reached up and gingerly touched the cut on his lip.
Her eyes rounded as she just now realized she’d busted his lip. “Oh, crap, Rand!” She reached out and touched the cut. “I am so, sooo sorry.”
His expression looked troubled. “What is the problem, Daze?”
Gulping, she knew she could not tell him the truth. “Wedding jitters, that’s all.”
Rand titled his head at her. “You aren’t getting cold feet, are you?”
Her eyes shot up to his. “NO!” She then let out a sigh as her usually raised shoulders slumped in a partial defeat. “I think it’s just that—well, it’s been all these years—and I’m scared.”
He lifted her chin with his finger. “It’s all real and it will happen. There’s nothing to be afraid of, okay?”
She couldn’t speak as she gazed into those mesmerizing eyes of his.
Rand stood up and grinned down at her.
She batted her eyes while looking up at him. “What?”
“It is happening today, so...I will leave you till we meet there.”
“Meet? Where?”
Rand headed to the door. “Today is your wedding day Daisy Plush and you’d better meet me at that altar!” He went out the door and shut it behind him.
“My—?” She gulped. “—Wedding day. Oh holy, crap on a cracker!” Then her eyes went all beady. “It’d better be real or instead of a wedding, there’s gonna be a funeral at the Triple K today!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
You can’t undo stupid…
MABLE
Mable had been out back all morning. The place was finally set up. This was going to be a big day for the Triple K. She wrinkled a brow and looked around. Where is Kanda though? I haven’t seen that girl for a whole day. She rolled her eyes. Well, if anything, she is finally acting like a woman at least. All that cowgirl stuff since she was 3 years old, trying to keep up with her daddy. Now, she was hardly ever doing ranch work. Who could blame her though? That Wade is something else. Pride swelled in her chest. Looks like all three o
f her kids were finally going to settle down.
She raised a brow as she watched one of the Noble twins. It had to be Victoria, the one who seemed to have more sense. Cause her sister Valeen never did any work. This girl was busy bringing out the flower displays. So, it had to be Victoria.
Then she spotted one of the cowhands. He was tall and lean as he trailed behind her carrying more flowers. Mmm…looks like something is brewing there all right. His eyes never left Victoria. What was his name? She thought for a minute. “Ben or Bart?”
“It’s Breen,” a man’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Breen Payson.”
Her chest tightened. Jared! She pasted on a smile and turned to look at him.
The man was still larger than life. He’d even gotten better looking with age. Tall and long legged. Just a hint of gray at his temples. His steel gray eyes were his most prominent feature though. Those eyes…In high school she told her friends, those eyes could melt butter on a biscuit from ten feet away.
“He used to work at my ranch,” Jared reminded her.
“Ahh yes, so he told me before I hired him,” she replied. “I sure hope ya’ll don’t think I stole him from ya.”
Jared flashed his smile.
Mable felt like he punched her in the gut instead of giving her a smile. Dammit, the man was still magnetic as sin.
“Now, Margie girl…”
She almost winced at the long forgotten pet name he dubbed her with. No one ever called her that, not for more than 20 years.
“The only thing I would accuse you of stealin’ would be my poor heart.”
Her eyes widened.
“What?” he asked. “Don’t be telling me that you didn’t know.”
Mable bit at her lip and glanced away.
Jared took a step closer. “Listen Margie…It’s true. I have been in love with you for most of my life. I feel like the time has come.”
Her gaze shot back over to him.
“We ain’t getting any younger and…” He let out a sigh. “Come on, give a man a break!”
Mable did feel a pang of guilt. He’d approached her a full year after her husband had passed and told her then, that he wanted them to be together. She said she still wasn’t ready. She had loved Slade with all her heart and soul. Well, that was 10 years ago now. She’d gotten caught up with raising two sons and a daughter while running a ranch. Seemed like she blinked and all these years just whizzed by. Life was worth living. Live it all Mable. Her husband’s last words came back like he just said them yesterday. Then Jared showed up yesterday and again today. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. “Okay.”
He pulled his head back. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Come court me.”
His eyes rounded at her. “REALLY?” he nearly shouted.
Mable ducked her head and hoped no one was watching them.
Jared took his hat off and tossed it into the air. Then he stepped close and grabbed her up. He swung her around in a fast spinning circle. “WHAHOO!” he shouted.
Mable gasped and watched the green of the grass blur around her as he spun her around wildly. Well, so much for being discreet. “Dammit all…Jared!” she complained.
He stopped the spin and laughed. “Well…Hot damn! It’s about darn time!”
Mable cracked a smile. “Well, show up here at the wedding and have dinner with us then.”
His usually gray eyes darkened and sparkled at her.
Again, her chest tightened and she felt a little breathless. This man always made her feel things. She could have ended up with him, if he hadn’t been called away back south because of his dad’s illness, right out of high school. Now, he looked just the same to her eyes as he did then, only better.
Jared finally set her down and took a step back. “You know that I’m the kind of man to sweep a woman off her feet.” He grinned.
Mable laughed. “Yeah, I remember.”
He tipped his hat at her. “I will see you at…?”
Mable stared at his smiling face. Such a good looking man. Always was.
“Mable?”
Her head shot up. “What?”
He chuckled. “What time should I be here?”
“Oh!” She cleared her throat. “4 O’clock.”
He walked over and picked up his Stetson from the grass, set it on his head and beamed at her.
She chuckled. He looked so happy.
He gave her the polite tip of his hat and walked away.
“Whoa!”
A girl’s voice got her attention. Mable spun around to see Victoria beaming at her.
“I haven’t seen daddy look like that since…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up at Mable. “Nah, that ain’t right. He has NEVER looked like that!”
Mable looked away. Heat flaming her cheeks.
“Why Miss Mable!” Victoria hooted. “Oh, Lawd!’ Victoria exclaimed. “You two are finally gonna do it?”
Mable grabbed her arm. “Shhh…”
Chuckling, Victoria shook her head. “I am just so relieved.”
Mable let go of her arm and narrowed her eyes. “About what?”
Victoria sighed. “He hasn’t been happy in so long. In fact, I ain’t never seen him happy.” She sighed. “It was just shock I felt just now, cause I wasn’t used to that look on him.”
“Come on, Victoria really,” Mable replied, not believing this for a minute.
“YES, really! He has never dated seriously ever since my Ma…Well, we tried to set him up, encourage him, all us kids did.” Shaking her head, she gazed into Mable’s eyes. “He must have always been in love with you…” She slapped her jean-clad thigh. “That was it!” She rolled her eyes. “Now? Now, maybe we can see what a happy Jared Noble is like. How romantic. It’s like—like a long ass love story!”
Mable just didn’t know how to reply to such outlandish ideas.
Victoria laughed. “Well, I got work to do and I’ve been looking for that no good twin of mine. Have you seen her?”
Mable shook her head. She still couldn’t speak. Jared pining away for me for all these years? Impossible!
“Okay, well I will see ya’ll later.” Victoria walked away.
Mable turned back toward the Kincade tree. All gussied up with ribbons and flowers. Year after year, it’d been just the family tree. The one her and Slade got married under and now—
“Miss Mable?”
She turned her head to glance over at Maggie.
The girl looked pale and she was wringing her hands.
“What is it Mags?”
Maggie bit at her lip. “I don’t know what to do!”
“About what?”
“Well, I kinda did something foolish, then I topped that by doing something else that was stupid. Now—I don’t know how to undo it.”
Mable grinned at her. “Well, girl. There ain’t no undoing stupid. I have always said stupid can’t be covered up or rubbed away. Sometimes, it’s just gotta stay stupid.”
Maggie’s eyes rounded.
“I’m sorry that didn’t help.” Mable sighed. “So, I gather this here stupidness isn’t about the wedding cake or the dinner?”
Maggie shook her head.
“So, then it’s my son?”
She nodded her head…yes.
“So, what was the first thing you did that was foolish?”
“Well, I sorta snooped where I shouldn’t have and I found out something really awful!”
Mable titled her head. “How awful?” She wondered what her playboy wayward son had gone and done this time.
“He, well—he wrote that he…”
“What Mags? Is it so bad that I gotta take a strap to my full grown son?”
Maggie’s eyes rounded. “Oh, no…He wrote that he loved me!” She then slapped her hand over her mouth and gazed all around as if someone might have heard her.
Mable pulled her head back with surrpise. “Now, how on earth did you conclude that was an awful thing?”
; Maggie sighed. “It can’t be true. It just can’t!”
“I don’t know Mags. I was trying to tell ya this a day ago.”
Maggie looked around. “But, what do I do about it?”
“DO?” Mable laughed and put her arm around her shoulder. “That is the million dollar question, now isn’t it?’ She pondered how this was similar to the situation she herself was in. All of us were years apart in age but we all suffer with the same thing. She tilted her head back with a laugh. “What do you do about it? Well, just like stupid. Love can’t be undone either, Mags.”
Maggie sniffled. “Well, that doesn’t help at all!”
Mable gazed down at her. “No, I suppose not. So, you said you topped it off with a second stupid thing?”
Nodding her head, Maggie looked even more upset. “Yes. He asked me to attend the dinner with him and I said—YES! How could I have done that?”
Mable kept smiling. “Well, it’s like this Mags…maybe deep down, this is the thing you want more than anything, but at the same time, you are too afraid to let it be true.”
“What?” Maggie asked.
“Never mind sweetie. It’s somethin’ ya’ll just gonna have learn for yourself, I suppose. So, you’d better go shower and dress up for this awful stupid date you have,” she teased.
Maggie gasped while looking horrified.
At her aghast expression, Mable tilted her head back and laughed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A Three-way Sexciting Comeuppance
VICTORIA
Victoria felt excited about her dad and Mable getting together. It almost replaced the frustration she felt over her notorious sister. Almost. Here she was making sure the wedding was set up and doing all the work. While Valeen was waking up somewhere after a night of Lord knows what. She halted her tracks after stepping into the house. Wait. Where would she wake up at?
Someone ran into her back when she stopped. She turned and almost stumbled.
Breen caught her with a strong grip of his hands. “Whoa there, Miss Noble!”
She sucked her breath in. Those hands of his were hot, calloused and so strong. Her gaze swung up to see eyes that were blazing hot too. “You were following too close…I think?”