Cowboy Strong (Cowboy Up Book 5)

by Allison Merritt

She looked up at him, but her eyes softened as she met his. When she rested her hand on his cheek, relief crashed over him. She stepped in closer to him and held his face between her hands. “Tucker, I love you. This past month has been amazing.”

  He smiled and took her into his arms, pulling her tight against him, then he kissed her with a tender love and with a scorching promise.

  When they broke apart, both of them breathless and a little dazed, a small voice behind them brought them both crashing down to earth.

  “Momma, why are you always kissing Uncle Tucker?”

  Lorelei stepped out of his embrace, but held his hand as she knelt before her daughter. “Uncle Tucker and I love each other.”

  Jenna looked up at Tucker. “You mean like the princesses? Will you live happily ever after? Are you really a prince, Uncle Tucker?”

  He chuckled and knelt beside Lorelei, who raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not a prince, Jenna, but I am your momma’s cowboy.” He looked at Lorelei and squeezed her hand. “Forever if she’ll have me.”

  Tears misted her eyes as she stared into his. “Forever. Welcome home, cowboy.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Lorelei stared at the woman looking back at her from the mirror in the bride’s room of the wedding venue. The elegant aged white dress was nothing like the one she’d worn the first time she’d gotten married. At the time, she’d wanted the perfect princess-esque dress she could find. She imagined the only person who would truly think it perfect was Jenna, who still was going through her over-the-top princess phase.

  “You are simply beautiful. Nana would be so happy.”

  She turned toward her sister and smiled. “Thanks. You’re looking rather lovely, too.” Lorelei had let Jessica pick her own gown for the wedding. Her sister hadn’t disappointed with her choice of an icy blue, fitted, off-the-shoulder dress. “I was just thinking about my other wedding gown.”

  Jessica raised a brow and sipped a glass of white wine. “I’ll never forget that hot mess after months of you dragging me to every bridal store in Texas. I hated the damnable cathedral train. It kept getting caught on everything, and I had to carry it everywhere. You had so much white fluff on you that you looked more like the wedding cake than the actual cake did.”

  Laughing, she turned back to the cheval mirror, then smoothed a hand over the satin of the long skirt. The gown wasn’t truly white, though it had been originally. Age had mellowed the brightness, giving it a soft creamy color. “Do you think Nana will mind the modifications I made to it?”

  Her sister set her wine glass on the dressing table and came to stand beside her. “No. I told you she’d be proud of you and be thrilled you wanted to wear it. You’re happy and you’re in love.” She lightly touched the long lace sleeve. “Where did you find it?”

  “In the cedar closet in the attic. It was tucked away in a garment bag.”

  “What on earth were you doing looking in there?”

  She shrugged and looked back at the image in the mirror. “I was hoping to find some of our old play outfits for Jenna, and I found this in the back of the closet. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to wear it.”

  The gown, worn by her grandmother in 1957, was loosely inspired by Grace Kelly’s dress. The high-collared bodice was lace with of tiny pearl buttons down the front. The satin tea-length skirt had had a ton of crinoline under it as was the fashion in the 1950s. She’d had all of it removed which lowered the skirt to her ankles. Nana had been a tall woman and the gown had gone mid-calf on her. Also, she’d changed out the original white satin ruching at the waist, for a light blue silk sash which tied into a bow in the back. She’d decided to foregone the lace veil, for a crown of bluebells and yellow roses woven into her updo of braids.

  A knock sounded on the door, and she stepped away from the mirror when she heard Jenna’s tentative voice.

  “Come in, sweetheart.”

  Tucker’s sister, Tonya, held Jenna’s hand as they entered. “She wanted to see you. God, Lorelei, you’re a vision.”

  Lorelei’s cheeks heated in a soft glow. “Thank you. I hope Tucker likes the dress.”

  His sister laughed out loud. “Hell”--as if remembering the child, whose hand she was holding, she made a face and mouthed sorry before going on--“my brother is on cloud nine. He won’t notice anything except you.” Although she and Jessica knew Tonya, they had never been friends with the older woman. She’d been ten when Tucker was born and had joined the Army when she was eighteen. She gave Jessica a lopsided smile. “You gorgeous, too.”

  Jessica waved the complement away. “I’m only the maid of honor. It’s her day.” She looked at Jenna who stared at Lorelei with her mouth hanging slightly open. “My God, I can’t believe it. I think you’ve struck Jenna speechless.” She laughed and picked up her glass to finish off the last sip. “Well, if you can do that to the chatterbox, it’s hard to tell what you’ll do to Tucker.”

  * * * *

  Tucker tugged on the sleeves of his jacket for what had to be the hundredth time and started pacing the length of the small groom’s room again.

  “You know, you look just like one of those penned up bulls you used to ride.”

  He stopped and looked over at Danny idly flipping a page in a magazine. “I feel like--I don’t know--like I’m about to jump off a cliff.”

  Danny laid the National Geographic back onto the end table and leaned over his long legs. “You are. You’re getting married.”

  “You’re a damned comedian.” He glared at his cousin and began pacing again.

  Danny chuckled and picked up another magazine.

  When Tucker turned at the wall, he scowled at Danny. “I could always ask my brother-in-law to be my best man.”

  The other man raised a brow as he looked up from the page. “You can’t stand Jim and we both know it. Nope, I’m your only friend.”

  “Shut up.”

  The knock on the door put an end to their conversation.

  Paul poked his head in. “They’re ready for you.”

  Tucker took a deep breath and nodded once. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  * * * *

  Lorelei stood in back of the refurbished barn and closed her eyes to help center herself. She wasn’t exactly nervous, but rather excitement for their day filled her. Tucker and she had wanted a simple, but elegant wedding--well, he wanted simple, she wanted elegant. They ended up fining the perfect compromise. For several years, an old barn outside of Kentsville did a healthy business in hosting weddings and parties. However, booking the ceremony and reception there required them to postpone it until it came available--nine months after his proposal in July of last year.

  He would have been happy getting married by the JP in their backyard a week later, but she wanted to do something special because their love deserved to be celebrated. Besides, she had fun planning their day with Jenna and Jessica. Although she often had to rein in their exuberance, she loved how much enjoyment they got out of helping her.

  The guitars stopped playing. Jess must have made it to the front of the main room. She shifted her bouquet of yellow roses and blue hydrangeas and reached down to take Jenna’s hand as an acoustic version of Ten Thousand Years by Chase Jordan and Chris Saint James started playing.

  “We walk down now?”Jenna looked up at her. Her daughter’s beauty made her heart swell. She and Jessica had picked out a pretty flouncy tea length yellow silk and satin dress for Jenna from an online shop specializing in Disney special occasion dresses for little girls. The Beauty and the Beast dress was perfect for her to wear for walking Lorelei down the aisle.

  “Yeah.” She took a deep breath. “Remember nice and slow. You ready?”

  Jenna nodded, causing a lock of her fine hair to come loose from her daisy crown. Her expression turned so serious and determined they might have been walking to their doom. Lorelei smiled and stepped out from behind the partition. A hundred wedding guests stood and looked her way. The second thing she noticed was the t
wo country singers standing in the front corner singing the song they’d written for their own wives. Tucker must have arranged for them to sing. But of course he was related to Chase and good friends with both of them.

  As she took another step clearing a pillar, her heart fluttered when she noticed her groom. Tucker stood at the front with Danny beside him. Ironic six years ago their roles had been reversed. People still didn’t understand how she could forgive Danny and be okay with him standing as Tucker’s best man. The thing they didn’t get was they’d all been friends longer than anything else and that kind of love was hard to break.

  Jessica stood opposite the men with tears freely running down her cheeks. Lorelei hoped her sister would soon find the kind of love she had in Tucker.

  As she got closer, she locked gazes with Tucker, whose green eyes glittered misty in the candlelight. The love and awe in his expression made her knees weak.

  When she reached the front, Tucker took Jenna’s other hand. The minister, one of the chaplains from the hospital, smiled at them both, then looked down at Jenna. “Who gives this woman into marriage to this man?”

  “I do,” the five-year-old said clearly and loudly. She put her mother’s hand into Tucker’s. “They’re gonna live happily ever after. Just like in the princess stories.”

  Tucker leaned down and kissed Jenna’s cheek, but never took his eyes from Lorelei’s. “You better believe it, princess.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Although Sara Walter Ellwood has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her contemporary westerns. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for over 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia. Sara Walter Ellwood is a multi-published author and publishes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name Cera duBois. Find Sara at her website: www.sarawalterellwood.com.

  Her Taylor Made Cowboy

  D’Ann Lindun

  Her Taylor Made Cowboy

  As a successful model, Taylor Griffin hated being judged for her looks. Moving behind the lens helps, but most men still only see her as arm candy.

  While attending his brother’s wedding, Waylon Wainwright is smitten with a tall, blonde photographer. Can he prove he sees beyond her beauty to the woman underneath?

  Other Titles by D’Ann Lindun

  The Cowboys of Black Mountain:

  A Black Mountain Christmas

  A Cowboy To Keep

  Promise Me Eden

  Ladies Love Cowboys: the daughters of Clem Jamieson

  Anthologies:

  Catching A Cowboy

  Cowboy Country

  Cowboy Ever After

  Cowboys Forever

  Cowboy Dreamin’

  Cowboy, Mine

  Cowboy Six Pack

  Cowboy Time

  Cowboy Yours

  Five Roads From Beltane

  Ladies Love Lawmen

  Ladies Love Rock Stars

  More Cowboy Country

  More Loving Christmas

  The Danger Zone

  Her Taylor Made Cowboy

  Copyright © 2017 D’Ann Lindun

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATED

  To Allison, April, Leslie, Melissa and Sara~

  For taking a leap of faith with me!

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ~To Rhonda Duffy and D’Ann’s Country Girls~

  Thank you for your circle of friendship and support!

  CHAPTER ONE

  Taylor Griffin snapped a few candids of Will and Lily Wainwright as they danced together for the first time as husband and wife. Taylor had briefly dated Will in high school, but they’d lost touch until she’d been contracted to photograph his wedding. They’d had a summer fling ten years ago, when they were fifteen. Will had spent the summer in Lonesome Valley with his grandmother. He’d been a little too wild for his parents’ liking, and they thought a change of scenery might settle him down. After his summer in Colorado, he went home to Montana at the beginning of the school year, and distance quickly cooled their red-hot romance.

  She turned her lens toward one of his brothers. All six of the Wainwright brothers’ names began with a W. This one stood out as the darkest-haired of the bunch. He had smoking blue eyes, a slightly crooked nose and a mouth she’d sure had kissed a lot of ladies. His western-cut tuxedo framed broad shoulders, slim hips and long legs. She let her lens linger on him a moment longer, then turned it to the next person.

  She snapped a few shots, then turned her gaze back toward the handsome stranger standing at the edge of the dance floor. Was he single? Unlikely, with looks like his. He must’ve felt her stare because he turned his head her direction, their gazes catching and holding.

  With a small smile, he stood, picked up a glass of champagne and headed her direction. As a former model, Taylor was used to male attention, but this cowboy sent her stomach spinning like a roulette table. She touched her dry lips with her tongue.

  He reached her and held out the bubbly. “I don’t think we’ve met. Waylon Wainwright.”

  She took the champagne and sipped. “Taylor Griffin.”

  “Hello, Taylor.” His gaze held her riveted.

  “Hi.” Was that her voice? All low and seductive? She shot a glance at his ring finger. Bare. Her heart thudded a little faster.

  “Would you like to dance, Taylor?”

  She held up her camera. “I’m working.”

  “I don’t think my brother will mind if you miss taking pictures of just one dance,” he said.

  She waffled. “Just one.”

  “Just one.” He agreed with a grin that send her pulse into overdrive.

  “You’re going to get me into trouble.” She slipped into his arms.

  “If I have my way,” he replied with a slow sexy smile that sent a rush of goosebumps across her skin. Why was this guy turning her on so much? Maybe because she hadn’t been out in a while. Or, possibly, because he was new territory. When you grew up in a small town, everyone knew your secrets. Or thought they did, anyway.

  They glided around the floor as if they’d danced together many times. He smelled like sunshine, if it had a scent. Bright and clean and airy.

  “Are you a full-time photographer?” he asked near her ear.

  “Yes,” she told him.

  “You could be in front of the camera, not behind it,” he remarked.

  She stiffened. Just another man who judged her on her looks. “I was a successful model. I gave it up.”

  He pulled back and looked into her face. “Why?”

  The simple question threw her. Most people tried to tell her she was foolish for leaving fame and fortune behind only to come back to her tiny Colorado hometown to open a studio. “I didn’t like it.”

  “Then it wasn’t for you.”

  His simple statement warmed her. “I didn’t think so.”

  The music washed over them for a few moments while they moved in unison. Waylon was a good dancer, light on his feet.

  “What is it that you do?” Taylor asked.

  “Cowboy,” he said.

  “So, cattle? Or horses? I know you’re from Montana,” she told him.

  “Both, but my end is cattle.” He paused. “How do you know I’m from Montana?”

  She took a deep breath. “I dated Will in high school.”

  “My brother Will?”

  “Yes.”

  He eyed her closely. “You still into him?”

  “Heavens no!” She glanced toward the newlyweds, who were also dancing, apparently oblivious to the world around them. “I love Lily. She’s a sweet lady. I like Will, but there’s nothing but memories between us.”

  “Then I don’t see a problem getting better acquainted. Do you?”

  A million reasons to say yes flitted
through her mind, but she shook her head. “I guess not.”

  The song ended and he continued to hold her in his arms. “Would you like to get out of here? I’m taking off in the morning.”

  She held up her camera. “I can’t.”

  He pointed. “The bride and groom are leaving. What else is there to take pictures of?”

  Spinning around, she sprinted for the door. She had to beat the couple outside to get shots of them entering their limo. She got to a good location just in time to aim her camera as Will and Lily exited the church under a shower of rice and climbed into their limousine.

  She took a few more pictures as they drove away, then the crowd, focusing on the bride and groom’s parents. Finally, she covered her lens with a cap and sighed. Done. She had tons of images to go through, edit and put on a USB drive for the happy couple.

  Her wrap was downstairs, in a cloakroom. Tired, but satisfied by her night’s work, she headed that direction.

  Coming out of the bathroom was the handsome cowboy she’d danced with. He smiled when he saw her. “Done?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you can get a drink with me now?”

  She shouldn’t. He said he was leaving in the morning. But, maybe attraction, or just curiosity, prompted her to agree. “I guess I could.”

  His grin made her nerves jump. “Great. You ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Do you need to get anything?”

  “My shawl’s in the coatroom. I’ll grab it.” She turned away. “Be right back.” She grabbed it, then hurried back to the cowboy waiting for her. “Ready.”

  He held out his hand for her equipment. “I can carry these.”

  She let him take her camera bag, albeit a bit reluctantly. Her entire life was in that case. “Don’t drop it.”