The Rodeo Star's Return (Sapphire Springs Book 1)

by Angie Campbell

  “Yeah, very,” Jessie smirked.

  “Ha, ha,” Lucy snorted. “You two are so funny.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about,” Jessie said with a too innocent look.

  Lucy just rolled her eyes with a snort. “As if.”

  “So, Mary Ellen,” Jenny interrupted. “How’s life with you going? Brock still making you crazy?”

  “When has Brock not made me crazy?” she snorted. “So, what are you all talking about? It looked pretty serious.”

  “Tyler asked Lucy to marry him,” Jenny smirked.

  “Wow!” Mary Ellen exclaimed, looking over at the other woman. “When’s the wedding?”

  “There is not going to be a wedding,” Lucy answered before cramming a piece of bacon in her mouth she’d snatched from the plate the waitress had just sat down in front of her.

  “Wow, that was fast,” Jessie exclaimed.

  “Yeah, I think he can read minds. He was already started by the time I got back there with the orders.”

  “Wow. Who’s back there?” Jessie asked as she chopped her eggs up to mix with her biscuits and gravy.

  “Charles Wayneright.”

  “Charles Wayneright? Isn’t he the guy that bought the inn a couple of months ago?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “And he’s the one cooking?”

  “Yes. He said he enjoys cooking. It helps him clear his head.”

  “Does he cook all the time?”

  “No, just on the weekends. It gives the regular cooks time off.”

  “Wow, that’s cool,” Jessie grinned.

  “Yeah, it is,” she agreed before turning to Mary Ellen. “Did you need to order?”

  “Just coffee with a biscuit and gravy and an order of scrambled eggs.”

  “Okay,” she said, writing it down. “I’m sure it will be out pretty quick. The rest of you enjoy your meal. Just give me a holler if you need anything else,” she added before turning to walk back to the kitchen.

  “Okay, now back to you, Young Lady,” Mary Ellen said, pointing her fork at Lucy. “Why isn’t there going to be a wedding? You’ve been in love with him longer than I can remember.”

  “He’s not in love with me.”

  “Yes, he is,” her three companions sang out together.

  “Why do you all keep telling me that?” she huffed, stabbing her fork into her biscuits and gravy.

  “Because it’s true,” they all answered together, once again.

  “You are all crazy,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

  “No, we’re not,” Jenny said in a sing-song voice.

  “Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes, really,” Jenny grinned. “And don’t raise that eyebrow at me young lady. I can do it to. See?” she quipped, mirroring Lucy’s expression.

  “What’s your proof?”

  “He loves you.”

  “No,” she snarled. “What he loves, is driving me crazy.”

  “You do realize you drive him crazy, as well, right?” Jessie asked.

  “Why would you say that?” Lucy gave her a dirty look, then went back to eating.

  “I’ve seen him nearly pull his hair out after having just talked to you.”

  “I don’t know why I thought talking to you three was going to help. I should have known you’d be on his side. You always are.”

  “We’re not on his side,” Jenny sighed. “Well, we’re on both of your sides.”

  “How is that?” Lucy grouched.

  “All we’ve ever tried to do is encourage you to give him a chance,” Mary Ellen answered. “If you would, it wouldn’t take long for you to realize he really does love you.”

  “You’re one to talk,” Jessie snorted.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Mary Ellen asked, giving the other woman a dirty look.

  “We’ll deal with Mary Ellen and Brock’s love life later. First we have to get Lucy to the altar with Tyler.” Jenny just smirked when Mary Ellen gasped

  “That’s not funny,” Mary Ellen huffed.

  “Now you know how I feel,” Lucy mumbled under her breath.

  “It wasn’t meant to be funny,” Jenny replied before turning back to Lucy. “Look, the reason he said he was asking for the baby’s sake, is he thought it was the one reason you would say yes.”

  “Well, he thought wrong,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to marry someone who doesn’t love me.”

  “He loves you,” the other three at the table said once again, nearly shouting.

  “Can we just drop the subject, please?” she pleaded, doing her best not to cry.

  “Not yet,” Jenny answered. “My guess is it’s his intentions to marry you, then work on getting you to fall in love with him.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Why?” Jenny asked, raising her eyebrow again.

  “Well, I can’t fall in love with someone I’m already in love with, now can I?”

  “But he doesn’t know you’re in love with him.”

  “And he best not find out.”

  “I’m not going to tell him.”

  “Besides, why would he want me to fall in love with him?” she grumped. “He’s not in love with me.”

  “He loves you,” Jessie said, slapping her hand down on the table.

  “Whatever,” she snapped.

  “He does. Why do you think he’s always coming back for more, regardless of how grumpy you are with him?”

  “You mean his constant teasing?” she asked. “I hardly think that proves he loves me.”

  “That’s just the thing. All those things he says that you’ve convinced yourself is him teasing you, is how he really feels.”

  Lucy gave her a frustrated look. “Have you forgotten about the note?

  “Oh, you mean the one that you took Brandy Drake’s word for? And that you made us promise we wouldn’t tell Tyler about?”

  She sighed, and dropped back in her chair. “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  Jenny sat forward, trying to make direct eye contact. “I would bet my life savings, he never even saw that note.”

  Lucy crossed her arms in front of her and stared down at the table. “Why would she lie?”

  “She’s always wanted Tyler for herself, but he barely even talks to her.” Lucy just snorted and continued to stare at the table. “Why don’t you ask him about the note?”

  Lucy sat up straighter and shook her head vigorously. “No way. That note embarrassed me enough the first time. I am not putting myself through that again,” she huffed. “That jerk had the nerve to ask me if I’d believe him if he told me he loved me. As if?”

  “Come again?” Jessie blurted, shaking her head.

  “When I asked him why he wanted to marry me, he asked me if I would believe him if he told me he loved me.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him that wasn’t funny,” she snarled. “It still isn’t.”

  “He wasn’t trying to be funny,” Jenny sighed. “He wanted to tell you the truth.”

  “Yeah, I agree with her.” Mary Ellen sat back, giving the waitress room to sit her plate down before continuing. “Thank you. He really is quick.”

  “Yeah, he started your eggs the second you walked in the door. We’re all still trying to figure out how he does it.”

  “He’s got to be psychic.”

  The waitress just shrugged. “He says he just knows how to read people. We think he’s full of it. Enjoy your meal.”

  Mary Ellen waited till the waitress was out of ear shot before she picked up the thread of their conversation. “If you had given him a chance, he probably would have told you how he feels. You scared him off.”

  “She’s right. He probably figured you would freak out on him if he had told you the truth.”

  “I wouldn’t have,” Lucy defended herself, even as she started glowing from the embarrassment.

  “Okay. What would you have said i
f he had just told you he loved you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Would you have believed him if he had just taken the chance instead of asking if you would?”

  “No way. He doesn’t love me.”

  “Fine,” Jenny said, dropping her toast back in her plate, deciding to try a different tactic. “Answer one question for me.”

  “What?”

  “Is there even a small chance you’ll ever find someone else?”

  “No,” she said with a sad shake of her head. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop loving him.”

  “Then give him a chance.”

  “Give him a chance?” she asked, feeling like she was going to hyperventilate. “There’s just no way I can do that. Uh-uh.”

  “Just give him a chance. You’ll never know until you try.”

  “That’s crazy,” she said, shaking her head hard enough to rattle her own brains. “No way.”

  “Okay, how about this?” Jenny asked. “You’re so convinced he’s not in love with you, marry him, and make him fall in love with you.”

  “I wouldn’t even know how to start to try.”

  “If you promise you’ll try, we’ll give you pointers along the way,” Jessie said, sitting forward and nodding to the others. “Won’t we girls?”

  “Definitely,” the other two said in unison.”

  “I might have to in-list Mindi and Lisa’s help. They’re a little more ahead of us on this front,” Jenny added. “But I’m sure they won’t mind.”

  “Okay,” Lucy said with a grin. “I’ll give it a shot. I might as well take the risk. I’m not happy with the way things are now.”

  “Are you saying you’re going to tell him yes?” Jenny asked, biting back a huge grin.

  “Yes, I’m going to marry Tyler Wentworth,” she grinned back. “Just so you know. I think I’ve finally lost my mind. And I honestly don’t know if Tyler’s the cause, or you three.”

  “Ha, ha,” Mary Ellen grinned, throwing her napkin across the table at her. “Time to plan a wedding, or are you two going to Las Vegas?”

  “I will not go to Vegas. It doesn’t have to be a fancy wedding, but I do want Pastor Macy to perform the ceremony.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to,” Jenny agreed.

  “Besides, I think I better talk to the groom first, and make sure he hasn’t changed his mind.”

  “I’m sure he hasn’t changed his mind,’ Jessie smirked.

  “And speaking of the groom,” she said, standing to her feet. “I better go talk to him before I chicken out.”

  Jenny and the other two watched her walk away, waiting until she was out of ear shot. “Now, all we’ve got to do is get her through the next few days,” Jenny sighed. Whether from relief or concern was hard to say. She was feeling a little of both. “That’s a lot easier said than done. The wedding’s going to be on Saturday.”

  “She didn’t say anything about the wedding being so quick,” Jessie frowned.

  “She doesn’t know yet.”

  “Well, then how do you know?”

  “I talked to Zane last night. He called to ask me to do my best to talk her into saying yes.”

  “Oh, so he talked to Tyler,” Mary Ellen stated. “So why is he planning on doing everything so quickly.”

  “Zane said it was something about not giving her time to change her mind if she agreed.”

  “Sounds like someone’s getting desperate enough to play dirty,” Jessie grinned.

  “More like he finally had something else he could use as a reason to ask.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he really thought it would work,” Mary Ellen nodded. “We all know how much she loves kids. How many times has she said she wanted a house full?”

  “How long do you think it’ll take before she’s pregnant?” Jessie smirked.

  “Not long,” Mary Ellen answered.

  “I figure it will take longer than you might think,” Jenny said. “Zane didn’t think Tyler had much of a game plan beyond getting married. They’ll probably spend the first few weeks, maybe months, circling each other.”

  “Zane’s probably right. You know how Tyler is. He’s never been able to think straight when it comes to Lucy,” Mary Ellen smirked.

  “I really don’t think it’ll take much of a game plan,” Jessie added.

  “You’re probably right,” Jenny replied. “But only after they stop being afraid to admit their true feelings.”

  “Tyler’s not afraid of his feelings,” Jessie laughed. “He never has been.”

  “True,” she agreed. “But because of how angry she always gets, he doesn’t realize she feels the same way. That’s bound to slow him down some.”

  “Unfortunately, I’ve got to agree with Jenny on this,” Mary Ellen frowned. “He’ll be a little, for lack of a better word, leery.”

  “Anyway, the wedding’s going to be at Mom and Dad’s house in the backyard.”

  “Is your dad and brothers going to be grilling?” Jessie asked with a smirk of her lips.

  “Of course,” Jenny grinned. “You know Dad. Any excuse to barbecue is a good excuse. And a wedding isn’t just any excuse.”

  “Yum,” Mary Ellen grinned, rubbing her belly in anticipation.

  “All the parents are in on it, as well. After Zane talked to Tyler, he started setting everything up.”

  “I’m not surprised Ty’s parents are in on it, but you mean Lucy’s parents are as well?”

  “Yep. I think Mrs. Cranes is a little concerned, but she’s decided to trust Mom’s judgment on the matter.”

  “Well, she doesn’t have anything to worry about. We are here to make sure of that,” Jessie grinned.

  Mary Ellen snorted. “I don’t think we’ll have to help a whole lot. She walks out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel at the wrong time, he’ll pounce on her before she even knows he’s there.”

  Jenny just grinned. “You’re probably right. So, how about you and Brock?”

  “What about me and Brock?” she asked, her voice going up an octave, causing the other two to laugh.

  *******

  Lucy stepped up on the porch of Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth’s house and rang the doorbell with shaking fingers. “This is crazy. I’ve lost my mind,” she mumbled to herself as she turned to go.

  She hadn’t managed to take her first step before the door came open. It made her feel like someone had been sitting in wait for her. When she hesitated on turning back around, she was surprised to hear the voice coming from behind her was Mrs. Wentworth, not Tyler.

  “Lucy, where are you going?” Lena asked, trying not to let her excitement show. She had to remind herself the girl hadn’t agreed to marry him yet. She wasn’t even supposed to know he had proposed. And wouldn’t now, if it hadn’t been for Zane.

  Lucy turned around, just managing to mask her disappointment at seeing his mother rather than Tyler himself. “Sorry. Nowhere, I guess. How are you, Mrs. Wentworth?”

  “I’m fine, Dear,” she smiled. “I’m guessing you’re here to see Tyler.”

  Lucy couldn’t help the surprise that showed on her face at the older woman’s statement. “Yes, but how did you know?”

  Lena smiled and ushered her into the house. “He said something earlier about seeing you sometime today. Of course, I thought he meant he was going to go see you in town, or I would have been more prepared for your visit. If you don’t mind giving me a few minutes, I can get you some coffee or tea.”

  “That’s not necessary, Mrs. Wentworth. If you’ll tell me where to find Tyler, I’d rather just go ahead and go see him, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course, Dear. He just went out to the barn a few minutes before you got here. He headed out there as soon as he got changed out of his church clothes. I’m sure he’s still out there.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled. “Do you mind if I use the back door?”

  “Certainly not, Dear,” she smiled back. “And since you know the way, I’m g
oing to go and change out of my church clothes.”

  “Thanks,” she said and turned to head through the kitchen.

  Lena stood there a few seconds more as she watched the younger woman walk out the back door. She sent up a quick, silent prayer everything worked out before turning down the hall, toward her bedroom. Montana needed a mother who was going to really love her and help Tyler care for her. And Tyler… Well, Tyler just needed Lucy if he was ever going to really be happy.

  *******

  Lucy stepped through the barn door, searching around the dimly lit area. Today the barn was only open on one side, and none of the shop lights were on. On a warmer day, both barn doors would have been thrown open in hopes of a cross breeze to help cool it off. It just happened to be early enough in May, it was in the low sixties, and it was plenty cool enough in the big barn.

  Not spotting the object of her search, she turned and headed back through the open door, out into the bright sunlight. Wishing she had thought to grab one of the spare cowboy hats from the wall beside the door on her way out, she did her best to shield her eyes with her hand.

  “Well, hello, Beautiful,” she heard Tyler say before she was actually able to see him. “What brings you out here?”

  She gave him a dirty look, seriously thinking about just leaving. Not certain why, she decided to give him her answer instead. “I’ve come to give you my answer. Unless you’ve changed your mind, or decided you were joking, and no longer need one.”

  “Oh, I definitely need you… Your answer,” he said, taking a huge gulp of air, trying not to pass out from the blood loss to his brain. “You look amazing, as usual.”

  She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Tyler, don’t start with the teasing, right now.”

  He erupted, throwing his hands in the air. “What will it take for you to understand, I’m not teasing when I’m telling you how beautiful you are?” he stormed off toward the gate, still ranting. “Sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, and she thinks I’m teasing.”

  She huffed, still not believing him. “Tyler, where are you going?”

  “I’m sure Mom has lunch about ready, so I’m going to wash up, and then set the table,” he snapped. “I’m not talking to you about this until I’ve eaten. I’m hungry, so you might as well plan on eating lunch with us.”