The Maverick's Bridal Bargain

by Christy Jeffries

  Her voice sounded upbeat at first, but then there had been a slight catch. Or maybe Cole was imagining it. He listened to Vivienne’s message for the third time. Though, now he was far enough away from the sawing and hammering and loud voices of his brothers working inside the stables.

  She was moving to Colorado? Out of the blue like that?

  Why?

  And why had she called to tell him? Especially when the last time they’d texted, she’d said she was very busy and he hadn’t heard from her since. He wanted to convince himself that with her leaving like this, he was going to be better off. He was going to be able to get through a day of work without thinking about her a hundred times and worrying when it would all end for the two of them. Unfortunately, his confusion at her message and the timing of it didn’t help to persuade him of the positives.

  “Was that the pretty wedding planner?” his dad asked, surprising Cole by coming out of the stables.

  “Yeah,” Cole replied, still replaying her words in his mind.

  “Are you going to see her soon?”

  “I, uh, guess not. Sounds like she’s moving to Colorado for a new job.”

  “Really? That’s a surprise. You’d think she’d have all the work she could handle right here in Rust Creek alone.”

  “You’d think,” Cole echoed, disappointment clawing at him.

  “So you’re not going to see her before she goes?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Hmm...” his dad said, and Cole jerked his head up.

  “What’s that?”

  “I was just mumbling.”

  “No, you weren’t. You said ‘hmm,’” Cole accused. “The way you do whenever you’re trying to get one of us to do something we don’t want to do.”

  “So you’re saying that you don’t want to see her before she goes?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Heck, Cole, you’re blaming me for trying to get you to do something you don’t want to do. All I want here is to figure out what exactly that is.”

  “Okay, so maybe I do want to see her. But maybe I also know I dodged a painful bullet later on down the road.”

  “Since when do you dodge bullets?”

  “Since I found out that loving someone hurts.”

  “Of course it hurts, son. It’s also what makes the pain worth it. I’ve seen the way you look at Vivienne. It’s the same way I used to look at your mama. I’m not such an old man that I don’t recognize that look in my own sons.” His father held up a palm when Cole began to respond. “Now, before you start on all that ‘losing somebody doesn’t make it worth the risk’ nonsense, let me stop you right there. For thirty-five years, I loved your mother, okay? In fact, I loved that woman so dang much it tore me up inside when I lost her. But I’ll tell you this much. I’d happily go through every single second of that grief all over again, even if I only got to love her for half as long.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After Lydia had left her apartment, Vivienne succumbed to a moment of weakness and went out to her car to retrieve the planning binder she’d purposely stashed in her trunk after the fateful afternoon when Estelle had fired her. She hadn’t wanted any reminders of Cole to influence her decision about taking the job with A LaVish Affair.

  That same night, though, she’d poured herself another glass of wine and opened the binder before staring at the pictures Cole had cut out from magazines or printed off the internet. None of the pictures had a single wedding detail in them. They were all of tropical beach destinations and shoved into the folder marked Honeymoon Ideas.

  The man truly had no desire to get married and it was suddenly clear that Vivienne needed to let him go and move on with her life. The following morning, she’d waited until she knew he’d be busy working at the ranch and called him, a calming relief settling over her when his voice mail picked up.

  It had been three full days since Vivienne had left Cole that message about her leaving town. When he didn’t respond, Vivienne had the bittersweet satisfaction of being right all along. The guy had never been looking for something serious in the first place. And since she’d been very careful in not mentioning anything about being fired, it proved her theory that he only came running when he thought she’d issued an SOS.

  There was nothing left for her in Kalispell.

  “I think you’ll like Denver,” she told Lord Nibbles as he rolled through the living room, exploring the apartment in his clear plastic exercise ball. When Vivienne began taping moving boxes together, the guinea pig had gotten restless in his cage, pacing back and forth and twitching his nose at lightning speed. She was determined to keep his anxiety about the upcoming move at a minimum, so she’d put him in his ball to allow him to expend some energy.

  Now if she could only convince herself that everything was working out for the best. Standing in her kitchen, she opened a cupboard and, for the millionth time that week, stared at the hodgepodge of contents inside and debated whether or not she should even bother taking the mismatched glasses and plates with her.

  She was starting a new job in a new state. Maybe it was time to buy herself a proper set of kitchenware for her new home. Rich had promised to increase her salary; however, she was still going to be on a tight budget for the first few months.

  The knock on her door startled her out of her inner debate about needing more than a four-piece set of silverware and she almost tripped over Lord Nibbles as he ran in his ball toward the bedroom to get away from the unfamiliar sound.

  Since Vivienne wasn’t expecting anyone, she looked through the peephole, then flattened her forehead against the wood panel of the door, squeezing her eyes shut and only reopening one to take another peek. To make sure that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her.

  Yep. That was Cole Dalton, all right. Standing on the tiny concrete stoop in front of her apartment, his cowboy hat firmly in place and his plaid sleeves rolled up on his forearms, as though he was about to get to work.

  Maybe he was here to offer his expert packing services.

  She took three deep breaths before finally unlatching the dead bolt and twisting open the knob. “Hey.”

  “Hi, there.” He took off his hat and Vivienne’s stomach dropped. Why did he have to be so handsome and charming? She leaned against the edge of the door for support, then realized she wasn’t being very hospitable when he drawled, “May I come in?”

  “Of course.” She stepped back. “But watch out for Lord Nibbles. He’s on a tear racing around this place in his exercise ball.”

  If her heart hadn’t been falling apart at the sight of him, it would’ve been comical to watch Cole in his boots, carefully scanning the carpet and taking small steps to ensure he didn’t accidentally kick her guinea pig.

  “So you’re really moving?” He jerked his chin toward the still-empty moving boxes lined up on her sofa.

  “It’s looking that way,” she said, then clamped her jaw shut. No, it wasn’t looking that way. It was that way. She was moving. Why couldn’t she just come out and say it?

  “That’s too bad.” His words were like a jump start to her heart and her pulse began pounding.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I need to hire a wedding planner.”

  This again? Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “Unfortunately, I’m no longer in that line of work.”

  “You mean you’re not moving for another wedding-planner job?”

  “Technically, Rich is hiring me as an events planner. But I can refer you to Estelle’s Events for all your wedding-planning needs.”

  “I don’t want Estelle. I want you.”

  Vivienne looked up at her ceiling, trying to get her fluttering emotions in check. “Is it me you want or is it just another chance at rescuing me that brought you here?”

  He stepped closer to her. “I want you.”


  “I thought you wanted to keep things casual.”

  “I thought that was what I wanted, too.” His fingers swept along her jaw. “But then something changed.”

  “What if something changes again?” she asked, refusing to let her racing heart take over her rational head. “I don’t want to be like my parents—in and out of love over and over again.”

  “I’m a Dalton.” He slowly winked and her tense muscles went soft. “Once we fall in love, we’re as good as gone. I can’t help it.”

  She flattened her palms against his chest, but she didn’t push him away. “What about marriage?”

  “Are you proposing to me?”

  “No. Not now,” she said, and he raised an eyebrow. “I mean, we both made an awful lot of fun of the institution of marriage. But what if down the road one of us...” She trailed off.

  “I never made fun of the institution of marriage. I made fun of weddings. Didn’t you look at my binder? It was full of places where we could elope.” He rested his hand on her waist. “I love you, Vivienne.”

  Her throat tightened, and all she could do was look at him.

  * * *

  His dad had said that loving someone was worth the risk of losing them. But when Cole finally admitted his love, she didn’t reply. She just stood there, searching his face for something, but he had no idea what.

  “Can you please say something?”

  “You love me?” she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

  “How could I not? You’re selfless and creative and smart and beautiful, and being with you always feels right.”

  “So you’re not here to rescue me?”

  “What would I need to rescue you from?”

  “Estelle fired me.”

  Anger surged through him, making his skin tight and his feet restless. Yet he wasn’t able to release her. “Why in the world would she fire you? You’re the best wedding planner in all of Montana. And trust me, I’ve been to the biggest wedding expo in the state, so I’m officially a reluctant expert on this subject.”

  “She saw us kissing last week after we met for lunch.”

  “So? You’re not allowed to date a client?”

  “Not an engaged client.”

  Realization sank in. She’d lost her job because of him. Pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and now he understood why she hadn’t been quick to return his calls and texts. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I was afraid you would drive over to Estelle’s and tell her the truth and demand that she take me back.”

  “That’s exactly what I would’ve done.”

  Vivienne’s palms slid up his chest and toward his cheeks, holding his head in place. “I didn’t want you to rescue me. I’d been unhappy working for her for a long time and I needed to rescue myself.”

  Her smooth hands felt so good on his skin he didn’t want to shift his head. He caught a glimpse of the cardboard boxes out of the corner of his eye. “So that’s why you took the job in Denver.”

  “I thought you wanted to keep things casual,” she said, and his gut twisted, hoping she wasn’t about to shoot him down. “There was nothing else for me here but heartbreak.”

  He clung to that last word. “I never want to break your heart.”

  “You can’t save me all the time, Cole.” Her warning whispered against his skin as she pulled his face closer.

  “I know. When I came up with the idea of hiring you, I thought I was coming to your aid. But somewhere along the way, you ended up rescuing me.”

  Her lashes fluttered closed and a soft smile spread across her face. “I think I fell in love with you that day inside your cousin’s pink bathroom.”

  Warmth flooded Cole, filling him with both relief and passion, and he closed the space between their lips. As he kissed her hungrily, all he could think was that this woman in his arms loved him. He would do everything in his power to keep her happy.

  “Tell me again,” he said.

  “I love you, Cole Dalton.” Vivienne traced a finger along his lower lip just as something crashed into his ankle and he looked down to see the little black-and-white guinea pig in its plastic ball.

  It brought Cole back to the present situation and Vivienne’s upcoming job. If they were going to make this a successful relationship, he couldn’t be rushing in and fixing things for her all the time. “Listen, I don’t want to stand between you and your career, but do you think we could do that whole eloping thing before we move to Colorado?”

  “We?” Her eyes widened. “You’d move with me? What about helping your dad on the ranch?”

  “I have four other brothers. It’s time for one of them to take on the hero role for a change.”

  Vivienne chuckled, then grew serious. “Cole, I would never ask you to leave your family. They mean more to you than any job ever will to me. Besides, if what you say about all you Daltons falling in love is true, there are going to be plenty of upcoming weddings and baby showers to plan in Rust Creek Falls.”

  For the first time in his life, Cole didn’t need a plan; he didn’t need to make a decision right this second. All he needed was Vivienne.

  Epilogue

  Nobody was more surprised than Vivienne when Estelle called her the following morning. At first, she assumed her former boss had heard about her job offer with A LaVish Affair and was calling to threaten to have her blackballed all the way down in Colorado. But the woman’s voice was unusually raspy and even cordial when she announced her reason for the call. “Viv, I’d like you to buy me out.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Vivienne asked, pulling the bedsheet off Cole so she could cover her own nudity as she sat up.

  “My doctor has been after me to retire for years and relocate to a warmer locale. I’ve been fighting it, but after you left, I realized that I just can’t keep up like I used to.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Estelle, but I think your doctor is probably right.”

  “Meh. We’ll see. I’ve got a sister in Phoenix who owns a funeral home and she said business never slows down over there. So I’ll still want to take some event-planning binders with me, but maybe we can work out a deal for the rest of the office supplies.”

  Vivienne shuddered at the funeral-type events Estelle was hoping to plan. But she wished the woman well and agreed to meet with an attorney to go over the details. Really, there wasn’t much to buy, since Vivienne could’ve easily just started her own company and taken over any outstanding clients and vendor contracts. But Estelle had given her a start in the business, and she didn’t feel right not giving the woman some sort of fair compensation.

  She also called Rich LaRue and told him she wasn’t going to be able to take the job offer after all, since she would be moving to Rust Creek Falls once their wing in the main house was built on the Dalton property. The man was gracious and offered to give her the friends and family rate if she wanted him to plan her wedding.

  “That’s very kind of you, Rich, but Cole and I are planning to elope.”

  His gasp was sharp and a bit melodramatic. “Don’t ever let me hear you use that word again, young lady.”

  Elopements were the bane to a wedding planner’s business and it was an industry custom to never speak of them. She rolled her eyes as she attempted to placate him. “I know, but Cole and I both will have so much going on with me launching a new business and his family starting up their ranch.”

  That much was true. It ended up taking several months to get the main house built, and with Vivienne working at the office in Kalispell and Cole putting in long hours herding cattle at the ranch, they decided that once the lease was up, Vivienne would move everyday operations to the renovated train depot at Sawmill Station. And with all the referrals coming her way from his extended family and all their friends, Vivienne had to hire her own Junior Wedding Plann
er to cover for her while she and Cole finally got to have the destination wedding of their dreams.

  Vivienne wore a simple white linen shift and a crown of wild orchids in her loose hair as she walked across a sandy white beach in Bora-Bora. Cole was standing on the water’s edge, barefoot with his jeans rolled up to his calves, his casual white shirt unbuttoned at the neck and his favorite straw cowboy hat keeping the setting sun out of his eyes.

  She’d once told him that every bride and groom wanted their wedding day to be a fairy tale. And on this day, she and Cole Dalton were finally getting their happily-ever-after.

  * * * * *

  Love those Montana Mavericks?

  They’ll be riding back into town next month

  in the new Special Edition continuity

  MONTANA MAVERICKS:

  THE LONELYHEARTS RANCH

  Coming July 2018,

  wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.

  Once, in secret, Derek Dalton and Amy Wainwright said “I do.” Reunited a decade later

  for their best friends’ wedding,

  can the love they lost be found again?

  Don’t miss

  A MAVERICK TO (RE)MARRY

  By New York Times bestselling author

  Christine Rimmer

  THE MAVERICK’S BABY-IN-WAITING

  By Melissa Senate

  On sale August 2018.

  And if you loved this book by Christy Jeffries,

  look for

  A PROPOSAL FOR THE OFFICER

  Available now!

  Keep reading for a special preview of

  HERONS LANDING,

  the first in an exciting new series from

  New York Times bestselling author

  JoAnn Ross and HQN Books!

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.