by Kate Pearce
“No, he’s one of the horses up at the ranch, and he likes to get involved in all the weddings, and eats anything he can get in his mouth,” Sam replied, and paused. “Rather like my bridegroom, actually, but not exactly the same.”
Yvonne stifled a laugh. “Okay, try on the second one. It’s much shorter.”
Sam picked up her skirts, hung them over her arm rather like Doris Day tromping through the creek in the old western musical, and went back to the fitting room. HW wouldn’t recognize her without her jeans and cowboy boots on, so she’d better keep the boots.
She didn’t like the second or third dresses, and neither did Yvonne or Janet, so her hopes rested on dress number four, or some drastic alterations to the first one, which she secretly loved.
The last dress had a boat-shape neckline very similar to the first one, with the addition of embroidered flowers on the bodice and a simple handkerchief skirt that didn’t quite reach the floor. Sam took an experimental twirl as she exited the fitting room, and nothing caught under her heels.
“This is also beautiful,” Yvonne said. “It shows off your figure, and has that lovely green and yellow embroidery. What do you think?”
Sam smoothed her hands over the skirt. “I like it a lot.” She twisted herself in a knot and attempted to find the price tag. “How much is it compared to the other one?”
“Chase said not to worry about that,” Yvonne reminded her. “He’s worked out some deal with HW.”
“But I’m paying for my dress,” Sam said. “It’s very kind of Chase but I don’t expect the Morgans to pay for everything. It’s not fair.”
Janet stepped forward and checked the price tag. “This one is about five hundred dollars less than the first one you tried on.”
Sam gazed longingly at the pile of fluffy goodness, aka the first dress, and tried to be practical. “This will work much better with my boots and cowboy hat, and won’t trip me up.” She nodded. “I’ll go with this one.”
“Are you sure?” Yvonne asked. “They are both lovely, but—”
“It’s all good.” Sam smiled at her, and then at Janet. “You know I’m getting married in less than two weeks, right? Will that give you enough time to get the dress altered and sent on to me?”
“Yes, of course. We pride ourselves on our quick turnaround. We can alter any of them,” Janet said. “Why don’t you get changed, and I’ll make sure I’ve got all the measurements accurately recorded.”
* * *
“This getting married is hard,” Sam complained to HW as he sat next to her on her couch in her apartment. He’d helped her clean out her guest bedroom, and they were both pleasantly tired from their exertions.
“I hadn’t noticed,” HW said gloomily. “Every time I ask if I can help organize something, they all tell me not to worry my pretty little head about it.”
“Lucky you.” Sam poked him in the ribs. “I’ve had to try on millions of dresses and have a makeup and hair consultation of all things, and talk to Daisy about my flowers. . . .” She sighed. “All you have to do is pick out a new shirt and turn up.”
“It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it,” HW agreed.
“So there’s no excuse for you not to be there, right?” Sam asked.
“Don’t worry.” HW kissed the top of her head. “I can’t wait. No more creeping around.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nuzzled her throat. “You, in my bed, finally, and legally.”
Sam allowed herself to be thoroughly kissed and reciprocated in kind. When HW slid his hand up inside her T-shirt, she drew back.
“None of that, remember? We agreed.”
HW groaned but kept his palm flat against her skin. “You sure?”
“Yes.” Sam firmly removed his hand. “It’s only a couple of days now.” She kissed his nose. “Is Ry taking you out for your bachelor party?”
“Apparently so.” HW shrugged. “I have no idea what he’s got planned, but he and BB have been grinning and whispering about it all week.”
“You behave yourself, okay?” Sam met his amused golden gaze.
“Me? You’re going out with Nancy,” HW pointed out. “Make sure you have your phone with you, and remember the name of Chase’s hotshot lawyer.”
“Will do.” She kissed his mouth and then got off the couch. “Speaking of which, I’d better get ready. Nancy said to meet her at the bar at six, and Cam’s due in at five.”
She shoved her horny beau out the door, had a quick shower, and was ready to greet her bestie, Cam, when she finally arrived after getting lost a few times driving down from Sacramento. Cam had never had much of a sense of direction, and was deeply suspicious of her car’s navigation system, which she called Agnes, and swore was trying to kill her.
Cam had majored in psychology, and then went on to become a pediatrician. She’d helped Sam through the worst of her PTSD after the bomb blast killed the rest of her team, and had ended up becoming a good friend. She was dark-haired like Sam, but way more petite, and totally put together in a way Sam would never be.
“I swear that Agnes was trying to send me to some place called Morgansville about four miles away from here.” Cam sipped her coffee and sat on the side of the bed. “She insisted she was right, so I had to turn her off, and work it out for myself.”
“There is an abandoned ghost town called Morgansville up on the ranch, so she wasn’t far off,” Sam said.
Cam shuddered. “Imagine if I’d ended up there. I’d probably have turned around and run all the way home.”
“It is pretty spooky,” Sam agreed. “Do you think you’ll be okay coming out again so soon? We’re supposed to be meeting Yvonne and the gang at six.”
Cam glanced at her watch. “Give me a few minutes to take a shower and unpack, and I’ll be right with you. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Sam put on a red Morgan Ranch T-shirt, her fancy red boots, and her favorite brown cowboy hat. She’d left her black hair to curl by itself, and even put on mascara and lipstick. Cam also wore jeans, but her boots had stiletto heels and her tight green T-shirt had Yes, I am a Genius, ask me anything on it. She’d met the rest of the ladies on her previous visits to Morgantown, so Sam wasn’t worried that she’d feel left out.
As she opened the front door, Cam turned and took a picture of Sam with her phone.
“Why are you doing that?” Sam asked suspiciously.
“Just in case we lose you somewhere tonight.” Cam winked. “Or for the WANTED posters.”
“So not funny,” Sam grumbled as they went down to the first floor. She pointed at the health center that took up all the ground-floor level. “You could work right here and rent my place after I go live on the ranch.”
“That’s a short commute.” Cam studied the closed door. “Are the staff nice?”
“Dr. Tio is awesome, and he’s young, hot, and single.”
“Sounds perfect.” Cam grinned at her. “Maybe after the wedding you can introduce me to him.”
“He’ll be there so I’ll definitely do it,” Sam agreed.
They walked out of the building and along Main Street to the corner where the Red Dragon Bar was situated. Sam stopped to stare at the endless length of a stretch limo that took up half the row of shops. The car was metallic blue and had flashing neon strip lights around all the windows.
Cam grabbed her arm. “Is that for us? Cool!”
“Hey, Sam!” Nancy appeared beside a guy in a peaked cap and waved enthusiastically. “Come and meet Ian, our driver! He’s originally from Scotland and he has the best accent!”
Nancy wore a metallic dress, thigh-high silver boots, and had dyed her hair to match her outfit. All the other ladies had gone for skirts, dresses, or tight pants, and for a second Sam wondered if she was underdressed. It didn’t last long. She was happy and with her friends, and that was the most important thing.
Yvonne came over to hug her and Cam. She wore a chic black dress and a beautiful chunky, scarlet, woolen shrug that Sam actually coveted.
“I haven’t got my wedding dress yet,” Sam casually mentioned to Yvonne before the rest of her posse engulfed them. “It was supposed to have been delivered yesterday, but the tracking says it’s still en route.”
“That means it has to get here by tomorrow, for the wedding on Sunday.” Yvonne frowned. “That’s not good. Do you want me to call the wedding place and see if there is anything they can do?”
“I’ve already left them about a hundred messages, but no one is picking up.” Sam tried to stay positive. “January offered me her dress if I get stuck, and it fits me pretty well.”
“So much for them being ready to alter anything and get it to you in time.” Yvonne pulled out her cell phone and started typing furiously. “I’ll see if there is anything I can do.”
Sam was almost glad for the distraction provided by the arrival of the Morgan Ranch ladies, Avery, Jenna, and January, who had left the baby with his great-grandma Ruth. By the time Sonali and Marley turned up, the limo was full to bursting.
Nancy decided to sit up front with Ian and poked her head through the glass divider to grin at them all. “First stop, the laser tag place in Bridgeport!”
* * *
“Can I take the blindfold off now?” HW inquired as his brother’s private jet landed at some unknown destination.
When he’d gotten back from helping Sam clear out her spare bedroom, he’d been ambushed by his groomsmen, hogtied, and put on the plane. He hadn’t struggled. Even though he knew they were going to make him sweat, he trusted them to get him back home by the end of the night.
Well, he hoped they would....
“Not yet.” That was his twin, Ry’s voice.
“You wait until your bachelor party, Bro,” HW said. “You’ll get yours.”
Ry chuckled. “Yeah, right.” He took hold of HW’s elbow. “Come on. We’ve got stuff to do.”
As soon as his feet hit solid ground, the tinkling and clattering of slot machines reverberated around him. Las Vegas had a sound all its own, and HW knew it well from his days as a professional saddle bronc rider. He wasn’t allowed to linger, his brothers and friends sweeping him along, and into a waiting limo. He considered trying to take his blindfold off, but decided it was more fun to just go along for the ride.
He wondered what Sam was getting up to at her bachelorette party. Nancy had promised him that they weren’t going far, and that she would make sure Sam got back safely. But Nancy and Sam out together was a slightly terrifying proposition. He’d once watched them take down a biker in the Red Dragon Bar. He reminded himself that Sam was retired military police and could take care of herself.
“Here we are,” his older brother Chase spoke up for the first time. “Let’s get into the elevator.”
The next thing HW knew, he was being marched out into the open. Wind battered at his Stetson, and someone took it off his head, making him feel vulnerable.
“Stay there, Bro. Let the man do his job,” Ry advised.
HW stiffened as he was stuffed into some kind of body harness. What the hell had his brothers come up with? Was he about to be picked up by a crane and dangled over the Strip?
“Walk forward, please.” Someone new with a very calm voice spoke in his ear. “You’d better remove his blindfold now.”
HW blinked as his sight was restored, and then looked down, and frantically tried to back up.
“What the hell?” he said hoarsely. He was literally standing on the edge of an extremely tall building looking down at the city. “I’m not—”
He didn’t even get to finish the thought as he was eased over the edge. He plummeted downward until the harness creaked and gathered him up again. He might have screamed. He hoped no one was videoing it, but suspected he was going to be disappointed.
Eventually, he was hauled back up and set on his feet surrounded by a circle of his guffawing friends. He scowled at each of them in turn, and none of them stopped laughing even for a second.
“Welcome to Sky Jump,” said the guy with the quiet voice who was busy unhooking HW from the harness. “Did you enjoy that?”
HW found his famous smile somewhere. “It was great. Thanks.”
“Wanna do it again?” Ry wheezed. “You screamed like a baby.”
HW shot him a death look, which made his twin laugh even harder.
“Come on, HW.” Chase patted his arm. “Let’s get you a drink. You look as though you need one.”
* * *
“Hi!” Sam wiped the sweat from her brow and counted her tokens before presenting herself to the bored teenager at the desk. She’d beaten everyone at laser tag and was feeling pretty good about herself. “What can I get for these?”
The boy pointed silently at some hideous stuffed animals.
“I’ll take the blue monkey.” Sam handed over her tokens, collected the googly-eyed, badly stuffed limp monkey, and tied it to her belt by its tail.
She walked back over to where her posse awaited her and grinned at Nancy. “What’s next?”
“Dinner and a show.” Nancy winked at her. “Come on.”
* * *
Three hours later, they were back in Morgantown. Well, Sam thought they were, although her vision was a little blurry, and she had hiccups from the spiced tequila shots at the bar they’d ended up in. She climbed out of the limo on her hands and knees, and was assisted to her feet by an anxious-looking Avery.
“Are you okay, Sam?”
“I’m great!” Sam beamed at Avery and flung her arms wide. “This is the best night out I’ve ever had!”
Marley, who was something of a Dudley Do-Right, frowned at her. “You need to drink lots of water and go to bed.”
“But I don’t feel like going to bed,” Sam countered. “Unless HW is there all naked and pleased to see me and everything.” She winked lasciviously, making Marley blush, and looked around the silent street. “Where is he?”
“I believe he’s in Vegas.” January chuckled. “But don’t worry, Chase promised me they’d bring him home safely.”
Sam pouted. “But I want him to be here.” She dug her phone out of her pocket and started texting.
Avery looked over her shoulder and cleared her throat. “Er, Sam, you’re texting your mother. You probably don’t want to send her that.”
Sam blinked at the screen and giggled before deleting the text. “Oops! Sorry, Mom.”
“I don’t think HW has his phone on him anyway,” Avery said. “They were planning on a lot of physical activities so Ry thought he might drop it.”
“Physical?” Sam frowned. “I hope he’s not stripping or anything.”
Avery grinned at her. “Nope, just some mechanical bull riding, craft beers, and jumping off a building.”
“Wow . . .” Sam put her phone away. “I really wish he was here though.”
“I can text Ry, and see whether they are on their way back if you like?” Avery offered.
“Thanks. That would be awesome.”
Sonali, Yvonne, Lizzie, and Marley came up to wish Sam good night, and Avery went to speak to January and Jenna, leaving Sam by herself. Cam and Nancy were chatting up the limo driver while settling the bill.
She really missed HW . . . . Sam started walking, her gaze on the recently erected water feature in the center of the street, which commemorated the first Morgan who had founded the town. It had a circular stone base filled with about six inches of water that flowed down from a rocky-type pedestal on which stood the figure of a cowboy, which the Morgans insisted looked nothing like their ancestor William. He stood, booted feet wide apart, one hand shielding his eyes, and a pickax in the other.
Sam stared at him for a long moment. There was something wrong with him, but it would be an easy fix. She waded into the water, giggling as it sloshed over her boots, and clambered awkwardly up onto the stone plinth using the statue’s legs to hoist herself up.
“Sam!”
She heard the shouts, but ignored them, too intent on her mission. She stood uprig
ht, grinning as she embraced the cowboy and put her arms around his neck. When she felt steady, she carefully took off her hat, and stuck it on the statue’s head.
“There,” Sam shouted. “Fixed it.”
She took out her phone, found HW’s number, checked she had it right this time, and held the phone up. She pressed her cheek against the cold stone features of the Morgantown founder, and smiled as she took a selfie and sent it to her lover.
“Sam! Get down from there!”
She looked down to see Cam and Nancy gesticulating at her, and waved at them, almost losing her grip.
“It’s okay!” she yelled. “It’s all good!”
“Sam . . .” Nancy took a step closer. “You need to get down. You’re going to wake people up.”
Sam nodded obediently, and stared down at the gushing water, which seemed to be churning up into a storm.
Nancy held out her hand. “You’re coming down, right?”
“Got to get my hat first,” Sam said as she put her cell in the pocket of her jeans. She reached up to take the hat, and almost slipped again, making her friends on the ground gasp.
“Be careful!” Cam said in the calm voice she used in her professional life. “Just take it slow, Sam. You can do this.”
“I dunno.” Sam was now clutching the statue like a lifeline. “I’m not sure about that. Everything’s swirling around. . . .”
She looked up as a vehicle came around the corner, blue lights flashing, and stopped right beside the fountain. Nate Turner, the local sheriff, got out of his car, put on his hat, and strolled over to look up at Sam.
“Hey, I’ve had some calls about you causing a disturbance.” His smile was full of encouragement. “Do you want to come down and tell me what’s going on?”
Sam swallowed hard. “I’m not sure if I can actually do that.”
Nate sighed and rolled up his sleeves. “Then stay put. I’m coming in.”
* * *
HW cursed out loud, waking his twin, who was sleeping beside him on the plane.
“What’s going on?” Ry groaned and rubbed at his eyes.
HW showed Ry his phone, which his twin had returned to him later in the evening.
“What the hell is Sam doing?” Ry peered at the image. “Who’s that guy?”