The Wedding Crasher and the Cowboy

by Robin Bielman

  “Cute town,” she said. “Thanks again for coming with me.”

  “No way was I missing this. You know I have a crush on the man.”

  Kennedy laughed. Andrew had been way more upset than she was when she and Reed had broken up. “I hope I’m not making a mistake coming here, but I need one heartfelt conversation with him to make sure he’s okay.”

  “We’ll make it happen.” Andrew made a right turn, leaving Main Street, then a quick left. Less than a minute later, a gorgeous three-story building with wraparound porches and white columns came into view. The deep blue Pacific Ocean added color in the distance. Hanging ferns and the American flag decorated the B&B, as did a traditional sign in the shape of a pine tree with the words, The Owens House Inn & Guest Ranch.

  Andrew parked the car in a designated spot for check-in. Gazing out the windshield, he said, “I think one night here is just what the doctor ordered.”

  She shook her head. Like she hadn’t heard his “just what the doctor ordered” cliché a hundred times before. She quickly slid out of the car, more than ready to stretch her legs after the six-hour drive from home. The first thing to hit her was the quiet. The peacefulness. She took a deep breath, the scents of mountains, the ocean, and flowers all filling her nose.

  One night away, even on a ranch, would be good for her soul. Provide a nice distraction from thinking about the job in Boston.

  Andrew came to stand beside her. “Okay, so our cover is we’re boyfriend and girlfriend here for a night to celebrate our one-year anniversary. You’ve never been to a ranch, so I surprised you.”

  She was pretty sure she was allergic to ranches, being that the one time she’d visited a farm, she couldn’t stop sneezing. (It may have been a cold, but either way, she’d felt miserable.) But here they were to help Reed if he needed it.

  “Let’s hope we don’t have to fool anyone before I find Reed. You know I’m a terrible actor,” she said.

  “But you’re excellent at small talk and putting people at ease. You did it every day in the ER with your patients and their families.”

  “I guess,” she said, her heart squeezing at his use of the past tense. She’d finished her residency two weeks ago and said goodbye to the hospital she’d originally planned to work for. No way could she accept their job offer when her ex-boyfriend slash future brother-in-law worked there. Please, please let me get the job in Boston.

  “And you’ll do it again somewhere bigger and better.” He gave her a quick side hug, which she gratefully reciprocated. Andrew always knew just what to say.

  “Thanks.” They walked toward the inn. As they got closer to the curved staircase, boisterous voices punctured the quiet.

  “Someone’s having a good time,” Andrew said just before a group of people spilled out the glass front door. At the sight of Reed with Elle on his arm, Kennedy stopped mid-step. Maybe if she didn’t move, no one would notice her.

  Too late. Reed’s eyes widened in…surprise? Horror? She couldn’t decide.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute,” he said, gently extricating himself from the group. He marched toward her and Andrew, meeting them in the middle of the staircase. “Kennedy?”

  “Hi, Reed.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Making sure you’re okay. After your phone call last night—”

  “I was drunk.”

  “Is what you said true, though? You don’t—”

  “Reed?” Elle stood at the top of the stairs, her brows furrowed. Her gaze jumped from Reed to her to Andrew and back to Reed.

  “Stay in town,” Reed whispered to Kennedy before turning and bounding up the stairs to his fiancée. “Hey, sorry about that.” He took Elle’s hand and led her away.

  Kennedy let those words sink in. Her friend did need her.

  “I’ll go check us in,” Andrew said.

  While he did that, she took a deep breath and let her gaze wander. Lost in concern for Reed and why he wanted her to stay, she found herself walking down the stairs and across a large expanse of grass, her four-inch heels sinking every so often in the soft ground. Straight ahead stood a brightly colored rose garden with a pond and small, white-painted bridge. Beyond it, a large barn with a brown patina roof. To her left and right were dirt walkways lined with ginormous trees.

  “George! Get back here!” someone shouted.

  An adorable someone about three feet tall, wearing a T-shirt with a Disney princess on it, shorts, and bright yellow rain boots, was chasing a miniature horse. Or maybe it was a donkey. Whatever the animal was, it definitely did not want to be caught.

  “Don’t be afraid,” the young girl shouted, just as George stopped about an inch from Kennedy.

  Kennedy didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t blink. Or breathe. She’d faced cardiac arrests, severed limbs, gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, and baby deliveries without so much as flinching, but this seemingly harmless animal had her at a loss.

  She had no idea what to do. Except freeze, apparently.

  Just as the little girl reached them, George took off. “Sorry, lady!” the child said, taking off, too.

  Kennedy watched them run across the bridge, their game of chase one they’d obviously played before. The tension in her shoulders lessened. Jeez. It’s not like the animal had wanted to take a bite out of her.

  There should be a P.S. on the inn’s sign: Beware of wildlife.

  Turning to walk back toward the inn, she bumped—oomph—right into a man. She teetered, her heels stuck in the grass so she couldn’t take a step back, arms flailing to catch her balance. Mr. Brick Wall placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

  Then he stepped back, blocking the sun with his height. He stood well over six feet, considering she found herself eye level with his broad chest.

  “Sorry,” she said, tilting her head to look up at his face. “I didn’t hear or see you.”

  He lifted an eyebrow and stared down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She almost fell flat on her butt. No, no, no. It couldn’t be. “Maverick?”

  “Hello, Shortcake.”

  She ground her teeth together at the nickname he’d tortured her with in college. “Please tell me this isn’t your family’s ranch.”

  He smirked down at her as he crossed his arms. “When have I ever lied to you?”

  Great. Not only was she crashing her ex’s wedding, but she was on his property. Maverick Owens. The bane of her small, private undergrad existence.

  He’d played the part of Captain Obnoxious annoyingly well while they tried to best each other—always jockeying for the number one and number two spots—whenever they were in the same premed class, or even in the same vicinity. One of their favorite games was who got to the campus coffee shop first and snagged the leather armchair by the window. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what had started their animosity toward each other, but his constant teasing about her small size contributed. She was a doctor, for goodness’ sake, not a shortcake.

  “It’s been seven years—maybe you’ve changed.”

  He remained stoically quiet, telling her nothing yet everything. He hadn’t changed.

  She tried to casually dislodge her heels from the cement-like ground so she could be on her way, but no go. Instead, her subtlety heightened Maverick’s attention. He glanced down her body, taking in what felt like every inch of her.

  “Problem?” he asked, a playful glint in his eye.

  “No.” She ran her hands down her white linen pants.

  “You sure? Looks like you might be stuck.”

  “I’m fine. Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

  His eyes moved over her head for a second before returning to hers. “Looks like Jenna and George made it to the barn.”

  “Jenna?” Did he have a daughter?

  “My
niece.”

  “And George is a…?”

  One corner of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly. “Mule.”

  She nodded like I knew that and was only making polite conversation. Which must be some sort of maturity side effect, since they had rarely been nice to each other in college. From the second they’d met, they’d rubbed each other the wrong way and made sport of it rather than try to be friends.

  There’s a fine line between love and hate, Andrew always said.

  Whatever. She knew which side of it she was on.

  Since Maverick stood there staring at her, she stared back. Light blue jeans, black cotton T-shirt stretched by wide shoulders, scuffed cowboy boots. His light brown hair curled around his ears and was creased along the sides of his head like he’d recently taken off a hat. Unfortunately, the past several years had made him even more handsome. Not that she’d ever dwelled on his looks. Anyone would appreciate his appearance. Objectively.

  “What brings you here?” he asked, his tone toeing the line between cordial and unsociable. Nothing new there, either.

  “An overnight stay.”

  His brows pinched. “Voluntarily?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He scratched the back of his neck. “You hate the countryside.”

  That he remembered this fact rattled her. “Well, for your information, I have evolved, and my boyfriend surprised me with a night away for our anniversary.” Huh, maybe she could act her way through this, considering that lie had rolled off her tongue easier than she thought it would.

  Right on cue, Andrew appeared at her side. He slid off his sunglasses and hung them on the V-neck of his shirt. “Hey, Maverick.”

  The tall, distractingly good-looking cowboy in front of her moved his gaze to her best friend.

  “I believe you’ve met Andrew before,” Kennedy said.

  Maverick put out his hand. “I have. Hey, Andrew.”

  Andrew shook hands, holding on a little too long. Jeez Louise, could the guy keep it together please? “It’s good to see you again,” Andrew said.

  “I didn’t realize friends celebrated anniversaries.”

  “Oh, we’re not just friends.” Kennedy wrapped both arms around Andrew’s muscled biceps and leaned into him.

  “Really?” Was it just her or did Maverick sound like he didn’t believe her? Andrew had the kind of outgoing, affable, and confident personality that made both men and women fall for him. It just so happened he preferred the former over the latter. She didn’t think Maverick knew that, though.

  “Really.” Kennedy gave Maverick the stink eye before turning her head and softening for Andrew. “Is our room ready, honey? Since we’re here for only a short time, I don’t want to waste it standing in this one spot.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Andrew said. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Only when she tried to step away, her heel stayed stuck, so rather than put distance between herself and Maverick, Andrew simply canted his head and lowered his voice.

  “What do you think about staying for the week? We’re both free and already here.”

  Reed’s plea floated through her mind. Stay in town.

  “Is there a room available for that long?” she asked.

  “Funny thing happened when I got to the reception desk. The man in front of me checking in was the brother of the bride and the man of honor, and we started talking and then in a stroke of luck, the person who reserved our room starting tomorrow called this morning to cancel, so the room is available for the next week. Friends and family on both sides of the wedding party are the only guests at the ranch right now. The woman at the reception desk said she’d be thrilled if we’d like to keep the room.”

  Stay.

  The only way to stop a wedding was to be at the wedding.

  “I know that wasn’t the plan. But Liam—the man of honor—was really friendly, and there was something about him that made me hot all over. I haven’t felt that since…”

  Joaquin. Andrew’s ex, and the reason Andrew had fun but kept himself guarded.

  “It’s up to you,” Andrew said. “But this gives you more time to make sure Reed truly wants to get married.”

  She and Ava had watched Wedding Crashers at least half a dozen times. She could pretend to be Andrew’s girlfriend and a second cousin or something, right?

  Andrew raised his brows, and his expression said pretty please.

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?” she asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Yes, he did. He knew exactly what she meant. She knew him better than he knew himself. He might be in insta-love with the man of honor, but his eyes were sparkling like they did after one of his stage performances.

  She thought back to the improvisational acting workshop he’d mentioned he missed last week. He clearly saw this situation as an opportunity—a chance to be someone else and hone his skills, and she couldn’t fault him for that. Not when it was her fault he’d missed the workshop. He’d rescued her from a disastrous dinner with her sister where Victoria couldn’t have cared less about hurting Kennedy’s feelings, taking dig after dig.

  “The man of honor is Elle’s brother,” she whispered. If she had a red flag, she’d be waving it. She didn’t want to stir up any trouble or cause undue harm for the bride-to-be, no matter what Reed decided.

  “I realize that,” he said like it wasn’t a problem.

  For him, maybe. She mentally kicked herself for even thinking about staying the week. She could barely fake a stomachache. But she also never turned her back on a friend. “Okay, let’s—”

  “Ahem.”

  Oh, crap. She’d forgotten about Maverick, standing there this whole time, and no doubt overhearing bits and pieces of their private conversation. “I don’t suppose you tuned all that out, did you?” she asked him.

  “Nope.”

  At his smug expression, she pressed her back straighter. Maverick Owens didn’t think she had what it took to enjoy herself on a ranch, and she’d like nothing more than to prove him wrong. She’d have a heart-to-heart with Reed, root for her best friend and the MOH to have a good time together, and put this country boy in his place.

  “Looks like you’re stuck with me for the week now,” she said, matching his stance by crossing her arms.

  “Awesome,” Andrew said from next to her. “I’ll go finish checking in and then grab our bags from the car and put them in our room. We’re in the main house, room number six. Meet you there in a few minutes.” He kissed her cheek and took off, leaving her alone with the one man on the planet she’d hoped never to see again, let alone be stuck with on the same property.

  “I should go, too,” she said, more than ready to walk away.

  “What’s really going on?” Maverick asked, always so suspicious.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s a far greater chance of Andrew and me celebrating an anniversary than the two of you. You guys are like brother and sister.”

  He knew. Of course he knew.

  The man was annoyingly smart and intuitive and paid attention to everything around him.

  “It’s none of your business,” Kennedy said. Especially since she was crashing a wedding and possibly stopping it from happening.

  “Not true. The ranch is my business.”

  “Okay, but I’m not. Just pretend you never saw me. It sounds like the ranch will be overrun with wedding guests this week, so you can focus on them.” She would be—at least in the sense of blending in. She bet there were daily activities, each an opportunity to sneak in a conversation with Reed and/or gather intelligence on the engaged couple.

  His chiseled jaw tensed. “You’re really staying?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked further
dismayed.

  “What?” She objected to his visible malaise and put her hands on her hips in case her tone of voice wasn’t clear enough. What did her length of stay matter to him?

  …

  What indeed? Maverick Owens had planned to do what he always did when there were big events on the ranch: make himself as scarce as possible, keeping to the animals rather than the people. But five minutes in Kennedy Martin’s surprising presence had him changing his mind. Suddenly, there was nothing he wanted more than to once again ruffle her pretty feathers. In college she’d proven a worthy adversary, their competitions some of his favorite days.

  He didn’t like feeling this way. Correction: he didn’t want to feel this way. This urgent desire to have some fun with her, to pick up where they’d left off all those years ago. That her caramel-colored eyes sparkled with intelligence and defiance didn’t help matters.

  “Well?” she said, clearly impatient with his silence.

  Which only made him want to stay quiet. She’d been a thorn in his side from the first day they’d met in Biology 101, always offering unsolicited advice and vying for the best grades. The only time she’d given him some peace and quiet was when he got a TA position over her. Yeah, she hadn’t liked that.

  The antagonism between the two of them became something of a spectator sport, classmates taking bets on the country boy versus the city girl. But now they were on his turf, not the urban collegiate environment she’d thrived in.

  “Fine,” she said, intruding on his memories. She struggled to lift one heel, then the other, from the confines of the damp grass, so he offered his arm for leverage before he could rethink it. She reluctantly wrapped her soft hand around his forearm and freed herself. Her touch warmed his skin.

  “Fine?” When a woman said “fine” it meant anything but.

  “That’s right. It’s clear we can’t remain in the same space together, so like I said, pretend you never saw me.” She took one step and almost sank back into the earth.