The Rancher's Unexpected Twins--A Clean Romance

by Trish Milburn

  She told herself she was simply getting caught up in the wedding hoopla, letting Maya’s teasing take root where it shouldn’t. Still, she found herself smiling as she approached Dean, and when he smiled back her heart gave an extra hard thud against her ribs.

  A fleeting desire to turn and run before she cemented the biggest mistake of her life evaporated when Dean reached out and took her hand in his. She was thankful to be able to turn to face Reverend Reynolds before Dean saw how shaky her smile was becoming.

  As the minister said the appropriate words and she and Dean exchanged vows, she slowly managed to get her racing heartbeat under control. Once this ceremony and the reception were over, she’d be able to relax. She and Dean could kick back and laugh about how they’d gotten more than they bargained for with their wedding.

  “By the power vested in me by God and the state of Wyoming, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Reverend Reynolds gave Dean a knowing grin before saying, “You may now kiss the bride.”

  She’d prepared herself for this, knowing that all their efforts would likely be for naught if they skipped at least a chaste kiss to seal the deal. She could manage a peck. Those in attendance would easily believe Dean was too shy or easily embarrassed to really lay one on her, though her skin suddenly heated at that thought.

  Sunny smiled as she turned to face him, and for a moment she thought she saw something powerful and real in Dean’s gaze. But then he smiled and she realized she must have imagined it. As he lifted his hand and slid it softly along her cheek to cup the back of her head, however, her heart started speeding up again. Then he was lowering his mouth toward hers and she fought an unexpected panic.

  At first when his warm lips touched hers, it was the light touch for which she’d prepared herself. Thank goodness. As soon as that thought formed in her mind, however, the kiss turned surprisingly real. The thought that she should ease away appeared for no more than a second before she relaxed and kissed him back.

  It’s an act. We’re selling this to all these onlookers.

  Plus Dean looks so handsome.

  Why is he such a good kisser?

  That thought startled her sufficiently that she uttered a small gasp. Dean’s mouth lifted from hers in the moment she heard giggles from the crowd. Evidently her gasp had been more audible than she’d hoped. Even Reverend Reynolds chuckled.

  As if he knew she was embarrassed, Dean eased her forehead to his chest and rested his warm, strong hand against her back for a few seconds.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I present Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wheeler.”

  Mrs.—

  Why didn’t Reverend Reynolds get the message that she wasn’t changing her name? She could pass it off as being a modern, independent businesswoman, but in reality it made no sense to go through the trouble of changing her name only to have to change it back once a sufficient amount of time had passed and they divorced amicably. Whatever “sufficient amount of time” meant. Neither she nor Dean had been able to guess the answer to that. It all depended on her dad and how quickly she thought he’d move with her when she announced she and Dean were calling it quits.

  When she and Dean turned to face their guests, her attention went straight toward her father. Guilt slammed into her when she saw how he was beaming with the biggest smile she’d seen on his face since the day the twins were born. And as if they were feeding off their grandfather’s happiness, the twins were grinning and kicking their little feet where they sat in their double stroller.

  How was she going to take them, all three of them, away from Dean?

  No, this was supposed to be a happy day, she a bride in love. She glanced up at Dean, smiled again, and squeezed his hand where their fingers were entwined. As they made their way down the aisle, they were showered with rose petals. Maya really had done a great job making this fake wedding seem beautifully romantic.

  By the time they had greeted most of the guests, Sunny’s facial muscles ached from smiling so much. Dean placed his hand at the small of her back as if it was as natural as the sunrise and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and looked up at him so that she couldn’t feel his breath on her ear and neck anymore. Why her hormones were suddenly losing their collective mind, she had no idea. She needed to get through all these romantic traditions of the day so she could collect her sanity from whatever corners to which it had scattered to hide.

  “I feel like every time we turn away the number of guests multiplies.”

  “Yeah, it’s a lot. But in a few hours, this will all be over and things can go back to normal.”

  She laughed at that. “You have a funny definition of normal, Dean Wheeler.”

  “Good point.” His crooked grin didn’t help settle the jittery feeling that had taken up residence all throughout her body.

  But a foolproof cure for that strolled up next. Even if it was fake, Sunny hated that Olivia Redmond had shown up at her wedding. She figured Maya hadn’t been able to exclude her from the guest list without doing the same for her parents, and one did not want to offend the owners of the only bank in the county. But did the woman have to show up dressed as if she owned half of Wyoming and was here to snatch away the groom for herself?

  Sunny wondered if she’d telegraphed her thoughts because Dean’s hand on her back slipped around her waist a moment before he pulled her close to his side.

  “Congratulations,” Olivia said, sounding about as genuine as a fox telling a hen he wanted to be friends. She glanced at Sunny. “Cute dress. I almost bought that but in a more flattering color.”

  Olivia shifted her gaze to Dean and, in all honesty, she was about to place her palm on his chest before Dean made a smooth move to stand behind Sunny, wrapping his arms around her waist. Olivia didn’t look happy, but she got the message—at least for the moment anyway. When she moved to join her parents at the table they were sharing with another family, Sunny slowly looked back over her shoulder.

  “Did you just hide behind me?”

  “Um, yes?”

  The sheepish look on his face caused her to laugh, and she relaxed more than she’d been all day. Dean moved back to her side, but he held her hand as if he was afraid Olivia would pounce if he didn’t maintain some type of contact with Sunny.

  “So, is it wrong to smack a guest at your wedding?” she asked. “I’m asking for a friend, and that friend is me.”

  “It seems bad form,” he said. “But if she were to accidentally trip and fall face-first into the wedding cake, who are we to argue with karma?”

  “Oh no. Her face better not get anywhere near that cake. Trudy made it and I’ve been dreaming about biting into it all day.”

  In between greeting the straggling guests, she and Dean joked with each other the way they normally did. It was almost enough to make her forget the way he’d kissed her. Almost, but not quite. She hoped she could finish forgetting before she had to sleep at his house tonight.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SUNNY LOOKED AT Dean when he chuckled at her.

  “What?”

  He grabbed his napkin and reached over to wipe her mouth.

  “You are attacking that barbecue like someone who hasn’t eaten for a week.”

  She tried to ignore how intimate his action had felt even though he likely hadn’t meant it that way. Rather, she was probably just wearing more barbecue sauce than one should at her wedding.

  “Not all week, but this is the first thing I’ve eaten today if you don’t count a lemon muffin Maya brought from Trudy’s this morning.” What seemed liked three lifetimes ago based on how empty her stomach had felt when she and Dean had finally made it to their reception table and some food.

  “Well, eat until you’re stuffed then.”

  “I think you might be the perfect husband.”

  It wasn’t her new
husband who laughed this time but rather her best friend on her other side. But when Sunny turned to see why Maya had found the statement funny, Maya had already shoved a piece of roasted potato into her mouth. Sunny gave her a narrowed-eye look, but Maya responded by grinning around her mouth full of potato.

  When Sunny finished eating, she and Dean moved to cut the cake.

  “I swear if you smash cake all over my face, I’m going to dunk you in the river,” she told him.

  His grin was full of mischief right before he said, “It’ll be worth it,” and shoved a slice of cake against her mouth until she probably looked like a baby on her first birthday.

  “Well, two can play this game.” She ripped apart the piece of cake in her hands and smashed it against both of his cheeks, quite possibly getting the sweet confection in his ears. She couldn’t help bursting out laughing at his look of surprise, his eyes blinking above the frosting-covered lower half of his face.

  “You’re wasting a delicious cake!” Trudy called out from her spot in the crowd, eliciting more laughter from everyone, including Sunny and Dean.

  Using his index finger, Dean swiped some of the cake off his face and ate it. Then he looked out at the crowd.

  “You’re right—it is delicious.”

  After they’d managed to wipe away errant cake and actually consume a slice each, it was time for the father-daughter dance.

  “Try not to let him break the other leg,” Dean whispered to her before she headed to the temporary dance floor.

  “Don’t even put that thought out into the universe.”

  The way Dean smiled at her, she thought he might actually drop a kiss on her cheek. Thankfully, he didn’t even touch her and she fled to retrieve her dad.

  Yes, fled. Every time she chalked up her weird feelings toward Dean to getting caught up in the wedding pageantry, he did or said something that made her heart skip a beat. Those reactions had to cease if she was going to make it through this fake marriage with any peace of mind.

  “You ready to take a spin, old man?” she asked as she stopped in front of her dad.

  “Wait till this cast comes off,” he said as he stood.

  Sunny laughed and bent over to give Lily and Liam loud smooches on their soft baby cheeks.

  “You two go on,” Trudy said. “I’ll watch these little darlings.”

  Sunny pointed her finger at the older woman. “Don’t you dare sneak them sweets.”

  “Who, me?” Trudy asked with overacted faux innocence.

  “Yes, you.”

  Trudy held her hand over her heart. “I promise to refrain from giving them sweets until they at least have a full set of teeth.”

  “Your restraint is noted.”

  Once Sunny and her dad made it to the dance floor, she let her teasing fall away. Even though her dad didn’t know the wedding wasn’t real, this moment felt special. She reminded herself that she was doing all this so they could be together, that she didn’t have to go months at a time without seeing her only parent and her precious niece and nephew. It would all be worth it in the end.

  As the music began and they swayed as much as his broken leg would allow, she found herself smiling.

  “I’m so glad you’re happy,” her dad said. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  Was he mistaking her guilt for happiness? Those seemed to be odd emotions to get confused for one another.

  “Dean’s a good guy.”

  “He is, and it’s obvious how much he’s in love with you when he looks at you.”

  Her heart thudded a bit harder for a moment until she told herself that if her dad was mistaking her happiness at being married, then it was likely he wasn’t reading Dean correctly either. Odd since her dad was usually a good judge of people. He must be blinded by his desire to see his daughter happily married, seeing what he wanted to see.

  Someday maybe she’d be able to give that experience to him for real. Though when she caught sight of Dean she felt a pang that didn’t make sense, one that gave her the oddest sensation that she was missing him already when he was sitting only a few feet away. Her dad’s words reverberated in her head as she realized Dean was watching her and smiled when their gazes connected. Startled, she looked away, acting as if her dad had said something to her.

  Great, now she was basically lying to Dean too through her actions.

  The song ended and was immediately replaced by another. Sunny’s dad surprised her by giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “I hope you and Dean are as happy together as your mom and I were.”

  Sunny couldn’t seem to move as her dad used his crutches to turn around and head back to his seat. She’d tried not to dwell on what her mom would no doubt think about her lies, but now her dad’s words made it impossible to avoid imagining her mom looking down on her with disappointment.

  “May I claim the next dance?”

  Startled from her thoughts, Sunny looked up to see her new father-in-law standing in front of her with his arms open. She smiled and nodded, then let him spin her around to the lively tune.

  “I should officially welcome you to the family,” he said as he maneuvered them expertly between all the other couples who had made their way onto the dance floor.

  “Thank you, Mr. Wheeler.”

  He chuckled. “Mr. Wheeler sounds a bit formal now, don’t you think?”

  “It would feel weird to call you Ken.”

  “Getting used to something takes practice.”

  “I suppose so.” Though she’d often called the ranch hands, Trudy, any number of people older than her by their first names, Dean’s parents had always been Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. It was a respect her own parents had insisted she and Jason pay to the ranch’s foreman and his wife. Considering calling them Ken and Susan made Sunny wonder if she’d be scolded by her father or even her mother from the great beyond.

  To be honest, that would be the least of her transgressions for which her mother would scold her.

  “You’ve made Susan so happy,” Ken said. “She’s been worrying herself sick that Dean wasn’t even dating, that he was lonely, that she might never get grandchildren, and here you’ve gotten him to the altar in record time.”

  It occurred to her that the fast pace of their relationship might have spawned some rumors as to why they were getting married so quickly, especially since her job was in California. Maybe everyone thought she’d quit. Or, more likely, they were assuming she and Dean “had to” get married. Time to put a stop to that rumor right here and now.

  “The twins are already a lot to handle, so I think more kids are going to have to wait for a while.”

  A long while, like when Dean and Sunny each actually fell in love and got married for real.

  She spotted Dean dancing with his mother and they both smiled at her. More guilt sliced at Sunny, and she realized how much it was going to hurt to sever relationships she’d had all her life.

  Because no matter what Dean said when they got divorced, his parents would never look favorably at her again. And she couldn’t blame them. From their perspective, she would be the person who hurt their son. Even though she’d never given birth, she understood the protective parental instinct. She felt it with every decision, big or small, that she made about the twins. She couldn’t imagine Amanda would have been any more scared than Sunny had been the day she’d rushed Lily to the hospital, because the fear had consumed every cell in Sunny’s body.

  “You two do things at your own pace. Susan can cool her grandma jets awhile longer, particularly if you let her babysit Lily and Liam every now and then.”

  “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

  When the song was over, Ken patted her hand and handed her off to Dean.

  “Got one more dance in you?” Dean asked.

  “Sure. Not to mention it would look odd no
t to dance with my husband at our wedding, right?”

  She probably imagined it, but she thought she saw his smile falter the tiniest bit before he took one of her hands in his and slipped his other arm around her waist, pulling her close. As he led her around the dance floor, she was tempted to sink into the warmth and strength of him. And she got the feeling he might let her.

  Was Dean allowing the “magic” of the wedding-day festivities to get to him too? She remembered her dad’s words again, about Dean looking at her like a man in love. Silliness, all of it! Afternoon had faded into early evening, and believing in romantic nonsense was easier at night. That’s why she needed the music to end, all these people to go home and to be able to change into something that didn’t say Bride in blinding white.

  The moment the song ended, a scream caused a chill to run down her spine. But it wasn’t a human scream that caused a chorus of gasps and the turning of heads but rather that of a wild animal.

  She and Dean moved at the same time, but then he stopped and held her by her shoulders. “Stay here with your dad and the babies.”

  Nothing else could have prevented her from riding out with him and the ranch hands already headed toward the barn, and he knew that. As he started to move away, without thinking she grabbed his hand.

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.” And then he slipped out of her grasp and ran toward the barn.

  The sound of a mountain lion way too close for comfort tended to put a damper on a party, and so wedding guests started gathering their things and heading for their vehicles. Sunny’s first priority was her family, and so she rushed her dad and the twins into the house, quickly changed into jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers, and hurried back outside to help with the cleanup and the carrying of the leftover food into the house so it wouldn’t pose a tempting feast for any critters, big or small.

  Maya rushed around alongside the caterers who’d been hired for the reception. Even Alma and Trudy seemed to have temporarily put aside their long-standing feud to help clear tables.