by Tina Leonard
She reached out to hold his hand, which made him smile.
“I don’t know,” Doc said. “It’d be best if he had his condition—”
“No,” Bandera said. “I probably just need something to eat.”
“How about chocolate chip cookies?” Holly asked. “I was baking when Last called, so I brought some with me.”
Bandera opened his eyes and smiled at her. “I know you, and you are someone I feel very comfortable with.”
She sighed. “You might not be comfortable in an emergency room,” she said, “but at least you’d have better medicine than cookies.”
“I’m staying here.” Bandera’s mouth flattened, and his face turned a bit pale.
“All right,” Mason said, then he, Doc, Last and Crockett filed out silently.
Holly looked at Bandera. “You’re too stubborn.”
He closed his eyes, then opened them again. “When the bees quit buzzing in my head, I want to marry you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why. I just know I do.”
Holly shook her head. “Bandera, you and I agreed to do a three-legged race together, and that required major commitment on both our parts. I don’t think we can go from a three-legged race to a marriage proposal.”
“Go ahead. Ask me.”
She smiled. “I can’t. The man asks the woman.”
He moaned, touching his head.
“All right.” Holly took a deep breath. “Bandera, will you marry me?”
He grinned from ear to ear. “I always knew you had it in you, Holly.” Pulling her into the bed beside him, he kissed her deeply. “I’m crazy about you, girl.”
She beat on his arm. “You were faking.”
“I was not. I have a helluva headache and I’m going to whip Mason’s ass when I can see straight. But the one thing I see just fine is you.” He kissed her palms and then each of her eyes. “And you’re good medicine for me. I loved hearing you ask me to marry you, in that sweet little voice.”
“Let me up,” she said. “I’m going to concuss you myself.”
“My little firecracker,” he said. “All these fireworks in bed just in time for the Fourth of July. And you know what would make me have a one hundred percent recovery?”
“Bandera!”
He laughed. “Some of those chocolate chip cookies you brought.”
“Go ahead, have your laugh,” she said. “You’re the one lying in a bed with your head splitting. I’m feeling no pain whatsoever.”
He grabbed her fingers. “One day, my little wedding planner, I’m going to make love to you in a bed, in a traditional nod to marital bliss, and you’re going to think heaven is in a standard four-poster. We’ve made love, and you know that on some level you belong to me.”
She jerked her hand away. “I take back my proposal. You’re a faker.”
He let go of her, and she made her escape, though part of her wished she was still with him, snuggled up next to his strength.
The realistic side of her knew she had to leave. She was falling for him.
So she left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. She put the cookies on a plate, then took them into the den to Last. “I think the patient is coming around. Here’s the medicine he requested.”
“Aren’t you taking them to him?” Last asked. “He seems to respond better to you.”
“Actually, I’m not. I need to get back home.”
“Oh,” Last said. “It’s like that, is it?”
“Yes,” Holly said. “It’s like that. But thank you for calling me to let me know he was hurt. I don’t think the superstition worked the way he thought it would.”
“Superstition?” Last asked.
“The one about pain and injury.”
“Oh, that’s just a crock of sh— I mean, that’s bull malarkey,” Mason said. “I’ve never been hurt.”
“Neither have I,” Last said.
“Yeah, and neither of you have ever been in love,” Crockett said. “I believe in the Curse of the Broken Body Parts, and I stay away from painful occurrences linked to women.”
These men were committed bachelors, every one of them. They honestly believed that they had to experience pain to make it to the altar. That love was inherently painful in some way. She understood. She’d been through a painful experience at the altar herself.
Holly walked out of the ranch house, sorry to be going but knowing that she had to leave.
Chapter Fourteen
The Fourth of July dawned hot and steamy, but Bandera didn’t care. Today he was going to be tied at the ankle to Holly Henshaw.
And then he was going to pop the Big Question.
He’d had about a week to think about it, as he’d been stuck in the house, courtesy of Doc’s orders. Really stupid, he kept telling Doc. There was nothing wrong with him. The pain was worth every bit of the gain he was planning.
There were picnic tables set up, and pinwheels blew on every table, stuck in pots of geraniums. Big flags hung off the porch. The mailbox wore a big bow, and even the dog had a giant red-white-and-blue bandanna tied around its neck.
Bandera smelled barbecue cooking. Mason had gone all out for this occasion. Now that so many kids were on the ranch and in the family, he was inclined to be very decorative during the holidays.
It gave the brothers a reason to return home, if their kids were begging them to visit Uncle Mason.
Mimi was there with Nanette. Bandera took a deep breath, hating secrets. He would know everything about Holly, and she would know everything about him.
He watched Nanette run across a field after Kenny and Minnie. Glancing at his watch, he thought about the surprise he had for Holly.
If she came.
She would. He’d left a message on her phone yesterday, and she hadn’t called to say she had other plans.
She hadn’t called at all.
A chill swept over him. “I think I’ll mosey to town,” he said to Last, who was walking by with a huge bowl of macaroni salad.
“Gotcha,” Last said. “Valentine and the little one are bringing some sugar cookies from her bakery today, but would you mind…hey, Bandera. You’ve got company.”
He wheeled around. Holly was walking toward him, carrying five large Mylar balloons and what looked like a cake. “Howdy!” he said. He rushed to meet her, relieved that she’d kept her word. “You brought me a present!”
“No,” Holly said. “I brought the children balloons. Did you tell me there were five children here? If not, I need to go get some more balloons.”
“This is plenty. It can be a centerpiece for the dessert table.” He drank in the sight of her. “I didn’t think you’d show.”
“And miss the chance to be tied to your ankle?”
He helped her put the cake down, but not without sticking his finger in it. “Oops. Accident.” He licked his finger happily.
“Yeah, right.” Holly rolled her eyes.
“Homemade,” he said. “Lemon cake, French vanilla icing.”
“Strawberry filling, too. But don’t stick your finger into the middle of the cake, okay?”
He grinned. “You really are good at everything, aren’t you?”
“Not wedding planning,” she said. “I just found out the business I sold, Weddings By Holly, had such a bad reputation because of my disastrous wedding that the buyer changed the name.” She tried to smile, but embarrassment prevented it. “I would have liked to go out with a bang.”
Pulling her close, he said, “Listen, I bumped my head, so I got enough bang for all of us, okay? You can make a success out of marriage later. Focus on the honeymoon business. It’s all about the balloons.”
She smiled. “You are making me feel better.”
“Good. Look to the future. And here’s Valentine,” Bandera said. “You and Valentine should have a lot to talk about. She’s just opened her own business, Baked Valentines.”
“Congratulations,” Holly said. “It’s great to own your ow
n business, isn’t it?”
“I think so. I’m still a little nervous.” Valentine smiled at Bandera. “But I’m very grateful to the Jefferson boys for backing me and helping me get started.”
“Really? And I thought the backing I received was special,” she said, thinking of the thousand dollars Bandera had given her.
“Oh, that was quite different.” Bandera chuckled, then changed the subject. “Valentine and Last have a child. In fact, this would be the little darling,” he said, scooping up the little girl as she tried to hide behind Valentine’s skirt. “This is Annette. Our precious ladybug.”
The little girl blushed and hid her face against Bandera’s shoulder.
Valentine smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Holly. Let me know if I can send over some baked goods for your new business. We can do balloon shapes.”
“Oh, now that’s an idea,” Holly said. “Thank you, Valentine.”
“See you at the races,” she said, taking Annette from Bandera and heading toward the other kids.
They could hear the happy laughter of children. “Last is with them, I think,” Bandera said.
“Let me get this straight,” Holly said. “Last and Valentine have a child, but—”
“No. They never got married. It doesn’t always work out, you know.”
“Yes, I do.”
He pulled her close to him. “But we love children here. And family. Holly, I realize we’re different from a lot of families, but we stay with our friends through thick and thin.” Touching her face, he said, “You know you want me.”
She laughed and slapped his hand away. “I don’t know. Marrying a man from Malfunction Junction would probably not help my reputation. Weddings by Holly, Divorce By Golly.”
“Very tacky, I agree. You did lots of weddings. They didn’t all end up badly, did they?”
“It just took mine falling apart for the name to stick, I suppose.”
“You didn’t even get married.” He walked away from her a few steps. “Well, come on, Miss By Golly.”
“Where are we going?”
“I think it’s time for the three-legged race.”
“Do you think you should do that in your condition?” Holly asked.
“I wouldn’t miss this chance to show you that my family is full of good old-fashioned fun.” Bandera grinned. “And it may be the most tying-down of you I ever get to do. I wore an extra-thick belt today.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no, cowboy. I brought a special belt just for you.” And she pulled a long ribbon from her pocket, white with lots of tiny black polka dots.
“You are the woman of my dreams,” he said. “You have no idea how much Minnie is going to approve of this.”
“Minnie?”
“Yes. She lost a favorite ribbon recently to a little boy on the playground and hasn’t quite forgiven him for the dent in her collection.”
Holly smiled. “This should help.”
“And every time I see this ribbon in her hair, I’ll think of you. You’re such a dotty lass.”
“I’m ignoring that because you have suffered a slight head injury.” She bent down and began tying the ribbon so that the two of them were joined together.
“Almost as good as a wedding ring,” Bandera said. “Two become one, and all that.”
“Or possibly we are the two-headed monster. We’ll find out. Please try not to lag behind,” Holly instructed. “I intend to win this race.”
“Minnie and Kenny are racing against us,” he warned her. “They’re far more flexible.”
“Focus, Bandera,” she said. “Together now. Get into the rhythm.”
“All I do is think about sex around you,” he said, leaning on her so he could feel her body tight against his. “Everything you say and do makes me think about the next fun place I can have you.”
“This is a family affair. Keep it G-rated,” Holly said. “If we don’t make a good showing, I’m blaming it on your lack of concentration.”
He forced himself to think about nothing but walking in sync. But she felt so good tucked up under his arm. This is what I want for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be like Mason. I don’t want a sideways thing like what Last has. I want this woman, and I want it to be the marriage she’s always wanted.
Bandera watched as several pairs of his brothers and family friends gathered at the starting line. Sheriff Cannady was there to call the start; Shoeshine Johnson would call the finish. Minnie and Kenny were paired, as were Frisco Joe and his wife, Annabelle, who’d come in from the Texas wine country. Laredo and Katy, Hannah and Ranger, Fannin and Kelly, Tex and Cissy—everybody was there for the fun. Last had paired up with Helga the housekeeper, and Valentine was paired with Crockett.
“I hope you’re fast,” Bandera said to Holly.
“I hope you don’t slow us down,” she retorted.
“On your mark, get set…go!” the sheriff hollered.
They all took off at an awkward pace, lumbering along as best they could for people who weren’t used to being strapped together at the ankle. Holly was laughing so hard he didn’t think she was going to be able to keep running. Finally, Bandera picked her up and hauled her toward the finish line.
They were winning, he was happy to see. It was great to be able to outrun his brothers. Holly was hanging on for dear life, squealing, “Go, Bandera!” and he was going for all he was worth. That is, until he stepped in a gopher hole or some other rodent burrow and lost his balance, falling forward, with Holly’s weight pulling him that much faster as they landed in a heap on the ground.
“Bandera!” Holly gave him a little pop on the shoulder, laughing. “Get up! Keep running! We nearly won!”
He was glad to hear it, but she was lying on his leg, which felt a bit different than normal, mostly because of the pain shooting up his calf. “You can take off the polka dots now,” he said. “I’m done with that pattern.”
“What?” She leaned close, their ankles twisting together in the ribbon noose. He moaned, and she moved his hat back. “Are you all right?”
“Untie me, and I’ll be fine.”
She did, quickly.
Minnie and Kenny skidded over after they’d captured first place. They bent down, examining Bandera carefully.
“What are you doing?” Kenny asked.
“Counting ants,” Bandera said between gritted teeth. “You’ve heard it’s not a picnic until the ants are invited?”
“Are you…hurt?” Minnie asked.
“I believe I am.” Bandera closed his eyes. “Kenny, will you ask Doc to step over here, please, son?”
Minnie leaned close to his ear. “You look like Uncle Calhoun when he was stretched out on the ground after falling from the tree. He ought not have been up on that ladder fixing bird feeders.”
“He was just helping you kids out,” Bandera said, looking into her eyes.
“Yeah, Uncle Bandera,” Minnie said, “but you know what this means.”
Holly leaned in close. “I know what it means.”
Minnie said, “You do?”
“Mmm. It’s the curse. Or superstition. Bandera’s going to get married.”
Minnie grinned, and Bandera smiled wanly. “You don’t believe in the superstition.”
“No, but I believe in you,” she said. “Bandera, do you remember when I told you that the man asked the woman?”
“Yeah. I thought you were such an independent lass, with your woman-owned business and your house ownership. I didn’t know how you could not understand it didn’t matter who did the asking.”
“I understand that now that I know the real you,” Holly said, “so I’m asking.”
Doc came to stand over him, squatting down to gently probe his leg. “Ankle?”
“Think so. But my heart’s not broken anymore,” Bandera said happily. “I’m getting a wedding proposal.”
All his brothers and their wives and children were now standing around them, some still connected at the ankles.
<
br /> “Are you accepting?” Doc asked curiously. “’Cuz Hawk just called and he and Jelly are on the way in. We could have a bang-up wedding, right here, with sparklers and all.”
“I’m accepting,” Bandera said. “But just so the traditionalist in you will be satisfied, Holly Henshaw, amazing wedding planner, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“I will,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “I love you, Bandera Jefferson. I’m so glad you have excellent endurance.”
“Even though he does step in gopher holes,” Kenny said.
But Holly didn’t care. She was too busy being kissed by her new fiancé.
“Good thing you said yes,” Minnie said. “I was kinda wondering what Uncle Bandera was going to do with that pretty balloon if you said no.”
“What?” Holly looked up at the little girl, and all the smiling faces of her new family around her. “What balloon?”
“That one,” Minnie said, pointing.
Holly looked up to see a giant balloon floating overhead, the beautiful waterfall balloon where they’d first made love. She squealed with joy and surprise. “Bandera!” Tightening her arms around his neck, she said, “Can you get up?”
“I think so.”
Everybody helped him, and he stood, testing his ankle. But not for long, because his wife-to-be tucked herself under his arm, bracing him, so that together they could walk, not run, toward their future.
“I love you, Holly,” he said. “We’re taking that balloon trip in Salzburg for our honeymoon. We need to know everything about our new occupation.” And then he kissed her, long and deep, holding her close, as the balloon gently floated overhead. “And don’t worry. This is one wedding that is certain to go off without a hitch!”
Holly laughed, looking up into her groom’s eyes. “You’re just the right combination of traditional and outrageous. Being married to you is going to be so much fun. I’m so glad to be a Malfunction Junction bride!”
He enclosed her in his arms, and together they turned to look toward their family, laughing as they saw everybody waving at them, some holding sparklers that sparked and Kenny and Minnie holding up a sign that read Uncle Bandera’s Balloon Rides for Kids.
