Her Cowboy's Way

by Starla Kaye

  Her Cowboy’s Way

  Starla Kaye

  Published by Black Velvet Seductions Publishing at Smashwords

  Her Cowboy’s Way Copyright 2015 Starla Kaye

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All characters in this book are completely fictional. They exist only in the imagination of the author. Any similarity to any actual person or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental

  Chapter One

  The Bride Wore Red

  Brandi couldn’t go through with this. Panic chased rational thought away. Her mind swirled with visions of Runaway Bride, with her in Julia Roberts’ role as the bride. She was supposed to be a June bride.

  A wedding meant all kinds of serious stuff. It wouldn’t be all about her anymore. Instead of stretching over the entire bed at night she would share it with Colby, fight with him for covers or about not wanting them. She would be expected to act civil in the morning before she jump-started her brain with half a pot of coffee. He had a disgusting habit of rising and shining as soon as his feet hit the floor. There would be all sorts of compromising on furnishing their home. Typical bachelor, he was almost minimalistic; she was more the eclectic type with lots of knickknacks around. Not that she had much of her own yet, but her father was letting her mother’s collections go to her new home. Colby had agreed, but she saw the way he’d ground his teeth in frustration when her father made the offer.

  Then there was Colby’s attitude about expecting obedience, at least on issues he believed strongly about. Following what someone else wanted of her had never been her best trait.

  She glanced at the expensive wedding gown hanging in the room used for brides in the church in which she’d grown up. Obedience. Love, honor and obey. Did she really have a grasp on what the word meant? Not according to her father. Not according to most people in town. She tended to go her own way about things…and sometimes paid a price for it. Considering Colby had known her most of her life, he understood that she had trouble staying within boundaries.

  Boundaries, she saw them as “guidelines” or “lines drawn in the sand.” To her they were things that could be seen as a bit flexible or moved an inch or two or several feet. He’d heard her complain numerous times about having gotten her bottom burned because she misinterpreted a guideline or overstepped a line seen differently by someone else—usually her father.

  She wasn’t sure why all of a sudden she’d become obsessed with the three key words in the wedding ceremony. Maybe because they were big words—okay, small letter-wise—but huge in meaning.

  Last night at the dress rehearsal, she’d been too lost in the excitement of the moment to think about the vows and what she’d be promising. She hadn’t even thought about them when Colby had teased her as he’d dropped her off at her father’s ranch. But now she recalled seeing the hint of challenge in his dark eyes as he’d taunted her with “love, honor and obey.”

  Had he been referring to a few weeks ago when she’d told him she wanted to cut off her almost waist-length hair and dye it auburn? She wanted a change; something she’d thought would make her look more mature. His immediate response: “Absolutely not!” Which rubbed her wrong, made it a dare. Of course, she’d done both. Yet, with the first cut of her long locks, she’d about had heart failure. There wasn’t any going back at that point. At least she’d managed not to whimper through the rest of the haircut and as the beautician colored her hair from blonde to red. She gaped in the mirror afterward, shocked at the drastic change, somewhat traumatized, and hated what she’d had done.

  She blew out a frustrated breath. Colby hadn’t taken her decision well. Disgust played a big part in his reaction, although he’d shown some sympathy when she shed a few tears about the shorter hair. After she calmed down, grumbled about regretting her impulsive rebellion, he’d turned her bottom red. If she had just listened to what he said… If she wouldn’t get her back up… Yada, yada, yada.

  The truth was that she’d been born breach, couldn’t even manage to “obey” (follow, really) the normal way of being born. And she’d spent twenty-six years disobeying her father’s rules whenever she pleased and then suffering the consequences, which never pleased her. Marriages were about equal partnerships, not having to follow anyone’s rules. They were about adult relationships, about sex. She was okay with the “sex” thing. Especially with Colby.

  At the thought of the six-foot-three, sinfully handsome cowboy, delicious warmth curled inside her. They’d lived on neighboring ranches since her family had moved here to Hinkley, Kansas, when she was eight. As a foolish teenager, she’d had a crush on him, which hadn’t gone well. He’d been such a jerk when he’d discouraged her advances. While away at college, she’d dated a lot and explored her passionate nature. In spite of his “jerk” title, no guy had ever compared to Colby. In her fantasies, she put him on some kind of super guy pedestal, had given him impossible skills: expert at kissing, expert in all possible ways of making love. The list went on and on.

  She trembled at the memory and what she’d learned were his real skills in these last six months.

  Looking out over the town from her window seat, she thought about how she’d come back to Hinkley after graduation from college and getting her masters. Her original plan was to open a one-person accounting firm with only the guarantee of her father as a client. Now she had several ranchers as clients, including Colby. Their client-accountant relationship had gone many steps further, steps that had led to her bed, to his bed, and soon to their bed. What that man could do in between the sheets or on top of them. She moaned. Oh yeah, what he could do!

  “Time to get dressed,” Sarah announced, as she all but bounced into the room, shoulder-length brown hair fluttering around her. Her best friend since childhood looked at the white dress with layers of satin and lace. She sighed in the same way she did every time she saw the gown. “You’re going to look like a princess.”

  Brandi hadn’t picked out the dress; her father had. He’d always called her “his little princess”—except when she was in trouble—and he wanted her to look like royalty on her wedding day. Colby hadn’t seen the gown yet, but he’d like it, too. You couldn’t get more feminine than in this dress. He was all about feminine, all about her being a lady. Okay, he wanted her to behave like a lady. Behave! Obey. She had to admit that she had problems with both words and their definitions. The dictionary needed to be updated to include her interpretations of the definitions: follow societal or other’s rules if you so choose.

  She looked at her friend, who rarely strayed into the “gray areas” and accepted the common definitions of those bothersome words. Maybe Colby should marry a woman like Sarah, someone who would never challenge him or give him grief. Still, she’d have to shake him if he chose to marry someone else.

  “I think this might be a bad idea,” she said in growing distress. She was too young to be tied down to one man. Right? She was just starting to grow into the role of being an adult and being responsible. Okay, she was scared clear down to her bones. What if she screwed up Colby’s life? He needed a good woman at his side, one who…wasn’t her.

  Sarah was reaching to take the dre
ss down and glanced in her direction, her brow furrowed. “Bad idea? What are you talking about?”

  Perched on the window seat overlooking the parking lot where guests were already arriving, Brandi pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. Still wearing jeans, she rested her chin on the comforting denim. “This whole marriage business. I’m not sure if it’s really my kind of thing.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right? You’re about to wear this stunning gown, walk down an aisle lined with gorgeous white roses, and take the hand of THE studliest man on earth in marriage. It doesn’t get any better than that.” She looked at Brandi as if she were an alien who’d taken over her best friend’s body. “Oh, don’t tell Thad what I said about Colby. Thad’s studly, too. Just in a different way.”

  Brandi couldn’t deny that Colby Pennington was “studly,” a lot of the women in town called him Super Stud Cowboy behind his back. Yes, she’d started it off and, yes, he knew about it and that she’d been behind the nickname. Disgruntled, he’d warmed her bottom when he’d found out, which still irritated her. You’d have thought he’d been proud of the nickname! Jeez.

  “No, I won’t say anything to Thad.” He was okay looking, but hardly “studly.”

  Putting aside all of those thoughts, Brandi looked at the gown. She didn’t care about the dress or the roses. She wasn’t that much of a flower person. But Sarah’s mention of Colby’s hand had brought back to mind that whole behaving matter, the whole obedience issue she’d been mulling over the last few minutes. She’d experienced a number of spankings from the man who’d been her lover for the last couple of months and who’d tolerated her as his best friend’s kid sister for years.

  Beyond that, she’d also already had a number of lectures from him on professional behavior, claiming he wanted to help her. Her work schedule, in particular, was an issue. If she wanted to keep sporadic work hours, come and go as she pleased, it was her business, she’d told him. He’d pointed out that building a reputation was important, which meant showing her clients she could be counted on for her skills and for being available on a regular basis. Okay, she’d eventually agreed with him. And her clients had appreciated her adjusting to normal office hours.

  Then there had been a discussion about her inappropriate dress for the office. Again, her office. Again, she’d stopped wearing jeans to work and switched to dresses or suits. Most of the time. And, again, her clients had noticed the change, commented on it in approval. Did he have to be right about every little thing?

  In his series of lectures on behavior—as she referred to the discussions in private, he’d gone on to mention that he expected to be the head of their household. He hadn’t gone into specifics and she hadn’t asked. Blind lust had kept her thoughts focused on more interesting areas. But now she was having a serious back-to-reality moment.

  She faced Sarah, nerves twisting within her. “I need to talk to Colby.” Alarm seemed to be taking over her mind. “Now. Right now.”

  Sarah blinked in horror. “You can’t see him until the ceremony! It’s bad luck.” She shook her head. “No. No, no, no. Absolutely not.”

  Brandi wasn’t a superstitious person, but she knew what she needed. She needed to see Colby. Panic rose to another level and her voice was harsher than she intended when she said, “There won’t be a ceremony unless I talk to Colby.” She pointed to the door Sarah had closed on entering. “Please. Just go get him.”

  “But—”

  Brandi raised her chin, surprised when she battled tears. “Get Colby.”

  Colby struggled with his tie while his long-time friends stood around him, harassing him about getting married. He was about to give up on the tie and toss it in the trash when Sarah raced into the groom’s dressing room. Brandi’s best friend’s face flamed in embarrassment as her gaze darted around taking in her surprised fiancé, Thad, Brandi’s father, and the other two men. It was plain she would rather be anywhere else but here. He had a bad feeling about this.

  “What’s up?” Colby asked when she hadn’t spotted him in the far corner. His bride-to-be was up to something. Hell, she was always up to something. She would be a trial in his life for the next fifty or so years, but he felt damn lucky about that. He didn’t mind her going nose-to-nose on things with him every now and then; it kept their relationship interesting. He couldn’t marry a woman who “Yes’d” him all the time, kind of like Sarah did Thad. He liked a woman with guts…most of the time, anyway. ‘Course when she decided to cut all that long, silky hair off… Well, he hadn’t liked that so damn much.

  Still, as troublesome as she could be at times, he loved Brandi clear to his long, skinny toes. For every irritating trait she had, there were more that pleased him. She could be grumpy first thing in the morning, but he could live with that. She had a tendency to be far too casual with her professional appearance and with her work habits, but she’d been working on that. She struggled making the change from college kid to businesswoman. They’d already talked about this matter and she listened to him, for the most part. He would keep helping guide her since he had more real world experience.

  As her husband, he intended to help guide her at home, too. He’d explained his role in their marriage, heading their household, as a good, loving man should, in his opinion. She’d been hesitant about the matter, particularly when he’d said there might be times when his “guidance” would involve taking her over his knee. The idea of continuing to get her bottom warmed as a married woman hadn’t set right with her, at first. After a fair amount of lovemaking that night, pleasing her in every way she desired, she’d decided he could play whatever role he wanted. She trusted him and that meant a whole lot to him. He wouldn’t ever abuse her trust. He loved and respected her.

  Sarah looked uncertain, standing there in her hot pink gown. He put aside his musings. “What’s the problem?”

  She had trouble meeting his eyes. “Brandi said she needed to talk to you.”

  “She can’t talk to him now,” Sam Dalton protested, striding over, his forehead pinched in irritation.

  Sarah worried her lower lip and focused on Colby. “She said something about there not being a ceremony unless she talks to you. Please. Come talk to her.”

  Colby let the ends of the bowtie dangle and nodded. “I’d best go have a few words with her then.”

  Her father, his folks, dang near half the town had worked hard to pull this fancy wedding together. He and Brandi would have been happy enough with just a couple of people to stand up with them to get married. But, as his mother made it clear to him, weddings were for everyone else, not so much the bride and groom. He didn’t plan on disappointing any of them today. Brandi wouldn’t want to either. This was just some kind of “cold feet” thing, he was sure of it. She needed settling. She needed his help, a reassurance of his love and his being there for her.

  He walked over to Sarah, tried to give her a calming look. She still appeared concerned. But she tended to be a fretter. He glanced back at the frowning men behind him. “This is just a minor delay. I’ll take care of things.”

  Colby trailed after a distressed Sarah toward the bride’s dressing room. Poor Sarah, she was a nervous wreck. There wasn’t a superstition she didn’t know about, didn’t worry about. This whole business of him—the groom—seeing the bride before the ceremony was driving her crazy. Sarah grumbled unhappily with each step back through the church. She stopped at the end of the hallway. “Last minute nerves. That’s all.” She sounded like she wanted his reassurance again.

  “I’m sure it is. Everything will be fine, you’ll see,” he said and gave her a smile. It might take a few minutes of unpleasantness, but he’d get the wedding back on track. He knew in his heart that Brandi was depending on him to do so.

  When they grew closer, he found the door to the bride’s room was shut and Brandi’s two bridesmaids stood in the hallway, annoyed. One of them turned on Sarah as she walked up. “She won’t let us into the room. She demanded to be left alon
e. What’s going on? We should be helping her get dressed. Doing something with her hair.”

  “Ummm…” Sarah glanced at Colby, desperate for his help.

  “My bride-to-be appears to be panicking.” He gave the women his most reassuring smile. “Getting married is stressful.”

  They still looked concerned. Time was drawing close. It worried him a bit, too. He moved in front of the door. “Why don’t you ladies go make sure everything in the sanctuary looks all right? Give Brandi and me say… twenty minutes.”

  For a second they didn’t move, and then Sarah took charge. “You heard the man. He wants some time alone with Brandi.” She took off briskly in the other direction and the doubting pair followed her.

  Time to face your nervous bride. He sucked in a steadying breath and knocked on the door. “Brandi Lynn.”

  There wasn’t much time for handling this matter. Guests were already filing into their seats. The organist was already playing. And, no doubt, Sam Dalton was having trouble controlling his desire to come handle whatever the problem was in the firmest, most fatherly manner. A way that would no doubt involve applying his hand to his daughter’s bottom. But his time of punishing her was in the past. As of today—well, even before today, spanking her when needed was Colby’s duty.

  As the lock clicked open, he steeled himself not to lose his temper because he’d grown anxious about the necessity to get ready for the ceremony, too. This was essential. Brandi was important.

  “I’m not agreeing to obey you in the vows. It’s a deal breaker,” Brandi said in a rush as Colby walked into the room. She looked so small, so on the edge. Her eyes were big, glistening with unshed tears. At that moment, she appeared every bit of the ten years younger than him. Not child-like, just younger and less experienced. Yet he saw the need for him to pull her through this bout of nerves.