Not Looking for Love: A Cowboy Romance
Page 27
“You’re gonna have your hands full there, Logan. That kid knows how to work it.”
“Hah! Yeah, I know.”
Heath and Max were walking on either side of Emily, and Heath kept trying to put his arm around her while she scooped up red rose petals from her basket and dropped them on the runner in large clumps. Her brother kept shoving Heath’s arm away from her. Once they made it all the way up to the altar, Bella got up and ushered Max and Emily to the seats next to her and her husband as Heath threw his arms around Richie. Richie bent his head and hugged him as Heath kissed his cheek.
“Good luck, Uncle Richie.” Yeah, he had said Richie’s name right. The kid was growing up.
“Yeah, I’m gonna need it, right? Marrying a girl and all.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Richie, we’ll still have our guys only weekends.”
Richie nodded. “Always.”
“And when Uncle Richie has a son, he could join us, Heath,” Logan said.
Heath smiled. “Yeah, when he’s out of diapers so we don’t have to smell him.”
They laughed as Richie hugged him one last time then he and Logan watched as he walked over to Melanie and took a seat next to her, in the front pew.
The choir director, on the loft above, at the back of the church, took to the mic and began singing an a cappella version of Randy Travis’ ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’. His soft voice, soothing through the speakers hanging along the walls of the church, courtesy of a donation from Richie a few years back, as Lauren began to walk down the aisle in a sleeveless, midnight blue, lace gown. She looked pretty with her hair swept up and wearing the diamond drop earrings that Richie and Kara presented to her the night before. Richie looked to her but he was more focused on the movement behind her. He caught a glimpse of Kara’s brother and part of Kara’s gown.
“You all right?” Logan noticed Richie’s twitching leg.
“Yeah, I’m good. I can’t wait to see her. Can’t her sister walk any faster?”
Logan smiled and offered to go and grab her hand and pull her along just as she neared the steps.
Richie didn’t take his eyes off of the back of the church, no expression on his face, as a guitar strummed the music to ‘I Cross My Heart’ by George Strait, but when Kara came into view they locked eyes and his face lit up with a smile that reached his eyes. He couldn’t wait for her to see and hear the surprise he had for her.
She looked beautiful in the ivory colored custom made strapless Pronovias gown. It had a sweetheart bodice with a lace bolero jacket. The rest of the trumpet gown was full of lace. Her simple two tier veil with diamonds sporadically placed was attached to a diamond headband, and she opted to not have the veil over her face.
The singer had a smooth powerful voice that sounded just like George Strait. As Kara walked down the aisle she turned her head and looked up to see who was singing. She tripped over her gown when she realized it was George Strait himself singing, but her brother held her steady. She turned back around to see Richie grinning and nodding.
Richie walked down the two steps separating the altar from the aisle and waited for her. After Eric gave her a kiss he turned to Richie. “Congratulations, Richie,” he said as he held out his hand.
“Thank you, brother,” Richie said, glancing his way as he shook it. He whispered in Kara’s ear as Eric went to sit down by his children. “Turn around.”
Kara turned around to see the King waving to them as he finished his song. She and Richie, along with everyone else who were turned toward him, started clapping. Kara waved as Richie whispered again in her ear. “He needs to leave. He just stopped in to do me a favor.”
She was still floored and turned to Richie. “You said you had no preference which song I picked. I should have known something was up when I mentioned this one and you quickly agreed. It was like a light bulb went off in your head. Thank you.”
He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?” he said by mouth.
She shook her head.
“You’re stunning. I’ve never seen a bride look as beautiful as you.”
“Thank you, Richie. You’re looking GQish as always.” She winked. He wore a Brooks Brothers tuxedo with patent leather lace-ups.
He let out a little rumble of laughter. He had caught her and her sister talking and referring to him as GQ two nights ago, and she confessed she’d been calling him that when she spoke with Lauren ever since they first met. He hadn’t stopped teasing her about it since.
“Let’s get married,” he said, and they turned and focused on the priest.
After honeymooning for two weeks, lounging in the South of France, Richie and Kara came home and settled into the new home he ordered built on a picturesque part of the cattle ranch he owned. She had full rein of the interior design and he was pleased she chose an understated elegant motif throughout.
Kara surprised him with a Border Collie puppy that Logan helped keep a secret at his home until they got back. And Richie surprised her with a new red BMW 435i x Drive Gran Coup.
Two months later, the night after they went to Logan and Melanie’s wedding, they were sitting on the back porch watching the sun set. They marveled at the pink and yellow hues in the blue sky dotted with clouds as Richie drank a beer and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“I can never tire of these Texas sunsets,” Richie said.
“Mmmm, they are stunning.” She reached for his hand and guided it to her stomach. “I’ve been dying to tell you something,” she said to him.
He tore his eyes away from the sky to look at her as she picked her head up.
“I went to see Dr. Wright on Thursday.”
“Why? Everything okay?”
She sensed his anxiety and smiled, knowing she needed to reassure her doting husband she was fine. “Yes, everything is good. In fact, it couldn’t be better.” She bit her bottom lip and with her hand on his, she slowly circled her stomach.
He sucked in a breath. “Are you…” He tilted his head to the side.
She nodded. “We’re going to be parents.”
The corners of his lips curled up as he shifted his eyes from hers to her stomach and caressed her belly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“That why you didn’t drink last night?”
She nodded. She only took a small sip of champagne when they first toasted Logan and Melainie.
“Wow! I’m gonna be a father.”
She nodded.
He kissed her long and hard and when he broke the kiss he started in. “Do you need anything? What can I get you? I don’t want you lifting anything heavy. I’ll tell Victoria she needs to cut back on your work schedule. I’ll—”
“Richie?
“—pitch in more here to ease your load. If you—”
“Richie.”
“—need me for anything while I’m out working the ranch you just call—”
“Richie!” She rose up and straddled his lap as she brought her lips to his. “Take a breath… then make love to me.”
He grinned, knowing he was overreacting then brought his lips to hers as he rose up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the house.
THE END
A note from the author
Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoyed it, please share it. And please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon.
Thank you,
Mae Martini
To connect with Mae Martini, visit her facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mae-Martini/328199560650666
Other books by Mae Martini
The Mobster and the Cowboy (a companion book to Not Looking for Love)
Texas Hill Country Romance Series:
Loving You – Book 1
Wanting You – Book 2
Needing You – Book 3