Their Ex's Redrock Midnight (Texas Alpha)

by Anders, Shirl

  Rusty dragged her mind back to Tess’ wedding jitters, having sorted out the best way to be a best friend and maid of honor. “So if you were loaded then, you’d do the same thing and expect a prenuptial from him?”

  Tess halted on a whirled end of her pacing, and she just stared at Rusty. “I,” Tess whispered, then shook her head slowly.

  Rusty grinned. “Glad we got that cleared up. Now let’s get this wedding dress on. You’re going to be the most gorgeous bride ever and I am so proud.”

  “Rusty,” Tess wailed with a thanking sound.

  Rusty stopped her before they both cried. “Do not mess up your mascara yet,” she ordered.

  ***

  Cabe walked into the private room the evening wedding was being held in and he felt as if he’d walked into another world. The room was transformed from a bare room with four walls into a romantic yet spiritual place. He knew it wasn’t all the girls from WTSF’s work, but they had done an exceptional job. There was even a waterfall and pool, with trees in ornate pots, limbs covered in twinkling lights. Gauzy white material hung in streamers around the walls and floated on gentle breezes from some artificial means. The back wall was a mural of Indian design, with an eagle prominent. In front of the mural stood a vine arbor covered in flowers. Candles were lit everywhere; some stood in holders as tall as he was.

  Cabe saw Sam standing under the arbor, and Cabe balanced the box of expensive cigars he held and walked the red carpet to Sam. Sam was dressed in a suit much like Cabe’s, but he had on an ornate bone breastplate over it with feathers on it and in his loose-hanging black hair. Sam was holding a long Indian pipe with more feathers hanging off it.

  “You bring white man’s tobacco, I bring Indians,” Sam said with a chuckle and nod to Cabe’s cigars. “I’ll admit yours is going to be much smoother than my grandfather’s handpicked tobacco for this pipe.”

  Cabe chuckled. “I’ll share,” he said, and they both shoulder hugged, then stepped back. “Vincent’s outdone himself,” Cabe said.

  “Something to live up to,” Sam said, shaking his head. “Inspirational.” Then he added, “You have the rings?”

  Cabe patted his lapel pocket. “Right by my heart, brother.”

  Sam nodded, then looked to a pedestal beside him with three Indian blankets folded on it. “For the blanket ceremony you will hand Rusty the top blue blanket to put on Tess’ shoulders, then you will take the next one to place over Vincent’s shoulders as soon as Tess reaches Vincent and they are standing before me, but before I speak.”

  Cabe nodded. “Rusty said she’d worked in not covering Tess’ dress until then.”

  “We’ll make a brother squirm first and not cover his sexy bride up,” Sam said with a wink. “Now, after I say, ‘May you gently walk through this world and know its beauty,’ and I pause, then you will replace the separate blue blankets with the large white one with each end wrapped over each of their shoulders.”

  “Got it,” Cabe replied. “When do we offer the tobacco?”

  “After I declare them man and wife and they turn out to the world, we will offer our gifts for their strong union. For now you can set it on this other pedestal next to my pouch,” Sam said.

  A sound in the room changed and Cabe looked up to see the door opening. Carly stepped through, then her husband, whom Cabe didn’t know very well, followed. Cabe could sense right off that things were not mellow and happy with them. Carly’s cute face was scrunched in anger, and Cabe found out why when he approached them. Her husband was drunk, and he was not happy about being at the wedding.

  “Damn forest,” Carly’s husband slurred.

  Carly grabbed Cabe’s arm and leaned toward him. “What do I do?” she asked, sounding desperate.

  Cabe glanced at Carly’s husband Rick weaving, and asked against her ear, “You let me do what I need to do to fix it?”

  Carly nodded strongly, leaning back to give Cabe more proof with her pleading eyes. Cabe nodded and squeezed her arm, then he turned to Rick.

  “Hey, buddy, remember me? Cabe Santos?” Cabe did not wait for Rick to slur his answer; instead he moved close to Rick and grabbed his arm. “Drinks for the men of this get-together, come on.”

  Cabe herded Rick out of the room and had to keep grabbing his arm to keep him from falling over as they went down the hallway.

  “I’m going to buy Carly’s damn boss a drink,” Rick declared. “He’s got all the money but this is his wedding!”

  Cabe thought about punching him into unconsciousness as he pushed him out into the casino while trying to figure out what the hell to do with him. Cabe thought his only choice was to lie and try to fool Rick that Carly had gone home and Rick needed to get into a cab and follow. Rick was plastered enough it just might work.

  But Rick took care of himself by stumbling right into a big man by a slot machine, which might have been worth just an apology. But Rick butted the guy, spilled the guy’s drink, and when the brute turned it was obvious he knew Rick. It seemed they didn’t like each other. The next second Rick was on the floor being punched by the guy, who turned out to be running the rodeo circuit. Then the next second, security was there hauling them both off while Cabe stepped back and let it happen.

  When he got back to the room where the wedding would be held, he told Sam about it before he went to talk to Carly. Sam got on his cell to make sure they kept Rick comfortably on ice until he sobered up and not hand him over to the local police for drunk and disorderly. Then Cabe went to sit beside Carly in the few chairs there were, noticing she looked kind of lost.

  He grasped her hand and her head turned with her gray eyes focusing on him. “Sorry,” she whispered.

  He squeezed her hand. “It happens,” he muttered.

  She shook her head. “I should have dumped him out in the casino. I knew he was too drunk. But he got home so late, making us so late I didn’t realize how gone he was until we got here and he got out of the car.”

  “Redrock’s security here is sobering him up, he’ll be fine,” Cabe said.

  Carly grimaced, then she straightened her shoulders. “Well he deserves it for getting in some poker game and getting plowed before one of my best friend’s weddings.”

  Cabe released her hand with a half-smile. “That’s the girl I know that kicked butt and took no shit from roughnecks in our oil field offices.”

  Cabe was happy to see he gotten Carly to smile. Then he heard the door opening and they both looked up to see Vincent entering.

  “Wow,” Carly exclaimed.

  Cabe wasn’t a judge of another man’s hotness factor, but Vincent did look good. He had on the same shiny faux-leather-type suit Cabe was wearing, only Vincent’s had intricately scrolled embroidery with a half-cowl collar and a large silver eagle pendant clipped to his black tie. Vincent’s hair was loose but partially braided on one side, with a feather hanging down. He carried a black jewelry store box and a large leather tobacco pouch.

  His normally etched features looked lean and intense. His aura said he was ready to claim his woman, and he was not nervous about that fact, but determined. Vincent gave him a nod and they half shoulder hugged, then Vincent hugged Carly close.

  “Look beautiful,” he told her.

  Pulling out of his embrace, she fanned her eyes, blinking. “Don’t make me cry yet,” she said with a catch in her voice.

  Then they all went to Sam, everyone greeting and hugging again. Vincent used his finger to curl a tendril of hair behind Carly’s ear as he said, “Olive Oyl, you stand up here with us beside Rusty.” Then he added, “This is it.”

  Carly gave another trembling smile and Cabe could tell she was fighting tears. “Proud to,” she whispered.

  Vincent nodded and turned to set the jewelry box and pouch on the same pedestal as Cabe and Sam had set their offerings. Vincent pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and thumbed it, then put it to his ear.

  His command: “Cue it the minute they leave the elevator.”

  Afte
r this mysterious command, his cell disappeared and his deep voice rumbled, “Once we hear the music we will know they hit the room in seconds.”

  Everyone nodded.

  Three minutes later, the music started.

  One minute after that, the doors were thrown open by two of Redrock’s employees wearing tuxes, and through the darkness from the room into the hallway Rusty was slowly revealed, walking a sensual wedding stroll.

  “Hell,” Cabe muttered under his breath at the beauty coming toward him making his heartbeat thump and his libido hot.

  Then he heard Vincent growl, “Fuck me.” As Tess’ curving figure was revealed, looking so stunning, Cabe felt his throat go dry. Then Vincent uttered lowly, “I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

  Soft chuckles from everyone sounded.

  Rusty thought her heart might burst from happiness. Her best friend in the world looked like a princess marrying her darkly handsome, totally hot man. The room was amazing, just like a fairytale, and it showed how totally a man loved his woman, to do it all for her. To top that off, Rusty was wearing a smoking-hot designer dress that made her feel amazing, and she was walking toward a man she had fallen in love with. That man’s eyes were eating her up and telling her he loved what he saw, and it was making him burn for her. But because they were there for their friends, he tempered it, and that holding back made it look even hotter on him.

  Then, when Rusty thought nothing could get better, she witnessed the most beautiful ceremony she’d ever seen. She’d never thought she’d cry, but hearing Sam’s words had her accepting tissues from Carly at her side.

  “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long on this earth.”

  Once Tess and Vincent were wrapped up together in the most exquisite white Indian blanket, Sam declared more traditionally, “You may kiss your bride!”

  The kiss was smoking, and it got Rusty past her tears into fanning herself. Then Sam turned the bride and groom side by side out into the room. “I present Vincent and Tess Whitehorse, man and wife.”

  Rusty gave a country holler and Tess helped her, then Cabe and Sam offered the newly wedded couple tobacco, a gift of prosperity.

  Cabe managed to get beside her and wrap his arm around her waist from behind while the wedding blanket was folded away, and Tess, looking radiant, exclaimed, “I have to smoke this pipe?”

  Sam and Vincent were setting up the pipe, and Vincent said, “If I have to keep my hands off you in that dress you have to puff this for me.”

  Tess grinned and they all took puffs from the pipe, which were really not that bad.

  Then Vincent grasped Tess’ hand, lifted her fingers to kiss, and he said, “Follow me, wife.” Tess looked curious as she followed, and Vincent looked back. “All of you follow me.”

  Rusty leaned up to Cabe’s ear. “What is it?” she asked.

  Cabe pulled her along. “No clue, baby,” he said.

  They all trailed to a room next to the one the wedding had been in and watched Vincent pulling open the double doors. Instantly, music started.

  The next second Tess squealed. “Little Big Town! Oh my God, Vincent!” Tess’ “Vincent” was cried on high notes. “The freaking Little Big Town band!”

  “Amazing!” Rusty agreed as they got into the room, which was decked out like a high-class night club, where a famous country rock band that had to cost a bundle to get was playing for Tess and Vincent’s reception party.

  Then they all proceeded to dance, drink, and even eventually line dance to their own private party with Little Big Town. It was out of this world and a freaking blast.

  TWENTY] LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS

  Cabe carried Rusty into their suite while she kept singing a Little Big Town song. He twirled her in his arms right past the door closing.

  “Everything!” Rusty exclaimed. “That was everything I’d want for my girl.”

  Her dress was so full he was buried in beading and silk. He swung around for another twirl, flipping the skirts out as Rusty tightened her arms around his neck, giving an excited squeal. “They loved the bronze eagle, Cabe,” Rusty slurred, but that was okay because he was drunk too.

  “I know Vincent said he was putting it out front of the ranch house.”

  “Look super cool there!” Rusty declared as they twirled in a slowing circle. “That blue sapphire necklace he gave her was beautiful, but I thought the silver coin cutout on a chain from Tess to Vincent was awesome!”

  “I don’t think he’s going to take it off,” Cabe agreed, finally lowering onto the loveseat with Rusty and all her dress in his lap. She patted the skirts down and wiggled her butt on his thighs to get comfortable.

  Then she hooked his shoulder and played with his hair. “Carly’s nice,” she said on a cute little slur.

  “Glad you got to know her better,” he murmured, stroking her nape. The flowers in her hair were gone, lost to dancing, and he’d noticed the jostling of carrying Rusty from the elevator had seriously tugged down the top of her strapless dress until one pink nipple nearly showed.

  He wondered in the blurriness of a buzz if he was too drunk to do justice to that nipple.

  “So I just added six and seven to my list of favorite things,” Rusty declared,

  Cabe lifted his eyes from her nipple and blinked at her, watching as she lifted her hand and started finger counting.

  “One used to be sex, but now it’s sex with you. Two is a man that can cook. That’s you too.” She grinned, then continued as his throat got tight. “Three is someone has my back. That’s you, Tess, and Vincent. And don’t get mad, but I think Tag and Finn do too. Four is killer high heels, because those just rock, and five is your smile in the morning or you calling me boo. I get a two-for for that one.” She laughed. “Now the two I added tonight, which are dancing with my man and seeing my best friend so happy I could cry.”

  “Jesus, baby,” Cabe growled, blinking at her while trying to hold back the fierceness of his emotion. “That’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

  Her smile was something he’d never seen before, and it hit him and he knew what it was ... it was pure love. No expectations, just love.

  His voice was growled and fierce, but the words weren’t hard: “Love you, Rusty.”

  “Oh, baby,” Rusty gasped, clutching him tight. “I so love you too, Cabe.”

  ***

  Six weeks later ...

  Rusty brushed her fingers over the picture she’d found while cleaning up the space for her soon-to-be new gift shop. It was yellowed from being in a drawer with dozens of others of the same kind, which were pictures of Gramps or Gramps’ trains with people from town (some she recognized) or other people, probably from anywhere, but they had bought a train from Gramps. And he had celebrated it with snapshots.

  Even with the yellowing, Rusty could see her aunt’s red hair showed through, and next to her a young Rusty stood in shorts and long pigtails. They stood beside Gramps, holding what she knew to be a bright red train engine (she still had it.) But what brought a tear to her eyes was the slender, light-haired boy standing behind them.

  Rusty looked over at the newly sanded, stained, and polished banister. Cabe had stood right there behind them and to the right when the picture was taken. She didn’t remember it, but it was proof that their paths had crossed since they were kids.

  He’d been so close to her all this time.

  “Hey, Rusty, where do you want these boxes?” Vicki asked, carrying in a cardboard box out of Cabe’s truck, which he’d lent her that day.

  “That’s the first of our inventory, honey. Put it on the steps.”

  Angel came in carrying anot
her box, but looking worried. Rusty set the picture down; she was going to frame it when she had a chance. Maybe all the pictures and put them on the walls. People would come in just to see them. Then she gave Angel a what’s-up look.

  Angel set her box on the steps and she whispered, “He’s here.”

  Rusty straightened away from the counter she’d been working on. Angel meant either Justice had arrived or her brother James, street name Spider, had arrived. James was the first inductee into the newly formed portion of WTSF for young men. He’d been clear of the gang for a month, and now Rusty was going to give him a job running her taxi part time. Justice was backing her up with some stern warnings to James to stay clean and away from the gang that Justice had already broken up, running most of them out of town.

  Angel was extremely hopeful, but she was also extremely not happy with Justice, and that was pretty much standard between them. Angel thought Justice butted in too much, and was therefore too hard on her little brother. Justice thought he wasn’t hard enough. Angel was happy James was getting the job offer, because he was showing signs of getting antsy again, but she did not understand why Justice had to be there or add his brand of opinions to it or James.

  Rusty smiled because she thought Angel and Justice butting heads was very interesting. She also thought the fact Justice chose the two gang members with their sights on Angel to run out of town first—or put one of them in jail—was very interesting. Then Justice going after the Indian named Creed, who had personal interest in Angel, was interesting, even though Finn called Justice off that particular mission.

  Angel came to stand next to her, looking toward the double doors propped open to their revamping efforts, and Rusty tweaked a light red strand of Angel’s hair. “It’ll be all right, brat-a-licious.”

  Angel stopped chewing on her lower lip and smiled, but it did not reach the worry in her eyes. “I just hope he listens,” Angel said.

  Once again, Rusty wondered whom she meant, James or Justice, but right then Cabe prowled in. Angel sighed with relief, because Cabe was a great mediator and James pretty much idolized Cabe. Then James sauntered in and Justice followed. Rusty touched the picture at her fingertips, watching Cabe come toward her. She’d seen him in bed just that morning, her body wrapped into him, gasping his name, but a thrill still ran through her at the sight of him.