The Cowgirl Who Loved Horses, Queens of Montana Bonus Book

by Vanessa Bartal

  Chapter 12

  If Cecily was nervous about telling her brother about her hasty nuptials, it was nothing compared to the abject terror she felt at telling Marcus’s parents.

  Marcus pulled off the road before they reached his house and took Cecily in his arms. “It’s going to be all right. My parents will be shocked, but they’ll get over it, and they’ll love you. It’s not like you’re a stranger to them; our families have been neighbors for generations.”

  She snuggled into his embrace. “Can’t we stay right here? We’ll live in your truck.”

  “Don’t be a coward,” he said. “Where’s my little fireball?”

  “She’s never had to face in-laws before. You’re so lucky my dad’s in prison.”

  He laughed. “Your mom’s not.”

  “My mom will take one look at you and ask why I didn’t marry you sooner.”

  “I’ve been asking myself that same question. Why didn’t you marry me sooner?”

  “Because you didn’t ask,” she said. He kissed her and it was awhile before they got on the road again.

  When they pulled in front of his house, though, they faced another hurdle.

  “Uh-oh,” Marcus said.

  Lacey opened the front door and stepped onto the porch.

  “I guess I’d better break up with my girlfriend,” he said sheepishly.

  “You think so?” Cecily asked peevishly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  He winked at her. “I’ll make this up to you later.”

  “Just don’t promise her the same thing,” she said, only half joking.

  He rolled his eyes at her and exited the truck.

  She remained in the safety of the truck and watched the drama unfold. Lacey bounded off the porch and attempted to throw her arms around him, but Marcus held up a hand to halt her. She stopped and made a pouty face at him. He said something and motioned behind him to his truck. Cecily crouched down so she could barely see out. Lacey looked at the truck in bewilderment. She shook her head and screamed something at Marcus. He replied in a calm tone. She screamed again and pointed to the ring finger of her left hand. He said something else and shook his head. She slapped him hard across the face. Although Cecily hated to see him hurt in any way, a part of her had to admit he had it coming.

  Lacey slammed into her car and sped off down the long lane. Before she was out of sight she rolled down her window and made a rude gesture with her hand.

  Marcus strolled over to Cecily and opened the passenger door of the truck.

  “She hit me,” he said.

  “Yes, I saw,” Cecily said. She drew him close and kissed the area where a hand-shaped welt now stood. “Quite a lady you had there.”

  He laughed, then winced and touched his cheek. “Quite a lady I have here,” he said tenderly. He drew her forward and kissed her, not caring that a dozen ranch hands were buzzing around watching everything.

  She kissed him in return, totally forgetting time and place, at least until his parents chose that moment to make an appearance.

  His father cleared his throat.

  “Marcus?” his mother said questioningly.

  Marcus pulled back to smile at Cecily who was blushing crimson. “Mom, Dad,” he said. “Let’s go inside.” He lifted Cecily out of the truck and didn’t let her go. “Have to make it official,” he whispered. He carried her over the threshold and set her down, all while his parents were trailing behind them looking shell-shocked.

  They sat down in the same formation they had sat earlier with Kitty and Dante, and Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw wore similar expressions of shock and alarm.

  “You may have noticed that Lacey and I just broke up,” Marcus said. Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw nodded. “What you aren’t aware of is the fact that Cecily and I are now married.”

  Mr. Henshaw’s eyes bugged. Mrs. Henshaw gasped.

  “Marcus, you can’t be serious,” she said.

  “I am serious, Mother. I know it seems sudden to you, but this has been brewing between us for a couple of years. Recent events have made me realize that I don’t want to go on without her, that I can’t go on without her.” He squeezed Cecily’s hand. She returned his grip until it was painful.

  “Is there a baby?” Mrs. Henshaw asked, avoiding Cecily’s gaze and focusing instead on her son.

  Marcus expelled a frustrated breath. “No,” he said, shaking his head vehemently. “Cecily’s not that type of girl.”

  “But this is sudden, and there was no wedding. What are we going to tell people?”

  “The truth,” Marcus said. “We ran off to Las Vegas and got married.”

  “But people will think what I did. They’ll think you had to get married,” Mrs. Henshaw said.

  “And when no baby appears in nine months they’ll know that wasn’t the reason,” he said.

  Cecily’s stomach turned over. What if there was a baby in nine months? What if she had gotten pregnant on her honeymoon? No one would ever believe they hadn’t jumped the gun, least of all Marcus’s mother.

  “I know this is a shock to you both,” Marcus said gently. “But we wanted to get married as soon as possible, and I didn’t want to put you through the fiasco of a wedding so soon after everything that has happened. I realize it’s going to be an adjustment, but you’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that Cecily is my wife. Forever.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw still sat unblinking and silent. Finally Mr. Henshaw slapped his hand on his knee.

  “Well, it’s about time someone married one of the neighbors. Welcome to the family, little Cecily Blake. Boy, let’s go unload her stuff.” He stood and Marcus followed him out of the room.

  Cecily watched them go with a smile. That had gone better than she could have hoped. If the speed of their whirlwind courtship was the only problem, the longevity would eventually win them over. No one had mentioned the age difference, or the fact that Cecily’s father was in prison, or her penniless state. When she turned back to Mrs. Henshaw, though, her smile fled. The older woman was looking at her with something like malice.

  “I don’t know what you did to trap my son into this marriage, but I can promise you I’m going to do everything in my power to get him out of it.”