Agent's Admirer (Culpepper Cowboys Book 13)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Megan nodded at the pastor’s wife as her dad reached her side. “Well, I’m glad she stayed there then.”

  “Your turn!” Lovie said. “Grab your dad’s arm! Why aren’t you already holding on to it?”

  Megan smiled at the older woman, before calmly taking her dad’s arm and slowly walking down the aisle with him. Bob was at the front of the church, and her eyes met his. He was wearing a pair of new blue jeans, a green and white plaid button up shirt, cowboy boots, and a hat. He looked like he was ready to go out dancing, and to Megan, that meant he looked perfect.

  She carried a small bouquet of tiny pink and white rosebuds, glad her mother had thought to grab them, because she really hadn’t. When she reached the front of the church, she waited as Brother Anthony asked, “Who’s giving this little lady to a life of servitude in Burgerland?”

  Megan heard her dad chuckle. “Her mother and I.” He kissed her cheek before taking her hand and placing it in Bob’s.

  Megan realized just then she was still holding her flowers and handed them to Erin. She heard a few snickers from the congregation, but she didn’t care. She was marrying the man she loved. Gazing into his eyes, she smiled at him, wondering what Brother Anthony would say next. She realized belatedly that Bob had probably not yet been to a Brother Anthony wedding, and she smiled. He had a good surprise in store for him.

  “All you people, we’re here to see these two young people get hitched, and let me tell you, it’s not a minute too soon. Why, just the other day I was meeting my beautiful wife, Lovie, at Bob’s Burger Barn for a late lunch, and I happened to walk past this couple as they were deep in conversation. I distinctly heard little Miss Megan, one of my favorite ladies here in Culpepper, say that she would not be showing Bob her panties. Now, I ask you, why were they even discussing panties? I knew for a fact they weren’t engaged yet, because Bob got that kind of green tint to his skin that all single men get when someone mentions marriage in front of a lady he’s seeing.”

  Megan looked up at Bob, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Poor Bob.

  His eyes were wide with sheer horror as Brother Anthony talked about the very personal conversation he’d walked in on. “Am I allowed to take that microphone and explain exactly what the conversation was about?” he asked in a low whisper.

  She shook her head. “Just let him finish. This is the best part of getting married in Culpepper.”

  He stared at her in disbelief as Brother Anthony continued his monologue. “Let me tell you young men, when you find a beautiful, single, pure, young lady like our sweet Megan, you don’t ask to see her panties! What if Megan had decided that she wasn’t going to spend another minute with a man who was after one thing and one thing only? Poor Megan. The man wants to sully her by looking at her panties, and the only way to spare her reputation is to marry him!” He loudly cleared his throat. “Which brings me to this part of our ceremony here today…Robert Bickel, do you take Megan for your lawfully wedded bride to enjoy a lifetime of panty-peeking?”

  Bob stared at Megan, who was looking at him sweetly, still biting her lower lip as if stifling laughter. “Yes, I do.” But at the moment, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with her. Half of him wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her to the nearest flat surface so he could have his way with her. The other half wanted to shake the laughter out of her. Why did she think what the pastor was saying was so funny? This was her reputation being sullied in front of most of the entire town!

  “Do you, Megan, take this crazy burger chef to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love, kiss, and show your panties to for as long as you both may live?”

  “I do,” Megan said, her voice loud and sure.

  “All right then, I guess you’re married. Wait until you’re somewhere private before you show him your panties, Megan! You hear me? Kiss her, Bob. Don’t make us all wait for it!”

  Bob shook his head in disbelief at the pastor, before grabbing Megan around the waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss. “Why didn’t you warn me his weddings were as crazy as he is?” he asked, his lips against her ear, sending little tingles down her body.

  Megan pulled his head down for a longer, more lingering kiss. When she pulled away, his eyes were glazed with passion. “Because it’s more fun this way.” She linked her arm with his and turned to the congregation of people waiting to congratulate them.

  Her parents were the first people there, hugging them both. “We might need to have a talk about this panty conversation, Bob,” her dad said.

  “They’re married now!” her mother replied. “It doesn’t matter anymore. And we probably don’t want any more information about that conversation than we already have!”

  Her father frowned at Bob, but nodded to appease his wife. “I’m sure you’re right, dear.”

  As others came to congratulate them, Megan kept her arm firmly linked with Bob’s. She wasn’t letting him get away now that it was legal.

  Together, they made their way into the church fellowship hall and talked to everyone they passed. Megan rushed over to thank Grace, Patience, and Felicity for their work on the snacks and cake for the reception. “I really appreciate you being willing to get everything done so quickly!”

  Grace waved her hand as if to say it was nothing. “Do you have any idea how many quick weddings we’ve had to get ready for in the short time we’ve been in Culpepper? Not including our own weddings! It’s a way of life to do these things quickly.”

  “Well, I appreciate it!” Megan said with a grin. “And I’ve had a lot of desserts from your bakery lately.”

  “Not to mention a lot of breakfasts,” Felicity said with a wink. “Don’t worry, though. We won’t tell Bob you’re cheating on his burgers by having our kolaches for breakfast.”

  Bob shook his head at Megan. “Do you eat no meals at home at all?”

  Megan smiled sweetly in response. “Sometimes I make myself a bowl of cereal before bed!”

  “I’m going to be doing all the cooking. You’re going to do none. Are you?”

  Megan shrugged. “It’s like this, Bob. We’re all talented at different things. Me? I can sell a house, and do accounting like nobody’s business. You can cook. I think we should each stick to our strengths, don’t you?”

  “Does that mean you’re going to do the books for my business?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

  She shrugged. “Sure. If you’ll cook every meal forever, I will always do the books for your restaurant. It’s a deal.” She offered him her hand to shake.

  Instead, Bob took hold of her hips and pulled her to him, kissing her so passionately, she was breathing heavily before he lifted his head. “Oh my.”

  “I couldn’t shake my bride’s hand at our wedding reception,” Bob told her with a wink.

  “I have a feeling my dad would have preferred a handshake.” Megan caught sight of her dad, his eagle eye on Bob, as he stood with her mom and sister, each of them with a kolache in hand.

  “I don’t think your dad likes me a whole lot. I feel like Brother Anthony ratted us out to all of Culpepper.”

  Megan laughed softly, grinning at him. “Of course he did. I wasn’t thinking of you never attending a Brother Anthony wedding, but the man has…diarrhea of the mouth seems too harsh. He just doesn’t know what he should say and when it's appropriate to say it. I love him for it, but I can see where you’d be embarrassed if you didn’t know what was coming.”

  Bob frowned. “I wish someone had thought to warn me he does that kind of thing.”

  “Hey, Bob?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Brother Anthony’s weddings are legendary. He says all kinds of stuff he shouldn’t say.”

  Grace nodded. “He couldn’t remember any of our names. There were eight Quinlan girls, and he didn’t get a single one of our names right at our wedding. Not one, so at least he knew your name. When Austin and Dallas got married, he told everyone that Austin had been in love with Dallas since they were little.
And you know that reporter, Nancy? He called her port-a-potty girl during her wedding! I can’t say no one pays any attention to Brother Anthony, because we all do, wondering what he’s going to say next, but no one is bothered by it. I promise.” She smiled over at the man. “He’s my grandfather-in-law, you know.”

  Bob shook his head, slightly bewildered by it all. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Oh, yeah. My husband, Marcus, is a lawyer and his grandson.”

  Bob found the reception to be his real introduction to Culpepper, Wyoming. He met so many of the people he’d only heard about up til now.

  When he and Megan left two hours later, he was exhausted from trying to remember all the names. “Weddings and receptions are hard work,” he complained as he got into his car and started it.

  Megan laughed softly. “Only when you’re the one getting married. The rest of the time it feels like a party.”

  “Wanna know what else feels like a party?” Bob asked softly.

  She nodded. “Absolutely. What else feels like a party?”

  “Kissing you and knowing I don’t have to stop.” He pulled her to him, right over the console, and kissed her, his tongue tracing her lips before invading her mouth to tangle with hers. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

  She looked out the front windshield that had somehow managed to fog itself up and saw several people standing there watching them. “Okay, remember how embarrassed you were during the wedding?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m there now. Let’s go to my house, and we can continue this.”

  He chuckled. “I love your dress by the way. Have I told you yet how beautiful you look today?”

  Megan smiled, her cheeks turning pink. “You really think so?”

  He nodded. “I do. Did I do okay with the cowboy thing?”

  “You did great. I was ready to grab you and start kissing you as soon as I saw you.”

  “I wouldn’t have complained, but I think your dad would have been even more displeased with me!”

  “You have a point.” Megan sighed and buckled her seat belt for the short ride to her house on the outskirts of Culpepper.

  When they got to her place, he carried in just one small suitcase. “I figured I’d bring over a little bit every day. Won’t take long for everything to be here.” Megan nodded. “Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.” She opened her bedroom door, and watched as he set the suitcase beside her dresser before turning to her. “You’re not going to put your stuff away?”

  He shook his head, reaching for her. “I’m not doing anything until I’ve made love with my new wife. I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for this.”

  “Forever? We only started dating six days ago. Six days! Most people date a lot longer than that before they marry.”

  Bob shrugged. “Not us, apparently.”

  Megan walked close to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Did you call your mom and tell her you were getting married this weekend?”

  “Yeah, she said to have you call her so you could meet her long distance. And she wants us to come visit, but there’s no way with the restaurant being so new.”

  “Maybe we can call her for a little while tomorrow night.”

  He nodded. “I think she’d really like that.” His hand stroked down her arm, completely covered by her sleeve. “Where’d you get the wedding dress so fast?”

  “It was my mom’s. She wore it when she married my dad.”

  “Do you have to give it back for your sister to wear?”

  She shook her head. “No, Erin wouldn’t fit in it. She’s a bit better endowed than I am,” she said diplomatically.

  “Better endowed? You mean her boobs are bigger? I never even noticed!”

  Megan laughed, shaking her head. “Sure you didn’t!”

  “I seriously didn’t. Honestly, I barely noticed her. I had my dream woman right beside me. Why on earth do you think I’d notice her sister?”

  She stood on tiptoe and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she pulled back, she grinned at him. “You sure know all the right things to say. Do you know the country song, Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off?”

  “I think I’ve heard it.”

  “Well, compliments make my clothes fall off!” She turned her back to him. “Would you unzip me?”

  He looked at her dress and saw there was a zipper that went from the nape of her neck all the way down between her hips. “How’d you even get into this thing?”

  “My sister helped.”

  He swallowed hard, unzipping her completely and watching as she let the bodice of her dress fall forward. She carefully pulled her arms out of the sleeves and stepped out of the dress, hanging it up before turning back to him. Bob watched the whole thing with a smile. “You’re so careful with it!”

  “Well, it’s almost thirty years old, and my mother loaned it to me. She didn’t give it to me. Maybe someday our daughter will wear it.”

  “Will you forgive me if I just throw my clothes into a pile on the floor, and I’m not so careful about hanging them all just right tonight?”

  She laughed. “As long as you promise to make sure they make it into the hamper before bed tonight, that’s fine.”

  “We’re going to bed now,” he said, his hands pulling her full slip over her head.

  “Now? It’s only five in the evening!”

  “So? I’m going to make love to you all night!”

  She raised an eyebrow, her head tilted to one said. “Oh really? You’re not going to get at all hungry? I’ve seen you eat.”

  “I guess I might get up again.” He’d stripped her to just her bra and panties, and she was still wearing her shoes that looked more like ballet slippers than anything else. “How come you didn’t wear real shoes?”

  She shrugged. “These are comfortable, and they were easier to wear with the dress.”

  “Well, I got you stripped. Isn’t it your turn to take my clothes off?”

  Megan laughed. “You’re not in a hurry, are you?”

  “I already told you, I was. Would you pay attention?”

  “Why did I marry you again?”

  Bob shrugged. “You needed someone royal in your life, so you married a Bob to be your king?”

  She sighed. “Bob, Bob, Bob. What am I going to do with you? You know you’re never going to be my king.”

  “Oh, really?” He playfully pushed her onto her back on the bed, stripping off his clothes before following her down. “Can I be your president then? Or your prime minister?”

  “Why don’t you just be my husband?”

  His face fell. “I guess that’ll work.”

  She put a hand on either side of his face, pulling him in for a kiss. “I hope so. Cuz you make a fabulous husband.”

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

  9

  They fell into an easy routine after the first week of marriage. Megan met him at the Burger Barn for lunch every day, trying out new taco burgers. On a Thursday afternoon, when they’d been married about a month, she walked into the restaurant and found a booth off to one side, hungrier than she’d been in a long time. She’d lost her breakfast every morning that week, and she had news for Bob—news that she wanted to share at home, not with his employees milling around.

  Amy brought two glasses of water to the table and smiled at her. “Bob will be here in a minute. He thinks he finally has the taco burger perfected!”

  Megan smiled. “About time! I didn’t think he’d ever figure it out.” She couldn’t wait to try his perfect version.

  Amy laughed. “Bob doesn’t seem like the type to ever give up.”

  “He’s not. The man goes after a goal with a single-mindedness that frightens everyone around him!”

  Bob smiled at Megan from behind Amy. “Talking about me?”

  Amy’s eyes widened, and she hurried off, calling, “See you later, Megan,” over her shoulder as she went.

  Megan looked at the plates Bo
b was holding and frowned. “I thought we said there wasn’t enough crunch with flour tortillas.”

  “There isn’t. Trust me, though, these are just right.” He put two plates down as well as a basket of fried cheese curds.

  Megan swallowed hard when she saw the cheese curds, and immediately pushed them away. For the past few days, every time she’d seen anything fried, she’d felt like vomiting. “I don’t want cheese curds today.” She’d explain why later when they were alone. Bob had a right to know she was pregnant before all of his employees found out.

  Bob frowned. “I thought you loved my cheese curds.”

  “You know I do, but they just don’t sound good today.”

  She started to lift up one edge of the tortilla, and Bob shook his head. “Nope. I promise there’s nothing on there you don’t like. Just try it!”

  Megan frowned, but she trusted him, so she picked up the whole thing and took a big bite, chewing quietly. The crunch she needed was there, and it was good! “Yes! This is it! How’d you get the crunch?”

  He shrugged. “I finally figured it out. We both preferred the tostada, but it wouldn’t hold together. So I took two flour tortillas and spread beans on them, then put freshly toasted tostada shells on those, another layer of refried beans, and then the taco fixings. It worked!”

  She nodded, taking another bite with a smile. “Absolutely perfect. I can’t wait until Valerie Savoy and May Bodefeld try them. They’re going to be so happy.”

  “I’m sure they are!” Bob grinned at her. “Are you still going to work on my books this afternoon, or do you need to do your own work?” They’d planned for her to work on them several times since the wedding, but it had never worked out right. Something had always come up for her.

  “I didn’t get any calls, so I’m all yours. I hope you have stuff at least a little bit organized for me.”

  Bob looked down at his burger. “Well, organized for you or organized for me? There’s a difference you know.”

  She groaned softly. “You have everything all spread out everywhere, don’t you?”