The Cowboy's Surprise Bride

by Macie St James

  “We could do it now.” She turned and gestured toward the stage. “There’s an ordained minister in the audience.”

  He might have stopped breathing. He wasn’t sure. “Wait…did you plan this?”

  She looked slyly up at him. “With your family’s help. Harley helped me pick out a dress and your brothers invited people from around town. They said it was a surprise party for you, but I think people pieced together what was going on. I wanted to give you an ‘out’ if you didn’t feel the same…”

  “No out necessary.” He stepped even closer and pulling her into his arms. “In fact, I say let’s get married.”

  “Again,” she added.

  They shared a long, deep kiss, finally fully giving in to the feelings they had for each other. He felt free to show her how he felt for the first time. No holding back. He put everything he had into that kiss.

  When they finally pulled apart, he took her hand, and they crossed the expanse of land between the ticket booth and the area where the stage was. At one point, they realized her heels were digging into the soft ground, so he lifted her and carried her the rest of the way. Everyone was seated as they approached, including his family. It was as though they all knew this wedding was going to happen. They saw past the insecurities Colton and Mina had to the love that was so obviously between them.

  As they approached, people began spotting them, and gradually, the small audience went from seated to standing. Colton looked past them to the stage where Clay had proposed not so long ago. The man who had served as Canyon Falls’ judge for decades was standing there, wearing a black robe and smiling at the two of them.

  Colton gently lowered Mina to the ground, then turned to face her. “Just one thing is missing… Well, two things, but I can’t do anything about getting you a ring right now.”

  He lowered to one knee. This was long overdue. Technically, the previous time she’d proposed to him, if that counted as a wedding. This time, he was asking her to marry him…and it was beyond real.

  “I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else,” he said, as a chorus of awws broke out across the crowd. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes!” she squealed. Then she reached out for his hand, helping him off the ground.

  “Should I go to the stage and wait for you to walk down the aisle?”

  “Let’s walk together,” she said as the folk group that had played the other event stepped onto the stage with their banjo and guitar. They immediately launched into a folk version of “Here Comes the Bride.”

  He took her hand, and together, they walked to the head of the aisle. It wasn’t a traditional wedding, but nobody could say it was a small one. The crowd gathered was small by concert standards, but not for a wedding.

  “Your family isn’t here,” Colton said, stopping. “We can’t do this without them.”

  “They’re over there.” Mina gestured to the area to the right of the stage.

  For the first time, he noticed the first few rows of that side of the seating area was filled with people he didn’t recognize. He’d never met Mina’s parents growing up, but they were smiling over at the bride and groom with the same admiring expressions as everyone else. He found it interesting he’d be meeting her parents for the first time after they were officially husband and wife.

  Colton let out the panicked breath he’d been holding. Everything was right now. They could proceed. They walked up the aisle, smiling at everyone they passed. This was what it was all about. Being together, surrounded by family, committing to spend the rest of their lives loving each other. He couldn’t think of a more perfect surprise than this.

  22

  Canyon Falls needed change. And Mina Briscoe was exactly the person to bring it. She couldn’t do it as mayor. Things were the same old, same old on that front. But she’d been very vocal at local meetings and on social media, and she felt like she was finally making a difference.

  But she’d found a new mission soon after moving onto Cedar Tree Ranch. On a national level, she was battling to bring more awareness to the plight of the country’s many farmers and ranchers. She’d joined an organization as a volunteer and was already being suggested as a board member, but that required a little more travel than she wanted right now.

  That was exactly what was on her mind as she settled into her seat at the table. Colton had invited the family over for chili—they were hosting these family meals more often these days, which was a relief to Clay, who had been cooking extra in case his brothers stopped by for months.

  “I feel like we need a toast or something, we have so much to celebrate,” Reilly said.

  “It’s bad luck to toast with water,” Harley said.

  “I’ve heard that,” Mina added with maybe a little too much excitement in her voice. “Some cultures believe you’ll die.”

  “Well…” Colton exchanged a look with Clay, who was just shaking his head.

  “I have iced tea.” Reilly held up his glass.

  “Me, too,” Colton said. “So, cheers to the end of a very successful first annual Pumpkinfest.”

  Colton and Reilly clinked glasses, and Mina smiled to herself. One thing she’d been missing since college graduation had been a good friend, and Harley was well on her way to becoming just that. They had more in common than she could have imagined, and Harley was always so supportive of Mina’s latest passion projects.

  But, most importantly, Mina had found her family. It was no replacement for her own parents, but they were close enough that Mina and Colton could take the occasional weekend trip to see them. This was her new family, though, and she’d never been happier.

  “We have to talk about Christmas trees,” Reilly said. “I’ve found a farm that will sell us some, but we’ll need to go get them. Colton, you up for that?”

  Colton paused, spoon halfway to his mouth. “Isn’t Clay better suited for that?”

  “Harley’s keeping me busy with the event barn,” Clay said, glancing at his fiancée. “You’ll have to clear it with the boss.”

  Harley laughed. “Yeah, boss.”

  Colton chimed in. “I’ll do it. It actually sounds like fun.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Reilly said. “We’ll turn this one into a cowboy yet.”

  Doubtful. Colton was absolutely thrilled that the fall festival had been such a successful venture, but he would rather be sitting in front of his laptop, crunching numbers, or heading into town for the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting. It worked out perfectly because those sorts of things were at the bottom of the list of tasks Clay and Reilly wanted to do.

  “Christmas trees, huh?” Clay said.

  “We’ll put the trees close to the road to attract street traffic,” Colton said. “It’s a great way to make some extra money during the winter months.”

  “I thought that was what the event barn was supposed to do,” Clay grumbled.

  Reilly looked over at Harley. “That’s Harley’s thing. Not much for us to do with that, aside from fixing up anything we need to get the barn in shape.”

  Colton’s law firm buddy had put him in touch with a web designer who had set them up with a great website to advertise their event barn. There was even a form to request an appointment. Since posting it, the number of calls coming into Harley’s cell phone had gradually increased, and the virtual appointment book was quickly filling up for the upcoming holiday season.

  “I have a question,” Mina asked.

  It was something that had been bugging her for a while. She probably should have discussed it privately with Colton, but now seemed like a good time to bring it up, with everyone here.

  “Shoot,” Clay said.

  “Now that the ranch is bringing in a profit with these other things—”

  Harley rushed to correct her. “Not really a profit…yet.”

  Colton laughed. “Fingers crossed that’s just around the corner, though.”

  “Now that the other things are showing success,” Mi
na amended. “Are your previous ranch operations off the table? You were making some money before, and there are still cows and horses roaming around.”

  “We’re focusing more on boarding horses these days,” Clay said.

  Mina couldn’t contain her idea any longer. “Horseback riding!”

  She’d been watching the brothers as they breathed sighs of relief that the ranch wouldn’t be shut down. But something was missing for Clay and Reilly. They wanted to be out there with the animals, doing rancher things.

  “Here?” Harley beamed. “That’s brilliant!”

  Mina could tell the guys weren’t on the same page. She and Harley did have a habit of finishing each other’s thoughts sometimes. It was getting worse.

  Clay shook his head. “Horse owners ride their horses around the property already.”

  “They’ve been doing that for a while,” Reilly added.

  Harley rolled her eyes. “We could open it to the public in the spring, maybe selling rides.”

  “This place is fine as it is,” Clay said.

  “It’s a great way to keep the ranch profitable in the warmer months,” Mina argued. “Aside from the event barn, we don’t have plans after the Christmas tree lot closes.”

  Reilly looked at Clay. “Horseback riding is pretty popular, especially in the mountains.”

  Mina scooped her chili silently, smiling to herself. Both Harley and Colton had filled her in on the motivation for starting up Pumpkinfest, so she was glad to see it was doing so well. She and Harley could work together to find a way to ensure Clay and Reilly were able to continue to do things they love around here.

  “I really think horseback riding is a great idea,” Mina told Colton after everyone had left.

  They were standing in the kitchen after loading up the dishwasher together and starting it. The house felt oddly empty with everyone gone. She always missed the laughter and noise—something she’d never realized was missing from her life having grown up as an only child in a quiet home.

  “It is.” He put his arms around her and pulled her toward him. Just being in his arms wiped out all other thoughts. “We’ll just have to let them come around to it.”

  “What about you?” Mina’s question was muffled by his solid chest.

  “What about me?” he asked.

  She pulled back to look up at him. “Will you be satisfied running the business side of things? Or will you want more?”

  “I have everything I could ever want right here.” He relaxed his arms and stepped back, smiling down at her. “But, yes, running a business is all I ever wanted. If we could just get my parents and youngest brother back, I’d be happy.”

  She smiled. “We’ll have to work on that.”

  He shrugged. “My parents, probably not so much. They’re pretty happy in the land of sunshine. But my brother is due back for a brief break next year sometime.”

  “I guess we’ll have to come up with another location for the inn,” she said.

  His eyebrows drew down in a frown. “Inn? Wait…”

  “The inn where everyone who comes here from out of town for horseback riding and events will stay,” she clarified. “There’s a huge chunk of land over that way that would be perfect. You aren’t using it.” She pointed east.

  “That’s the pasture. The cattle aren’t moving.”

  Mina shrugged. “We’ll work it out. My point is, there’s so much potential here. I could see us running the inn while your brothers handle guiding groups of riders.”

  “Now you’re speaking my language,” he said, grinning. “But for now, let’s just enjoy some alone time.”

  “While we can.”

  Smiling, she looked up at him, rising up on tiptoe to return his slow but passionate kiss.

  Want more from Cedar Tree Ranch? Sign up for my newsletter and get a free novella, THE COWBOY’S REUNION ROMANCE. You’ll also be notified as soon as each new book in the series is available!

  Keep reading for a bonus excerpt from THE COWBOY’S RESCUE, Reilly’s story.

  Tinsley Ross held the camera at chest level, taking a long moment to appreciate the scene in front of her. It had finally stopped snowing, just in time for the sun to start peeking over the mountains off in the distance. The sky had a light pink hue that reflected off the lake in front of her. It really was the perfect photo, but she didn’t want to look at it through a viewfinder when she could see the full image.

  Problem was, she was here to get that picture. She’d hauled herself out of bed and braved the cold to trudge through the snow so she could capture this beautiful scene in front of her. It was the first snowfall of the year and she wanted a good shot for her website.

  “Perfect,” she said to herself as a lone bird flew over the water.

  Tinsley was fascinated with this charming little town near the mountains. She’d gone to college just twenty minutes away and had spent a few long weekends with friends in rented cabins in the mountains. But she’d never seen this view of the mountains, across a lake in the back yard of a house on a ranch.

  Turning, she looked again at the house behind her. Someone lived there—the brother of the groom in the wedding she was there to plan. The bride-to-be, Harley, had given Tinsley permission to snap some pictures for her wedding planning website, but she knew the dude in the house behind her wouldn’t really be happy about that. He didn’t know Harley had designs on his house—and his back yard, specifically—as a venue for next year’s summer weddings.

  That thought reminded her that she was limited on time. She’d shown up at the butt-crack of dawn to get out of here before the brother woke up. The longer she stood here, the more likely he was to emerge, like a bear protecting his den.

  That was how she imagined him, anyway.

  Smiling to herself at that image, she lifted her camera in front of her face and began capturing photos, moving around while she snapped. She was already imagining the picture that would become the banner image on her “venues” page. It wasn’t that there weren’t plenty of outdoor locations around the area, but this back yard was perfect for an outdoor wedding. The yard sloped just right and was long enough for the bride to exit the house and make a grand entrance through a trellis leading to the rows of chairs containing guests—

  Tinsley was so caught up in capturing the perfect image, she forgot about the slippery ground beneath her. Despite the fact that she’d just been thinking about the slight slope, she seemed to forget it as she stepped to the right to get the best angle with the dock, sunrise, mountains, and lake. It would have been just the shot she needed if only that misstep hadn’t caused her foot to slip, taking her and the camera with it.

  The camera.

  That was her first thought as she started to fall, seemingly in slow motion. That camera had cost thousands of dollars—it had been a gift from her parents to congratulate her on landing her first client a few months ago. She’d protect it with her life.

  Unfortunately, that looked like a plan she was putting in motion. She went down sideways, twisting her foot into a very unnatural angle as she fell. An involuntary scream escaped her throat as she went and her last thought, while hitting the ground with a thud, was that she’d awoken the bear.

  The pain didn’t hit her, not at first anyway. She stared up at the pink sky, musing at how the clouds looked almost purple. That was when the stars came into her vision. They weren’t stars in the sky, either.

  She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. It was important to find the strength to get up. She had to get out of here before—

  “Hey!”

  The bear had emerged from his den. Great. Now she had to deal with this wave of nausea that was rolling over her and an angry homeowner. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get up if she tried.

  Tinsley took a deep breath and opened her eyes, turning her head slowly in the direction of the yell she’d heard. Instead of a big bear, though, she saw a shirtless man wearing bright red pajama pants and no shoes. He was holding
some sort of long black pole with oval neon green circles on each end.

  Was she hallucinating?

  She tried to sit up, using her right hand to brace herself, but that made the nausea worse. She immediately fell back to the ground.

  “Oh!” she heard the not-bear say. “Hold on. I’ll be right there.”

  At this point, Tinsley just didn’t care. She wanted nothing but to close her eyes and wait for the nausea to subside. Gradually, though, she became aware of other things, like the icy cold snow pillowing her head and the sharp pain coming from somewhere around her ankle.

  The crunch-crunch of snow off to her left alerted Tinsley to the approach of the not-bear. Okay, so maybe having him help her wasn’t a bad thing. A warmer place to rest her head would be nice. And once the shock wore off, she had a feeling she would need something for the pain in her foot.

  “What hurts?”

  She opened her eyes and saw the previously shirtless man hovering over her. He now wore a coat and there was no longer a pole in his hand. He was here to help.

  “My foot.” She swallowed against the wave of nausea that hit again.

  “Can you move? Maybe you shouldn’t move. Crap. I should call nine-one-one.”

  “No!” The last thing she wanted was a big ambulance pulling onto the ranch, sirens wailing, alerting her clients to the fact that their wedding planner was causing major drama somewhere on the property.

  “Can you sit up?”

  “Yes.” She was between nausea waves and determined not to be carried out of here on a stretcher. She pushed herself up and, this time, managed to get all the way to a sitting position without feeling sick.

  He knelt next to her, which put his face in her line of vision. She felt woozy, but not so woozy that she wasn’t immediately aware of those bright blue eyes. Like the groom-to-be whose wedding she was planning. No surprise, since they were brothers, but the intensity of this guy’s stare nearly knocked her back down again.

  “Whoa!” He reached out to brace her with his arm. She’d drifted toward the ground, automatically putting her hand out to stop herself from falling all the way back. Having his arm to support her helped.