Made for the Rancher

by Rebecca Winters

  Her father nodded. “I think it’s wise that you’re considering Rob’s feelings. If Wymon were any other man...but he and his coalition are the ones Rob has targeted during this campaign season. And he’s the man who rescued both you and Rob at the crash scene.”

  “I agree,” her mother said. “It would be much better to keep the news from him for the next few months. That’s very kind of you two to help him preserve his pride while he’s still this vulnerable and hurting.”

  “We don’t know what else to do. I was telling Wymon I’ll change my hours and go back to work tomorrow until our wedding day. Then I’ll take my vacation so we can have a honeymoon. We’re thinking the end of July.”

  “That’s soon,” her father quipped. “Less than two weeks away.”

  “But the date works. His brother Toly would be able to fly home that day and get back to Oklahoma in time for the Sunday night rodeo. Of course it will depend on Minister Logan. I know it isn’t very far away, but since this will be for family only, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Do you want to get married here at the house?”

  “Yes,” she said after looking at Wymon. “Much as we’d love a ceremony at the church, we can’t take the chance of word getting out. Would that be all right with you, Mom?”

  She looked at her husband. “We wouldn’t want it anywhere else.”

  “If you’d like one suggestion from your old dad, why not plan to say your vows again in November at the church in front of the whole world? That way we’ll all have the wedding of our dreams.”

  Jasmine’s face let up. “That’s absolutely perfect!” She jumped out of her chair and ran around the table to hug her father.

  They all talked a few more minutes before her father excused himself to get back to work. He squeezed Wymon’s shoulder on the way out. “We couldn’t be more pleased, son.”

  “I feel the same way. I’m afraid you’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.”

  “Wymon,” her mother said. “Don’t you know this is the day every parent waits for? To see their child marry their be-all, end-all?” She looked at her husband. “That’s what I did. I’ll walk you out to the car, darling.”

  Once they were alone, Wymon pulled Jasmine down on his lap and rocked her for a moment. “I don’t know if I can wait.”

  “I know I can’t. Oh, Wymon—we’re getting married!” She burst into happy tears, and he kissed her silly until his desire for her brought him to his feet. He crushed her body against him. “That’s why I’ve got to go home now, sweetheart.”

  “No-o-o.”

  “If we’re going on a honeymoon soon, I need to work my head off. Once I’m back in Stevensville, I’ll keep gathering signatures through the coming weekend. On Monday, Jim’ll be joining me.”

  “I’ll go back to work first thing in the morning, too. This will be our longest separation.”

  “But then we’ll be together forever. Do you know where you want to go for our honeymoon?”

  “Wherever you want. Call me from the truck and we’ll plan it out.”

  “You haven’t even been in my house yet.”

  “It’s better this way. Once you take me inside, I’m never coming out again.”

  “You’ve got that right. Kiss me once more, sweetheart.”

  * * *

  ON FRIDAY JASMINE came home from work excited to talk to her parents. She’d heard from Annie whose boyfriend had also proposed. They were getting married next month.

  While she was pulling in the driveway, her phone rang. When she saw that it was her mom on the caller ID, she didn’t bother to answer because she’d be seeing her in less than a minute.

  As Jasmine got out of the car, she noticed an unfamiliar Lexus parked in front of the house. She decided it was someone who’d come to see her father. Full of news, she hurried inside. Tomorrow she and her mother were going to drive into Missoula to find her a wedding dress and veil to wear at both ceremonies. She also planned to buy a wedding band for Wymon.

  “Mom?”

  “In the living room, honey. We have guests.”

  We have guests?

  The double doors off the living room were ajar. When Jasmine pushed them open, her heart plunged right through her feet to the basement of the house.

  Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth. They were seated on the couch drinking iced tea.

  Her mother got up from the chair near the fireplace. “Rob’s parents dropped by to talk to you. I’ll be in the kitchen to give you some privacy.”

  After her mother slipped out of the room, Jasmine held on to the matching chair on the other side of the hearth. She felt ill. “Has Rob had a relapse since the accident? Is that why you’re here?” It was the only reason she could think of for their unexpected appearance.

  His mother leaned forward. “His concussion has healed, but he’s been in a bad way since the rally in Helena. We don’t understand why you weren’t up onstage with the rest of us.”

  Oh, no. “You mean he didn’t explain?”

  Mr. Farnsworth shook his head. “You’re the only one who knows what’s going on with him. I’ve talked to Buzz, but he hasn’t been able to enlighten us. We’re very worried about him.”

  “What has he told you about us?”

  “That he’s in love and plans to marry you.”

  Their sincerity caused a groan to escape her throat. She felt terrible for them, but this wasn’t her problem to solve. “We’re not getting married. I’m sorry you’ve driven all the way here for answers, but I can’t help you. This has to come from Rob.”

  “What are you saying?” his mother asked.

  “Only that he should be the one to explain why a marriage between us won’t work.”

  His father grimaced. “Come on, Nadine. This was a wasted trip.”

  They got up and left the room. Jasmine opened the front door for them. They both saw her engagement ring before walking out to their car. That was another shock.

  Jasmine shut the door before burying her face in her hands. In a second she felt her mother’s arms go around her.

  “Oh, Mom. Rob still hasn’t said a word to his parents about us. I told them we weren’t getting married and that he would have to be the one to answer their questions.”

  “If they saw the ring Wymon gave you, then they’ve figured things out.”

  “They did see it, but didn’t say anything.”

  “When they showed up here, I took them into the living room and went back to the kitchen to fix some iced tea for them. While I was in there, I called to warn you, but you didn’t pick up.”

  “I know. I heard the phone, but I’d just driven in the driveway and knew I’d be talking to you any second. They must have a new car, because I didn’t recognize it. But none of it matters now.”

  “No, it doesn’t. They shouldn’t have come. You were never engaged to him. It shows they’d do anything for him. I have the feeling this is a lesson he needs to learn the hard way. As for you, honey, you’re about to embark on a new life and can put this behind you.”

  Jasmine wiped her eyes. “You’re right, but I’ve got to phone Wymon and tell him what happened.” She hugged her mother, then dashed upstairs to her room.

  To her frustration, she got his voice mail. He was out canvassing. No doubt he was in the middle of a conversation with a voter. She left a message to call her as soon as he could.

  After changing into jeans and a top, she went out to the barn. A ride on Moondrop would settle her nerves until she could talk to Wymon.

  * * *

  WYMON PARKED IN front of his house at ten to ten before checking his messages. There were a lot of them. He always looked for Jasmine’s first, but this time the call from his mother took precedence. She’d said to phone him immediately.

 
Before he went inside, he rang her. “Mom?”

  “Thank goodness. Are you home?”

  “Just drove up.”

  “Well, don’t go inside yet. You have a visitor who’s been waiting for you for over an hour. I have the feeling he’ll wait here all night until you show up.”

  He didn’t have to guess. Farnsworth. Maybe Jasmine had phoned to warn him. “I’ll be right there.”

  “The representative is in the living room.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  With lightning speed, he drove down to the ranch house. On the way he phoned Jasmine.

  “I’m so glad you called,” she blurted.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Rob’s parents were here when I got home from work this evening.” His eyes closed tightly. “They wanted to know why I wasn’t up on the stage with them at the rally. Rob didn’t tell them the truth about anything.”

  That didn’t really surprise Wymon.

  “I explained that we wouldn’t get getting married and told them they would have to talk to their son for answers. As I was letting them out the door, they saw the ring on my finger, but didn’t say anything. It was awful.”

  “I believe it. Since their visit to your house, they must have told Rob what they saw because he’s waiting for me at the ranch house as we speak.”

  “No.”

  “It’s all right. Mom has warned me. I’ll handle this and phone you as soon as he leaves.”

  “I’m afraid, Wymon. His parents were so upset.”

  “His fear of letting his parents down has caught up to him. Frankly, I’m glad this happened. We’ve bent over backward not to hurt him, but it needed to come out for all our sakes.”

  “Please, be careful. I don’t know how stable he is,” she said.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got a whole ranch to back me up, not to mention my brother next door if I need him. But to be honest, I don’t think this amounts to anything more than having lost something important to him for the first time in his life.

  “He’s a good man, but it’s a hard lesson to learn if he’s lived this long without tasting defeat. At least we know his parents finally confronted him and got through to him. That’s a start in the right direction, don’t you think?”

  “You’re so levelheaded, you’re scary, Wymon Clayton.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “I’ll tell you after you phone me and let me know you’re alive and well.”

  He clicked off and headed into the living room of the ranch house. Farnsworth was standing in front of a wall of family pictures, studying them.

  “Mr. Farnsworth. If I’d known you wanted to see me, I would have come sooner.”

  Rob’s head jerked around. He stared at him for the longest time. “I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome.”

  Wymon took a deep breath. “Why don’t we sit down?”

  He remained standing. “What I have to say won’t take long. I’ve come to apologize for my parents who, without my permission, paid a call to Jasmine earlier today. They’ve made my business their business all my life, but this was one time they went too far.”

  Agreed.

  “They loved Jasmine the first time they met her, and my father has let me know repeatedly that she’s the woman I should marry. The fact that I was in love with her and felt exactly the same way made everything perfect, except for one thing. Jasmine was never in love with me. I’d hoped in time it would happen, but it never did.”

  Rob’s confession took a lot of courage. Wymon couldn’t help but admire him. “I felt the same way about a woman back in high school and college. To my shock, she came home from a trip to Europe and told me she was marrying someone else. I went through hell for a long time.”

  “That’s where I’ve been. But when my parents told me they’d been to see her, something snapped inside me. I told them there wasn’t going to be a marriage, and we needed to get over it.”

  At last.

  “What I’m trying to say is, I’ve behaved like a jealous, lovesick school boy, and I’m not proud of it. I hope the day will come when Jasmine will forgive me for sending her that picture of you two on her phone. That was inexcusable.”

  “She knew how much you were hurting and has already deleted the picture. It’s forgotten.”

  “Jasmine’s an exceptional person, but you already know that. The fact that you and I are on opposite sides of the same issue just fueled my anger.”

  “I get it,” Wymon murmured.

  “That was wrong of me, especially when you were the person who helped save our lives at the scene of the crash. My folks told me they saw an engagement ring on her finger. It couldn’t be anyone’s but yours.”

  No more secrets. “We’re getting married next week.”

  He nodded. “I hope you’ll be very happy. I mean that sincerely.”

  “I believe you.” Wymon extended his hand and they shook on it.

  “This doesn’t mean I won’t be fighting just as hard against the idea of a new grizzly population. I just don’t see the reason for it, but I respect the fact that you do. There’ll be nothing personal about my campaign from here on out.”

  “I appreciate that, Rob, and I wish you the very best. I’m sure if you phone Jasmine tonight and tell her what you’ve told me, you’ll always have a friend in her.”

  “Thank you. I will. Please, tell your mother I’m sorry I imposed this long.”

  Wymon walked him to the front door. “She’s used to business going on at all hours.”

  “Isn’t that the truth.”

  After Rob left, Wymon went back into the living room to call Jasmine.

  “Wymon?” She sounded frantic.

  “Relax, sweetheart. All our worries are over. He knows we’re getting married, and all is well. To be honest, I like the guy. He’s really very decent. I have a feeling he’s going to be calling you in a few minutes. Phone me when it’s over and we’ll talk. I love you.”

  * * *

  ON WYMON’S WEDDING DAY, Toly came running out of the Missoula airport and climbed in the back seat of Wymon’s car, hugging him around the neck.

  “Hey—you’re cutting off my breathing.”

  “You’ll live. Bro—I never thought I’d see the day you’d get married before me or Roce.”

  “He caught Eli’s bug,” Roce said over his shoulder.

  “That means you’re next. It might even happen before my finals in December.”

  “No way.” Roce shook his head.

  “Want to make a bet? Where’s Eli, by the way?”

  “He’s taken Brianna and Mom to Jasmine’s house. They’re waiting for us.”

  Toly finally sat back so Wymon could breathe. “Since you’re not worried about hurting the representative’s feelings, how come you’re not getting married at the church?”

  Roce turned toward him. “Because big brother here couldn’t wait a second longer.”

  “I can see why,” Toly remarked. “She’s drop-dead gorgeous. Mills is still in mourning.”

  Wymon smiled. “She’s a lot more than that. We’ll do a big wedding in November to give everyone time to make plans and come. This little ceremony is just for us.”

  “Hey, Roce—how come you’re letting him drive?”

  “Wymon doesn’t trust me to get us there in time. You know what’s funny? He was late picking me up at the vet hospital. How come?”

  “I had to search for our wedding license at the last minute,” Wymon grumbled. “We went to get it the other day, and I forgot where I put it.”

  His brothers laughed and cracked jokes about nervous bridegrooms all the way to Philipsburg.

  When Wymon pulled up in the Telfords’ driveway, the only cars he saw were Eli’s
and what he imagined was Minister Logan’s. His heart picked up speed as they got out of the car.

  Jasmine’s father met them at the front door and showed them into the living room, which had been reserved for men only. The ceremony was taking place on the back patio.

  “My wife has the women sequestered. I’m to give each of you a small gardenia for your lapels. Gardenias are my daughter’s favorite flower.”

  Wymon had trouble pinning his on. Toly came over to help him. “I’d like to think Dad is looking on.”

  Wymon had a hard time swallowing. “I hope so. Thanks, Toly. Thanks for coming on such notice.”

  “I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything.”

  Wymon handed the minister their license, but he was getting antsy waiting for things to start. He checked his pocket for the wedding band and handed it to Roce.

  His brother smiled at him. “Thanks for the honor.”

  He gathered his brothers. “You guys are the best.”

  Eli handed him an envelope. “This is from all of us. You only get one honeymoon.”

  “Thanks, but you guys need to keep your money. We’ll take a small one after our wedding in November. For the time being we’re just going to stay on the ranch.”

  “You’d better look inside,” Eli told him.

  Wymon did his bidding. To his shock he found two round-trip tickets to St. Lucia in the Caribbean for ten days, all expenses paid. There was also a voucher for a night’s stay at a hotel in Missoula for that night. Their flight left in the morning.

  “Our mom and Jasmine’s mom have packed your bags. You’re all set,” Eli told him.

  Toly’s brows lifted. “Ten days on a beach, lying there beneath the palm trees with the love of your life in your arms? If you don’t take advantage of this, you’re not the brother I thought you were.”

  “He’s right,” Roce broke in. “Not too long ago I told you there was a reason you happened to come upon that crash site. You’ve worked so damn hard for so long, it’s time you allowed us to do something for you.”

  Too touched for words, Wymon was still pondering what to say to his brothers to thank them when he heard a woman’s voice say, “Everyone?”