Do You Take this Cowboy?

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “You haven’t asked him, though.”

  “Not yet. Now isn’t a great time to discuss it. But I will, probably after I drive back tomorrow night.”

  Elise nodded. “That sounds like a reasonable plan.” She squeezed Drew’s shoulder. “If I know you, and I think I do, you’ll feel better once you get back to work.”

  “True.”

  “The women are about to put on their finery, which probably means the men will be doing that, too. You wanted one of us in each locker room, as I recall. Which are you taking?”

  She didn’t even have to think twice. “The women.”

  “All things considered, excellent choice. I’m not in love with Jonah so I’ll have a steadier hand on the camcorder.”

  “Don’t fall in love with him.”

  Elise smiled. “I can’t promise you that, sis. He’s pretty cute.” She stood. “You have another one of these little dude cameras, right?”

  “Yep. In the truck.”

  “Then I’ll take this one since I’m used to it.” She peered at Drew. “You okay?”

  “Yep.”

  “Then I’m off to get me some shots of hot cowboys getting dressed for a wedding. Yeehaw!” She left the barn.

  Drew smiled. She and Elise had grown up in the same household, but their personalities were completely different. Drew envied her sister’s breezy attitude toward life. Elise had hated losing the internship, but she would have been okay, even without Drew rushing to the rescue. But Drew was glad her little sis was here.

  She went to the truck to get a small tote and the other camcorder, and then she walked up to the house. Elise was right. Work was a blessing. Her gloom disappeared while filming Lexi getting into her classy wedding dress with the help of Chelsea and Philomena, her two attendants.

  After everyone was dressed, Drew slipped into a bathroom and put on what she referred to as her wedding videographer’s outfit. The emerald green knit dress with a gently flared skirt paired with low-heeled shoes gave her freedom of movement and the combination was appropriate for all seasons, including Christmas. Her pearl earrings and her grandmother’s pendant were her only jewelry.

  On the trip from the house to the barn, she met Elise coming back from her filming escapade in the meadow. “Have fun?”

  “You know it, sis. Your guy is already down at the barn warming up his guitar, by the way. I’ll meet you there after I change clothes.”

  “See you then.” Drew wanted to get inside well in advance of the guests so that she could shoot the benches slowly filling up. During editing she’d increase the film speed for that segment. It wouldn’t take up much of the video’s runtime and it was a fun prelude to the big event.

  Although Elise had prepared her by announcing Austin was already in the barn, her chest tightened with emotion when she caught sight of him. He wore what the brotherhood had chosen for the occasion—black pants and boots, white shirt, string tie, black Western-cut jacket and a black Stetson. His blond coloring with the dark outfit was breathtaking.

  He glanced up when she came in and smiled appreciatively. “Nice dress.”

  “Thank you. Nice outfit.”

  “Thanks.” He held her gaze for one electric moment. Then he went back to strumming his guitar.

  She walked over to the corner where she’d positioned her tripod-mounted camera for maximum coverage of the event. She could swivel to the back to catch the action there and to the front for the ceremony itself. Elise would stand behind Cade with a handheld camera to catch shots from that angle.

  Her hand trembled slightly as she turned on the camera and listened to the sound of Austin’s guitar through her headset. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

  She would do this and she would do it well. Lexi and Cade deserved the best she had to give and she wouldn’t allow herself to be sidetracked by her worry about the beautiful man over there playing guitar in the corner. But ignoring him wasn’t easy when they were the only two people in the barn and she had nothing to do but wait.

  Everything was as ready as it could be. She’d already taken video of the ribbons braided in each horse’s mane and the flower arrangements hanging between each stall. She’d even filmed the gray tabby strolling through the barn.

  The cat wandered over to Austin and rubbed against his leg. Austin stopped playing and leaned down to scratch behind the cat’s ears. “Hey, Ringo. Don’t know if you’ll want to stay for this thing, buddy. Might be too big a crowd for you, but it’s a big day for your main man, Cade.”

  “How’s Cade doing?” She hoped Austin and Jonah had helped him relax. Most grooms were a little jumpy, but Cade had seemed more so than most.

  “He’s fine.” Austin met her gaze as he continued to pet the cat. “Thunder Mountain guys are pretty resilient.”

  That was the exact moment she lost her heart for sure. It wasn’t a wise thing to do but she couldn’t help it. Austin had been through so much, and his courage in the face of adversity had touched her from the beginning.

  She knew that for a man like him, love was a precious gift, one he didn’t give lightly. They might not be meant for each other, but dragging out the uncertainty until tomorrow night wasn’t fair to him.

  She took a deep breath. “Maybe we need to have our talk a little earlier.”

  “Okay.”

  “Like after this is over.”

  “I look forward to it.” His attention shifted to the back of the barn as the brotherhood filed in and positioned themselves shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the back door. They were an impressive group. Austin tipped his hat to them. “Showtime.”

  And so it was. Drew filmed the guests as they arrived and were escorted to their seats by various members of the brotherhood. She had no trouble picking out Jack Chance and his mother, Sarah. For one thing, Finn introduced them to each of the brothers before seating them.

  For another, they stopped to pet the horses on the way to their spots. She couldn’t claim to be a horse person aside from her interest in wild ones, but she could recognize the signs. Jack and Sarah obviously loved them.

  Curiously, mother and son didn’t look related. Jack’s chiseled features and dark coloring indicated Native American ancestry. Sarah was fair-skinned with Anglo features and the posture and height of someone who might have walked a runway in her youth. But they were clearly fond of each other and thrilled to be here. Thunder Mountain had taught Drew that biology wasn’t the only component in mother-son relationships and maybe not the most important one.

  As guests continued to arrive, Austin’s gentle rendition of country songs filled the barn with nostalgia. Lexi had been right about using a solo guitar. This was far better than a sophisticated sound system and recorded music.

  Damon and Finn ushered Rosie and Herb to a seat in the front row. Drew glanced at the time and noticed that they were right on schedule. The same two brothers brought Lexi’s mother to the front row.

  Drew swung her camera to the back again as the rest of the brotherhood filed up the aisle. Several horses nickered as they passed. After all, these men were cowboys who at one time or another had ridden, cared for and loved those animals.

  Finally the men reached the front of the barn and formed a semicircle with their backs to the open doors. Late afternoon sunlight streamed in, surrounding them with a golden glow. They looked magnificent and Drew took her time panning across the entire group.

  Next Jonah and Cade arrived and took their places in front of their brothers. Jonah was dressed like everyone else, complete with the black Stetson and string tie. He looked more like a riverboat gambler than a man of the cloth.

  Cade was the only one with a slight variation to the dress code. The vest he’d mentioned yesterday turned out to be gold brocade, and Drew’s eyes misted when she saw it. During the time she’d f
ilmed the women getting dressed, Rosie had given Lexi a gold locket from Cade along with a note explaining the significance of the vest he’d be wearing.

  He’d bought it without consulting Lexi and intended it as a silent pledge of a long and lasting love. He planned to wear it again fifty years from today when they celebrated their golden anniversary. After reading his note, Lexi had burst into tears.

  Once all the men were in place, Austin launched into a slightly more energetic song for the processional as Chelsea walked down the aisle wearing a delicate gown of turquoise. Philomena, dressed in a deep blue dress that matched her eyes, followed. She pushed a stroller covered in ribbons and flowers.

  Sophie perched in the middle of all that finery wearing a crown of flowers and a frothy dress of apple green. She looked like a woodland fairy child, but she sounded exactly like the spirited baby she was as she squealed and bounced in the stroller. Cameras and phones came out and Phil’s stepmother crouched in the aisle to get a picture head-on. Drew suppressed a burst of laughter when Rosie left her place of honor and did the same.

  As Phil and Sophie took their places, Austin finished up with a flourish. Then he started a very simple version of a well-known melody and began humming it softly. The brothers behind him, including Cade and Jonah, joined in as the audience rose to the sweetest wedding march Drew had ever heard.

  As the soft humming drifted through the barn, Lexi appeared on her father’s arm. Drew had seen her outfit earlier, but the impact of it here was a hundred times greater. Against a backdrop of weathered wood, she was a glowing vision.

  The classic, flowing lines of her white satin dress suited her perfectly. Cade’s gold locket nestled at her throat, and instead of a veil, she wore a crown of white flowers over her short brown curls. Her bouquet was also all white except for a single red rose in the center.

  The closer she came, the louder Austin hummed and the brothers took their cue from him. They almost drowned out the sound of Lexi’s horse, Serendipity, who trumpeted her congratulations as Lexi passed by.

  By the time Lexi reached the front of the barn, the brotherhood’s chorus of deep baritone voices filled the space to overflowing with a joyous sound of celebration. Lexi obviously loved it. She alternated between tears and laughter, which could be the sign of a perfect march down the aisle.

  Austin brought the song to a crescendo and cut it with perfect timing. Silence reigned as everyone in the barn absorbed the beauty of the moment when Cade and Lexi stood gazing at each other. Then little Sophie called out “da-da” and the spell was broken as everyone laughed.

  Lexi’s dad transferred her hand to Cade’s and took his seat, Jonah cleared his throat and the ceremony began. Drew had filmed several weddings, but none had touched her the way this one did. The love between Cade and Lexi shimmered in the air, so real she almost believed it would show up as waves of color on the video.

  Her filming strategy was simple—stay focused on the shining faces of the couple vowing to love each other forever and a day. The words made Drew’s throat hurt but she didn’t have time to question why. She was too busy capturing a precious memory for two people who deserved to have a video to play when that fiftieth rolled around.

  After it was over and they hurried down the aisle together to the vibrant tunes pouring from Austin’s guitar, after guests and members of the brotherhood had stopped to compliment Austin on his playing, Drew found herself alone with him once again.

  Slowly he leaned his guitar against the wooden stool and walked over to her. “You haven’t ever asked this directly, but it’s probably something you’d like to know.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “I want this.” He gestured to the decorated barn. “And I want it with you. My brothers would tell me I’m crazy for laying it out, but...I saw how you reacted to this wedding. I don’t know a lot of things, but after four years of guiding trail rides I’ve learned to read people. I saw your face and I think you want it, too.”

  She opened her mouth to contradict him.

  “Don’t answer me now. Give yourself some time to think about it.” He held her gaze. “Give yourself time to imagine how great we could be together.” Then he glanced toward the back of the barn. “Hey, Jonah. Great timing, bro.”

  Drew stared at the preacher in confusion.

  “Happy to be of service.” Jonah tipped his hat. “All set?”

  “Sure am.” Austin looked at Drew. “Before he left I asked him to head back here after giving us a couple of minutes. He’ll walk you over to the reception. On the way he’s supposed to tell you what a great guy I am.” Then he turned and walked out of the barn.

  Chapter Twenty

  Austin figured he’d blown it, but engineering that moment alone with Drew when the air still vibrated from the excitement of Cade and Lexi’s wedding had been too good to pass up. She’d been so into it. Whether she realized it or not, she was a people person like him.

  She had enough talent to create nature videos and could probably make money doing it, but filming people was her sweet spot. Building a wonderful life with her would be so easy, at least in his view, but she didn’t think she was ready. Typical of him, he’d just pushed her to make a decision.

  Good thing the rockin’ party going on in the rec hall absorbed everyone’s attention and no one noticed he was a wee bit distracted. Like all the other guys, he’d shed his jacket and thrown himself into the action—eating, drinking, toasting and dancing to the music provided by an excellent DJ. But his mind wasn’t on the festivities. Instead he was focused on Drew as she moved around the room with her small camcorder.

  Cade was right about him—when he set his mind to something, he was exactly like a bullet train. Jonah had told him that he couldn’t railroad people and that was what he’d attempted with Drew, pretty much from the beginning. Now she wouldn’t even glance his way and it was his own damned fault.

  The rec hall looked great, though. He hadn’t seen the place when it was first built but from what he’d heard, it had been a bare-bones structure. Part classroom, part hangout for the academy’s teenagers, it had been more functional than attractive.

  The students had done a lot toward changing that. The walls were covered with murals, good ones, too. They’d created faux windows on each wall. One looked out on a startlingly realistic view of the Bighorns and another on a pasture with Thunder Mountain horses grazing in it. On either side of the front door, imaginary windows revealed a nonexistent porch lined with chairs.

  While he and Jonah had been keeping Cade occupied this morning, the rest of the brothers had pitched in to decorate. Somebody had come up with colorful tablecloths, probably Rosie, but the guys had provided the vases of wildflowers on each table. They’d done a decent job with crepe paper streamers, too. The streamers added a high school prom vibe, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

  Maybe if he hadn’t made his pushy speech in the barn, this night could have been a lot of fun. Drew would have stopped by during her filming and given him a smile. Later they could have slipped outside for a few stolen kisses. He could be wrong that she was deliberately avoiding him, but he didn’t think so.

  Then he saw her leave her camera with Elise and go out on the dance floor with Jack Chance. Okay, that did it. The guy was a great dancer and he’d taken a turn with nearly every woman in the room, but Drew was supposed to be working, right? And if she took a break to dance with anyone, he wanted to be the one holding her, not some well-heeled dude from Jackson Hole.

  Making his way across the dance floor, he tapped Jack on the shoulder. “Cutting in.”

  “Oh, hey.” Jack glanced at him without missing a beat. Then he looked at Drew an
d raised his eyebrows. “Okay with you?”

  Austin clenched his jaw.

  “It’s okay.” She didn’t smile, though. Not even a little bit.

  “I’ll ask you again later. We need to catch up.” Jack smoothly transferred her into Austin’s arms.

  He pulled her close, but not too close, and continued the lively two-step. “Catch up? You know him?” He didn’t dare gaze into her eyes or he’d stumble. He was normally a good dancer but he was stretched tight as his guitar strings right now.

  “I was his waitress once when he came to Billings to look at horses. He stopped by the restaurant for a bite to eat.”

  “How long ago?”

  “At least five years, maybe more.”

  Austin’s jaw muscles bunched. “Must have been memorable.”

  “It was. He danced me around through the tables.”

  “Sounds like quite a guy.”

  “Austin, he’s married with two kids.”

  “Doesn’t mean anything.”

  “In Jack’s case it does. Listen, this is stupid. Let’s go outside so we can talk.”

  He sucked in a breath. “That would be great.” Taking her hand, he led her out the front door and into the cool night. “It’s chilly out here. Do you need—”

  “I’m fine.” She faced him. “I’ve wanted to talk to you, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I’m still not sure.”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” He shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t reach for her. “Let me apologize for what I said back at the barn. Cade’s warned me several times about my tendency to barrel ahead when I’ve set myself a goal.”

  “Your goal-oriented personality was one of the things I admired about you.”

  “You said ‘was,’ so I guess you don’t admire it so much anymore.”