Lassoed Into Marriage

by Christine Wenger

  “Maybe not in person, but I know him from watching bull riding on TV. He’s right up there in the rankings. Oh wait, isn’t he higher than you?” She smiled widely, then blew him a kiss.

  “Not after last weekend. He dropped like a rock.” Sully grinned just like she had, made like he was grabbing her kiss from the air and then put it on his cheek. “Nice kiss, but you can do better,” he said.

  Her cheeks heated, but she blamed it on the fire.

  “So, Lisa, can’t you just admit that you watch me on TV?”

  “Sure, I’ll admit it if it makes you feel better.”

  He leaned over and rested his arms on his legs. “I guess I’ll never get a straight answer out of you.”

  She listened to the crackling of the fire for a while. Sully was silent, and she could feel the tension in the air.

  “What do you want me to say? That I like watching you ride? That I like watching clips of you patiently signing autographs for kids and posing for pictures with them? That I’ve seen features of you with kids in Western Wishes whose big wish was to spend the day with you behind the chutes?”

  He met her gaze. “If you think I do those things for the publicity, you’re completely wrong.”

  “To be honest, I did at first, but then I changed my mind.”

  He tossed a log on the fire, and the sparks flew into the air. “You must really think I’m a jerk.”

  “I thought you were worse than a jerk, Sully. And you did nothing to prove me wrong back then. But I have really and truly changed my mind.”

  “So, I’m upgraded to what? Idiot?”

  “No. Not at all. I’m just trying to get to know you better now. The way you are right now. And you can’t tell me that you’ve always liked me, either.”

  He laughed. “I called you Ice Queen.”

  “I hope I’ve thawed out some.”

  “You have.”

  “Is there anything more we should discuss?” Lisa asked. “It seems like a perfect environment for us to talk.”

  “Are you still going to enroll Rose in an accelerated college program when we get back?” He took a sip of coffee. “How about Harvard?”

  “I know you’re concerned about Rose not having any fun as a child and going right to school, but it’s nursery school. She’ll be jumping rope and coloring and learning the alphabet and numbers. It’ll be fun for her.”

  “Help me to understand why she needs a school for that. We can play with her and teach her.”

  “Sully, we aren’t professionals. In school, she’ll meet kids her own age. It’s important for her to have friends, you know for play dates and all.”

  “There aren’t any kids in the neighborhood?”

  “Probably, but they’re all in nursery school.”

  He grunted. “Hmm...”

  “It’s important that she goes to an organized school.”

  “You mean that it’s important to you.”

  “Yeah, okay. It’s important to me,” she snapped.

  “Because of the communes you lived in?”

  She nodded. “Let’s just visit the school. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”

  “Or maybe you will.”

  She shrugged. “I doubt it.”

  “Okay. In the spirit of cooperation, I’ll agree to visit the nursery school with you,” he said. “And I’ll keep an open mind.”

  On a whim, she kissed his cheek. This was a big compromise for him.

  “We’re doing pretty good, aren’t we, Sully?”

  “I think we’re doing great.” He took her hand and played with her fingers. It seemed like too intimate a gesture for the two of them, but she had to admit that she liked it. It felt as if they shared a connection together, like they were in this together, which they were. “I just hope Glen Randolph will think we’re doing great, too.”

  “Oh, shoot,” Lisa said. “I forgot about him again. I hope he hasn’t been looking for us since we didn’t tell him we were going on this trip.”

  “Big mistake on our part.”

  “I keep forgetting to call him,” she said. “But you know, you could have.”

  “Isn’t it your job to do that kind of thing?” He held her hand tightly because he probably knew that she was going to slug him with it. “Just kidding. I like to get a rise out of you.”

  “I know.”

  The fire was dying, and Sully didn’t make a move to put their final log on.

  “I think I’m going to call it a night,” Lisa said. “I have about two square feet of bed that’s calling my name.”

  He laughed. “That’s all the room you get? It’s a queen bed.”

  “Rose can really travel at night. So does Molly and Snowball. And last night, Princess Mary Ann got stuck in my hair.”

  “Ouch.” Sully didn’t let go of her hand but helped her out of her chair while balancing on one crutch.

  Lisa couldn’t believe the strength in Sully’s riding arm when he pulled her up. She ended up standing a little too close to him.

  “Lisa?” he said.

  She could smell the coffee on his breath and the smoke of the campfire on his shirt. She found herself holding her breath, waiting. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she didn’t want to meet his eyes, afraid of what might come next.

  She wasn’t ready, yet she was.

  “Sully?” she whispered.

  It would take barely a step to close the distance between them, but she couldn’t move. It would be the biggest step of her life.

  Sully and her?

  Impossible.

  Her opinion of him was gradually changing. He made her laugh, he challenged her and he was one sexy cowboy.

  Oh, for heaven’s sake, he was going to kiss her.

  No! He shouldn’t. He wouldn’t dare.

  A kiss would change everything.

  He put his arm around her and pulled her toward him, giving her time to move away.

  She didn’t know if it was the magic of the night or just the magic of Sully, but she tilted her head and met his lips with hers.

  And she was floating, her heart was singing, and she felt like she could touch the stars. This was Brett Sullivan kissing her and, yes, she’d probably had a secret crush on him for too many years.

  Darn him!

  * * *

  What the hell was he doing kissing Lisa Phillips?

  About the second kiss, it hit him that her lips were soft and malleable. During the third kiss, he noticed that she made the sweetest sounds. After the fourth kiss, he realized that he was falling for Lisa Phillips—the Ice Queen—and that had been the most flattering of all his nicknames for her.

  He wished he didn’t need the one crutch so he could put both arms around her. She felt perfect crushed to him, and he’d thought about kissing her throughout the years, but he’d quickly come to his senses. The Ice Queen wasn’t his type at all.

  “Sully, what the hell are we doing?” Lisa stepped back, and he wanted to close the space between them again. He wasn’t finished yet.

  “What the hell are we doing?” He chuckled. “Kissing?”

  “You know what I mean. Why are we kissing?”

  “Because we wanted to?”

  He noticed that she still had her hand on his shoulder, and he still had his hand on her waist.

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “We could blame it on this special place. Or maybe on a beautiful night and a beautiful woman? Maybe we’ve been secretly attracted to each other throughout the years. Or maybe our attraction is a recent thing.”

  She was silent for a while, staring off into the darkness. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get involved. What if it didn’t work out, or if we had a bad breakup? We’d sti
ll have to raise Rose together and live together, and it would be very uncomfortable. Rose would pick up on our friction, and it wouldn’t be healthy for her.”

  “It was only a couple of kisses, Lisa! You already have us broken up and Rose in psychiatric treatment. You’re overthinking things.”

  “And you don’t think things through enough.”

  “I certainly will from now on!” He’d never had such a strange conversation after kissing a woman. He’d hate to think what she’d say after they made love.

  He froze. Made love? That was as unlikely as snow in Orlando.

  “I’m sorry, Sully,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m probably not like the other women...um...that you’ve kissed.”

  He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know how to answer that other than by saying, “Damn straight!”

  “But you have to admit that we are in a peculiar situation. We have to tread carefully. We have to think long term and we have to think of Rose.”

  “We’re not allowed to have our own needs? Our own lives?”

  “Well, yes. Sure.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “When can we start?”

  “When Rose is eighteen, I guess. It’ll be less complicated.”

  “I’ll set my watch.”

  * * *

  Lisa crawled in bed with Rose. Snowball and Molly were at the foot of the bed, and Princess Mary Ann was in place on Rose’s pillow.

  All was the same, but everything had changed.

  What a night!

  She and Sully had had pie along with a nice conversation about each other, Rose and nursery school. At least he’d agreed to take a look at the school. That was a big deal for him.

  Then they’d kissed.

  And kissed some more.

  Lisa felt a fluttering in her stomach just thinking about Sully. That was just what she didn’t want to happen. She didn’t want him on her mind 24/7.

  She did overthink things. Sully was right about that. But she couldn’t help herself. She was an intelligent woman, not one of his buckle bunnies.

  Tossing and turning all night, she counted Rose’s breaths instead of sheep. She petted Snowball for so long that she thought that the cat would soon be bald.

  Still she couldn’t sleep.

  She must have drifted off around dawn, just about the time they were going to hit the road.

  She heard Sully moving around, then a big crash and a thud that woke up Rose and the menagerie.

  “Stay here, sweetie. Go back to sleep,” Lisa told her, fixing her covers.

  Lisa sprang out of bed, went into the kitchen and found Sully face down on the kitchen floor.

  “Sully? Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay. I just tripped over my crutch. It must have fallen during the night.”

  He flipped over onto his back and winced.

  “What else did you hurt?”

  “Both of my elbows. I hit the floor elbows first.” He swore under his breath. “You’d think I’d know how to fall by now. I’ve had enough practice, but this took me by surprise.”

  “Let me help you,” Lisa said. She picked up the crutch that he’d tripped over and handed it to him to use as leverage.

  With several grunts from both of them, he was able to get up. She handed him his other crutch, and he headed for the bathroom. Lisa decided to make a pot of coffee because she’d never be able to go back to sleep now.

  He returned and collapsed on the dinette bed.

  “Do you need a doctor? A hospital?” Lisa asked.

  “Nah.”

  “Tough guy.”

  He chuckled. “Coffee smells good. Do you mind pouring me a cup?”

  “Coming up.”

  She handed him a cup of coffee, black. “I was thinking...maybe we should have a party for Rose’s birthday.”

  “Absolutely,” Sully said.

  “Yes.” She liked that he wanted to have a party for Rose’s birthday, but then of course he would.

  Sully sat down on the passenger’s seat. “We’ll have a barbecue for her birthday. I make a mean rack of ribs, and then there’s always hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids.”

  “We have a lot of time to plan her party, but right now, we have to think about breakfast. I’ll call and see if we can land a character breakfast. After that, we can find out where and when the characters are appearing. What else?”

  “The rides,” Sully said. “And I’m going to buy a camera somewhere, first thing.”

  “I saw them in the store right here in the campgrounds.”

  “Excellent,” Sully said. “And then we’ll do your steak barbecue for dinner.”

  “I can taste it already!”

  * * *

  “Smile,” Sully said, taking yet another picture. This time it was of she and Rose eating an ice cream.

  He clicked away when they were on the rides; when Rose was with the characters; when she was in front of bright flowers, topiaries and fountains and sitting on the grass.

  Finally, Lisa took the camera away from him and did some clicking of her own, so he could be in some of the pictures.

  “Let me try it,” Rose asked. “Please? Can I?”

  Sully nodded. “Take a picture of Aunt Lisa and me.”

  He patiently showed her what to push and where to look.

  “Okay!” she said impatiently. “Stand together.”

  They did.

  “Can you see us?” Sully asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Okay. Then click the button.”

  She did, and when Sully and Lisa went to look, the picture was perfect.

  “Let me do another one!” Rose said.

  “No. That’s enough.” Sully took the camera from her and she began to pout. She crossed her arms, and stomped her foot. Then she sat down on the ground.

  Sully looked at Lisa with raised brows, palms in the air.

  Rose was such a sweet, even-tempered little girl, and she rarely showed any sign of being contrary. She was definitely tired. It was time to go back to the campground for a nap.

  Lisa nodded toward Rose, then motioned for Sully to handle her. It was time for him to be the disciplinarian for once.

  “Rose, get up off the ground. You are getting dirty,” he said.

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Sweetie, I’m telling you to get up, or there will be nothing but bread and water for you tonight or maybe gruel.”

  “Gruel?” Lisa asked, trying not to laugh. “You’ve watched Oliver Twist too many times.”

  “Honey, would you like some cotton candy? I’ll get you some cotton candy if you get up,” Sully said.

  “No!”

  He looked at Lisa. “Now what?”

  “Try again.”

  This time he held out his hand to her. “Let’s go back to the RV, Rose. Uncle Sully is awful tired, and I have to rest my ankle. Are you tired, too?”

  “Maybe,” she said, taking his hand.

  Lisa took Rose’s other hand. “I’m pretty tired, too.”

  “Let’s take a boat back,” Sully said. “Okay, Rose?”

  “Yes!”

  On the boat ride, Rose fell asleep across their laps, and, as he stared down at the doll-like face of his little niece, Sully felt like a real father.

  * * *

  The next morning, Lisa walked out of the bedroom into the main cabin of the RV. She smelled coffee and saw Sully was awake. He was wearing red gym shorts and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” she said.

  “Morning.”

  “I think we have to get back to Salmon Falls. Shall I get the motor home ready?” Lisa whispered, closing the bedroom d
oor behind her.

  Sully nodded. “We’re both up, so we might as well rock and roll.”

  “What about Rose? Should we wake her up so we can buckle her into the dinette?”

  “Brilliant idea.”

  Lisa took a couple of sips of coffee, then went back into the bedroom to slip on a pair of slacks and a blouse to go outside. She disconnected the hoses and the electric hookups.

  When she returned to the motor home, Rose and her pets had relocated to the dinette. She was still sleeping, but Lisa noticed that she was buckled in.

  Sully had slipped on a T-shirt.

  Too bad. He was buff, and Lisa enjoyed the view.

  “Let’s go home,” she said, slipping behind the wheel.

  Sully moved to the passenger’s seat. He put both mugs of coffee into the slots in the console, reached for the GPS and began typing.

  “We are going to one huge, white Victorian on twenty pretty acres in tiny Salmon Falls, New York. Got it.”

  Lisa set out for the campground office. She didn’t know if they needed to check out, but she decided to stop anyway.

  “Lisa, stop!” Sully shouted.

  Her heart started to pound, and she hit the brakes.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “We didn’t retract the awning. We almost took out a couple of windows on some trailers. Luckily, we just clipped a few trees.”

  She put the RV in Park, got up and pushed the button. “I hope I didn’t break anything.”

  “I don’t think we actually hit anything hard. It’s my fault. I don’t know why I didn’t remember. I always hit the awning button first.” He chuckled. “I guess you’re my distraction.”

  It was a joke and she was reading too much into it, but she didn’t want to be his distraction. Nor did she want any references to their momentary loss of sanity last night.

  “I’ll tape a note to the steering wheel,” she said. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Relax, Lisa. It’s an easy mistake.”

  “I don’t make mistakes.”

  “Lisa, this isn’t a plane. It’s just a motor home.”

  “But still...”

  “You’re too hard on yourself. Give yourself a break.”

  She was just about to tell him that he was too easygoing, but she admired that about him. There were a lot of things she admired about Sully.