His Christmas Bride

by Lara Van Hulzen

  Things looked the same, but different. There was definite wear and tear on the house and some of the other buildings. Nothing horrible, but Clayton being in a wheelchair had taken its toll, in more ways than one. Another twinge of guilt hit Lucas in the chest. Clayton had always been good to him. Made Lucas feel welcomed. Yet another person he’d let fall by the wayside by not keeping up.

  “It’s awfully nice to meet you, Vanessa,” Clayton was saying. “And damn good to see you again, Lucas. How’ve you been?”

  “I’m doing well, sir. Can’t complain.” He smiled down at the man, still not accustomed to seeing him in a wheelchair.

  Clayton was a big man. Athletic. Lucas could see he’d continued to take care of himself.

  “I see your dad now and then in town. He brags on you kids all the time.” He chuckled. “I suppose I do the same to him.”

  “We can’t thank you enough for letting us use your property for our wedding.” Vanessa had put on her kindest professional persona like she always did in social situations. In a black pantsuit and high-heeled boots, she couldn’t have looked more out of place if she’d tried.

  “It’s our pleasure. I know Lucas always enjoyed coming out here when he was a kid. We’re happy to have him around again.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Tanner. It’s good to be here again.”

  “Oh, please. Call me Clayton. You aren’t a kid anymore.”

  They chuckled. Lucas glanced at Vanessa and his smile faded. She looked as if she’d eaten a lemon.

  “I told Erin you’d be coming by this morning. She went out for a ride, but she should be back soon.”

  “Oh, we don’t need to bother her. Why don’t you show us around, Mr. Tanner?”

  Vanessa’s smooth tone had the desired effect on the man, his grin widening. “Again, call me Clayton.”

  “Clayton it is, then. I would love to have you give us a tour of the prop—”

  Her words were cut off by the sound of hooves pounding against the earth. Lucas turned his head to see Erin racing across the meadow on horseback. It had been unusually warm and there wasn’t as much snow on the ground as the week before. The horse’s hooves kicked up snow and dirt as it ran. Erin’s body moved with the beast is if the two were one unit. She could’ve let her hands fly free and still wouldn’t have fallen off.

  All those times they’d ridden together when they were young, she could ride circles around Lucas. And yet, she’d always let him win when they’d raced. Yeah, he knew she’d held back, but being the cocky teenage boy he was, he’d embraced the chance to gloat a little. But then he’d let her win later at checkers. She probably knew that, too, but it was part of their friendship.

  Her horse stopped a few feet away in a cloud of dust. Vanessa coughed and took a few steps back. Erin looked down at them, the grin on her face a mile wide. Her golden hair was tousled and not an ounce of makeup was on her face. In fact, a smudge of dirt ran across one cheek. She was beautiful.

  She swung a leg over and hopped down. With the reins in one hand, she walked over to them, the horse tucked close to her arm. “Good morning. Sorry I’m late.”

  “Hey, Girl Child. How was your ride?”

  “Awesome, as always.”

  “Lucas and Vanessa here were just saying they’d love a tour of the property. I think you’re the girl for the job.”

  The smile on Erin’s face fell a little, but it was back in place as she looked at him and Vanessa. “Sure. Let me just get Hemingway settled.”

  “Why don’t they go with you? See the stables.”

  “No, that’s—” Vanessa’s words were cut off by Lucas who spoke at the same time.

  “That would be great!”

  “A good walk down memory lane for you, son.” Clayton patted Lucas on the arm.

  “Follow me, then.” Erin turned, her horse sticking close.

  Lucas and Vanessa followed, Vanessa clinging to his arm as she tried to maneuver across grass, dirt, and snow in her ridiculous boots.

  “I told you to wear different shoes. That suitcase of a purse you carry around isn’t helping, either.”

  Her body leaned into him as her ankle turned, and she used him to regain her balance. “You know I’m headed to the airport after this. I’m not one to travel in sweats and sneakers, Lucas.”

  She wasn’t one to be snippy, either. Lucas looked at her then shrugged. Why women wore those spikes on their feet all the time was beyond his understanding. Sure, he enjoyed a woman in heels now and then at a dressy event or out for an evening. He was a guy. But all that time? He eyed Erin’s worn cowgirl boots, weathered by time and molded to her feet from wear. Now those were something he could grasp wearing every day.

  “Feel free to take a look around. I’m going to put away Hemingway’s saddle and tack and get him settled.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  It wasn’t a huge stable, but it was clean and able to hold six horses. Lucas only saw one. Where were the others? The Tanner’s had owned multiple horses before.

  “Hey, fella.” He held his hand out to the one horse who eyed him with caution, but warmed up as Lucas got closer. He nudged Lucas’s hand with his nose, searching for a treat.

  “That’s Eight. He’s my dad’s horse. Well, was my dad’s horse. Now Tucker or Wendell ride him.”

  Erin had come out of the tack room, Hemingway’s bridle in her hands. Lucas didn’t miss the hint of sadness that flashed in her eyes. Of course her dad couldn’t ride anymore.

  “He’s a good-looking horse.”

  “They’re awfully big and smelly animals, aren’t they?” Vanessa came up behind Lucas, his body blocking hers from the animal. Lucas had forgotten she was there.

  Erin disappeared once more into the tack room.

  “You’re a good guy, aren’t ya?” Lucas talked to the horse, ignoring Vanessa’s comment.

  “Bleh. I don’t know why you’re so set on getting married in a barn, Lucas. I mean, animals live in a barn.”

  Lucas laughed and rubbed Eight’s nose. It reminded him of velvet. His mother had owned a velvet dress when he was a kid. Whenever she wore it to go out for the evening, Lucas would stand near her and rub his hands along her skirt, mesmerized by the feel of the fabric. His mind flashed to Vanessa holding Annalise’s little hands away from her as if the child was toxic. His mother had never done that. Nothing, certainly not whatever fabric she wore, was ever more important that her children.

  “Lucas? Are you hearing me?”

  He turned, his attention now back in the stables and on his fiancée who leaned with one hand against a stable door while trying to wipe mud from the heel of her boot with a tissue. Man, she looked ridiculous. Maybe talking her into a country wedding wasn’t his best idea.

  “You guys ready? I’m sure you’d like to see the barn. That’s where you want to hold the ceremony, right?” Erin had come out of the tack room, wiping her hands on a towel, her worn jeans and long-sleeved flannel shirt with a brown jacket overtop the polar opposite of Vanessa’s getup. She stood straight and smiled at Erin.

  “That would be great. We’re so excited about this.”

  What the hell? What was with the three-hundred-sixty-degree turn around? Hadn’t she just been bitching to him about getting married in a smelly barn?

  “Follow me, then.” Erin headed out the door of the stable. Vanessa walked after her with Lucas bringing up the rear, shaking his head.

  Chapter Eight

  Erin led them across the yard to the barn. She winced a little inside. Tanner Ranch was home to her, but now, seeing it through someone else’s eyes, the chipped paint and rusted door hinges stood out to her like beacons. She was sure Miss Stiletto Boots behind her saw a brokendown building in need of repair used only to house “smelly animals” as opposed to the part of Erin’s history that it was.

  Hours and hours playing in the hayloft with her brother when they were little. Times when Lucas would visit and help with chores, the two of them scooping up hay with pitchfo
rks and tossing it onto the back of her dad’s truck to take around to feed the cows. And, of course, sitting on a hay bale, crying tears over Lucas.

  She snuck a peek at the couple behind her as she opened the barn door. Vanessa was hanging on to Lucas’s arm for dear life, whether to stake her claim or to survive the walk without landing face down in the dirt, Erin wasn’t sure. Maybe both.

  They went inside, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dimness, a stark contrast from the bright outdoors. Dust particles danced in the sunlight that shone in from the open window in the hay loft. Erin smiled. She loved it in here.

  Vanessa coughed. “It’s so dusty and dark.” She waved a hand in front of her face as she scrunched up her nose.

  “It looks exactly the same.” The reverence in Lucas’s voice gave Erin goose bumps. One of the few people ever in her life to understand the love of a dirty barn. She used to curl up in the hay loft and read for hours, the streaming sunshine the perfect reading light.

  Vanessa put her hands on her hips. “Well, we have more work to do than I realized.”

  She pulled a notebook and pen from the large purse over her shoulder.

  Lucas looked around as if he’d entered a church and was mesmerized by stained glass windows instead of a dingy barn in need of a lot of TLC. “This is perfect. I think we could put chairs all along here with the main aisle going right through here.” He pointed, showing them exact spots he was referring to.

  “Twinkle lights strung across the top of the room will lighten things up and would make it festive, too,” Erin offered.

  “I’m not so sure… Twinkle lights seem so… low-cost.” Vanessa sent a condescending smile toward Erin. “No offense.”

  “None taken.” Although she wasn’t offended, Erin got the message loud and clear.

  From this point on, she’d keep her mouth shut. She wasn’t sure why she’d said anything anyway. Twinkle lights in a barn were more of a dream for her own wedding. Why she would want to toss that out for Lucas and another woman she had no clue.

  “I think that’s a great idea.” Both women looked at Lucas, Erin with surprise and Vanessa through narrowed eyes.

  Lucas shrugged. “What? We want a country feel. I’m not sure what low-cost or high-cost has to do with anything.”

  “Well, darling…” Vanessa’s expression changed as she stepped toward Lucas and pulled him to the center of the room. “As you know, the Managing Editor of Vanity Fair is a friend of mine so they are sending someone to do a two-page spread on the wedding.”

  Lucas looked down at her with a furrowed brow. “I thought we were keeping this small and out of the press.”

  “Well, my friend mentioned something at lunch the other day and I thought it sounded lovely. So, although we are doing the country theme…” She looked over her shoulder at Erin then lowered her voice. “A compromise we agreed to. I would like to make it as formal as possible. Make sure it photographs well. Besides, VF is great publicity. You and I both know how valuable that can be.”

  Lucas blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, his tell-tale sign he wasn’t thrilled with a situation but unsure of how to respond. Erin moved to the corner and sat in a creaky old chair that had been deposited there and forgotten about. Feeling as if she were intruding on a private conversation, maybe being there would make her presence forgotten as well.

  The two of them continued to talk in low tones while Erin toyed with her thumbnail. Observing the two of them together was enlightening. Although she had no clue what Lucas was really like now, the Lucas she knew would never have gone for a woman like Vanessa. The high school girls who taunted Erin and tried to get Lucas’s attention never turned his head. Ever. Yet another reason she’d fallen hard for him.

  So why choose this woman with “uptight” written all over her and an obvious desire for attention Lucas clearly didn’t want? Erin sighed. Who was she to question it? Lucas’s world in New York was so, so far from where she sat in a barn in Marietta, Montana.

  Images of him arriving at movie premieres and society galas with famous models on his arm floated into her head. Google searching Lucas’s name had been a favorite pastime of Erin’s in college. Based on his public persona, he didn’t seem to mind being the St. Claire in the spotlight, but Erin had a sense that was business. His wedding was personal. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting added attention.

  “I think Erin would agree with me, wouldn’t you?” Vanessa’s question snapped Erin from her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t listening. I’m sure whatever you decide is perfect.”

  Vanessa smiled. It was more of a smirk, really. “I agree, but I was just trying to tell Lucas that I’ve already spoken to a lighting professional who is willing to come here and wire the whole building for the exact light needed for ideal photos. We can still string lights, if that’s the look you want, darling.” She turned to Lucas. “But let me handle the details of getting it done.”

  She wanted to wire the entire barn for specific lighting? Good Lord. This was going to be a much bigger project than Erin ever imagined. Her phone dinged in her pocket.

  “Excuse me.” She stood and pulled it from her coat.

  It was a text from Cynthia. She stepped outside the barn, leaving Lucas and Vanessa to discuss things in private and answer her friend.

  “On my way. I was told to meet the happy couple at your place this morning. Running late.”

  Erin didn’t know Cynthia was part of the morning meeting. Relief swept through her. “Thank God. I’m here listening to plans that are beyond overwhelming to me.”

  “Sorry. I meant to warn you. I had to practically convince her not to tear down the barn and rebuild it in a few weeks… Kidding. Sort of.”

  Erin stared down at the text from her friend. Tear it down and start over? She hoped to God Cynthia was kidding. Her gut said Vanessa sure wasn’t.

  “I’ll be there soon.”

  “K. Thanks. We’re in the barn now.”

  Cynthia sent a thumbs-up emoji. Erin put her phone back in her pocket.

  She took in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out. Dear Lord, she was going to need superhuman strength to get through this.

  *

  Lucas stood in the driveway, one hand in the pocket of his jeans, the other waving to Vanessa as Wilson drove her away from Tanner Ranch and to the airport. The meeting had taken longer than they expected, and Lucas still wanted to go over a few things with Clayton about the updates to the barn. Vanessa had reluctantly agreed to have Wilson take her to her flight. Wes had insisted she use the family plane to go back to New York for Thanksgiving with her family. Lucas wasn’t sure if his brother was being generous or wanted to be as helpful as possible in getting Vanessa out of Marietta.

  Lucas could hear Erin saying goodbye to Cynthia. He vaguely remembered meeting Cynthia during his visits to Marietta, but most of his time at Tanner Ranch was spent with Erin. And she’d never been the type to have a bunch of friends over. More content to help her dad with chores, or curl up with a book around the property, there was a simplicity to her that was lacking in the women Lucas knew. Certainly in Vanessa. Erin would never even think about having her wedding photographed for the world to see. It was a private moment. Personal. Something Vanessa had no concept of, apparently. He shook his head. It did him no good to compare the two.

  He went over and shook Cynthia’s hand. “Thanks again for everything. I know this is a lot, but I have full faith you’ll make this a great event.”

  “I appreciate that.” Cynthia smiled and turned to get in her car. She started the engine and put her window down. “Are you okay if I stay in touch with you this week, Lucas, since you’re here in Marietta? I’m sure Vanessa will be keeping in touch via phone, but if I need something right away?”

  “Of course. You can reach me anytime on my cell number.”

  “Perfect. Thanks.” She waved again to Erin and headed down the drive.

  The two of them
stood there watching her go. Erin hadn’t said a word to him or Vanessa since the twinkle light comment. He’d loved the idea. Why Vanessa shot her down like that he couldn’t figure out. Sure, Vanessa was used to a different lifestyle, but that didn’t make Erin’s ideas not good.

  “You mind if I take one more look in the barn?” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.

  “Not at all.”

  They walked the path back to the barn in quiet. A cow mooed in a field nearby, the sound making Lucas chuckle. Man, he missed the country life. Accustomed to the sounds of the city out his apartment window, it still could never match the peace that filled him out in open spaces.

  They entered the barn again. Lucas could see in his mind’s eye the setup he wanted. He’d tried to explain it to Vanessa, but she would take everything he said and twist it to match what she wanted. And it was becoming painfully clear that what she wanted was a high-end New York wedding jammed into a Montana barn. Not at all what Lucas had in mind. His feathers were still ruffled that she’d talked to a major magazine about the wedding before consulting him. Whatever publicity came of it affected him, too.

  And it wasn’t that he was opposed to the world knowing he was getting married. Vanessa had shouted it from the society rooftops as soon as Lucas told his family. Fine. Good. Whatever. Lucas was used to that. But the moment he vowed to love her forever, he wanted it to be about just the two of them. No one else.

  Cynthia had listened to them and eased his mind that she could help make each of them happy, but the whole morning had left him with a knot in his gut he didn’t like. He didn’t like it at all.

  “I think it will be a beautiful ceremony.”

  Erin’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. They stood in the center of the large room now, his hands dug deep in his pockets, hers folded across her chest. The smudge of dirt still streaked her cheek. He smiled and reached out to her, using his thumb to wipe it away. Her eyes widened at his touch and his insides warmed from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Only one other time in his life had he felt that way. The day he’d kissed her.