Dreaming in Dairyland

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Dreaming in Dairyland

  Book Four in At the Altar

  By Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright 2015 Kirsten Osbourne

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

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  Cissie Rivers finds herself jealous of her best friend, Cindy, for the first time in her life. Cissie's always been smart, pretty, and a wonderful singer, but Cindy has found love, and Cissie is still alone. She isn't sure how much longer she can wait for matchmaker, Lachele, to find her perfect man. Patience has never been one of her virtues.

  Deputy Sheriff, Bob Anderson, takes one look at Cissie Rivers and knows she's the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. The only problem is, he can't seem to approach her. Every time he even thinks about it, his tongue swells in his mouth so he's certain he'll start stammering. When he finds out that Cissie is waiting to be matched by Lachele, he contacts Matchrimony immediately. Will Cissie be able to forgive him when she realizes he's engineered the match? Or will she opt out of their marriage after the first year is up?

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  This book is dedicated to Cissie and Cindy and to the whole Pioneer Hearts gang on Facebook, the best darn group of authors and readers around. Do you want to be part of a community of writers and readers of historical Western romance? Join us in Pioneer Hearts!

  Chapter One

  Cissie Rivers felt a pang as she watched her best friend, Cindy, with her new husband, Trey. Every time she saw them together she realized she was missing something. She had contacted Lachele Simpson, the matchmaker responsible for Cindy's marriage, and was playing the waiting game. She knew her man was out there somewhere. She just hoped he was half as good a husband to her as Trey was to Cindy.

  The problem with using Lachele, and her company, Matchrimony to find a man was she wouldn't get to see him until she was walking down the aisle. She wouldn't know his name or anything about him until they were legally wed. It was hard to give someone that much control over your life, especially when you liked to control things yourself, but she knew Lachele had done a good job for Cindy.

  On one hand, she felt guilty for being jealous of Cindy, but on the other, she realized that it wasn't her husband she was jealous of, but the relationship itself. She wanted more than what she had. That was always Cissie's problem. She always wanted more. She wanted the whole world spread out before her, and here she was, sitting in the middle of Blevins, Wisconsin in the bowling alley she managed. There had to be more to life than this!

  Once she'd thought she could conquer the world with her singing, but instead she'd just ended up back in Blevins where she'd started from. She was manager of the bowling alley her parents owned, where she bowled her first strike, waited her first table, and received her first paycheck. Now the only singing she did was during Wednesday night karaoke. She looked back at the list of songs, feeling discontented with all of them.

  She always kicked off karaoke night, but she just didn't feel like singing. She pushed the song book away. "I don't want to sing tonight." And for Cissie, that was saying a lot. She always wanted to sing. She sang in the kitchen, the shower, and while she did paperwork. Not feeling like singing was tantamount to saying she was dying.

  Cindy jerked her eyes away from Trey's face and stared at Cissie as if she'd just grown two heads. "What did you just say? Are you sick?"

  Cissie sighed. "You know even I don't feel like singing every night." How could she sing when she felt like her life was being wasted? She was going to be alone forever.

  "But—" Cindy shook her head sadly. "You need to sing a butt-kicking song to feel better. Something that fits your mood." She pulled the book away from Cissie and started flipping through it quickly. "Here, this is the song you need to sing." She put her finger in the middle of the page, and pushed the book toward Cissie.

  A slow smile spread across Cissie's face. "Yes, that's exactly what I need to sing. What would I do without you?"

  Cissie jumped up and marched to the karaoke hostess. She whispered in her ear, and the girl nodded, smiling. "You got it, boss lady." She sat down to work her magic, queuing the song. Stepping back up to the microphone, she announced, "To kick off our evening of fun, let's give a warm welcome to Cissie Rivers, manager here at Blevins Bowl, imploring you to 'Take it Like a Man.'"

  Cissie grinned, feeling the music all the way inside her gut as it slowly filled up the room. Her hips started swaying to the beat as if of their own volition. Cindy was right, as always. This was the song she needed tonight. She belted out the words of the chorus, smiling at the cheers she heard from the other women in the bowling alley. She wasn't the only one feeling frustrated with men tonight.

  Her pure alto voice filled the alley. She knew she sounded her best, because she meant every word of the song that night. She really did need to find someone who could take her heart like a man.

  *****

  Sitting in the bowling alley at a table all alone, Bob grinned. He was the man who was going to take her heart, and he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Lachele had called him that day to confirm what he already knew. He and Cissie were a perfect match. Cissie must not have heard yet, but their wedding was set for two and a half weeks away.

  He rubbed his sweaty palms on the legs of his jeans. The woman made his heart beat faster when she swayed to the music on that little stage. He wished he could get up the courage to talk to her, but he hadn't been able to yet. He didn't think she'd even noticed him.

  Of course, he never dressed up when he came for karaoke, because he was always in a hurry to get there right after work. He showed up in his uniform and gazed at her, trying to disappear into the crowd. He didn't want her to notice him quite yet, but she filled the gaps in his soul with her songs.

  Never in his life had he been afraid to approach a woman. He knew how to treat a lady. He'd dated his fair share, and he'd even been engaged once. He was a deputy sheriff, and he had no time for shyness. But Cissie—Every time he thought about talking to her, his heart was in his stomach, and his palms were sweating. His tongue felt like it grew to three times its normal size, and he knew he'd never be able to get a coherent word out. And he blushed. He was not a man who blushed—ever! But something about Cissie had him blushing like a schoolgirl on her first date.

  He was the youngest child with four older sisters, who had all lectured him from the time he was small on how to treat a lady. He knew he would make a good husband if only he could find a way to approach her.

  He looked over at his new friend Trey, thankful every day he'd met him.

  It had been a month since he'd first come to the Blevins Bowl for karaoke night. He'd been on a blind date, set up by a co-worker. The girl had been pretty enough, and he'd brought her there, because it's what she'd wanted to do. The whole way there, she had regaled him with stories of how wonderfully she could sing. He'd been bored with her before they'd even reached their destination, and he knew he'd never ask her out again. Someone who talked about herself as much as she did had no place in Bob's life.

  They'd arrived minutes before the singing was supposed to start for the evening, and his eye had immediately been caught by a girl a few tables over. She was sitting with a man and three other women. She was across from the man, so h
e was certain they hadn't been together which had pleased him. He didn't know if there was someone in her life, but he hoped there wasn't. She was his dream come true, which he would never have said to anyone. Cops didn't believe in love at first sight.

  She was a tall lanky brunette with the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. When he'd first noticed her, her eyes had been filled with fire, like she'd wanted to hurt someone. He'd watched her carefully, and a few minutes later, she'd stood up and walked to the front.

  As soon as she started singing, he'd known he had to meet her. What he didn't know was how to make it happen. She was beautiful, and special, and no matter how many times he'd tried, he hadn't been able to approach her. He'd come back without the girl he'd escorted the first night before attempting it, but by that time, he'd built her up so far in his mind, he hadn't been able to manage it.

  He'd been thrilled when he had a chance to talk to her best friend's husband, Trey. The man had explained she was in the process of getting a matchmaker to set her up with a man who she would meet at the altar.

  Bob had never had trouble getting a date, but he'd taken the information Trey gave him, contacting the matchmaker and explaining that he'd like to be matched to Cissie.

  It had taken four hours of conversation to convince the woman to even interview him to see if he would be suitable as a husband for the girl. Her initial response had been, "Good gravy, boy! That's not something I do!"

  Still, it had worked out for him. Judging by the song she sang, she must not know yet though. Of course, what would she be singing if she knew? "I'm Getting Married in the Morning" from My Fair Lady?

  He grinned as he thought about how she'd sound faking a Cockney accent for the song. Everything about her made him smile, and he was going to marry her!

  "What are you smiling so big about?" Trey asked.

  Bob grinned at his new friend and motioned with his head for him to sit. "I guess Cissie hasn't heard yet. Lachele is convinced I'm the perfect man for her." Trey was the first person he'd told, and saying the words aloud made them seem so much more real to him. Cissie was going to be his bride!

  Trey practically bounced up and down in his seat. "You have a date yet?"

  "Two weeks from Saturday. Dr. Lachele said she'd arrange for us to marry at the church here in town. She said it was the same one you married Cindy in." He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that it was actually happening.

  "When did you talk?"

  "Late this afternoon. I thought she'd decided we wouldn't work out. I was starting to panic a little." Bob shook his head. "I would have had to find a way to approach Cissie on my own, and I'm really not sure I could do that yet."

  "I told you I'd introduce you. It would have been no big deal."

  "I know, but every time I even thought about it, I panicked. What it is about Cissie, I don't know. I never believed in love at first sight, but I sure do now." His eyes were still on Cissie as she went back to the table where she sat with Cindy.

  Trey frowned. "You've got it bad for her. I hope you know she's just a girl like everyone else."

  "Oh, I know, but—well, she seems like so much more to me!"

  "How on earth are you going to talk to her after you're married if you can't even say hello now? Have you thought about that?"

  Bob shrugged. "She's signed a contract to stay married for at least a year. Hopefully I'll work this out in that time. I mean a year is a long time to blush and stammer like an idiot. Surely I'll be able to talk to her before then. I guess I can always write her notes if I have to."

  Trey chuckled. "I can just picture that. All right. I wish you the best."

  "Thanks!"

  Bob watched as Trey wandered back to the table he was sharing with Cissie and Cindy. He took his wife's phone and left for a minute. As Bob did his best not to plug his ears as someone got up on stage and sang an off-key rendition of "I Will Survive," he saw Cissie frown down at her phone, before looking at the caller ID. When her face lit up, and she jumped up from the table to run somewhere quiet, he had a feeling Trey had interfered—again. He said a silent prayer thanking God for interfering friends.

  *****

  Cissie ran outside of the bowling alley where she knew it would be quiet—and her ears wouldn't bleed—before answering the phone. "Hello?" She knew it was Lachele. Please, please, please, let it be good news. She couldn't handle watching Cindy and Trey for much longer!

  "Hey, snickerdoodle! It's Lachele."

  "Hi. Please tell me you have good news." Cissie closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer that Lachele had found her man.

  "I have good news. I'll be calling you tomorrow with details, but I think we have you a match."

  Cissie felt tears fill her eyes, dashing them away quickly. Everyone thought she was so strong, so tough, but really she was just like everyone else. She needed to be loved more than anything, and she'd started to believe she'd be alone forever. "Thank you."

  Lachele laughed. "I hope you're still saying that after the wedding! I'm going to bring my new assistant for the wedding. You're going to love her."

  "Sounds fine." Honestly, Cissie didn't care if Lachele brought her entire office staff, just so she could marry. Soon.

  "I'll call tomorrow with all the details. Around ten your time good? That way I'm not interrupting your work."

  "Sounds great. I'll talk to you then!"

  Cissie stared at the phone in her hand, suddenly wanting to sing another song. She didn't know what, but she was going to fill the bowling alley with a happy song. She was getting married!

  She ran through the songs in the book mentally. No, better than a happy song—she'd sing a song about what she was looking for in life. She'd sing, "Somebody."

  *****

  Bob watched as the object of his affections rushed back into the bowling alley, hugging Cindy and Trey in turn. She said something to them, but Bob couldn't hear her over the caterwauling going on from the microphone. He watched as she walked to the karaoke hostess and talked to her again.

  The woman grinned and nodded. Two songs later, and just a touch of blood from his left eardrum, Cissie stood behind the microphone while the hostess introduced her.

  "And now, Cissie is going to grace us with one more song." The slim blond waited for the cheering to die down before she said, "Here she is singing, 'Somebody.'"

  Cissie started to sway with the music, a song Bob didn't recognize. He listened carefully to the words about the man she wanted in her life, and he smiled. He knew he could be all that for Cissie. In fact, with as afraid as he was to speak around her, he knew it would be easy. At least at first it would. His heart ached for her when she sang that she wanted a man who would kiss her tenderly while she slept. He would do that for her. He would be her somebody.

  He sighed happily. There was no woman he'd ever cared for like he did that sweet-voiced woman, and he was going to make her happier than she'd ever dreamed of being.

  *****

  Cissie was ready to leave for work before Lachele called, because she wanted to give the matchmaker her full attention, rather than be running around finding a shirt while Lachele was talking to her. She sat at the table in her kitchen with a notebook and pen, ready to take note. Hopefully Lachele would let enough clues slip that she could figure out who her soon-to-be-husband was.

  When the phone rang at exactly ten, Cissie snatched it up, her heart racing. "Talk to me." She'd been awake all night, dreaming of the man she'd marry. In her mind he was tall, dark, handsome, and faceless. She could not put a face on her mystery man no matter how hard she tried.

  "Hey there, cupcake. I found him."

  "Him? What's his name?"

  "That doesn't matter at all at this point, Cissie. Stop trying to figure it out." Lachele's voice was as sweet as ever but firm as she refused to give out any information. "Wedding will be at the church where Cindy and Trey got married two weeks from Saturday."

  Cissie blinked a few times. Only two weeks? That wasn't mu
ch time. "I have to find a wedding dress!"

  "Good gravy, girl! You should have started wedding dress shopping the minute you contacted me that you were ready. What were you thinking?"

  Cissie sighed. "That you'd give me a little more notice?"

  "Your groom is extremely impatient. He's ready to marry you yesterday."

  "Sounds good to me. Will you be here for the wedding?" Cissie had only known Lachele for a year and a half, but she wanted her to be there. She wanted her to be there for her moral support, but also for her fun quirky self. Even if Lachele hadn't been her matchmaker, she'd have wanted her there.

  "Of course, I'm going to be there! I told you last night I was bringing my new assistant to the wedding!"

  Cissie closed her eyes for a moment. It was all happening so fast her head was spinning. "I wasn't sure if you were sending her in your place."

  "Oh, gosh, no! I might do that for a regular client in the future, but I like you too much to let you flounder. Samara and I will come out the day before the wedding and we'll all have our own little bachelorette party. Tell Cindy I've got it handled! We'll drive wherever we need to drive for a quiet dinner, and maybe a little bit of rip-roaring fun. You up for that?"

  Cissie smiled, a bit concerned about what Lachele would consider rip roaring fun. Whatever it was, though, she'd do it. She was getting married. She wouldn't have trusted anyone else in the world to find her a man, but Lachele had done such a good job for Cindy. Surely she'd do just as well for her. "Sounds wonderful!"

  And it did. Better than wonderful.

  Cissie quickly called Cindy. "I need a wedding dress!"

  *****

  Two weeks wasn't much time to plan a wedding, but Cindy and Cissie made it work with a little help from Cissie's mother, who wasn't exactly on board with the idea, but didn't try to talk her daughter out of it.

  Lachele and her new assistant came with Cindy to the bowling alley at lunchtime on Friday. Cissie hadn't expected them to be there yet, so she squealed when she saw the crazy purple-haired matchmaker. "I suppose you're wanting a boobie bump again!"