The Cowboy's Reality Bride

by Lorana Hoopes

  He pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him. His eyes tore into her soul as his hands cupped her face. “It’s not stupid because it’s how you felt, but you are beautiful. And you don’t need makeup or a name. You just need a man who sees you, and I see you Laney.”

  The sounds of the beach faded as Laney stared into his eyes. So much depth resided in those blue jewels - warmth and tenderness and strength. Her heartbeat grew louder pounding in her head, and Laney’s breath stilled. Electricity crackled between them sending arcs down to her toes. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel his cheek against her own. Rough or stubbly she didn’t care, and as if he could read her mind, his face drew closer to hers until she could feel his breath on her face. His lips parted, and she closed her eyes.

  A fire burned through her body at the touch of his lips. Hot and cold and a hundred other things she had never felt raced through her veins. Her hands wound around his neck and into his hair. His hair was soft against her fingertips. As the kiss deepened, she needed more of him, and she pulled on his neck. Her body molded into his and a flame of desire ricocheted through her. A flame that was so hot she needed to douse it before she compromised her morals.

  She loosened her grip on his neck and, as if sensing her desires, he pulled back ending the kiss. For a moment they stared at each other, no words existing. Then Laney opened her mouth not even sure what would come out. “I see you too, and you’re enough.” She wasn’t sure why she added the last three words except that she felt he needed to hear them. Just as she needed to be seen, he needed to know he was enough, and he was.

  20

  Tyler’s hand touched the ring box in his pocket again. The producers had taken him to their private designer the day before and he’d picked out the perfect ring for Laney. The jeweler’s selection was all beautiful, but Tyler knew when he laid eyes on the princess cut diamond that it was the one for her.

  He hadn’t even gotten to see her much after their kiss on the beach, but a part of him was glad. Every time he thought about her, he wanted to kiss her again, and Tyler knew he would have if he’d had any alone time with her, but Justin made sure that didn’t happen.

  Instead, Justin tried to keep him busy with shopping and helping to edit some of the footage including the kiss with Laney. Maryanne had been quite a distance away when the kiss happened, but the distance hadn’t affected the heat. It looked as passionate on screen as it had been in real life. And now he was only minutes away from getting to kiss her again.

  The women filed in, and Tyler marveled at their acting ability. Even though none of them knew of his proposal, they all understood Laney was the only woman for him. Yet they still wore hopeful nervous expressions as they walked in.

  “Welcome ladies,” Justin said when all the women were settled. “Tonight will be the final elimination ceremony. There are ten of you, but Tyler only has four hats. Remember if he does not give you a hat you must say your goodbyes and exit the house. Tyler, when you’re ready.”

  Tyler picked up a hat and smiled out at the women. Justin had given him a prepared speech to memorize and while the gesture annoyed Tyler at first, he was glad now. His own thoughts were failing him as he looked out at Laney. “Ladies, first let me say that it has been a pleasure getting to know you all. This journey is not an easy one as there are things about each of you I have come to adore, but I had to make a decision on those I envisioned in my life long term.” He took a breath, no longer sure if it was for added effect or because he needed it. “Laney.”

  As she made her way to him, joy burst inside him, and he couldn’t help but grin at her. “Laney from the day I met you when you first fell into my arms to the day you fell at the rink, you have stood out to me. Your sweet spirit shines through in all you do and captured my heart. So, I have to ask you…” his right hand went to his pocket and he grabbed the box, “will you marry me?” In one motion, he pulled the box out, dropped to his knees, and flipped the lid.

  Behind her, every woman’s jaw dropped. Tyler had no idea if they were acting or truly shocked, but he didn’t care. His attention was on the woman in front of him whose mouth had parted to accept his hat and now hung suspended as she stared at the ring.

  Her eyes darted to his and the questions swam in them. She wanted to know if he was serious. With a slight nod, he reassured her, and her lips folded into a huge smile.

  “Yes, Tyler, of course I will marry you.”

  As Tyler slid the beautiful ring on Laney’s hand, the surrealness hit. He had just proposed to a woman he had only known for a few weeks, and she had accepted. How was that possible? But he knew the answer to that. If God was in control of this relationship, then time was only a number.

  “Congratulations Laney,” Justin said, and the girls behind echoed his sentiments. “I know this season ended a little early, but don’t worry, we have a few more episodes up our sleeves. Join us next week as Laney travels to Tyler’s ranch to meet his friends and make sure the ranching life is one she can live with. Then we’ll travel to Laney’s house and meet her family, and if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll be airing their wedding in the future.”

  Justin’s game show face disappeared when the cameras stopped rolling and he became all business. “All right, ladies, you can get packed up. We’ll be reaching out to you about the Maui show. I’m sorry things didn’t work out this time, but that is the nature of this business. Laney, Tyler, we should talk about the filming schedule for the next two weeks.”

  Tyler pulled Laney to him and kissed her forehead. “Sure, Justin, we can do that, but do you think we could just have a minute or two to celebrate?” This whole show had been a whirlwind blowing him from one place to the next, and he just needed a moment to catch his breath and to steal another kiss from the woman who had just agreed to be his wife.

  21

  Nancy’s eyes widened as she opened the door and before even saying hello, she turned and hollered back into the house. “Aaron, get out here. It’s Tyler.” She pulled him in for a fierce hug.

  “I guess you’ve been watching,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Of course I have. Now when do we get to meet this Laney?” She glanced around as if looking for the cameras.

  Tyler laughed. “There’s no camera today, but how can you be certain Laney is coming?” The final episode hadn’t aired yet. He wasn’t even sure if the episode of their disastrous group date had aired.

  She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t be ridiculous. I could tell from the first time you guys interacted that she was the one for you. I probably knew before you did.” She punched him lightly on the arm before pulling him inside.

  He fixed her with a narrowed gaze after shutting the door behind him. “How? As far as I know the first time we interacted together with the cameras running was the group date.”

  She raised her eyebrow at him? “You don’t know?”

  “Evidently not. Though I’m not sure what I don’t know. Please fill me in.”

  “Tyler, before the episode that Laney joined the contestants, they aired half an hour of footage of the two of you. The day you met, the limo ride before the beach date, that moment in your main room when I was almost certain you were going to kiss her.” She placed her hands on her hips and raised her brow at him. “Why didn’t you kiss her?”

  Tyler sighed and ignored her question. He’d known there were cameras in the house, but he’d had no idea they were in his room or the limo. Nor had he known they had been recording the whole time, but it made sense. After working with Justin and Peter, he would put nothing past them. “Okay, so you saw that footage, but still, how could you possibly know I chose Laney?”

  “Because I’m not stupid. I saw that look in your eye - the same one I saw in Aaron’s eye when I knew he had decided to propose to me. It was the look of a man in love.” She wagged her finger at him and wiggled her eyebrows.

  “You don’t think it’s too soon to propose? I mean it’s only been a few weeks.” Eve
n though he had already popped the question, he wanted to know Nancy’s thoughts before she knew of the proposal.

  She crossed her arms and fixed him with an even gaze. “First of all, there’s no such thing. When you know, you know, and God’s hand was pretty evident in all of this, but for argument's sake, let me ask you something.”

  He bit back a smile. He had missed Nancy and her no-nonsense approach to things. “Okay, shoot.”

  “Is she the first thing you think of when you wake up? The last thing you think of before you go to sleep?”

  “Of course, but-”

  “Can you picture your life with her?” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, now can you imagine life without her?”

  Even though he had already proposed, that stopped him, and he paused to think. He could see Laney in his life for sure, but the thought of continuing in life without her held no appeal.

  “That.” She pointed at his face. “That is how I know you’ve decided. Now, let me see the ring.”

  Tyler laughed and shook his head. “I don’t have it.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second. Anyone with half a brain knows you already bought it.” She lunged forward as if about to pat him down or tackle him to the ground. Tyler wasn’t sure which.

  He shrugged and stepped away from her hands, enjoying stringing her along for a moment. “I didn’t buy a ring.”

  “Hey man, good to have you back. You are back, right?” Aaron entered the living room and crossed to Tyler holding out his hand for a shake.

  “I am. Well, I have one more episode to film elsewhere, but otherwise, I am.”

  “When do we get to meet Laney?”

  Nancy smiled at her husband before shooting a triumphant look at Tyler. “That’s what I said.”

  “You’ll get to meet her soon.”

  “Good, because I’ve known since the first time they showed her that she was the one for you. I was hoping you wouldn’t be so dense that you’d miss that she cared about you. You had me worried for a few of those episodes.”

  “It’s not a normal situation.”

  “Well, why don’t you tell us all about it over dinner? I made spaghetti.” Nancy linked her arm through his and lead the way to the kitchen.

  Tyler couldn’t help grinning. It was so good to be home. He had really missed Aaron and Nancy the last few weeks, and he too couldn’t wait for them to meet Laney.

  Laney gingerly stepped out of the limo and grabbed her donut pillow. She couldn’t believe she still had to carry the thing around nearly two weeks after her fall, but her booty was still sore if she sat for too long. Tyler stood at the bottom step of his house grinning at her and looking devastatingly handsome in a pair of jeans and his cowboy hat. She hadn’t seen him in over a week - they had kept Laney working for another show while they sent Tyler back to his ranch to get caught up. The distance had been hard, but they had called each other and begun a video devotional a few times a week.

  “How’s the tuchus?” he teased as he walked toward her.

  “Healing nicely, thank you very much. I should be fine as long as you don’t expect me to go trail riding today.”

  His lips twisted into a grimace. “Ooh, my friends live in the back country and the only way to get there is by horseback.”

  “Very funny,” she said as she punched him in the arm.

  He caught her hand on the way back and pulled her to his chest. His arms wound around her waist, and her breath caught. “There’s still a camera, you know?” She indicated Maryanne with a nod of her head.

  “I don’t care. I’ve been waiting too long to do this again.”

  His head lowered, and his lips pressed down on hers sending a flame of desire all the way down to her toes. Her arms wound around his neck and she leaned into him enjoying the heat that burned between them. Laney had a hard time catching her breath when the kiss ended. “Well, with welcome kisses like that, I might have to go away more often.”

  “Don’t you dare,” he whispered in her ear before pulling back. “Come on, let me show you the ranch and then I’ll take you to meet Aaron and Nancy.” He laced his fingers through hers as he led her up the stairs and onto the porch. “One day, I want to have a big wraparound porch here with a rocker or a swing and a table.”

  “Breakfast on the porch?” She’d never had one growing up in the city, but she’d always thought they sounded nice. The closest she’d ever gotten was a tiny balcony, big enough to fit a single chair, in one apartment she lived in. Unfortunately, when she’d sat and tried to drink her coffee in the morning, the sound of the traffic and honking had made it a less than peaceful experience.

  Here though, she could see it. Tyler’s plot of land was expansive and there were no neighbors as far as the eye could see. She wondered if she’d be able to handle the quiet.

  He didn’t take her on a full tour as she needed to be able to ride for that, but he showed her the house, the barn, and enough of the ranch to leave her in awe. The place was large, larger than any apartment she had lived in. Laney had no idea how to quantify a rancher’s success, but she thought he’d done well for himself.

  “Ready to go meet the woman who brought us together?” he asked when they returned to the front of the house. Laney nodded. She had wanted to meet Nancy since he first spoke of her.

  Nancy and Aaron’s house was even bigger than Tyler’s and Laney could see why he wanted the wrap-around porch. They had one, and it was beautiful. Tyler laced his fingers through hers and flashed her a smile before ringing the doorbell.

  A woman, dressed simply in flannel and jeans, opened the door. Her eyes lit up when she saw Tyler and Laney assumed it had to be Nancy.

  “Hey Nancy. I’d like you to meet Laney.”

  Nancy turned her warm brown eyes on Laney, and the look she sent made Laney feel as if they’d been friends forever. “Laney, it is so nice to meet you.”

  “You as well. I didn’t think I would ever meet anyone on a reality tv show, but I’m certainly glad you made Tyler audition.” She looked up at Tyler and smiled still unsure of how she’d ended up with him.

  “I want to hear all about what didn’t air live or on the cameras. Tyler told me some, but you know how men are - they miss all the best details.” She flashed a conspiratorial smile at Tyler before grabbing Laney’s arm and leading her into the house.

  “Don’t mind me. I’ll just go find Aaron and discuss things without details.”

  “Okay so spill. I want to know when you first fell for Tyler.”

  Laney laughed at Nancy’s excited demeanor. She was like a kid tasting candy for the first time. “Well, it would probably be when I literally fell into his arms or he caught my fall, rather.”

  Nancy laughed. “You do seem to fall a lot near him.”

  “I’m not usually that big of a klutz, but his eyes....” She trailed off unsure exactly how to put into words what his eyes were, but Nancy seemed to understand. As Laney continued to answer Nancy’s questions, she knew they would be good friends.

  “Okay, you have to meet my husband, Aaron. He’ll never admit it, but I think he’s just as excited to meet you as I was.”

  Laney chuckled as she followed Nancy outside. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been so excited to meet her.

  Aaron was a man of average build with warm brown eyes just like Nancy’s. “You must be Laney,” he said as he pulled her for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  It was a good thing Laney wasn’t opposed to hugging as Tyler’s friends seemed intent on it. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’d say I’ve heard so much about you, but I haven’t.”

  Aaron feigned a hurt expression and turned to Tyler. “Really man? Not a word?”

  Tyler shrugged and flashed a wink at Laney. “It was an odd situation.”

  “So, you keep saying. Speaking of which when is the big day?”

  Laney looked to Tyler surprised to see his jaw tighten. “Oh, we haven’t talked about it yet much less set a date.�
��

  “Actually, the date is in four months.” Tyler’s voice sounded pained and tight.

  Laney’s head shot forward. “What?”

  The color drained from his face. “They didn’t tell you? Justin said he would talk to you about the contract.”

  “Contract? What contract? Are you getting paid to marry me?” Her arms folded across her chest as her defensive wall began to build.

  “It’s not like that,” Tyler began.

  “No? Then why don’t you tell me what it is like. I accepted your proposal because I care for you and wanted to get to know you better. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I felt like we were supposed to be together, but now you’re telling me you signed a contract to marry me?” Her voice rose in pitch at the end. Laney hated the sound of it but seemed powerless to stop it.

  “Hear me out, Laney. After your fall, I didn’t want to continue, but I had signed the initial contract. Proposing to you and letting them film the wedding was the compromise. I didn’t know they hadn’t told you.”

  Though his words made sense, Laney’s insecurities had reared their ugly heads again making her question everything - the timing, their feelings, the future. “Excuse me. I need a minute.” Laney pulled open the sliding glass door and stormed through the house. She didn’t stop until she had stepped through the front door and was on the porch.

  The air had cooled as the sun set and she shivered from the chill, but she didn’t go back inside. Instead she sat on the porch swing letting the bite in the air sharpen her thoughts. She’d thought the hard part would be over now that the show was finished, but it appeared the truly hard part was just beginning.

  “Hey, you okay?” Maryanne stood in the doorway without her camera.