The Maverick's Bridal Bargain

by Christy Jeffries

  Cole’s fingers quivered as he tore open the package, but instead of taking it from him, her palms covered the backs of his hands as they rolled the condom into place. Together.

  When he positioned himself at her entrance again, Vivienne looked up at his face, her eyes wide and trusting, her lips open and delicious. She gave him a nod and that was all it took.

  He moved inside of her slowly, carefully balancing his weight on his forearms as he eased them together. But Vivienne’s arms locked around his shoulders, her breasts pressing against his chest, and he could no longer hold himself back.

  Their speed intensified, their moans matching in frequency until Vivienne shuddered around him and called out his name. A groan tore from his throat as he found his own release.

  * * *

  Vivienne could honestly say that she’d never intended to make love with Cole, but she couldn’t say that she hadn’t thought about it. It was one thing to have fantasies; it was quite another to be courageous—or reckless—enough to act upon them. Fortunately, her fantasy had exceeded her expectations.

  She watched him as he lay on the bed beside her, one arm thrown over his forehead, the other cushioning her neck as he intertwined his fingers with hers. The lights were still on, as was the television with the hotel channel flashing pictures on the screen, and Vivienne chewed on her swollen lip, wondering what people normally did in situations like these.

  This was her first one-night stand. Or was it something else? Did Cole intend for there to be more nights than just this one? He’d made his thoughts about marriage abundantly clear when he’d hired her, but did that mean he wasn’t a believer in any sort of committed relationship? And was now really the best time to ask him about it?

  “I’m going to go take a shower,” Vivienne whispered, carefully sitting up so she wouldn’t dislodge the tan, sinewy arm covering his eyes. The effects of the champagne were wearing off and the insecurity was setting in. If her dress—or even a towel—had been nearby, she would’ve dived for it. But she had no idea when she’d last seen either of those things. Cole was sprawled on top of the covers, preventing her from yanking off a sheet and wrapping it around her body. And it would look pretty silly for her to use a pillow to shield her nudity after he’d already seen everything.

  Calculating the distance from the bed to the bathroom, she considered making a run for it. But Cole’s fingers trailing down her vertebrae to her tailbone made her pause.

  “I’ll join you,” he said, his voice weak. “As soon as the tingling in my body dies down.”

  She’d made him tingle? Her tummy fluttered and a grin spread across her face, and she suddenly became a lot less self-conscious.

  Twelve hours later, though, her confidence slipped again.

  On the return trip, while the ride had started out playfully teasing and reliving their thoughts and experiences of the day before, the farther they got from Billings, the quieter the interior of the Jetta became. Vivienne didn’t want to read too much into the growing silence, but it was difficult not to. Cole had done all of the driving up until this point and neither one of them had gotten much sleep last night, so maybe that was why there was less talking.

  “Why don’t we switch and I can drive for a while?” she offered.

  “I’m okay,” he said, then lost all credibility by covering his mouth for a deep yawn.

  “Cole, I phrased it as a question, but it was more of a strong suggestion.” When he hesitated in replying, Vivienne continued. “It’s okay to let someone take care of you once in a while.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I believe those were the same words you used this morning when you were waking me up by using your mouth to—”

  “Oh, look.” She pointed to the upcoming off-ramp, keeping her face averted so he couldn’t see the flush of heat spreading across her cheeks. “A gas station. Let’s stop and get some snacks at the convenience store.”

  Cole chuckled before flicking on the turn signal and pulling off the highway. While he filled the tank, she went inside to use the facilities and splash some cold water on her face. Looking in the mirror, she gave herself a silent pep talk.

  Don’t get all embarrassed and awkward now. If he’s comfortable enough to tease about your lovemaking sessions, he’s clearly not letting things get weird. Just keep things light and pleasant.

  However, keeping her growing nerves at bay was easier said than done. On her way to the cashier, she grabbed some Pringles, then a couple of candy bars. The cheddar-flavored popcorn looked good as well, so she pulled a bag off the shelf. Vivienne scanned the wall of refrigerated cases. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have something to drink, either. Balancing all the snacks in one arm, she pulled open the glass door and reached inside for a Dr Pepper, then chose a bottle of sweet tea for Cole. Maybe the caffeinated beverages would perk them both up.

  Thinking about caffeine reminded her of the French toast he’d ordered off the room-service menu this morning and his comment about how he would’ve been happy to make do with a donut and a coffee. She added a package of powdered donuts to her stack, then went back for the chocolate ones just in case.

  By the time she was walking out of the convenience store, she had two plastic bags full of drinks and junk food. Cole had moved the Jetta to a parking spot away from the pump and was standing outside, that smirk of his making her forget all about the pep talk she’d just given herself in the bathroom.

  “We could’ve stopped for a late lunch if you were that hungry.” He jutted his chin toward her loaded hands. “There’s a burger place right next door.”

  “Actually, a burger sounds pretty good right about now.” What was she saying? Less than four hours ago, she’d plowed through a Denver omelet with hash browns and toast and one of Cole’s triangle slices of French toast. There was no possible way she was actually hungry. Which meant she was letting her unfounded worries take hold of her. “But I really need to get back to Lord Nibbles.”

  “That’s right. The infamous Lord Nibbles. How long can a guinea pig go without food and water?”

  “He has plenty to eat and I left him with an extra bottle of water. But he’s still new and this was my first time away. I’m concerned that he might have undiagnosed separation anxiety.”

  Cole came around to the front of the car. “Is that what you’re concerned about?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Vivienne murmured as he leaned in closer.

  His lips were only inches from hers. “And here I thought you were regretting things and trying to figure out ways to ditch me once we got back to Kalispell.”

  Her knees buckled and her tummy turned inside out. She’d thought she’d gotten Cole out of her system last night. And then again this morning. But her body’s reaction to his nearness suggested that it wasn’t done with him yet. This had the potential to get very complicated if she let it.

  “I’d never ditch one of my clients,” she said, then planted a very unbusinesslike kiss on his surprised lips. She used the distraction to snatch the keys out of his hand before passing by him and saying, “My turn to drive.”

  They ended up using the drive-through at the burger place, and Cole dozed off in the passenger seat without finishing his French fries. Vivienne snacked on those and then systematically polished off both packages of donuts, the chips and a soda. By the time they were approaching Flathead Lake, she’d already rehearsed in her mind what she was going to say when they parted.

  It was fun and I enjoyed myself. But we both know where this is headed, so we don’t have to pretend otherwise. This week is going to be so busy...

  That last bit still needed work. Vivienne wanted to make it clear that she didn’t expect him to call her, and that they could go back to how things had been before they’d spent the night together.

  But when they pulled up to her apartment complex and he unfolded himself from her front seat, lifting his
arms up over his head to stretch, everything she’d planned to say floated out of her brain. Instead, she offered, “Do you want to come inside?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “This has been the most challenging wedding rehearsal I’ve ever had to pull off,” Vivienne whispered to Cole as everyone was loading up into their cars to drive from his family’s new property into Rust Creek Falls for dinner at the Gold Rush Diner—the first place Zach and Lydia had ever shared a meal together.

  The comment took him aback because he’d been watching her direct and orchestrate and explain things for the past hour and she hadn’t even broken a sweat. It was like she’d done this a hundred times. In her sleep.

  “Really?” Cole asked. “I thought it went pretty smoothly. In fact, too smoothly. But don’t worry, I’m ready in case something goes wrong tomorrow.”

  “There’s always something that will go wrong. The trick is to make the couple and the guests think that everything worked out perfectly.”

  Was that what she had done to him last weekend? Made him think that he’d experienced the most passionate, carefree night—actually two nights if one counted Sunday, when he didn’t leave her house until the wee hours of the morning—in his life, and then politely redirected him at every turn this week when he’d tried to call her.

  Vivienne had explained that the final days leading up to the wedding would be chaotic for her and, while she hadn’t come right out and said that she didn’t want to see him again, Cole got the impression that she was trying to convince him that it was his idea to cool things down between them.

  Deep down, he knew that her strategy was for the best. As soon as the wedding was over, he and his brothers would be hitting the ground running, trying to get this land ready for a viable ranching operation. His dad needed him to be focused and not playing an ill-advised game of “chase the wedding planner.”

  Cole rocked back on his heels. “Are you coming to the rehearsal dinner?”

  “Nope.” Vivienne shook her head. “I have some last-minute stuff to finish here at the freight house.”

  “Do you need a hand?” he asked, wanting to cringe at the neediness in his voice.

  “I got it,” she said, smiling up from her tablet. “You should go and enjoy your family.”

  He knew he should let her get to work, but he hated the thought of her staying out here at the property all alone. “How long are you going to be here?”

  “Just another hour or two. Why?”

  “I don’t think you should be here alone after dark.”

  “Don’t worry, Sergeant Save-the-Day.” She patted his arm and his lips tightened at her condescending tone. “I’ll be fine.”

  He opened his mouth to tell her about the dangers of being this far away from town, all alone in the Montana wilderness, but one of Lydia’s bridesmaids chose that second to walk up.

  “Hey, Vivienne, do you have a quick second?” Eva asked. “I know that tomorrow is going to be crazy and I wanted to catch you when you had a second of downtime.”

  “Of course,” Vivienne said brightly, tucking the iPad under her arm.

  “I wanted to tell you that I loved the invitations you came up with for Lydia and Zach. How cute was that to make them look like an old-time newspaper? And the way they were addressed? That typeset-style font on the envelopes was absolutely perfect.”

  “Thanks.” Vivienne beamed. “But that wasn’t a computer font. I actually found an antique typewriter from the 1920s and did those by hand. My fingertips were numb by the time I finished, but it’s those small details that make all the difference. I’m glad you liked them.”

  “I adored them! Listen, Luke and I are getting married soon and my mom has been bugging me to hire a wedding planner. She’s already talked to someone at a company out of Helena called A LaVish Affair, but I kinda thought we should try to go with someone more local.”

  “Oh, they’re fabulous. Having someone local can be convenient, but LaVish works weddings all over Montana.”

  Eva nodded, but her expression suggested she was slightly confused. “So you think I should hire them?”

  “Well, you can’t go wrong with Rich LaRue. I know parents can get really emotionally invested when it comes to planning weddings, and even if they have good intentions, they can steer you in directions you may not want to go. My advice would be to meet with Rich and consider whether or not he shares your same vision.”

  Cole’s jaw nearly fell open. Seriously? Vivienne had the prime opportunity to sell herself and land another client and that was the advice she chose to give? But before he could stutter out an objection, Eva thanked her and called out, “See you tomorrow.”

  “Your dad and brother are waiting for you,” Vivienne said to him as she discreetly pointed toward Cole’s truck.

  Garrett leaned over the front seat of the cab and honked the horn, then yelled out the open window, “Let’s go, Sarge. The last one there buys the first round.”

  “My family makes absolutely no sense sometimes,” Cole said only loud enough for Vivienne to hear. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Like, they’re all going to go thirsty as they sit there waiting for the last person to show up and pay for their drinks?”

  Her chuckle seemed a little forced and she politely said, “Have fun.”

  It wasn’t until he was in his truck that he realized that Vivienne had never explained why tonight had been such a challenge for her.

  * * *

  With the exception of the awkward rehearsal last night, Vivienne hadn’t seen much of Cole in the week leading up to the wedding. But that was by design because she was there to work and not get sidetracked. Her personal life, once again, needed to be placed on the back burner.

  Yesterday should have been routine for her. Walk everyone through the ceremony, tell them where to stand and what to do. In fact, the minister was more than capable of doing it for her, but Vivienne had needed to direct her energies toward something that wasn’t Cole Dalton.

  Yet every time she’d turned around, there he was. Talking to the ring bearer about why he had to slow down and wait for the flower girl, busting out his tool belt when he thought the gazebo needed a few more nails to hold the railing in place, tracking down a wooden picnic bench for his aunt Rita and aunt Mary to sit on, since the rental chairs weren’t coming until the following day.

  Vivienne found herself constantly focusing on where he was and what he was doing rather than performing her job. If that wasn’t bad enough, every time she’d given in to temptation and looked his way, he would tilt the corner of his mouth up and wink at her, completely oblivious to the fact that someone in his family would surely catch them staring at each other.

  Then she’d had to make up an excuse about needing to stay at the freight house to finish up some details. She was afraid that if she joined Lydia’s friends and family and the rest of the Dalton clan at dinner, it would only serve to show her what she would be missing once she and Cole resumed their normal lives.

  She didn’t need Estelle telling her that getting too friendly with her clients was never a good idea. They were paying her to do a job, not to get cozy with the groom’s brother. So when she arrived at Sawmill Station at eight o’clock the morning of the wedding, she was relieved nobody else was there.

  She had a job to do.

  Unlocking the freight house, she walked inside and closed her eyes, envisioning exactly how she wanted the space to look in the next seven hours. It was something she did before the start of every wedding day, like a military general surveying the battlefield before leading his troops to a victory. There were going to be tears and sweat and sacrifices today. But, hopefully, no bloodshed—as long as she remained confident and executed her plans quickly and efficiently.

  The rumbling of a diesel truck outside was her call to arms and Vivienne squared her shoulders, marching outside to meet the ca
valry. Or rather, the first vendor of the day. She instructed the rental company on how to line the seats for the ceremony, a V-shaped formation with an aisle down the center. Tables were set inside the freight house and, thankfully, Zach and Lydia didn’t mind sparing the extra expense of renting double the amount of chairs so that Vivienne wouldn’t have to enlist the catering staff or some other unfortunate volunteer to transfer two hundred chairs from the ceremony area outside to the reception inside.

  The florist showed up next and stayed to help put out tablecloths and runners. When the caterers got there, Vivienne was able to set them up in the recently remodeled depot so they could use it as a temporary kitchen. Luckily, they’d also brought their own waitstaff, so boxes of dishes and silverware were soon unloaded. After she showed them how she wanted the place settings, she had to remind herself to use the restroom, eat a protein bar and down a bottle of water.

  She was using twine to hang mason jars filled with white hydrangeas and sweet peas from long, freestanding iron hooks lining the aisle when Lydia arrived with Jolene, Joanna and Eva. The bride’s hands were clasped under her chin and her smile was infectious. “It’s looking better than I ever could have imagined!”

  “We’re not done yet,” Vivienne said. “Do you need help carrying stuff inside?”

  “That would be great,” Lydia replied. “I had a heck of a time getting my dress laid out onto the back seat. I’m afraid it’s going to be a wrinkled mess.”

  Vivienne followed the women to one of their cars, which was loaded down with garment bags and shoe boxes. “Here, take the veil and show your bridesmaids to the bridal suite. I’ll get the dress.”

  “Okay,” Jolene snickered as they were walking away, “whose idea was it for us to get ready in an old railcar?”

  “That would be Garrett,” Cole said, making Vivienne hit her head on the roof of the car as she shot up in surprise. Where’d he come from? They were way too early.