The Cowboy's Belated Discovery

by Valerie Comer

  “Oh, good.” James’s face cleared as he stepped aside. “That will be a benefit to both parties.”

  “It will.” Garret shifted to James’s other side — away from Tori — as they walked toward the long table where boxes from Izzie’s Pizza were laid out in a row with a giant bowl of Caesar salad next to paper plates and napkins at one end.

  “This is where I bow out.” Sawyer’s voice.

  Garret turned to see the rodeo star next to his dad.

  Russ Delgado narrowed his gaze at his youngest son. “Please stick around. It’s your brother’s big day.”

  Sawyer shrugged. “That’s tomorrow, and I’ll be there. But tonight, I’ve got a hot date.”

  “Son...”

  He held up both hands. “Sorry. Plans are made. Anna gets off work in ten minutes, and I promised to pick her up. Can’t break a promise.”

  “I would’ve thought Anna’d seen through him by now,” James murmured.

  How was Tori taking this? Sawyer had been flirting with her all through the rehearsal itself. Garret glanced around only to find Tori had come up beside him. Too close. He managed not to shy away. “Guess your date is two-timing you.”

  She angled her head to look up at him with those sparkling hazel eyes. “He’s not my date, just because we’re paired for the ceremony. We didn’t particularly get along when we were kids, and we still don’t like each other.”

  “Uh...” Eloquent, Garret. “Well, at least you know where you stand.”

  “With him.”

  He blinked. What was that supposed to mean?

  Before he realized her intentions, she’d tucked her hand around his elbow. “Want to get some pizza?”

  Her fingernails were tipped in turquoise to match the floral dress that flared around her knees.

  Hazel eyes with glints of green and brown and gold.

  Gazing into the windows of your soul.

  Everything you think is mirrored there—

  No. It had just been an idle tune, not an ode to Tori’s eyes. At least that’s how it had started.

  She tugged him into the lineup behind James and Lauren.

  He should pull away. Think of something he needed to say to Trevor’s brother Kade across the room. Say he wasn’t hungry. Pretend he’d received a message from his mom.

  Anything.

  Instead, he shuffled forward, hyper aware of her touch on his arm, the brush of the back of her hand on his ribcage, the graze of her shoulder against his bicep. That entire side of his body buzzed, a little warmer than the other.

  He hadn’t been this aware of a woman since Chantelle. He stiffened, closed his eyes, and forced himself to relax.

  Tori looked up at him. “You okay?”

  Tori was not Chantelle. Nothing like her. She wasn’t sweet Jenna, either. But that didn’t mean Garret should let down his guard. Not for Tori’s sake. Not for his.

  He sidled away just enough that her hand dropped. Instantly his body chilled, and it was all he could do not to shift back.

  “Why do I make you uncomfortable?” came Tori’s quiet voice as her eyes met his.

  “Uh... sorry?” He pointed at the end of the table. In front of them, James picked up two plates and handed one to his wife. “Your turn.”

  “I can’t figure you out.”

  “I’m the mystery man.” Garret reached past Tori and offered her a plate. “There’s no point in wasting too much time puzzling on it, honestly.”

  She stared at him a long moment before accepting the plate. “I can’t decide if you’re faking modesty, or what.”

  “There you go again,” he said lightly. “Put your mind to better challenges, like what Sawyer Delgado is up to, or how world peace might be achieved.”

  Tori leaned closer. Heat flared up between them as she skewered him with her gaze. “I don’t care what Sawyer Delgado is up to. He’s a big boy and no concern of mine.”

  “World peace, then.” Garret stepped around her and slid a slice of barbecue steak pizza to his plate. “This smells amazing.”

  “It does.” Tori pressed against his arm. “I’d like one of those, too.”

  He knew a hint when he heard one, and served her. Was this how the remainder of the evening would play out, with her sticking to his side like a burr caught in a horse’s mane? A burr didn’t dislodge on its own. It tangled deeper and deeper until even a curry comb couldn’t remove it. Only a sharp blade could.

  Detailing his history to Tori would, no doubt, cut away her infatuation. He hated to do that. For one thing, he’d gone over five years locking a lid on his past and refusing to dwell on it. While he didn’t know that Tori would tell anyone else, a secret like that was an unfair burden to place on her.

  He really didn’t want word getting out. He didn’t want people’s sympathy, nor did he want their speculation. Would they come to the same conclusion he had, that everything was his fault? Because, when everything else was stripped away, Garret Morrison was the common denominator of all the disasters in his life.

  He couldn’t inflict that on anyone as innocent as Tori. He wouldn’t. She deserved better, a full life with a man who could love her and honor her as she was worthy of.

  “Let’s sit over there.” She pointed to an empty table not far from the others.

  Panic infused him, and he stopped in the middle of the open space. “I was planning to sit with James and Lauren.”

  Tori’s shoulders drooped slightly. “You’re seeing Noela, right?”

  “Noela?” he repeated, sounding like an idiot to his own ears. “No. She works for me. Or she will, starting Monday.”

  “But you’re interested in her.”

  “No. Not at all.”

  Tori shook her head. “I don’t understand you.”

  Back to this, were they? “I’m not looking for a girlfriend or a wife, Tori. Not her. Not anyone.” Not even you. But he couldn’t say that out loud.

  “But...” She searched his gaze. “Why?”

  “It’s a long story,” he said lightly, “and one I don’t feel like getting into tonight.” Or at all, ever. “I’m joining James and Lauren now.” He took a few steps, and yep, she stayed right with him.

  “I’d like to hear your story. I don’t know much about your life before your family bought Canyon Crossing.”

  “It’s not that interesting.” Garret set his plate on the table across from James. “Hey, guys.”

  Lauren’s gaze toggled between Garret and Tori. “Hi there.” The questions on her face were likely mirrored on most of the faces in the room, but he wasn’t turning around to check.

  “I’m grabbing some punch. Anyone else want some?”

  “I’d like a glass.” Tori set her plate in front of the chair beside his and flashed him a smile. “Thanks.”

  Yep, just like a burr tangled in a mane, she was proving awfully hard to dislodge.

  Chapter Seven

  Tori’s eyes stung with unshed tears as she witnessed Denae and Trevor pledging their lives to each other. From the angle where she stood between Lauren and Sadie, Denae’s friend who’d come from Spokane to be the matron of honor, Tori couldn’t see Denae’s expression, but she could see Trevor’s.

  Quiet, taciturn Trevor Delgado’s face was wreathed in a tender smile, his dark eyes filled with emotion as his hands clutched his bride’s.

  The sight stole Tori’s breath. Oh, to be loved like Trevor loved Denae. To hear the man she loved boldly speak his wedding vows for all the world to hear.

  Her gaze slid to the man on the piano bench where he observed those same promises. Something like longing glimmered on his face until his eyes shifted and connected with Tori’s. Then the impassive mask she was so accustomed to seeing slid over him again, and his shoulders stiffened slightly.

  “You may kiss your bride,” Pastor Roland announced.

  Trevor didn’t need a second invitation. He cradled Denae’s face between his hands and gave her a beautiful, tender kiss that had his bride clinging
to his shoulders.

  A rustle beside Tori pulled her attention away from the couple. Lauren made her way toward James and the grand piano. The couple picked up their microphones, and James nodded to Garret to begin the introduction to When God Made You. Then their voices melded in the beautiful lyrics by Newsong about Christian love. They were singing for the bride and groom, but the words were a touching testimony to their own eighteen-month-long marriage.

  Tori tugged a tissue from the back of her bouquet and dabbed at her eyes, hoping her mascara wouldn’t smudge. Her movement caught Garret’s attention over at the piano, but his expression remained inscrutable.

  The lyrics spoke of how God must have been thinking of the person when He made their partner, because they were so perfect for each other, like a dream come true.

  Garret seemed perfect for Tori, too, but she was running out of patience. She’d been a bit forceful last night at rehearsal, but he’d still put her off. How much time was she going to give him? How much effort?

  God?

  But God wasn’t answering. Not at the moment, anyway. The song came to a touching close as her brother and his wife gave each other a sweet smile before returning to their spots at either end of the wedding party. Garret segued into The Love of God as the pastor led Denae and Trevor through the candle-lighting ceremony, signifying two lives becoming one.

  Pastor Roland turned to the audience. “It is my pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time, Mister and Missus Trevor and Denae Delgado!”

  Cheers, clapping, and a few cat-calls erupted from the packed sanctuary as the newlyweds exchanged another quick kiss then made their way down the steps and down the aisle toward the back to the triumphant music pouring from the piano.

  Beside Tori, Sadie moved to tuck her hand in the crook of Trevor’s brother Kade’s elbow. Then it was Tori’s turn to meet Sawyer and, behind them, came Lauren and James.

  They strode toward the foyer, and Sawyer leaned toward Tori’s ear. “Well, he did it. Thought for sure he’d get cold feet and back out.”

  Tori shifted a half step away while keeping the pace. “Why would he? He loves her. That’s plainly obvious.”

  Sawyer shrugged. “And now he’s got a ball and chain wrapped around his ankle.”

  She jabbed him with her elbow, perhaps more forcefully than required. “That’s not what marriage is.”

  “Yeah, well. From over here, that’s what it looks like.” Sawyer guided her into the receiving line beside Sadie and Kade then whispered in Tori’s ear. “I mean, look at this poor sap. Kade didn’t learn the first time. He’s been married twice.”

  “Stop it. Your brother is very happy. Both of them are.” The middle brother, Kade, had married his high school sweetheart two years back, then added a baby boy to their his-and-hers family. Tori angled a look up at Sawyer. “One day you’ll fall in love. Then you’ll see.”

  His eyebrows hiked up. “Are you declaring yourself to me, Ms. Carmichael?”

  “Most definitely not. You are so not my type.”

  A slow grin creased his face. “I’m every woman’s type.”

  “In your dreams.”

  “Well, I’m Anna’s type. And she’s not the first to think so... and probably not the last.”

  She cringed. Too much information. “How did you get so full of yourself?”

  He shrugged, but the surge of chattering guests coming through the doors from the sanctuary diverted his attention.

  Thankfully.

  Tori shook hands with nearly two hundred people, many of them murmuring what a beautiful wedding it had been, but she was acutely aware of when the piano music stopped piping in via the speakers. She couldn’t keep from watching for Garret in the thinning crowd. Her heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of him clapping Trevor on the back and giving Denae an awkward hug but, instead of shaking hands with the rest of the wedding party, he turned away and headed toward his parents waiting beside the door.

  Tori’s heart fell. He wouldn’t even face her in the receiving line?

  “Whew.” Sawyer shook out his hand as though he’d been at it for days instead of minutes. “We need to get this show on the road.”

  She wouldn’t let him bait her anymore. “Photos next.”

  He huffed a sigh, but his face brightened at the sight of Anna lingering near the window. She cast him a warm smile, and Sawyer elbowed Tori. “See what I mean? She thinks I’m hot.”

  Tori had always liked the waitress, but now? She just couldn’t figure out what Anna saw in him.

  Sawyer stepped out of line, but his dad intercepted his path. “We’re all headed to the park by the bridge for photos now. You and Tori are riding with James and Lauren.”

  She could see his jaw tic from here. Well, she wasn’t any more delighted with their pairing than he was, but they were doing it for Denae and Trevor, not their own pleasure. Seemed like Sawyer couldn’t remember that for more than ten minutes at a time.

  Anna fluttered her fingers at Sawyer and slipped out the door. How had he captured the Saddle Springs newcomer in one short week when Tori had been unable to make a dent in Garret’s armor in five years?

  She had photos to endure before the reception but then she’d find a way to make Garret dance with her.

  “You okay, son?” Mom rested her hand on Garret’s cheek in the church parking lot.

  He forced a cheery smile. “I will be. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I always will. I know how hard weddings are for you.”

  Garret opened the car door for her, and she slipped inside while Dad clambered into the back. Both of them looked utterly done in from the brief excursion. He slid behind the wheel. “You two don’t need to come to the reception if it’s too much. Trevor and Denae will understand.”

  Mom shook her head slightly. “We’ll come. It’s our honor to be invited.”

  “We won’t desert you, son,” said Dad from behind him.

  “You just say the word anytime then and I’ll bring you home.”

  “I can still drive,” Dad put in mildly.

  “I’m just worried—”

  “Not as worried as we are about you.” Mom angled toward him. “Son, you need to allow your heart to open again. One day Dad and I will be gone, and I don’t want to think of you alone and hurting for the rest of your life.”

  “I’ll be fine.” No, he wouldn’t be. The thought of being truly on his own hovered like a dark cloud threatening to encompass him... but it wasn’t as menacing as the thought of allowing someone inside his walls. Someone sweet and innocent like Tori. She’d run when she got a glimpse. He was only saving them both the heartache.

  “You know we loved Jenna.” Mom rested her hand lightly on his tuxedo sleeve as he drove through Saddle Springs toward the riding stable. “She was a ray of sunshine, and I’m so sorry for the terrible accident that took her from you.”

  Dad cleared his throat. “We weren’t quite so fond of Chantelle.”

  Yeah, Garret knew that. He’d been stubborn, like that was anything new. But that time he’d been blind at the same time, ignoring the hints that she was using him, using the music he’d composed, using her inside track to snag that position with an upcoming Christian rock band right from under his nose. With his own music.

  Meanwhile, he’d thought they had something special between them. She made him forget about Jenna for entire hours at a time. Forget that he was marked for pain and loneliness. He’d walked right into that one.

  “We were so distressed about Chantelle,” Mom went on. “It was a hard lesson for such a trusting soul.”

  Ha. Is that what Nancy Morrison thought of him? Trusting? No, that had been shattered long before. The little boy who’d watched his mother die had reached out too many times. Each time he’d come away with wounds, and the ones he’d suffer when Tuck and Nancy passed to their reward — and, oh, didn’t they deserve that? — would be the final blow. He couldn’t handle anymore.

  “Son, what your m
other is trying to say is to let love have a chance in your life. Remember Jesus came to give you life, abundant life.”

  “John 10:10,” Mom replied, and Dad gave her a thumbs up.

  Garret offered a shaky laugh. “Wow, you two are ganging up on me today.”

  “I’m sorry it seems that way,” Mom said gently.

  “Maybe that Noela girl you hired,” suggested Dad. “Those are good boys she’s got, but they need a man’s hand.”

  “Noela Bergstrom?” Mom’s voice etched in disbelief as she swiveled to face Dad. “Are you kidding me? She’s forty if she’s a day.”

  “What does that matter?”

  “She’s not the right one for him. Now, think about Tori Carmichael—”

  “No need to arrange a marriage for me.” Garret’s words might have erupted harsher than needed. He hadn’t been prepared for the sight of her in a frothy pink dress with bare shoulders. “I’m perfectly content without a wife.”

  “But...”

  “No buts, Mom.” He turned into the drive at Canyon Crossing. “Now, we’ve got a couple of hours before we need to head over to the community center for the reception, so I suggest you have a snack and a nap so you’ll be up for another outing later.”

  “A cup of tea does sound nice. Will you join us?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll shed the formalwear for a bit and take Trudy for a run. Could use some fresh air to clear my head.”

  “Don’t forget what I said,” she admonished him.

  “I’ll give it due consideration.” Which would be all of eight seconds, just like a bronc rider. If only he could leap away from all thoughts of women and love as easily as Sawyer Delgado surged clear of flashing hooves... or charmed a pretty girl.

  But Tori’s hazel eyes insisted on dancing in front of his mind, just like she’d insisted he save her a dance this evening.

  If only he could bow out and skip the catered meal and dance altogether.

  No. What he really wanted was to abandon his fears and dance with her a dozen times. But neither would happen. He needed to hold his persona like a cloak around him, aloof and disinterested.