by Sara Orwig
Epilogue
The last weekend in May, Jason stood at the front of the church with Ethan, his oldest brother, beside him as best man. Luke, his other brother, Rob, Sebastian and another longtime friend, Matt Walker, were groomsmen. Jason had cajoled Merry into a hasty wedding, but both had the resources to hire enough people to help pull it together quickly. And, to his delight, Merry seemed as eager as he was.
Jason watched bridesmaids come down the aisle, friends and sisters of Merry’s he had met at parties and seen again at the rehearsal last night. Holly was maid of honor. He had been surprised to find she was a beautiful young woman, several inches taller than Merry, with the same wide, smokey eyes and flawless skin. Several of the single guys from home had taken to her quickly, and Jason was glad to see that she had gone out with one of them the night before the rehearsal, then last night after the rehearsal she’d left with Porter Hammons, a cowboy from Royal who was one of the ushers for the wedding.
At the sound of a peal of music, Merry’s mother stood and turned, and everyone else came to their feet, but from that moment on, Jason was aware only of Merry, who came down the aisle toward him on the arm of one of her uncles.
Her hair was piled on her head, hidden mostly by the gossamer white veil. She was radiant, glowing with love, taking his breath in her long, white dress, and then she was beside him, her hand in his as they repeated their vows.
As he promised to love, honor and cherish her the rest of his life, the vows seemed so right, something he had already promised her more than once in intimate moments. Now he felt as though he had waited all his life for her, the perfect woman for him.
“You may kiss your bride,” the minister said, and Jason turned back her veil, looking into her eyes filled with warmth and love. He leaned down to brush her lips lightly, and then they walked back up the aisle together, Mr. and Mrs. Jason Windover, which sounded wonderful to him.
“I’ve got you, babe,” he whispered in her ear as they entered the foyer.
“And I’ve got you, Jason. I love you.”
“Let’s cut this reception short.”
“Be patient. This is a once-in-a-lifetime, and I want to enjoy dancing with you.”
He grinned, wrapped his arm around her waist, and they went through a hallway to go back around to the front of the church to pose for pictures.
The reception was at a country club where Merry’s mother was a member. To Merry’s surprise, her brother, Hank, had come home for her wedding. She watched as he stood talking to Jason, suspecting Jason might be a good influence in Hank’s life.
She studied her handsome husband, and her heart raced in anticipation of their honeymoon. In a black tux, Jason was incredibly handsome, and she had to struggle to pay attention to friends and relatives and mingle in the crowd.
She saw Holly surrounded by a cluster of guys from Royal. They had discovered her during parties there, and to Merry’s enormous relief, Holly seemed to have forgotten Dorian.
“Your sister is having a good time.”
Merry looked around to see Susan Wescott. “Yes, she is. It’s funny how things turned out. She’s getting over Dorian, I’m married to Jason now—”
“That day we met at the Cattleman’s Club, I thought you were going to take the place by storm,” Susan said, smiling, her silver-gray eyes holding a twinkle.
“I don’t want to think about that,” Merry said. “I was dreadful.”
“They deserved to get their staid old club shaken up a little,” Susan said. “I wish you and Jason the best. When you can, I want both of you to come visit.”
“Thanks, Susan. I’d love that,” Merry said, realizing she had a friend. Someone called to Susan, who moved away, sunlight catching red glints in her chestnut hair.
Merry thought about Dorian, who still raised so many unanswered questions. Her marriage to Jason had to have angered Dorian, particularly since she was determined to find out if he’d been involved in murdering Eric Chambers and trying to frame Sebastian.
Jason was talking to a circle of tall, handsome men, all members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. It was a diverse and close-knit group. Some of the men she had just met for the first time: ranchers Matt Walker and Forrest Cunningham; Blake Hunt; a doctor named Justin Webb; Sheikh Ben Rassad; Hank Langley; Dakota Lewis, a retired air force lieutenant; Greg Hunt, a lawyer; Sterling Churchill. Others she had met before: Aaron Black, Keith, Rob, Sebastian and Will Bradford.
While they talked, Jason looked around the circle of men, well aware that Dorian had been excluded, yet feeling not one shred of remorse.
“Well, Keith, we ought to plan the ball and you better start thinking about the charity you want, because you are the last bachelor standing,” Jason drawled with a smile.
“I can’t believe I’ve won this. I never thought I’d see this happen,” Keith grinned and replied to Jason, gesturing to include the reception festivities.
“Our playboy retires,” Rob stated.
“It’s about time,” Aaron added. “Next thing you know, the playboy will be announcing a baby on the way.”
Jason grinned, unable to stop smiling. “I leave the bachelor and playboy reputation to Keith, who outlasted all the rest of us.”
All the men chimed in and Aaron raised his glass. “Here’s a toast to the man who keeps bachelorhood alive in Royal—our own Keith Owens. Our confirmed old bachelor.”
“All right, you guys. We’ll see who has the most fun at that ball,” Keith answered with a laugh.
“I know who will,” Jason said, “all the married guys. Each of us will get to take home the woman he loves.”
“To the women in our lives,” Sebastian said, proposing another toast and immediately glasses were raised.
“What’s your charity going to be?” Aaron asked Keith as they lowered their glasses.
“Y’all told me to think about it and I have,” Keith said. “I’ve picked what I want.”
“Tell us what it is,” Jason said.
“The New Hope Charity for battered women,” he said quietly.
And Jason nodded while Aaron said, “That’s a good charity.”
Others repeated Aaron’s sentiments while Jason thought about Keith’s old flame from college. If he remembered correctly, Andrea O’Rourke was a volunteer at New Hope.
“And how long is this honeymoon?” Rob asked, bringing Jason’s thoughts back to the present. Jason realized there was a serious note in Rob’s voice.
“Only a week and I will leave word with you—and only you—how you can get in touch with me if there is an emergency.”
As all of them sobered, Jason suspected each one of them was thinking about Dorian.
“When you get back, we’ll have another meeting and see where we go from here. There’s still nothing that really pins anything on him,” Rob stated.
“Even if it did, he has an alibi,” Jason said, aware they didn’t even have to say Dorian’s name.
“If any of you need any kind of help from more of us,” Aaron offered, “you know we’ll be glad to do whatever we can.”
“Thanks. Now, my friends, I think I’ll go find my bride and I’ll see y’all when we get back to Royal.”
Jason and Merry left Royal, driving to Dallas to the bridal suite in an elegant hotel. Tomorrow they had a flight to Madrid, and then they were driving to a small town on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
The moment the door closed behind the bellman, Jason reached for Merry to pull her into his arms. He still wore his tux, but she had changed to a simple navy dress and pumps. His arms tightened around her and he leaned down to kiss her.
“Mrs. Jason Windover. I’ve got you, love, and you’ll see how much I mean it when I tell you I love you.”
“Your playboy days are over, Jason.”
“I was just waiting for you, darlin’. You’re the one and only in my life forever.”
He bent his head to kiss her and Merry stood on tiptoe, wrapping her arms around his neck as s
he clung to him and kissed him in return. Joy filled her, and she no longer had any doubts about the depth of Jason’s love. And she didn’t intend him to have any doubts about the depth of her love for him. She loved him with all her being, and she planned to spend a lifetime showing him so. She tightened her arms around his neck, whispering, “I love you, my special cowboy.”
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Sara Orwig for her contribution to the TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: THE LAST BACHELOR series.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0338-9
THE PLAYBOY MEETS HIS MATCH
Copyright © 2002 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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