Taming the Cowboy

by Aarsen, Carolyne

“Of course she can. Just add that to the list.” Kinsley shot Nelly a stern look as if daring her to challenge her.

  But Nelly shrugged and took the dress, then laid it down on the table behind her.

  “I’ll let you know when it’s ready,” she said sullenly.

  Kinsley was quiet as they walked out of the house toward the car.

  “You didn’t like the dress, did you?” Faith asked once they were in the car and on their way to town.

  Kinsley wasn’t sure what to say, but Faith had read her reaction well. Anything she said to the contrary would be a fib.

  "How much will the dress cost?"

  When Faith told her, Kinsley had to stifle a groan.

  “It costs that much because it’s custom-made,” Faith said, her tone defensive.

  Experience had told Kinsley to wait and let the future bride assess the situation herself. Hopefully Faith would arrive at the same conclusion as Kinsley.

  “She came highly recommended,” Faith continued.

  “Are you happy with the dress?”

  From the way Faith was chewing her lip, Kinsley got her answer.

  “We have no other options, do we?” Faith asked. “I don’t have time to run into the city and try on dresses and wait for alterations.”

  “You’re right, that would take too long.” Kinsley’s thoughts flipped around, trying to think of what do to.

  A thought snuck in, hovering on the edges of her mind.You could let her use your dress.It still hung in the garment bag pushed into the back of a closet in her apartment in Calgary. The dress she spent months looking for. Months, and a lot of money.

  She should have sold it or donated it, and moved on. But she couldn't seem to part with it.

  And now?

  For some reason her thoughts slipped to Elliot. But no sooner had his smiling face appeared in her mind than she dismissed it. Yes, he was attractive, yes, it seemed like there was a connection between them, but there was no way she was making that huge jump. Not with a guy too much like Drake.

  “Where are you?” Faith asked, obviously noticing Kinsley’s momentary distraction.

  Kinsley glanced at Faith, mentally sizing her up. “What size do you wear?”

  “Eight,” Faith said. “Why?”

  “Do you think we’re the same height?” Kinsley asked.

  “I know we’re exactly the same height,” Faith said. “I borrowed your clothes when we were in school together. Why?”

  Kinsley hesitated. So many dreams and plans for her own life had been woven into that dress. Could she let go?

  And what are you keeping it for? Do you need the reminder of Drake’s casual treatment of you?

  “If you’re interested, I still have my wedding dress," she said, throwing the words out before she changed her mind. "And I’m sure it would fit you.”

  “Really? Your wedding dress?”

  “I think, at one time, I sent you pictures of it, and you said you loved it.”

  Faith frowned, as if trying to draw out the memory.

  “Lace on the top with a halter neckline. Gauzy skirt. Beaded waistband.”

  Faith’s expression grew dreamy. “I remember now. It was gorgeous.” Faith laid her hand on Kinsley’s arm. “But you can’t give that dress away. Someday you’ll get married. I know it.”

  “Maybe. Not for a while though. I have plans I want to see happen first.”

  “The wedding planner business?”

  “Yes. That’s why I’m doing your wedding, remember.”

  Faith made a face then shrugged. “I know, but…”

  “But what? You don’t think I’m good enough?”

  “Of course you’re good enough.” Faith waved dismissively. “You’re fantastic. Organized, on task, and you know how to see the big picture.”

  She stopped and Kinsley waited, hearing the objection in her silence.

  Then Faith sighed and fiddled with her engagement ring. “Like I said, you’re really good at this. That’s why I asked you to do my wedding. However, I feel like this job is not really you.”

  A tiny shiver of apprehension snaked down Kinsley’s spine. “What do you mean?”

  Another sigh, another twist of her ring. “I mean that when I see you taking pictures, that’s when I see you come alive. That’s when I see you smile. You’re superb at this wedding stuff, there’s no doubt, but I just feel like you could be doing something else. Something you want to do in your heart.”

  “Like you with your music?” As soon as Kinsley spoke the words, she regretted them. She knew Faith had “followed her dreams” when she broke up with Kane and left with a band to play her guitar.

  “Sometimes you need to fail to know how to succeed.” Faith chewed at her lip as if remembering those failures. “I think by being a music teacher, I’ve found a good blend between my dreams and being practical.”

  “It is a perfect balance,” Kinsley agreed. “So what do you think would be the balance for me?”

  She threw the question out with a laugh, but at the same time Faith’s doubt in her career choice resonated in a way she hardly dared acknowledge. Questioning her choices at this stage was disconcerting and disorienting. Jill had offered her a potential partnership. It was a fantastic opportunity. She was a single woman and had to make her own way in the world. This was a way to do that. She couldn't depend on fickle men to plan her future.

  “I think you have a good eye for what will work. I think you have good instincts. And you take amazing pictures.”

  “So you’ve been saying,” Kinsley returned dryly.

  “And I’ll keep saying it.”

  “I’m not taking the wedding pictures,” Kinsley said knowing exactly where Faith was going with this. “I won’t have time.”

  Faith sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Guess I’ll try calling Jeff Wylie again.”

  Kinsley kept her eye on the road while Faith made the call. Even though she’d been adamant about not taking the pictures, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining how she would go about it if she did. What kind of shots she would take. How she would set them up.

  She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts. She had enough going on right now.

  Like a wedding dress that couldn’t be salvaged and that needed to be replaced.

  “Yeah, Jeff, just want to double-check with you about my wedding. I haven't heard from you. Please, please call me back.”

  The anxiety in Faith’s voice created a flicker of confusion. Kinsley’s thoughts raced through her mind, chasing each other, trying to find a solution.

  If they didn’t get this guy…

  Did she know anyone else they could get on such short notice…

  There might be someone she could call, but would they be any good?

  You could take the pictures.

  Kinsley sucked in a steadying breath as panic beat at her chest, a flurry of fear. She needed this wedding to go well. How could she manage and control all that, and horses too, if she had to be the photographer as well? And if Jill showed up, what would she think of Kinsley’s juggling act?

  Faith put her phone back in her purse and, thankfully, didn’t look over at Kinsley.

  “I heard back from the people with the tent,” Kinsley said, moving to a safer topic. “They’ll be coming a day earlier than we expected because it worked out better for them. Which is great. They’ll set out the chairs and tables then as well as the dance floor.”

  “That’s nice to know,” Faith said, but Kinsley could hear the forced enthusiasm in her voice.

  “And I have to run to Calgary to pick up the tablecloths and napkins as well as some items for the tables Jill said we could rent. If you want, I could pick up my dress and bring it back here for you to try on.”

  Faith didn’t respond, which made Kinsley think she had overstepped.

  “I’m sorry, Faith. If you really like the dress that Nelly made for you—”

  “I don’t. It’s hideous. And now I can’t get
a photographer.” Faith’s voice broke into a sob. “I don’t know what to do. Things are falling apart.”

  “Oh sweetie…” Kinsley reached out to squeeze Faith’s shoulder. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Faith sniffed then dug in her purse, pulling out some tissues. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Are you sure about your wedding dress?”

  “I’m sure. It’s time to move on.” Put the past behind her and look ahead. “Like I said, I’ll pick it up when I go to Calgary.”

  Faith drew in a wavering breath. “Other than the dress and photographer, who is kind of important, everything else seems to be on target, right?”

  “You said that Tricia has her bridesmaid dress already?”

  Faith nodded.

  “Kane and Elliot are going to town to pick out their clothes?”

  “Yes. Kane will be done hauling the hay home by then.”

  “And Elliot is working on the wagon. Tricia and Mason are confident about the horses.” She wasn’t, but she didn’t want to voice that opinion. “The flowers look healthy and beautiful. We just need to double-check with Mia about your and Tricia’s bouquets. We can nail that down in the next couple of days to give her time to order them and put the bouquets and boutonnieres together.”

  “And Marianne Den Engelson is able to do my wedding music?”

  “Also committed.” Another panicky win for Kinsley. She had spent most of yesterday afternoon chasing Marianne down between writing up the wedding program and getting that sent off to the printer.

  “Then I guess things are coming together.” Faith drew in a deep breath. “I’m really disappointed with the dress. Are you sure you don’t mind lending me yours?”

  “I told you. It’s just hanging there. It needs to be used. It needs to find a new purpose.”

  “I feel bad about taking it, but it’s a gorgeous dress. Such a dream.”

  “Please don’t feel bad. I need to get rid of it.”

  And as she uttered the words she realized how true they were.

  * * *

  “How’s the wagon coming along?” Kane asked as he strode into the shop late that afternoon.

  Elliot looked up from the bolt he was tightening on the frame of the wagon and gave his brother a tentative smile. “I’ve just about got the seats done. They need another coat of varnish and then I can bolt them on.” He jerked his chin toward the wooden benches he had been working on all morning. Kane walked over and stood in front of them, his hands on his hips.

  “They look great.”

  The approval in his voice warmed Elliot’s heart. There was a time when he wouldn’t have cared what Kane thought, but since coming back to the ranch, his brother’s opinion mattered more and more.

  “I’m no carpenter, but I think they turned out well.”

  “Better than well. It looks professional.”

  More praise.

  “Thanks.” It was all he could say.

  A moment of silence followed his reply, and Elliot took the wrench to the other bolt holding the frame for the seat.

  “Will it be finished on time?”

  “I’ll have it back together by the end of the week. Then I should take it out with the horses a few times to make sure they’re okay with it and that the wheels don't fall off.”

  “I’m not worried about Sancho and Seamus,” Kane said, walking back to the wagon, running his hands over the sideboards. “But a few trial runs would be a good idea. Especially since I get the idea Kinsley is not too crazy about the horses.”

  “Not at all. But she has good reasons.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt like smacking his forehead. Kinsley had told him what she had in confidence. He had no right to go blabbing about it.

  “What reasons are those?” Kane asked.

  “Not mine to say,” Elliot returned.

  Kane was quiet a moment, but Elliot knew his brother well enough to guess he was gearing up to say something important.

  “She’s an attractive woman,” Kane said.

  “She is that,” Elliot agreed. “And I’m sensing you’ll say something about that.”

  Kane sighed. “I saw how you two look at each other, and I’m guessing there’s some attraction going on.”

  “Is this where you lecture me about not breaking her heart? About being careful?” Elliot couldn’t keep the snap out of his tone or the edge out of his voice.

  “Faith told me how Kinsley’s marriage was called off and how her heart was broken. So yeah, I’m telling you to be careful with her.”

  Elliot was quiet, letting Kane’s words settle, giving them some weight.

  Then he spoke up. “Kinsley is an adult, and so am I.” And he left it at that. He wasn’t going to talk about something he wasn’t sure of himself. He didn’t want to bring his changing feelings for Kinsley out into the open to be examined in the cold light of day.

  He was attracted to her. And unless he was being obnoxious, he sensed that she was interested in him as well.

  “Well, just be careful,” Kane said. “I know you have your plans, but she has hers. And I don’t see them meshing.”

  Elliot chose not to reply to that.

  "At any rate, I’m glad the wagon will be finished,” Kane said. But he didn’t leave. Which made Elliot wonder if there was something else on his mind.

  He worked in silence a little longer as Kane walked around the wagon, inspecting it some more.

  “You okay with this idea?” Elliot asked, preferring to talk about something ordinary. “Faith arriving in this wagon?”

  “It’s what she wants to do.”

  “But what do you want?” Elliot’s mind slipped back to a comment he had made previously to Kinsley. What Faith wants, Faith gets.

  “It’s Faith’s wedding, and I want everything to be perfect for her.”

  “I think that’s admirable, but it’s your wedding too,” Elliot said.

  “To be honest, I would have preferred to elope.”

  “Like Tricia and Drew did?”

  “With a happier ending, of course.” Kane glanced over at Elliot. “That little adventure didn’t turn out real well for you either.”

  Kane knew he was referring to the broken arm and bruised ribs Elliot suffered in the accident that killed Tricia’s husband. Elliot had been best man for that wedding too.

  “True enough. It was a hard time for everyone.” Another moment of silence. “It was hard being put out of the running for the CFR.”

  “And it gave you a lot of free time.”

  Elliot sat back on his heels, still holding the wrench as he looked at his brother. He thought of what he and Kinsley had talked about that afternoon in Tanner’s house. How she had encouraged him to talk to his brother. Make things right between them. “I know we’ve never talked about what happened that summer, not in-depth at any rate,” he said, his voice quiet, serious.

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s history.”

  Kane’s terse reply made him want to stop there. Take it and let it go. But every time they were together there was an underlying current of tension he wanted out of the way.

  “Maybe to you, but it’s one of the main reasons I’m here. To make peace. To find a way past this. You asked me to be your best man, but I’m sure you would have preferred if Lucas could do the job. I’m glad to do it because I need to figure out how to make things up to you. I’m sorry if you thought something was going on between me and Faith—”

  “I know there wasn’t. Faith and I talked about that.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re getting married. I’m glad you guys worked your way past all that other stuff.”

  Kane held his earnest gaze, frowning. The silence between them seemed heavy. Weighted with guilt and regret.

  “We have,” Kane said softly, leaning his elbows on the wagon. “But there’ve been consequences to her following her dreams.”

  “But she quit the band,” Elliot said, puzzled at how grave Kane sounded. “That turned out good in
the end, didn’t it? She’s got a good job now, and you two will have a good life together.” He threw the words out with a glimmer of hope even as Kane’s words about consequences sent a chill into the atmosphere.

  Kane said nothing, his expression still serious. Elliot wondered if there was something he’d missed. Something he didn’t know.

  “So what are some of these consequences you’re talking about?” he prodded, coming off the wagon to stand beside his brother.

  Another beat of silence greeted his question, then Kane turned to him, his eyes dark. “Faith had a relationship with one of the band members. She got pregnant.” He stopped there, pressing his lips together, as if he didn’t want to release the next words. “But she lost the baby.”

  Elliot stared at him, shock coursing through him at Kane’s blunt admission. “Pregnant?”

  Kane clung to the side of the wagon, his knuckles growing white. Elliot could see how difficult this was for him, but wasn’t sure what to say. Did Kane blame him?

  “She’s asked my forgiveness,” he continued, “and though it seemed patronizing to have to give it, seeing as how we were broken up at the time, we found our way to each other. Like I said, we’ve worked through it.” Kane closed his eyes, lowering his head.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Elliot was stunned, trying to absorb this all. “I’m sure that’s been difficult to process.”

  “It wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t gone touring with that band.”

  A chill feathered Elliot's spine at Kane’s words and the anger that laced them.

  “So you are saying that's my fault after all?” Elliot asked.

  Another moment of silence, then Kane pushed himself straight. “If you hadn’t encouraged her to go traveling with them, a lot of bad things in her life wouldn’t have happened.”

  Elliot took a step back, the restrained annoyance in Kane’s voice washing over him. It hurt more than he wanted to admit.

  “I can see why it’s easy to make me the target,” Elliot said. “Probably easier to blame me than to think maybe Faith made a bad choice. But she wasn’t a puppet. She had her own reasons for doing what she did.” He kept himself from saying that one of those reasons was the pressure Kane and her grandfather put on her to go to law school. Become a lawyer in her grandfather’s firm. A respectable job. One that Kane and her grandfather thought would be perfect, but a job she didn’t want at all.