The Cowboy’s Targeted Bride

by Carla Cassidy

  “And when I get a few minutes to myself, I like to read, and I love to ride my horse. Boring, right?” she said.

  “Not boring at all,” he protested with a small laugh.

  “I wish I had a horse,” Caleb said. “How can I be a cowboy and not have a horse? I’ve been asking for one for forever.”

  “Eventually we’ll see about a horse for you,” Lily said, and then turned back to Jerod. “What about you? What do you like to do in your spare time?” she asked. She felt as if they were trying to catch up on months of dating in one dinner.

  “I like listening to music, so most evenings Mac McBride plays his guitar and sings, and it’s a nice way to relax,” he replied.

  “Will you miss that when you move into our place? I could get a guitar and maybe learn how to strum, but I can’t do anything about my less-than-stellar singing voice,” she said.

  He laughed again. “Thank God you have a sense of humor.”

  She grinned at him. “I have a feeling we’re both going to need one as all this unfolds.” She held his gaze for a moment and then looked down at her plate. This time with him had been easy, but it had also been extremely superficial. She still didn’t really know him, and he didn’t really know her.

  “Well, well, what have we here?” Brad Walsh appeared at the side of their booth.

  “Hello, Brad,” she said. “Do you know Jerod Steen? Jerod, this is Brad Walsh, one of my fellow teachers.” Jerod half rose and offered his hand out for a shake.

  Brad ignored Jerod’s hand and instead focused on Lily. “I’m confused, Lily. I thought you told me you didn’t date.”

  “I guess she was just waiting for the right man to come along,” Jerod said as he sat back down again.

  “Yeah, and they’re getting married,” Caleb added.

  Brad looked stricken. “Is that true?”

  “We’re tying the knot a week from this Saturday,” Jerod said. He smiled at Lily. “I finally talked her into being my bride.”

  Lily laughed. “He didn’t have to talk too hard for me to agree.”

  “Then I guess congratulations are in order,” Brad replied. “You sure have been closemouthed about all this.”

  “I am a rather private person,” Lily said, slightly uncomfortable beneath Brad’s intense gaze.

  “Once again, congratulations to you both.” With a curt nod to Jerod, Brad left the side of their booth.

  “So, that was creepy Mr. Walsh?” Jerod asked Caleb.

  “Yeah. Next year he’ll be my teacher, and nobody likes being in his class,” Caleb replied. “He’s really strict and mean.”

  By that time they had finished the meal, and once Jerod had paid, they left the café and got back in his truck. “You realize by this time tomorrow everyone in town will know we’re getting married,” she said. “Brad is not only slightly creepy, he’s also a huge gossip,” Lily said. “And in any case, half the town saw us out together tonight.”

  “That’s okay by me,” Jerod said. “Sooner or later everyone is going to know. It might as well be sooner. By the way, Cassie asked me today how many people we expect to come to the wedding. I don’t have any family to invite, but I would like my friends at the ranch to be invited. What about you?”

  “No family for me, either. I’d like to invite all the teachers and staff from the school. So, that would be about twenty. Is that too many?” she asked worriedly.

  “No, I’m sure that’s fine, and if you think of any more people you want there, just let me know. I suppose at this point we only have time to invite people either by mouth or by email.”

  They talked about the invites for a few more minutes, and by that time they were back at her place. “Caleb, go get into the shower,” she said as the three of them stepped inside the house.

  As Caleb disappeared into the bathroom, Lily turned to Jerod. “Would you like a cup of coffee or something?”

  “No, I’m good,” he replied. “I know you have school tomorrow, so I’ll just head on home.”

  “Thank you so much for dinner,” she replied.

  The two of them walked out the front door and onto her porch. The few times Jerod had been out to talk to her about Caleb, they had those conversations out here. She’d sit in the porch swing and he’d sit in the porch chair opposite her.

  Now he stood closer to her than he normally did, and his nearness made her heart beat just a little faster. “I enjoyed having dinner with you,” he said and took another step closer.

  “I enjoyed it, too,” she replied.

  “We’ll do it again in the next couple of days,” he replied. He leaned toward her, and for a moment she wondered if he was going to kiss her. She was surprised to realize she wouldn’t mind a simple, quick kiss.

  He reached out and swept a strand of her hair away from her face and then stepped back from her. “I’ll call you sometime tomorrow. Good night, Lily.”

  She murmured a good night and then watched as he walked back to his truck, got in and drove away. In just a little over a week, the man would be her husband.

  For the first time since she’d agreed to this crazy plan, new doubts raced through her mind. Was this really what she wanted to do? Give herself to a man in marriage in exchange for him saving her ranch? It sounded so rash...so desperate.

  Sure, they had just enjoyed a pleasant dinner together, but she still didn’t really know him. Tonight had been easy, but it hadn’t done much to reveal who they really were to each other.

  Was he a sex addict? Another kind of addict? Did he have any inner demons that would rear their heads once they were married? Although she’d never heard anything bad about Jerod, who was he behind closed doors?

  She closed and locked her front door. Only time would tell, but she had to admit that she was a bit afraid of what she might be getting herself and her son into.

  * * *

  The wedding day dawned with bright sunshine and unusually warm temperatures. Lily had found a beautiful wedding dress in a shop on Main Street and it, her shoes and her makeup bag were now packed and in her truck to head to Cassie’s home.

  Cassie had insisted she come to the house and dress there, and Caleb had been picked up by Krista earlier that day. Krista had been utterly shocked to hear that Lily was getting married. She’d been with Lily when she’d bought her dress, and she’d offered to have Caleb come to the wedding with her and Henry and then he would spend the night with her. Lily had appreciated her best friend’s support.

  Lily had no idea what the Holiday Ranch barn looked like or what arrangements had been made there for a wedding. The only thing she did know for sure was that Jerod had gotten John Tenent, the Methodist Church minister, to officiate at the ceremony.

  As Lily got into her truck to head to Cassie’s, her nerves screamed in her veins. These last ten days had flown by with scarcely time to think. Was she insane to be going through with this? Was this the right thing to do, or would it be the biggest mistake she’d ever made?

  She’d already made one mistake in her life, and that was falling in love with and trusting a cowboy who had disappeared from her life the minute she’d told him she was pregnant.

  At least she didn’t love Jerod. This was more of a business transaction than anything. She didn’t have to worry about Jerod hurting her heart, because her heart wasn’t at all involved. And if he even thought of physically or emotionally abusing her or Caleb, he would be out of the house and divorced so fast his head would spin.

  She pulled up in the back of Cassie and Dillon’s house and parked, her heart beating a million miles a minute. In two hours’ time, she would become Mrs. Jerod Steen.

  Cassie flew out of the back door, a blond-haired, blue-eyed whirlwind of energy and excitement. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She gave Lily a big hug and then released her. “We’ll get you set up in a bedroom where you can dress, a
nd if you want, I’ll help you with your hair and makeup.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Lily protested. “You’ve already done more than enough for me.”

  “Nonsense. Half the fun of your wedding day is having somebody flutter and fuss over you. Come on, I’ll help you carry your things in.”

  For the next two hours, Lily was pampered and primped over by Cassie, and all the while she told Lily what a great guy she was marrying. “Jerod is patient and steady,” Cassie said. “I’m so happy you two found each other.” She continued to extoll Jerod’s virtues as she helped fix Lily’s hair.

  Before Cassie started working on Lily’s makeup, she brought her a glass of champagne to sip. “I feel like I’m a princess,” Lily said.

  “Good, that’s the way you should feel on this special day,” Cassie replied.

  When it was finally almost time for the wedding, Cassie changed into a pretty, short pink dress and then helped Lily into her wedding gown.

  When she was finished, she stepped back from Lily and clapped her hands together. “Oh, Lily, you look absolutely beautiful.” She twirled Lily around to give her a view of herself in a full-length mirror.

  Lily’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at her own reflection. Despite her financial situation, she’d splurged a little bit on the dress. It was a long column of white silk with the bodice decorated with tiny sequins and beading.

  Despite the fact that she was hardly a virgin, she’d given herself permission to wear the beautiful white dress, knowing it would be the one and only wedding she would ever have.

  Cassie had done magic with Lily’s hair, weaving a band of tiny beads through it. She’d also done Lily’s makeup, making Lily feel prettier than she’d ever felt in her entire life.

  “It’s time, Lily,” Cassie said. “Dillon is waiting to drive us down to the barn.”

  The nerves that had been relatively quiet for the past hour burst into life once again, racing her heartbeat and twisting her stomach. It was time for her to marry Jerod. Even though they had gone out to eat together several more times in the past week, he was still a virtual stranger to her. With Caleb in attendance each time they had been together, their conversations had remained light and without any real depth.

  Dillon awaited them at the back door, looking handsome in a black suit. “Your chariot awaits,” he said. He ushered them outside, where a white town car was parked.

  He helped Lily into the back seat and then helped Cassie into the seat next to Lily. Lily reached out and grasped Cassie’s hand. “I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”

  Cassie squeezed her hand. “You have no idea what you’ve done for me. I’ve had such fun planning this, and in any case, I had a lot of help from other people in town.”

  For the first time, Lily noticed all the cars parked along the drive and down by the barn. Wedding guests were apparently all in place. Dillon parked in front of the closed barn doors. He opened the door for Lily and helped her out and then went around and helped Cassie from the car.

  “Lily, I know you don’t have a father here, so I thought I’d lend you my husband to walk you down the aisle. Does that work with you?” Cassie asked. Tears burned at Lily’s eyes. “Lily Kidwell, don’t you dare cry. I worked on putting on the perfect eye makeup for you, and if you cry it all off now I’m going to be mad.”

  “And trust me, you don’t want to see her mad,” Dillon said softly, making Lily and Cassie laugh.

  “I’m going to sneak on in.” Cassie looked at her husband. “You know what to do.” With these words she disappeared into the barn and left the door partway open.

  “You doing okay?” Dillion asked as he took Lily’s arm in his.

  She nodded, her emotions still so close to the surface she was afraid to speak for fear of crying. A moment later a guitar began playing the wedding march, and the barn doors opened.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the barn’s interior. It had truly been transformed into a beautiful venue, with chairs on either side of an aisle that was lined by huge vases of flowers and flickering little lights. It was like walking into a magical garden with hundreds of lightning bugs.

  Jerod and John Tenent stood at the end of the aisle. Clad in a black tuxedo with a white shirt and black tie, Jerod looked somber and incredibly handsome. Her heart quickened. This good-looking man who looked at her so intently was about to become her husband. As she approached him, a small smile curved his lips, making him look less stern.

  When she reached him, Dillon released her arm and took a seat next to Cassie. And then it was just her and Jerod and the minister, who indicated they should hold hands. His hands were warm and slightly callused and felt incredibly strong and capable.

  Everything that happened next went by in a dreamlike haze. They repeated vows, and he slid a pretty ring on her finger, and then John indicated Jerod could kiss his bride.

  “May I?” Jerod whispered to her.

  She nodded, and then Jerod’s lips were on hers. His lips were warm and more than pleasing even though the kiss was short. The crowd cheered as Jerod grabbed her hand and they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.

  He led her out of the barn. “We’re to wait out here until Cassie comes out to get us,” he said.

  “Okay.” She suddenly felt unaccountably shy. She didn’t know what to say or how to act around the man who was now her husband. Everything felt so unreal.

  “Lily, are you all right?” he asked softly.

  “I’m fine. To be honest, I think maybe I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment. I can’t believe what Cassie did to make everything so beautiful.”

  “And it’s not over yet. Cookie has been busy all day making food for the reception, and Cassie hired the Croakin’ Frog band to play music for dancing.”

  “We need to figure out something nice we can do for her,” Lily replied.

  “Definitely,” he said. “We’ll put our heads together and come up with something. By the way, you look absolutely lovely.”

  She felt the warmth that leaped into her cheeks at his compliment. “Thank you. And you look very handsome.”

  “Thanks.”

  For several minutes a silence grew between them. “This feels a little surreal,” she finally said.

  He offered her a smile. “It does, doesn’t it? I know things are kind of awkward between us now, but I’m hoping it will get easier with time. By the way, Caleb looked quite handsome in his suit.”

  Lily laughed. “You have no idea how hard I had to fight with him to wear it. If he’d had his way, he would have worn a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.”

  Jerod reached up and tugged at his black tie. “I understand his feelings,” he said with a laugh.

  For the next few minutes they small-talked about some of the guests in attendance. “I saw your friend the creepy Mr. Walsh here.”

  She winced. “I couldn’t exactly invite all the other teachers and not invite him.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t have a problem with him as long as he respects our marriage.”

  “The only person I’ve had a problem with is Krista, who refused to speak to me for two days for not telling her that we had been dating and were getting married. But she got over it.” She released a small laugh. “Krista can never stay mad at me for long. We’re very best friends.”

  “That’s the way I feel about Mac McBride. Even though I’m close to all the other cowboys I grew up with, I’ve always been closest to Mac.”

  “He seems like a nice man,” she replied.

  “He is. He’s very laid-back and calm. Sometimes I think he’s not only a horse whisperer, but also a people whisperer. He just naturally makes people calm down and chill out.”

  “That’s a nice quality to have,” she replied. But she was more interested in what qualitie
s Jerod possessed, something any normal person would know before getting married.

  At that moment Cassie opened the barn door and motioned the two of them inside. Once again the space had been transformed. Tables and chairs now lined the walls, leaving a large area in the center for dancing. A full buffet and bar were present, along with a head table to which Cassie led them among cheers and hoots from the guests.

  Mac stood and held up his drink. Jerod and Lily picked up the champagne-filled glasses at their table. “A toast,” Mac said. “To Jerod and Lily. May your futures be filled with love and laughter and a bunch of cattle and children.”

  Everyone laughed and drank. Cassie took pictures, and then the band began to play a slow country song and it was time for Jerod and Lily to have their first dance together. They took to the center of the dance floor, and Jerod pulled her into his arms.

  Despite the crazy circumstances and her nervousness, his strong arms holding her felt wonderful. They moved slowly to the music, his body mere inches from hers. He smelled so good, and she fought the impulse to lean her head into the crook of his neck.

  She wasn’t ready to fall into bed with him, and she had no idea what he might expect from her tonight, but in this moment...in his arms...she felt safe and protected, and it felt so good after so many years of being all alone.

  Their dance officially kicked off the party. Soon the dance floor was filled, and Lily found herself dancing with a number of people, as did Jerod. When she had a moment, she pulled Caleb up to dance with her. Even though he protested, when he saw Henry dancing with his mother, Caleb relaxed and danced with Lily.

  They stopped dancing long enough to fill plates from the buffet. Cookie had prepared pulled pork and baked beans, potato and macaroni salads. There was also fresh fruit and a lettuce salad and several other dishes that were sure to feed and please the crowd.

  After they ate, Cookie and Mac came in carrying a beautiful, three-tiered wedding cake. Once again tears burned at Lily’s eyes. Cassie and the people of Bitterroot had truly given her the dream she’d once wanted...a wedding to remember.