The Cowboy's Marriage Mistake

by Jessie Gussman

  It hurt his heart to watch her walk away. He couldn’t run after her though. He’d needed to take care of Joseph first. He was pretty sure after the talk he’d had with Joseph that Joseph would stay in the house—no more eavesdropping—and Cord would be able to have a private conversation with Rosie.

  He just didn’t know what he was going to say.

  An apology? Definitely.

  A proposal? Maybe.

  He hadn’t wanted her to think that he was after her for the money. If they waited until March to get married, the money wouldn’t be an issue. His six months were up at the end of February. That’s why he’d planned to get married on leap day. Well, that and the fact that Rosalin only wanted to have to remember their anniversary once every four years.

  And he hadn’t cared.

  He cared now. Now, he couldn’t believe that he had been willing to do what he had been going to do with Rosalin. He didn’t even want to think about what might’ve happened if he hadn’t realized how he felt about Rosie until it was too late. Too late being that he was already married to Rosalin.

  He would have honored his marriage vows. That was one thing he was sure of. But he could not have stayed in Sweet Water with Rosie living so close.

  That wasn’t something they had to worry about anymore, so he pushed the thought out of his head. That catastrophic mistake had been avoided. Thankfully. Now, if he could just keep from making another one. The worst thing that could happen to him would be to lose Rosie.

  Somehow, he thought it was pretty important that he say the right things right now.

  He closed the barn door softly and walked over to where Rosie stood. His heart twisted a little painfully at the sight of Sadie’s empty stall. It’d been a long time since her warm nose and gentle eyes hadn’t been in the barn to welcome him when he walked in.

  “I’m not used to being in here without them,” she said softly, breaking the silence between them.

  He thought that was a good sign. She was talking to him anyway.

  “I was just thinking the same thing. It’s weird to walk in here and not be greeted with a nicker or a head to be petted.”

  He stopped directly behind her but didn’t touch her.

  He hoped his voice came out normally. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the money.”

  She turned immediately. A little surprise flared in her eyes, like she didn’t realize he was so close.

  “You didn’t have to. And I don’t have any right to be upset about it.” Her eyes were soft and a little resigned. There was hurt in them, though, too, and that hurt him.

  “You have every right to be upset about it. And I should’ve told you.”

  “The thing that upsets me isn’t that you didn’t tell me.” Her eyes dropped to his shoulder. “It’s that I think that’s why you asked Rosalin to marry you.”

  Yeah, Rosie didn’t beat around the bush.

  Her words were true, and they hurt. A strike right to his chest. Because she was right. “I can’t deny it. I can see now that it was a dumb idea, and I can wish I hadn’t done it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I did and that was why.”

  She laughed without humor. “And that, right there, is why I can’t be upset. Because you’ve been dead-straight honest with me. And we both know I haven’t been honest with you.”

  He put a finger on her cheek. “You know, I wondered about that. I know that you’re normally straight. And you only lied because of Rosalin asking you to, because your loyalty to your twin outweighed that need to be honest.” Her cheek was soft, and he palmed it, allowing his fingers to slide into her hair. “But then I wondered, you’ve never had to choose between Rosalin and me. I wondered what your choice would be.” His eyes watched his thumb as it traced around the corner of her lips. “I can’t tell you how badly there’s something inside of me that wants it to be me. But I could never demand that you choose something, even me, over your twin.”

  Her eyes had drifted partially closed, and her hand came up, covering his. His heart beat faster, and his throat felt dry.

  “I choose you,” she whispered.

  Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn’t. He hoped he never had to find out. He had some other things he wanted to talk to her about, but he couldn’t keep his head from drifting down. It felt like such a long time ago that he kissed her on the road, and he’d wanted to do it again every minute since. He’d told himself no for a really long time, but her hand had wrapped around his neck, and her body pressed toward his, and she was saying yes. He couldn’t get himself to remember the no.

  Their lips hadn’t quite touched when she whispered, “Will you marry me?”

  He stopped. Eyes that had almost closed slammed wide open as he searched her face just inches from his. “Because of the money?” he asked, knowing immediately it wasn’t so but unable to keep the words in.

  She shook her head slowly, barely moving. “I think you know I wanted to marry you before I knew about the money.”

  “I know. I didn’t mean to say that, and I know better.”

  “I think that just shows what you were worried about. That once people found out about the money, everything would be all about the money.”

  That was exactly it. He didn’t want to tell anyone about the money, because it would change how he was treated. But not by Rosie.

  “Is it too late for me to say yes?” he asked with a little smile.

  “I’ll take you whenever I can get you,” she said, with a grin of her own.

  “I heard the church had leap day open.” It was a joke, really. But he didn’t want to wait a long time. He sure hoped she didn’t either. “If we don’t get married before the end of February, I don’t get the money. I know the money isn’t the driving factor, but it seems dumb to miss the opportunity.”

  “I don’t care about it either. I think you, if anyone, know how I feel about money. I wouldn’t have been the librarian in Sweet Water if I’d wanted to get rich.”

  Her head tilted, and she played with the top button on the shirt, studying it like she needed to know its secrets. “But I do care about marrying you. And I don’t really want to wait. Although if you do, I can. We’ve been friends forever. It’s not like we don’t know each other. And it’s not like you have to woo me and somehow need to convince me that I need to marry you.” She sighed. “And there’s also Joseph. I think it would be good for him to be home. A stable home, with a man and a woman in a stable relationship.”

  He laughed. “You think we’re going to have a stable relationship?” He found that assumption somewhat funny. “I guess I want a stable relationship. Or a kind of stable relationship.” He hoped his smile didn’t scare her. “But I wouldn’t mind a little excitement too. The kind of excitement I felt the last time you kissed me.”

  No. He should’ve known his smile didn’t scare her. She returned it. The hand on his neck tugged again. “I think we need some excitement, like, right now.”

  His head dipped.

  Joseph was asleep before Rosie walked back into the house by herself and Cord drove to his mom’s house.

  Chapter 19

  FIVE WEEKS LATER, CORD stood in the front of the Sweet Water church beside the preacher. Pastor Houpe held his Bible clasped in his hands in front of his chest. Cord shifted on his feet.

  If he was being honest, he was a little nervous. This was a lifetime commitment, bigger than anything he’d ever done before. But he had total confidence in the girl he was making it to. He just hoped he could hold up his end of the bargain.

  Joseph stood beside him and slightly behind. Their wedding would be small, not fancy. Things still weren’t completely straightened out with Joseph, but they were heading in the right direction, and it looked like Joseph would be theirs. He was enjoying working for Jeb, and Jeb seemed pleased.

  Jeb was in the audience. Along with Cord’s family: all his brothers, his two sisters, and his mom, of course. There were a few other friends and Rosie’s parents.

 
Cord hadn’t seen Remington Martinez nor his wife Elaine and their children. He probably wouldn’t have noticed, except he was specifically looking for Max who had been invited. Cord hadn’t really thought he would show up, but a general invitation had been issued to everyone in Sweet Water and the outside areas.

  Notably absent was Rosalin. She had been invited, but it was Valentine’s Day, and Cord figured she’d probably be too busy to come. He never had told Rosie what her actual job was.

  He did feel like he was keeping something from Rosie by not telling her. But that was Rosalin’s information to share. Or not share.

  Rosie had been hurt that her twin wasn’t there. But it hadn’t dimmed the brightness of the day.

  A cold winter day. Valentine’s Day.

  Cord’s hands were sweating. It could be nervousness, but he thought it was probably more anticipation. The last few weeks had felt like forever.

  There was no organ in the church, but the benches creaked as a piano started to play, and people stood.

  Cord’s head turned; he couldn’t stop it, not that he tried. His heart wanted to jump out of his throat and run down the aisle as Rosie, dressed in a flowing white gown and holding the arm of her father, stepped from the vestibule and into the sanctuary, slowly walking down toward him.

  It was the first time in his life he experienced the saying “took my breath away.” He literally couldn’t breathe. She was so beautiful. And smiling. He could see even through her veil that her smile had to match his in size as well as happiness.

  It probably didn’t take her long to walk down the aisle, but their years together flashed through his head. So many scenes of training the horses, taking them to shows, working together. But also times where they just leaned against the fence and talked. Or stopped to share a drink after a hot day’s work. How they went swimming together. The work they’d done to open the library. The endless days of school, doing homework together, and spending their summers working free in the open North Dakota prairie.

  So much of his life was wrapped up in Rosie, and now he got to spend the rest of his life with her. He couldn’t wait. He sure hoped the preacher talked fast.

  She reached the end of the aisle, and her eyes dropped. Her dad gave her a hug and lifted her veil, kissing her cheek. And then she stood across from him, clasping his right hand.

  He wanted to look in her eyes, share a smile, a look. Speak without saying anything. But she looked at their hands and didn’t lift her eyes.

  Something tugged at the back of his head. Something else trickled through his stomach. A feeling of unease. A feeling of something being not quite right.

  The preacher spoke, but Cord didn’t hear what he said. He wasn’t listening. He needed Rosie to look at him, to meet his eyes, to be with him.

  The uncomfortable feeling grew stronger. Rosie shifted. Her head moved, and an odd expression shifted across her face. In that second, Cord knew.

  He wasn’t holding Rosie’s hand. It was Rosalin standing in front of him.

  The realization hit him with the force of one of his horses pulling a load of bricks. He almost gasped out loud. But what did this mean? Did Rosie do this to him on purpose? Was she pretending all this time?

  His brain raced, his heart stammered and burned like it was running over hot coals, and his stomach erupted like a volcano.

  There was silence in the church. Probably he was supposed to be saying something. But he couldn’t. Couldn’t talk. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t decide what to do.

  But he knew one thing. If Rosie wouldn’t marry him, he wasn’t marrying anyone.

  His brain felt like it was on fire when he felt a touch at his elbow. He turned. Still not sure what to do, he looked down at Joseph who was looking up at him, concern all over his face, worry clear in his eyes.

  Joseph made a small head jerk, and Cord leaned down. “You know that’s not Rosie, right?” Joseph asked softly.

  “I know.” His voice was just as soft.

  Immediately, he knew...Rosie loved him. And she would never have left him standing at the altar. She would never have given him to her sister. She had said she would marry him. No, she had asked him to marry her. She wouldn’t have skipped out on purpose. In the half a second that it took him to figure that out, his eyes had scanned the church. If she wasn’t in front of him, where was she?

  “What have you done with her?” His voice rang loud in the silence of the church. Beside him, the pastor gasped.

  For the first time, Rosalin looked up at him. Yeah, it was definitely Rosalin. Her eyes were wide and innocent, but there was something there, a worldliness, maybe, that Rosie didn’t have. He could see it clearly, although he couldn’t define it. But he was sure she was going to try to continue the ruse. He was having none of it.

  “You’re Rosalin. Where’s Rosie?” he demanded, and his voice echoed off the walls.

  A gasp and cry, and then Joseph took off running out of the church.

  “Wait!” Cord called, but he didn’t chase after him. Rosalin had to know where Rosie was, and he had to make her tell him.

  “I’m Rosie. Relax, Cord. It’s natural to be nervous on your wedding day.” Rosalin’s face was turned toward him, and she wore a little smirk that the congregation couldn’t see.

  Their friends and family had started to murmur and shift, but Cord didn’t pay any attention to them. He took Rosalin by the shoulders, reminding himself not to squeeze too hard, even though he wanted to grab her neck and throttle her. “Where is she?”

  Feeling helpless, not knowing where to start looking, Cord wanted to shake Rosalin until she spit out the information he wanted.

  “Mr. Cord, Mr. Cord!” Joseph’s voice rang out in the sanctuary from the back, then his head appeared as he ran through the door. “Mr. Cord! Rem has her.”

  Cord didn’t understand that at all. Why would Rem have Rosie? But he started walking down the aisle nonetheless. Rem was a good guy, Cord was sure of it, but he needed to see Rosie. To touch her.

  But it wasn’t Rosie that appeared in the doorway when it opened.

  Rem, wearing a nice plaid button-down and new jeans, had a death grip on Max’s neck, shoving him in the door. Cord had barely taken this in when Elaine appeared, her arm wrapped around Rosie.

  Rosie was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, not a white dress, and her hair looked like she’d been wrestling monkeys, but she looked good, and her face brightened as soon as she saw Cord.

  She left Elaine’s embrace and flew to him, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her and held her tight.

  He hated to think it, but Max and Rosalin must’ve conspired to switch Rosalin and Rosie. Probably because of the money.

  It made him angry, of course. But his heart bled for Rosie, that her twin would do this to her, and he held her even tighter, putting his head down and whispering in her ear, “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head, laughing a little. “I’m the one who should say I’m sorry. I’m the one who wasn’t here for our wedding.”

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it probably wasn’t your fault that you weren’t here.” He heard the humor in his voice, and hopefully the anger was gone.

  She kept a tight hold on him, her voice a little muffled. “That’s a good guess. And it’s right. But I knew that it hadn’t been that long since I had done the very thing that seemed to happen here—exchanging places—and I was afraid that you would jump to the wrong conclusion.”

  “I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind. But almost immediately, I knew that you wouldn’t do that.” She slid down the front of him, and he stood back far enough that he could look in her eyes. A tender gaze, as his eyes swept over her face. “You said that you chose me. And I believe you. Because I love you.”

  “I choose you, because I love you.” Her voice only trembled slightly, maybe from the emotion of the day, maybe because of how sincerely she meant the words. It didn’t matter.

  “You
can say that again.”

  “That I choose you?” she said with a little tease in her voice.

  “Sure. That’s fine. But I’d rather hear that you love me.”

  She stood on tiptoe, reaching up. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” He reached down and kissed her, barely noticing the clapping and cheering of the audience he’d completely forgotten about and, for the moment, anyway, unconcerned about the fact that he still had a wedding to participate in.

  He looked up and realized that Rem, who still had a hold on his brother’s neck, stood before him.

  He jerked his head. “We were late leaving the house,” his lips tilted up, “Kids do that to you. I don’t think Max expected to pass us on the driveway. Thankfully, Elaine has good eyes and she thought she saw a blond head being shoved down. It was only a hunch, but we turned around and went back.” His dark eyes were serious. “I’m sorry. I don’t think he was going to hurt her. It was all about the money.”

  Max’s lips were pressed together. They’d never get a confession out of him.

  Right now, it was their wedding day and he didn’t want to think about the police and crimes and pressing charges.

  “I’m sorry,” Rem said. “You do what you need to do, but he’ll not be staying with me any longer.”

  “Thanks.” Cord’s arm squeezed around Rosie. “Right now, I’d like to get married.”

  He looked down, hoping she agreed.

  He was pretty sure that smile said “yes.” Relief made his chest cool.

  “Let’s get married, first. Then we’ll figure the rest out,” Rosie said softly.

  After her “I love you,” it was the best thing he’d ever heard.

  Epilogue

  JUNE

  Cord stood in the church he’d grown up and gotten married in, watching his mother walk down the aisle, his arm around his own wife. Joseph stood on her other side.

  He’d never for one second ever thought his mother would get married again. She’d been single since his father died twenty years ago.