Montana Cowboy

“Tell me about it.” Luke rolled his eyes. On the front porch, a swing squeaked. A couple sat hand in hand watching over the little kids playing soccer on the large side yard. “Hey, Danielle. Jonas.”

“Hey, yourself,” the handsome, dark-haired man answered. “Didn’t know you were bringing a date.”

“I’m not,” Luke answered easily, opening the screen door for her. “This is my friend, Honor.”

“Hi, Honor,” Danielle smiled warmly. “A friend, huh?”

“Inside quick,” Luke whispered in her ear, steering her and they tumbled inside the gracious foyer, chuckling together. “I thought they would be better behaved about this, but I’m afraid this is only the beginning. It’s sort of embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry about it. They mean well.” She remembered the caring way his sisters and Lil had talked about him in the dressing room. Clearly his family loved him.

“That’s the problem. You know what they say about good intentions? That’s one road that can lead to no place good.” He took her by the elbow and steered her past a crowded living room, which opened to the right. Several “Hi, Luke”s rang out and a bold, “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your girl?” They kept going, bypassing the kitchen, too. Caterers bustled around marble counters and sunshine sparkled on a wall of windows, leading the way to the deck.

“Maybe you want to escape while you can or disavow all knowledge of me.” Luke released her elbow.

“It’s tempting.” She took a step back, surveying the man and the French door he held open for her. Maybe the zinging sensation she kept feeling had nothing to do with low blood sugar.

Wasn’t that a frightening thought?

The sun kissed her with its blazing warmth as she tapped her way across the spacious deck. Across the stretch of lawn, a pool glistened to the right. A volleyball net staked out a section of grass to the left and the laughing shrieks of children rang in the distance as little kids ran around clutching helium balloons. One slipped away and wafted up in the air. The beauty who’d been the flower girl tipped her head back, curls swinging, to watch it fly away. A yellow Labrador bounded up to her and kissed her cheek.

The delicious scent of barbecue smoke drifted on the breeze from a built-in grill. An elderly man stood behind it, a long handled spatula in hand. Must be the groom’s grandfather.

“Come and get it,” he called heartily. “Lunch is ready.”

“Just in time. My stomach is grumbling.” As proof, it gurgled. “Embarrassing.”

“Or perfect timing.” Luke leaned in, the smoky notes in his voice ringing low and mesmerizing. “C’mon. In this family you snooze, you lose. The McKaslins love their food.”

“So I see.” Caterers buzzed in and out of the kitchen, migrating to two cloth-covered tables loaded with choices.

She took the plate Luke handed her and scooped a hot dog bun out of the bag. Little kids ran by her, looking for their moms. The yellow dog bounded after them, skidded to a stop, lifted his nose into the air and breathed deep.

“Don’t even think about it, Oscar.” Liam, the groom, grabbed the Lab by his collar. “Good behavior, remember? Or you’ll be banned to the house.”

Oscar’s head tilted, he gave a whine of apology and irresistible chocolate eyes blinked sadly.

“C’mon, I’ll get an extra hot dog for you.” Liam seemed like a really nice guy, kind and strong. A very nice combination. She thought of gentle, sweet Brooke and nodded. It was a good match. A very good one, indeed. The newlyweds met in the center of the deck. Soft touches, loving smiles and rippling laughter.

Just the way love should be. Again, she thought of Kip and the wedding he’d wanted—big, fancy, expensive, a showcase. Without love, it would have been a shell of what a real wedding ought to be. She’d definitely done the right thing in fleeing Malibu even if she wasn’t exactly happy here.

She caught sight of Jerrod ambling into view with a taller, older teen boy carrying a soccer ball. Jerrod looked as though he was having a good time. Good, she thought. Exactly what he needed.

“What would you like, missy?” the elderly gentleman asked, his spatula poised and ready over the grill.

She eyed her choices.

“A hot dog, please,” she said with a smile, laughing when Luke held out his plate for one, too.

They were so alike, it was kind of fun. She was so, so glad she’d decided to come. Here, with Luke, she didn’t miss home. He was exactly the friend in person he’d been online. She couldn’t ask for more than that.

Chapter Four

Laughter dominated the conversation buzzing around her as she took a bite of her hotdog. She couldn’t help taking a moment to drink it all in. Happiness buzzed in the air, family and friends chatted, laughed, joked. Best of all, the happy newlyweds sat together, their happiness so infectious it made Honor start to think love wasn’t such a bad thing, after all.

“This isn’t the kind of wedding reception you’re used to, is it?” Luke dragged a potato chip through a puddle of dip on his plate.

“You have no idea.” She reached for her cup of punch, sucked it down and reached for the mustard bottle. “You have no idea what I’m used to.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Not sure you’re tough enough to handle it.” She eyed the man beside her at the picnic table, considered his muscled form and shook her head. “No, I don’t think you can. Most men run.”

“I’m not most men. Give it a shot. Just see if I bolt.”

“You do look tougher than most.” She didn’t have to ask to know Luke’s strength wasn’t honed in a gym but through hard, physical work. “I knew something was off the instant I walked into church.”

“Off?” A dimple etched into his cheek.

She really needed to stop noticing his dimples. “Where were the nerves, the tempers and the frantic craziness? When my oldest sister got married, we lived in a frenetic state for four months pre-wedding.”

“Was it a fancy wedding?”

“An exquisite one.” She squirted mustard along the length of the bun in an even stripe. “A fairy tale come true. The wedding planner had to hire extra help to pull it all.”

“Sounds like a fancy affair.”

“The fanciest.” She didn’t mention her father was one of the most sought after financial managers in the state. His clientele ranged from movie stars to corporate multimillionaires.

“Something tells me you were expecting something spiffier.” The wind ruffled Luke’s thick, sandy hair. “Hope we didn’t disappoint. I did warn you.”

“I’ve been to a lot of spiffy weddings.” All three of her sisters’ weddings, cousins, friends, her father’s clients. “Not one has been as genuine as this one. Brooke and Liam clearly love one another.”

“They do.”

Silence fell between them. At the next picnic table over, the bride and groom nestled together, sharing a private moment despite the family surrounding them. The groom leaned in to whisper something, and Brooke’s smile blossomed and the love that filled her eyes when she gazed upon her new husband was singular. Never had Honor seen anything as pure and true.

“And here I’ve vowed to stop believing in the existence of true love.” She dug her fork into the remnants of potato salad on her plate.

“I know what you mean,” Luke agreed.

“Those two had to prove me wrong.” She sighed a little, watching the couple. “What am I going to do now? Start believing again?”

“Brooke and Liam have that effect,” he agreed lightly. “Where did your disillusionment come from, your former fiancé?”

“Partly. Marriage is a big business in my family. Not that there isn’t love.” She looked quick to clarify. “But money trumps love if it ever comes down to it. You should have seen my parents’ divorce.”

“Mine was pretty ugly, too.” He blocked out those old memories. Not worth thinking about. It was why he’d always thought long and hard before getting serious in a relationship. Not that it was a fail-safe plan. Sonya had broken his heart. Love could turn out better, like it had for Brooke and for his other sister, Bree, but there was a pattern in his family. One of romantic disaster. He was afraid of repeating it.