The Cowboy's Bride

Chapter Seven

With its western storefronts, quaint little shops and cafés, Marietta was like a little storybook town compared to anything Isabella had seen, even in Texas. They parked near a historic-looking courthouse that sat on the edge of town beside the Marietta River with its little footbridge that led to what looked like a fairground. She and Will walked through the park under a canopy of oaks and maples, all dressed in the early, almost iridescent shade of green that had hibernated under the long Montana winter.

It seemed surreal that she was here, walking through this strange little town with Will as if they’d known each other forever, despite it being only days. He wasn’t in a hurry even though matters were pressing at the ranch. Instead, he lingered in the shade of a towering oak, searching the bark for something.

He smiled when he found it.

“Don’t tell me. You carved your initials in that tree,” she said. “You and your high school sweetheart?”

“Something like that.”

She moved in for a closer look. “MHS State Champs, 2007. Football?”

“Sometimes, you’ve gotta commemorate the miracles.”

That was true.“You were a star even back then.”

“I didn’t do it alone. The whole team was amazing. Three of us on that squad alone wound up in division one schools playing ball.”

“Impressive. Division one, the NFL.” She sighed. “I’ve never done anything remarkable.”

He winked at her. “My guess is that those kids you advocated for back in Dallas would disagree with that assessment. Not to mention that you gave me a pretty remarkable kiss this morning.”

She blushed, remembering. That kiss. The kiss of all kisses. Too bad it was all for show.

“As pretend kisses go,” she said, unable to meet his eye.

“Right,” he agreed, studying her for a long moment before looking away. “As pretend kisses go.”

“Hey. I know a nice little shop down the street for you. I need to pick up a few things for myself at the Marietta Western Wear store down the street and make a stop at the bank to talk to the loan officer, to see where we stand. You shop, we can split up and meet at the Main Street Café for lunch in say forty-five minutes? It’s right next door to your shop.”

“Sounds good.”

*

A half hourlater, loaded down with several bags of purchases from a trendy little boutique on Main, Isabella walked into the Main Street Café where the little bell over the door announced her arrival. She spotted Will at the back of the café, tucked into a corner. He was waving to her. Her heart gave a little unexpected burst of happiness when she spotted him.

A tall, middle-aged waitress with a bee-hive hairdo whose nametag read FLO approached her with a menu. “Hi, darlin’. Table for one?”

“Oh, I’m meeting someone.” They both looked Will’s way. His handsome grin, aimed at her like a beacon, belonged not in a corner booth, but on a messy, satin-sheeted bed. And for a hot second, she imagined herself there with him.

Flo’s expression perked up. “Oh! Will Hardesty? Go right on ahead, darlin’. He’s one of my personal favorites, even though he’s like a rare bird sighting around these parts anymore.”

She might be onto something. “I’ll be sure to tell him that.”

Flo laughed. “I’ll be over to take your orders in just a sec.”

Isabella thanked her and headed to the back of the café where she piled her purchases into the booth seat across from Will.

“Success?” he asked.

“I felt a bit like Pretty Woman in my dime-store outfit shopping for real clothes. The ladies there didn’t seem really sure of me until I started putting some outfits together.”

“Pretty Woman? Never saw that movie either,” he admitted, still grinning at her.

Her eyes bugged. “‘Big mistake. Big. Huge!’” At his head tilt, she said, “Oh, never mind. Though how you’ve made it this far without seeing the classics, I’ll never know. How did the bank go?”

“Good. Better than good. In case we need some financial backing, I know a guy who apparently considers me a good risk.”

“Do you think they’ll need a loan?”

He smiled. “I think we might, depending on what we decide.”

She leaned back. “Ah, using the we pronoun now, are you? That’s a step in the right direction.”

“Don’t read into it. I’ve got to get back to Dallas and Isaiah. I promised him five days.”

She sighed. “Looks like you’re going to blow through that deadline.”

Will took a slug of coffee. “I’ve already alerted him. He already guessed as much. What about you? Have you told Carrie to send your things here when your grandmother sends them?”

“I’ll call her when we get back, if you think it’s all right for me to stay for a couple of days.”

“We’re in this together now. You have to stay.”

Ridiculously, she liked the sound of that, even though theirs was only a fake relationship. Not a fake friendship, though. That much felt real. Somehow, in this sea of chaos she’d found herself in after the botched wedding, Will had become her only ally. Teammate. Coconspirator. Pretend-fantasy kisser.

Sitting across from him here in this bustling café, she felt safe. Safer than she’d felt for a long, long time. It seemed with Theo she was always on edge. Always trying to make things work. As she’d done her whole life. Maybe it was her dumb zodiac sign or the fact that she was an only child, or maybe just that there was never a feeling of wholeness in her childhood, and that was the reason she’d tried so hard to make others happy. Maybe it was her own desperation to feel part of something that rocking the boat with her own needs was never an option. But looking back on it now with clearer eyes, she could see what was broken about her family had never been her responsibility to fix. And what was broken in her relationship with Theo wasn’t her lack of commitment, it was his. She couldn’t make any of them love her, but maybe—just maybe—that didn’t make her unlovable.

Should real love feel dangerous? Shouldn’t it feel deeper than passion? In the many romances she’d read over the years, the answers were unclouded by shades of gray. But life wasn’t a romance novel. Men weren’t romance heroes and relationships weren’t simple.

Will was nothing if not complicated. His kindness was genuine, but if his family’s reaction was any indication, he was a little broken, just as she was. Telling her about his own failed marriage had made some things clearer, yet there was a lot she didn’t know about him. His relationship with his family was hard to understand. Who walked away from a family like his and stayed away? And why? But she hardly knew them and who was she to judge? Anyone looking at her family from the outside would only see what they wanted them to see. And on the inside, her family was a wreck. An empty shell masquerading as a full-grown, feathered-out chicken.

She smiled secretly at that image, thinking how her mother would hate it. She could imagine herself staying far, far away from her family for a very long time, too. Except for Lucille. Isabella could never abandon her.

Flo came back to take their orders and lingered at the table for a minute, talking to Will. She wasn’t the only one. Several people stopped by the table as they waited for their food to say hello and those that didn’t took peeks at him from their tables. He was a celebrity here in Marietta. And in Denver and probably in Dallas and Los Angeles, too. He seemed uncomfortable, yet gracious about all the attention. Maybe that had something to do with him avoiding home for so long. He’d not only lost his career, but his marriage, too. He didn’t feel like the success everyone thought he was.

She could relate. But it was hard to look at him and think anyone could perceive him to be a failure. He was beautiful, kind, and he had worked hard to overcome all the things life had thrown in his way. And he made her heart race just sitting beside him. Just looking at him. Of course, that was ridiculous. She ought to have more self-control than that, but apparently, she didn’t.

Her gaze fell to his strong hands and forearms, exposed by his halfway rolled-up sleeves. Sexy. Male. Flutter-inducing—

Ugh. Stop that. Man up, Isabella. Your time with him is finite. And that kiss was all for show. At least on his part.

She distracted herself by eating. The food was delicious, and she realized she was hungry. She watched Will devour his French dip sandwich, amused that she enjoyed watching him enjoy his food. As he ate, he told her about the ranch, its borders and some of its history.

“My great-grandfather won the land in a dice game. No, really. That’s why it’s called the Hard Eight. Back then, land around Montana was cheap and mostly wild except for the wolves that prowled it and the few cattle that had been driven up from Texas.

“Franklin Hardesty was a young cowboy who’d come up from Oklahoma to make his fortune in Montana copper and ended up with a large parcel of land that ultimately made him rich. He knew what to do with it,” Will said. “He put cattle on it and built the house my mom still lives in. He became somebody. His son, on the other hand, my grandfather, inherited his old man’s gambling affinity and nearly lost the place years later. But again, his son—my father—saved it, built it up and made it flourish again. Back then, it felt like it would go on forever as a success.”

“So, what happened?”

“The economy. Shipping costs. Cattle prices. My father dying. The shift in Montana economy from ranching to tourism. Californians moving here with lots of money and buying up land. You name it. Times have changed. Our ranch is still trying to survive in a nineteenth century business model.”

“And your future was elsewhere,” she noted. “What about Liam?”

“I’m not so sure Liam had a choice. That was my fault. While I was focused on football and a scholarship to get the hell out of here, Liam was a reckless kid, competing in rodeo events. Bronc riding, bull riding. He got injured and seriously broke more bones than I’ve got fingers, but he was trying to carve out a name for himself. Then, the market crash in 2008 put the whole ranch at risk again. They climbed out slowly, but by then, my father was tired of the fight. As he pulled back, Liam took on more and more responsibility. I left for college, and he felt… well, abandoned. And in a real way, I did abandon him. I should have been the one to stay. But I didn’t. And then, after Liam had missed his chance at college, the old man died.”

“You didn’t love the ranch?” she asked. It was so beautiful. She had a hard time understanding his permanent exit.

Will took a slow sip of coffee. “My father and I didn’t see eye to eye much. He was… a hard man. He never minded me playing football until it became clear that I was good at it. Then, it was a constant battle. But I guess it went much deeper than that. My mother was the one who supported my playing. Even my leaving. Going to school.”

“That must have been hard for her.”

“I imagine it was. Now, I’m not really sure what they all want. Liam seems ready to explode, Shay’s isolated herself out there on the ranch with Mom and Ryan, who doesn’t know how to talk to me. And Cami? She’s the peacemaker of the clan. She just wants everyone to be happy. But is she happy? I don’t know.”

She could relate to that. “I like your family, Will.”

That seemed to please him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. What family doesn’t have stuff? Issues? But they love you, that much is clear. Liam, too. Else why would he have called you here? Even if he’s mad at you, he wants you here as part of this.”

“I know.” He pushed his plate aside and crumpled his napkin beside it. “It’s on me to fix this. And I will.”

“With a loan?”

He frowned at her, not sure what she meant.

“Sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “That’s none of my business either. It’s just that throwing money at problems is my family’s go-to way of fixing situations that require more.”

“More what?”

“More of you. Maybe what they really need is your heart.”

A tall, youngish man appeared at their table, reaching out a hand to Will. “Damn. I thought it was you. Will Hardesty. How the heck are you?”

Will stared up at him, still floundering in the question she’d posed. “Hey, Kevin!” He got up and bear-hugged the man, whose petite, blonde girlfriend stood nearby watching them. “I can’t believe it. It’s been years, man. How are you?”

Kevin’s smile would light up any room and he beamed at Will. “Great. I mean, really, really good.” He pulled the woman beside him with an arm around her shoulder. “This is my fiancée, Emmaline Crouch. Em, this is Will, my old teammate from high school. The best damned running back in the NFL. What are you doing in town? You back?”

“Just a visit. Or maybe more,” Will said, glancing at Isabella. “This is Isabella Stanton, a friend of mine.”

The memory of the kiss they’d shared only hours ago sent a flush of heat to her cheeks.

Isabella shook their hands. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. Yeah,” Kevin continued, “we’re just scrambling a little, trying to figure out our next move. We were supposed to get married next weekend, but our venue up on Old Fork just got majorly flooded with a burst pipe. They canceled on us and now we’re not sure where we’re going to go. Everything is booked. Might just end up in Vegas. Which means most of our guests won’t show.”

His fiancée rolled her eyes, but Isabella caught the hint of real tears there. “That’s awful,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, that’s terrible,” Will agreed. “But there must be somewhere else you can go.”

“We’ve looked at everything,” Emmaline said. “What there is, is already booked. It’s pretty much hopeless.”

Kevin brightened. “Like I said, Vegas.”

Emmaline tightened her hand around his. “We are not getting married in Las Vegas. I’ll do the courthouse first.”

Kevin agreed. “We’ve got all the catering, all the flowers. We’re gonna have to eat it all.

But that’s our problem. If I’d known you’d be in town, we definitely would have invited you to the wedding. Hey, let’s get together while you’re here, okay? If you have time? You still have my number?”

“I think I do,” Will said.

They said their goodbyes and Isabella and Will watched them go, then shared a look. “You do have that great barn,” she suggested.

“Meaning?”

“A cool venue.”

“For a wedding?”

“Why not? It’s rustic, gorgeous with all those wood beams. A few lights strung up, some flowers, some tables outside. Little firefly lanterns. I mean, it could be magical.”

“I don’t think either of us wants anything to do with weddings right now.”

“But it’s not about us, is it? It’s about finding a way to make their wedding happen. On your ranch. Maybe it’s a way forward. The start of a destination? Maybe it’s how you could get the family on board with that idea.”

Will flagged Flo down and paid for lunch. “You might have a good idea,” he told Izzy. “But I can’t make any promises to Kevin or Emmaline. It’s not my place to.” But he couldn’t help but think of his conversation with Liam earlier.

How he wanted people. He wanted more than mucking cattle and horses all day. Maybe… they all needed to think bigger.

*

Shay and Sarahwere in the garden, planting string beans and potatoes when she and Will returned. Both of the women were covered in dirt but looking happy with the beautiful weather that had appeared today. There were raised beds all around the fenced-off garden that looked like they’d been there for a couple of seasons but were all ready for planting. The growing season in Montana was short and sweet because of the cold, but the ground was fertile.

“This whole garden was a bull pen for years,” Sarah told Izzy as she wandered onto the gravel pathways that wound around the raised beds. “So, you can imagine how my garden grows here. I never need to fertilize it.”

“What do you grow here?” Izzy asked.

“Everything. We can it up for the winter and freeze some. But it mostly provides us with food the year round. See those trees over there? We have pears and apples and a handful of nut trees, too. By August-September, we’ll be harvesting and putting all that up for the winter before the first freeze. Do you like gardening, Izzy?” Sarah asked.

“I-I don’t know. I never have. My parents, well, they can barely grow a constituency, much less a garden.”

That seemed to confuse both Sarah and Shay.

“Politicians,” she explained.

“Ah,” they both said at once. Sarah plunged another potato into the dirt and covered it up with more. “How was your trip into Marietta? Did you find what you need?”

“I did. It’s a charming town and an interesting morning. The people here are so friendly.”

Sarah brushed the dirt from her hands. “I think you’ll find that Marietta is a bit like a big family where most everyone knows everyone else and they’re all mostly happy to help each other out. It’s a small town with a big heart.”

“Maybe that should be the town logo,” she suggested, kneeling down beside Will’s mom. “Marietta, Montana. The small town with the big heart.”

“I like this girl,” Sarah told Shay with a grin. “And I’ll bring that up at the next town hall meeting.”

“Can I help?” Isabella asked, scanning the garden. “I’ve never planted anything in my life.”

“Well, let us indoctrinate you.” Shay handed her a handful of sprouted seed potatoes. “Put ’em down eye-side up, cover them up with this much soil, and that’s it.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

As they planted, side by side, Sarah and Shay exchanged looks of surprise that Isabella tried to ignore. She wondered if she’d overstepped asking them if she could join them, but she put her head down and did the work, planting two entire rows all by herself.

“You know,” Sarah mused aloud finally when Isabella sat back on her heels to inspect her row, “I probably shouldn’t talk about Will’s ex with you, but to be honest, Kaylee only came here once and couldn’t get away from the ranch fast enough. I have a hard time imagining her ever wanting to get her hands dirty planting potatoes.”

“Mom,” Shay cautioned.

“I’m just saying, it’s true. She and Will were a bad fit from the start. It just took him a while to see it.”

Isabella glanced at her own fingertips and the mani she’d gotten for the wedding which still sparkled ivory in the sunlight. Only now, dirt and potato grime was stuck under her nails and they looked a little worse for the wear. She really didn’t care. One less reminder of that awful day.

“I think this place is beautiful.” She settled another potato in the ground. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Sarah reached over and touched her arm with her gardening gloved hands. “We love it, too.”

Cami’s pickup truck pulled into the driveway, and she hopped out, lifting out a box full of schoolwork with her.

“You’re home early,” Sarah said, with a hand shading her eyes.

“Early release. At least I’m home for some of the fireworks. What’s happening between Liam and Will?”

“I think they had words. In private.”

Cami pouted. “I miss all the fun. Where’s Will? I hardly got a chance to say hello this morning.”

Izzy pointed at the barn. “I think he’s mucking or some verb like that.”

“City girl, huh?”

“How’d you guess?”

Cami just smiled, dropped her box on the porch and hurried out to the barn to find him.

A feeling of accomplishment washed over Isabella, looking down the rows. Though she’d never get to see the end result or take part in the treasure hunt for potatoes, at least she’d contributed a little something during her brief stay here at the Hard Eight. The fragrance of the earth beneath her fingernails, the sweet smell of the Montana prairie in the breeze… she wouldn’t easily forget this place.

“So, how did you and Will meet?” Shay asked as they were walking back to the house.

It was an innocent enough question but one she hadn’t seriously thought through. Nor had they coordinated their stories. Panic made her heart beat faster. “Well, we, um, we met at… a wedding, oddly enough.” Not a lie. “A while ago.” Not exactly a lie. “He was there alone and so was I. We sort of… rescued each other from the odd man out table at the back of the reception.”

“You rescued each other. I love that.” Sarah patted her hand.

“Are you saying he danced with you? We are talking about my brother. Will.”

“Danced?” she repeated. “Yes. We danced and talked and, well, the rest is history.”

“I didn’t know Will could dance, did you Mom?” Shay said.

“He was inspired, clearly.”

Isabella blushed, not only at the idea that she looked like someone who could inspire Will, but that the whole thing was a lie.

“I love hearing stories about how people meet. Especially when it’s my brother,” Shay said. “My twin brother who should be confiding in me about the big moments in his life.” There was only a tiny bit of snark in that comment, but Shay softened that with a grin. “But if you’ve been with him a while, you already know that about him. He’s better at being private than the ancient pyramids of Giza. So, exactly how long have you two been dating?”

*

In the barn,Cami was already giving Will the third degree about Izzy. “You met at a rodeo? Really? Huh. I wouldn’t have thought she’s the rodeo type.”

He pitchforked the last of the stall straw into the wheelbarrow. “Yeah. The, uh, Fort Worth Rodeo. She was up in, you know, the club suites at the arena. With a bunch of owner types.” What the hell was he even saying?

“Uh-huh. With you.”

“A mutual acquaintance introduced us.”

Cami could hardly contain her smile. “Are you two serious or is it just a casual thing?”

“I-I don’t know at this point, actually, it’s… it’s just—”

“You’re stammering. That means it’s serious.”

He pulled a look at his baby sister. “Stop reading into things. We’re just… dating, okay?”

“Fine.” She tossed him a big flake of straw and he spread it out on the newly cleaned floor and under her breath said, “And casually driving her across the country. Anyway, it’s about time you moved past She Who Shall Not Be Named. She didn’t deserve you.”

Will stabbed the pitchfork into the straw and tossed it into a corner.

“Does she ride? Has she ever been on a ranch before? Is she—”

“Maybe these are questions you should ask her—”

“I can take her out for a ride with me this afternoon. I can put her on Salem.”

“Salem? Hell no.”

“Oh, he’s calmed down a lot. He’s a lamb now, really.”

“I’ll take her out riding,” he said. “And not on that devil, Salem. But let’s give her a chance to get her ranch legs first. Okay?”

“Ranch legs?” Cami teased. “Well, she does have pretty good legs, so maybe there’s hope for your city girl.” At his withering look, she laughed. “Oh, man, Will, I’m so glad you’re home. And so glad you’ve found somebody.”

Will turned back to his task then, not wanting Cami to see the lie on his face. His finding somebody after Kaylee and after his career crashed and burned had been the one uniting factor amongst his siblings. Why had he thought this ruse was a good idea in the first place? It hadn’t stopped any of them asking questions, which was the whole point. But it was too late to backtrack now. And he hoped they wouldn’t mess with Izzy. They’d have to coordinate their stories tonight.

*

“He said theymet at the rodeo?” Shay side-eyed Cami as the two of them set the table in the dining room later. The rustic beams overhead and cozy upholstered seating at the big French pine table seemed to insulate their conversation. “She told me they met at a wedding.”

“Really.”

“And that they danced.”

“Well, that should have been your first clue. Will doesn’t dance. But why would they lie?” Cami asked, setting the forks around the good china Sarah wanted them to use. “Maybe they just remember it differently?”

“Like a wedding reception at a rodeo?” Shay made a face. “Twenty dollars says it’s something else. But Izzy is nice. I like her. Let’s keep it between us for now.”

“Maybe she’s as private as he is. Maybe they’re a match made in heaven.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Sarah said, setting the bowls of steaming beans on the table.

“Oh, nothing,” Cami said. “Just can’t wait to eat.”

“So hungry,” Shay agreed.

“Did you happen to notice Will and Ryan throwing the football outside?” Sarah asked.

The two of them hurried to the window. “It’s a miracle,” Shay stated flatly.

Sure enough, Will had Ryan throwing the ball at the tire swing as a target. Mostly missing. But still. Izzy was on the porch swing, watching them.

“How did that even happen?”

“I think they’re playing H-O-R-S-E. With a football.”