Chapter 5 Cheyenne
five
Cheyenne
“Iwas wrong, the extra fairy lights are stunning.” Amber shakes her head. “Who would have thought?”
My only answer is a smile, still too stunned by seeing another woman in Wes’s arms, it’s all I can muster.
Replaying the last two days in my head, I can’t figure out how Wes can be so sweet and charming to me one minute and the next he’s ignoring me, only to be caught red-handed with another woman in his arms.
“Cheyenne, are you okay?” Amber pulls me aside, away from the wedding guests and down the hall to an empty room. Part of our job is to make sure everything runs smoothly during the parties. But the last thing I can focus on is whether the guests are enjoying the food.
“I’m fine. You didn’t have to pull us away from the reception.” I glance down at the flower sundress I wore tonight, hoping Wes would notice me in it. I’m even wearing a pair of cowgirl boots.
“You haven’t been fine since you went riding with Wes yesterday. I’ve been meaning to ask how it went. Are you two dating now?”
Amber’s question is innocent enough, but it fills me with sadness. “We’re not dating. Wes is just a good guy who wanted to teach a co-worker how to ride a horse. That’s all it was—don’t read any more into it than that.” The sadness claws at my throat, making it impossible to say anything else.
We stand in silence until Amber finally speaks, changing the subject, “Did you hear about a guy on the ranch they’re calling the Midnight Cowboy? Seems like he sneaks into cabins at night and seduces the guests' wives and girlfriends.”
Midnight Cowboy. Isn’t that what that woman called Wes as she was in his arms?
When I first spotted Wes holding that woman, he was too preoccupied to notice me. I slipped closer without anyone noticing. As soon as I heard the woman say, “Are you the Midnight Cowboy?” I ran, ducking around the nearest corner, hoping to get there before Wes or Ryland saw me.
Could I have been so blind as not to notice Wes was only after one thing? No, the woman must be wrong. Wes isn’t like that.
“Um, no, I haven’t heard of him.” My voice comes out shaky, the thought of Wes being the Midnight Cowboy still weighing heavily on my mind.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Amber takes my arm, concern written all over her face.
“I’m fine, really. I just need some fresh air.” I pat Amber’s hand and walk out of the room to the front door and out into the night, the glowing fairy lights shining down on me.
“There you are.” A pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Wes’s voice cuts through the air, his breath caressing my cheek.
“Are you the Midnight Cowboy?” I ask before I can change my mind. I need to know whether the man I’ve fallen in love with is a player.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? I have no idea who or what that even is.” There’s anger in his words, but it’s not directed at me. I can tell by the way he looks at me, the love shining in his eyes, enhanced by the glow of the fairy lights above us.
“Who was that woman you were holding in your arms earlier?” I bite my tongue, silently cursing myself for bringing her up.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business who you spend time with.
” I turn to walk away, the tears threatening to slide down my face.
But before I can take a step, Wes gently grabs my wrist and spins me around to face him.
“Just some drunk guest who mistook me for someone. You’re the only woman I want in my arms. I love you, Cheyenne.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear as the soft melody of a love song drifts from the barn into the night. “May I have this dance?”
A sob escapes my lips as tears fall. “I love you, too, Wes.” I step into his embrace, wrap my arms around his neck, and sway to the music, not caring that I’m not a guest at the reception or that I shouldn’t be dancing.
But none of that matters now that Wes is holding me in his arms. “Take me to bed, cowboy,” I whisper against his lips.