Set It Right (The Kelly Ranch #4)

Chapter One

Zara

Three Years Ago

At twenty-three years old, it was hard to believe I’d just snuck out of my parents’ house for the first time. Back in high school, I’d never even thought about doing it. Then again, my house had been the hangout spot. If anyone had snuck out, it would have been my friends to come over.

That felt like centuries ago.

I wasn’t superstitious, not like my dad, but I had planned to abide by the old-fashioned wisdom of not seeing my groom before the ceremony.

Except…

It was nearing midnight, and I was having doubts about the whole thing. The air was warm and heavy, the kind of Oregon summer night that hummed with crickets and distant traffic, and my skin felt restless. I just needed—

A hug would have been nice. Jackson holding me, telling me he loved me and everything would be perfect, assuring we were doing the right thing.

He’d give that to me. He’d been revving to get married since we’d met in college, and I’d been swept up with him in his excitement.

It was hard not to be flattered when a man was genuinely obsessed with you—when he wanted to be around you, always, and filled your days with compliments—when he planned an elaborate proposal and over-the-top wedding.

Until tonight, I hadn’t had time to stop to think for even a minute.

Lying in my childhood bed, staring at the ceiling, ruminating over conversations from our rehearsal dinner, questions about our plans for the future, it struck me this was going to be my life.

From here forward, everything I did would have to be discussed with Jackson.

Dreams I had growing up would never happen. I was on a path I had never seen for myself. A future I’d never daydreamed even once.

Sure, I loved Jackson. We were in love. But I’d always thought I’d have a marriage like my parents. My father barely let my mother’s feet touch the floor, and she was his soft place to land, always.

Jackson urged me to be independent. Which was…great. Really great. Independence was fantastic.

But sometimes, a girl wanted to tuck herself into her man’s lap and have him feed her dinner.

At least, I thought I wanted that. If I tried with Jackson, he’d laugh me right out of the room. That wasn’t to say he didn’t take care of me, just not in that way.

Still, we loved each other a lot, and that counted for something. Plus, family was as important to him as it was to me, even if his family always seemed to take precedence over mine and my dad hadn’t stopped giving him the side-eye even after all our years together…

My flip-flops slapped against the soles of my feet as I half-walked, half-jogged the two miles to the house Jackson had rented for the weekend.

The pavement was damp from earlier rain, and the air smelled faintly of grass and ozone.

Being out alone after midnight in only my pajamas wasn’t the smartest decision I’d ever made, but I had to do this.

There was no way I could walk down the aisle tomorrow without having one more conversation with Jackson.

I needed him to promise me I wouldn’t lose myself in him. I had to hear him say he understood I wouldn’t be ready for kids for several years. I really hoped he grasped my need for adventure and exploring nature and would help me nurture that, even if he didn’t have the same need.

We’d talked about all this plenty, but when I thought back to those discussions, I couldn’t remember Jackson ever giving a straight yes or no. He was good at dancing around answers until I forgot I’d asked for something in the first place.

I knew he loved me. He told me multiple times a day. And if I didn’t go through with this marriage…well, I couldn’t bear to think how he’d react.

My feet hit the ground harder as I sped up, the puddles on the sidewalk splashing my bare legs. I just needed to see him, then I’d know.

The screened-in front porch glowed, warm-yellow light spilling out into the night. Voices and laughter broke through the otherwise stillness. Jackson’s brothers were with him, so I shouldn’t have been surprised, but their presence made my plan of sneaking in and out more daunting.

I inched across the wet lawn, sticking to the shadows. I really didn’t know what I was doing, lurking around like a thief in the night. Was this what I’d come to? It couldn’t have been a good sign. Surely, my mother hadn’t done anything like this the night before her wedding.

A burst of laughter stopped me in my tracks, but I could see Jackson, Owen, and Randall clearly enough from where I stood.

The fourth man made my stomach lurch.

What was Cormac Kelly doing here?

He sat with the boys like they were all old friends, easy and familiar. While it was true he and Jackson had been roommates in college, they weren’t close anymore. I hadn’t thought so anyway. I hadn’t even known Cormac was in town.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

The ringing in my ears faded, replaced by a low murmur. Cormac was speaking now, and the sound of his voice hit me with a sharp, unexpected wave of nostalgia.

“You need to be sure.”

Jackson chuckled, sounding loose as a goose. “I told you, I’ve got it all figured out.”

“Sounds like you do,” Cormac replied, shoving his thick hair away from his face. “But I don’t see it working out the way you think it will.”

“Ah, you don’t know Zara the way I do.” Jackson tipped his beer into his mouth, and I flinched.

He shouldn’t have been drinking—not this late.

He’d had more than his fair share at the rehearsal dinner and had sworn he wouldn’t be hungover tomorrow.

Watching him drain the bottle, I wondered, not for the first time, how often his promises had been made with the best intentions and broken just as easily.

Cormac leaned forward, steepling his elegant hands between his knees.

He’d always been almost…graceful with his movements.

Given he’d been six feet tall by twelve years old, that wasn’t easy.

But he’d never had an awkward, gangly stage.

Not to me, at least. All these years later, when everything else had changed, he still moved the same.

“That’s true.” Cormac tapped his fingers together. “I haven’t known Zara for a while, but I do know you, man, and I’ve been listening to you all night. It seems you’re making a big mistake.”

The words landed hard, knocking the air from my lungs.

Randall, Jackson’s oldest brother, cupped his hands around his mouth. “Booooo. Keep that sensitive shit to yourself, Mac.”

Owen, the middle brother, burped so loud it echoed, making him laugh like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. I wasn’t surprised. Owen was an overgrown frat bro. He and Randall constantly tried to get Jackson to go out drinking with them, and most of the time, succeeded.

After the wedding, things would be better. We’d be moving a couple hours away, outside Jackson’s brothers’ sphere of influence.

“Jackie knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s got it handled,” Owen declared.

Heat traveled from my cheeks to my chest, wrapping around my heart. I shouldn’t have been hearing any of this, but my feet had taken root in this spot.

“No—wait”—Jackson quieted his brothers— “maybe Mac’s got a point. Let’s hear him out. Who do you think would be a better match for Zara—you?”

Cormac shook his head. “Absolutely not. You know that’s not what I’m saying. Zara and I were only ever friends, and that was years ago. I’m concerned about you. That’s all this is.”

Cormac was concerned about Jackson marrying me? That hurt more than it should have. He was right, we had been friends once, a long time ago. Who did he think he was, barging in now, putting doubts in Jackson’s mind?

“Zara’s a good girl,” Randall said. “She’ll be a good wife to Jackie.”

“Right? Sweet and docile,” Owen added. “Just how I like ‘em.”

That burned. Sweet. Docile. I pressed my lips together, my nails digging into my palms. Was that how they saw me—was that how Jackson saw me?

Jackson groaned. “Don’t talk about my girl like that, and never say anything like that in front of her.”

“Sure.” Owen clapped his shoulder. “My lips are sealed, baby bro.”

Jackson turned back to Cormac. “My decision was made the moment I slipped the ring on Zara’s finger. I appreciate your concern, but I’ve got this. My marriage may not look like your parents’, but I know how to make her happy, and she sure as hell makes me happy. We’re good, man.”

That should have put an end to it, but Cormac wasn’t convinced. “I really think, after what you said—”

Randall jumped to his feet and instantly stumbled into the side table, taking down the lamp and a few beer bottles. The brothers erupted into hysterics, and all I could do was stare at Cormac in the dark, wondering what I’d ever done to him to make him feel this way about me.

He’d traveled all the way from Wyoming to try to convince Jackson he was making a mistake marrying me—

I couldn’t breathe. My feet sank into the damp earth. A dog barked two doors down. Above me, an absurd number of stars scattered across the sky. I pressed my hands against my stomach and wiggled my toes to make sure they still worked.

When a light flicked on in the house next door, reality snapped back into place.

What was I doing?

Tomorrow was my wedding day. I should have been in bed. If I’d stayed there, I wouldn’t have heard my first best friend say those things about me. I wouldn’t know what Cormac Kelly really thought.

Now, there was no unhearing it.

Laughter and the clink of glasses followed as I stumbled back to the sidewalk and turned toward my parents’ house. My feelings were bruised. My heart ached. Cormac and I had been thick as thieves. Even though that had faded years ago, I’d believed our friendship had meant something.

My pace picked up. Tomorrow was my wedding day. My wedding day. No one was going to take that from me, especially not Cormac Kelly and his unwanted opinions. He could stuff them in his saddle and ride his high horse right back to Wyoming.

Jackson and I were getting married, and we would make this marriage work.

Come hell or high water, we were going to be happy together.