The Cowboy’s Runaway Bride (Reckless and Wild #1)

Chapter 1

PAISLEY

Knock, knock.

"Sweetheart, are you almost ready?" The forced cheerfulness in Mom's voice was audible through the door.

"Um, almost." I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The woman I saw there looked like me. At the same time, she was different. I didn't usually go for a smoky eye, or a fancy updo, held together with approximately a hundred hairpins.

I definitely didn't go for white satin with a fitted bodice and a huge flared skirt. Or a veil, for that matter. The weight of that sucker threatened to give me a headache.

Or maybe it was the stress of the day.

"I can do this." The whisper was as forced as my mother. Like the words should have ended with a question mark.

Wasn't I supposed to be excited? This was my wedding day. After six years together, Kevin and I were finally getting married. I should have a stomach full of butterflies and nervous excitement.

Instead, I had a stomach full of lead and a feeling of impending doom.

It's just nerves, I told myself.

I picked up my phone to take a selfie. Later, I'd upload it to social media.

My followers would want to know what Paisley Graham, model turned actor, looked like on her wedding day.

An event we managed to keep more or less secret by hiring out an entire ranch for the occasion.

Usually used for farm stays, they were happy to have us.

And our guests could spend a few days pretending they were interested in country life, while walking around in cowboy boots made of patent leather.

I was about to put my phone down when a message popped up. I didn't recognise the number. Probably spam. My finger hovered over the delete button. Without knowing why, I opened the message.

Who the hell was sending me a video? If only to delay leaving the dressing room for a minute or two longer, I clicked on the video to start playing it.

Strange that anyone would send me a video of a Morgan Hardwick concert. Maybe they knew I was a fan of the country music star and wanted to give me something to smile about today.

"How are you folks doing?" Morgan asked the audience.

They screamed out in response. The camera panned across the packed stadium, fans with their arms raised, waving. Some with signs with 'I love you, Morgan!' and 'Marry me!' written on them in excited handwriting.

The camera stopped on a couple standing with their arms around each other. Their mouths were pressed together in a passionate kiss. They must have realised the camera was on them, because they broke off and turned to face it.

My heart stopped.

Dropped the same way Kevin dropped out of view, ducking behind other concertgoers. Alena, the woman with him, had the grace to look embarrassed. She hadn't looked like that the last time I saw her. A couple of minutes ago when she finished getting dressed in her bridesmaid dress.

She was supposed to be my best fucking friend.

I watched the video a couple more times before searching for Morgan Hardwick's tour dates. He played in Calgary a week ago. The same night Kevin was in the city for what he described as his 'small bachelor party.' Just a couple of his closest friends.

Apparently there was a change of plans.

"Fuck." I slammed my phone down on the table in front of me and grabbed hold of the side of the veil. I tore it out, bringing half of my hair down with it.

I wanted to shred the lace, but his cheating ass wasn't its fault. I threw it aside and pushed myself to my feet. Kicked off my ridiculous heels and stepped into a pair of comfortable sneakers instead.

Grabbing my phone and bag, I yanked the door open and hurried out, startling Alena, who stood just outside the door.

"Paisley, what are you—" She must have seen the thunder on my face, because she cut off mid-word and took a step back.

"How long?" I demanded.

The colour drained from her face. "I… I…"

I shook my head. "You know what? I don't care. You can both fuck off."

I spoke loud enough for the entire ranch to hear. Let them. It wasn't me who cheated.

Fuck, I was an idiot. I thought I could trust both of them. Clearly, I couldn't have been more wrong. They fooled me. Not anymore.

"Paisley." She reached her hand out to me.

I jerked away, tugged the flowers out of her hand, threw them on the ground and stepped on them.

"Is that clear enough?" I snapped. Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed up my skirt and ran for the parking lot.

I unlocked my car, slid inside and threw it into reverse.

"Paisley!" Kevin's shout came through the open window beside me. "Where are you going?"

My response was to drive away from the ranch in a squeal of tires and dust, while sticking my hand out the window to flip him off.

In the rearview mirror, I saw him waving away the dust and staring after me, his arms stretched out to the sides. As if he had no idea what he did.

Asshole.

I hit the main road. Where was I going and why wasn't I as devastated as I should have been? I was angry at being played, sure, but at the same time, I was relieved.

Spending the rest of my life with him seemed appealing. Sort of.

In retrospect, I dodged a huge bullet. I could see that since the blinders were now all the way off.

When it came down to it, he and Alena did me a favour. The pair of them, they deserved each other.

For the longest time, I drove without having any idea where I was going. Without caring. I needed to be away. Anywhere else in the country. The farther, the better.

My phone rang a bunch of times. I ignored it. If they wanted an explanation, Kevin could give them one. Missing everyone's reaction was almost a shame. Almost, because I had a little bit of pride left. At some point, I'd have to face all those people, but not today.

Today I wanted to lick my wounds and get my head back together. I'd have to sit down and make some kind of plan for the rest of my life. A life that didn't include Kevin or Alena.

I spent the last six years trying to please him and make him happy. I lived where he wanted to live, even at the detriment of my own career. All of our friends were his friends. Whenever we vacationed, we went where he wanted to go.

I'd put myself aside. Not anymore. Now I was going to look out for me.

At a whim, because I could, I took a side road and headed up into the mountains. As if somehow the higher I got, the farther away from him I was. A mountain break sounded like what I needed right now. The opposite of anywhere he would have taken me.

The trees seemed to grow taller the higher I went. The signs of life, fewer and farther between. The air rushing through the open window was cooler and fresher. Sweeter.

I took a deep, cleansing breath right before my car started to slow. I pulled off onto the side of the road before the engine cut out completely.

“Shit.”