By the Book Bride: Ryder (A BBW Western Romance) (Matchmaking A Marriage 1) (10 page)

“Don’t matter what you say, son. What matters is what that girl of yours says.” Pops’ easy chuckle penetrated the thick cloud of sentiment, lightening the mood between the four men.

“Thanks, Pops, Gramps.” He looked at each beloved face and then back to the ring in his hand. Squeezing it tightly inside his fist, he grinned. “I won’t quit asking till she says yes. You can bank on it.”

The high feeling he’d had when he’d left the General Store had pretty much been replaced by a tangle of nerves by the time he reached Georgia’s house. Her small compact car sat in the driveway and lights blazed from every room in the house. Anticipation warred with anxiety as he made his way to the door. He wasn’t going to take the chance that she might not be willing to open it. Taking the key he’d been using to get in and paint, he let himself inside. Strains of Patsy Cline’s rendition of ‘
Your Cheating Heart
’ could be heard from the bedroom. Was she in there crying? Or planning his murder?

The music grew louder as he neared the open doorway. Steeling himself, he walked through it and froze. Georgia was on the top rung of the ladder, her back to him, painting the ceiling like a woman possessed. He must have made some sound because she turned, too fast, and suddenly he was watching her fall, his brain instantly mapping her shocked expression even as his feet moved forward. Her soft weight landed against him, taking them both to the floor. Wrapping her in his arms, he held on, taking the combined weight of their fall. Luckily, the thick carpet absorbed most of the impact. Still, he was winded for an instant.

“Are you okay?” She let go of the paint roller she still held in her hand as she tried to push away.

He blinked, looking up into the face that he adored. “I thought I told you not to be on that ladder.”

In the space of a heartbeat, her concerned look was replaced by one of indignation. “You can’t tell me what to do, Mr. Anderson.”

She struggled against his hold, but Ryder held on for dear life. “Georgie, listen, honey. I…”

“Don’t you
Georgie, honey,
me, you, you… two-timing gigolo.” She pushed against his chest. “Your roguish schoolboy charm may work on Angelique, but I’m not falling for it anymore.”

She chose to ignore the fact that she’d literally just fallen on him.

His hands cupped her butt, pressing her against his hardness. She stilled against him, eyes wide.

“Angelique didn’t cause that, honey, you did.”

“Let me go, Rye.”

Ryder loosened his hold, his hands clenching lightly on her sides when she went to move away. “Let me say what I came to say, and then if you still want me to let you go, I will.”

Stilling, Georgia nodded. Even after what she’d seen, she couldn’t deny his request.

“You may not be falling for anything, Georgie, but I already have. For you.” His eyes searched hers, sensing a softening of her body against his. “I don’t know what Gabe told you, but I was headed out to get supper for everybody when she stopped by. She was on her way to the café for supper with a friend, so I walked with her.”

“But I saw you sitting with her. Close to her. Whispering and smiling. She
kissed
you… and you let her.”

In spite of his good intentions, Ryder again held her against him when she attempted to get away. “Baby, wait. I can explain.”

“I just bet you can.” She exhaled a long sigh. “I’m tired, Ryder, and I really don’t want to drag this out. If you want to keep seeing her or anybody else, that’s your business. But I’m an old-fashioned girl. I only want one relationship at a time.” She shrugged. “After all, you didn’t make me any promises

Ryder slid a hand up her back and into the thick weight of her hair, holding her head and capturing her wide gaze with his. “Listen to me, sweetheart. Hear what I’m saying. I did have a relationship with her at one time. But it didn’t last long. However, we did remain friends.” He stopped her with a gentle tug when she tried to look away. “She told me that she’d met someone special and that he was meeting her for dinner at the café. I told her that I’d met someone special too. The kiss was a… I’m happy for you kind of thing. Nothing else.”

Georgia blinked, doubting what she’d just heard. “You told her I was… special to you?”

Ryder nodded solemnly. “I didn’t know just how special until tonight.” His arms tightened. “I wanted to kill Gabe. I just don’t know why he’d deliberately try to sabotage my relationship with you.”

“He’s hurting, Ry.”

“What?” Ryder frowned up at the woman now nestled fully against him. “You’re defending him?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s bothering him, but there’s something…”

“Really?” Ryder groaned as she moved, her lower body pressing firmly against his arousal. “We’ll get back to that I promise, honey. But right now, I can only think of one thing.”

Georgia trailed a finger along the strong line of his jaw. In spite of what she’d seen and what Gage had inferred, she believed Ryder when he proclaimed the incident had been innocent. Not simply because it was what she wanted to believe, but because she’d gotten to know him—really know him. Not as the Romeo cowboy she’d heard about, but as the man who worked hard and cared deeply about his family.

“Kissing me?”

“Huh-uh,” Ryder murmured, tugging her head closer, “loving you.”

Wanting nothing more than to close the short distance between their lips, Georgia pulled back to look into his eyes. “Do you love me, Ryder?”

“Haven’t you been listening, honey?” His lips traced hers lightly. “I love you more than life itself.” He turned so that she lay beside him, her head resting on one arm while he dug into his pocket with his free hand. “I want you in my life, Georgie. Permanently.”

Georgia gasped at the ring nestled in his palm. The diamond and emerald setting surrounded by a band of white gold brought tears to her eyes. “Be sure, Ryder. Please don’t say this just because you think it’s what I want to hear.”

“Don’t you?” His wicked grin teased her.

Her gaze met his. “I do but…”

“Then I’ll keep on telling you for the rest of our lives.” He reached for her hand, holding the ring to her finger. “That is if you love me too.”

Georgia smiled through the tears that filled her eyes. “Oh, Rye, I love you so much.”

“And you’ll marry me and live happily-ever-after?” His lips brushed hers in a teasing caress.

Her eyes searched his once more. Satisfied with what she saw there, she nodded.

The ring slid onto her finger, a perfect fit, just as his mouth captured hers in a kiss that was felt clear to their very souls. When they drew apart, both of them were breathing heavily.

“We’d better get out of here, honey, or I’m not going to be able to…”

“Ry?”

“Yes, darlin’.”

Georgia reached for him, burrowing into his strong arms. “Hold me and don’t ever let go.”

“That’s the plan, sweetheart.” Drawing her close, Ryder stared up at the half-painted ceiling, awed by the incredible joy that the woman in his arms had brought into his life. He couldn’t wait to marry her and see what the years ahead held. Happiness, like he hadn’t felt since before his parent’s death, flowed through him. For the first time in a very long time, life was worth living again.

Six Months Later…

Georgia stood before the full-length mirror in the church’s fellowship room. A smiling woman stared back. For a moment, her mind didn’t register the fact that she was the woman in the mirror. She had never looked—nor felt—so happy in her life.

“Are you ready, Sissy?” Lynn’s reflection joined hers in the mirror. Her little sister was just as beautiful as ever, but today, Georgia didn’t feel even a twinge of envy or self-doubt. She was about to marry the man that she loved with all her heart and soul. A man who loved her just the way she was.

How had she gotten so very lucky?

“You look beautiful.” Faye joined them and all three Steven sisters stood side by side. Georgie hoped with all her heart that her sisters could find the happiness and love that she had found with Ryder.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Faye said. “I’ve got some cowboys to dance with.”

“Yeah,” Lynn agreed readily. “Especially our two new brothers-in-law. That Gabe is to die for.”

“You stay away from Gabe Anderson, missy.” Georgia’s eyes met those of her sister in the mirror. Luckily, all she saw was fascinated wonder in the younger girl’s eyes. No sign of the instant, heartfelt connection she’d had the first time she’d laid eyes on Ryder.

She took a deep breath, the hopes and dreams she had for her future playing out in her mind. She knew there would be good times and bad times, but she also knew Ryder would be right there by her side. “Now, let’s get me married.”

She turned around and was immediately engulfed in two pairs of loving arms. “We love you, Georgia. You deserve every bit of happiness that being with Ryder is going to bring you.”

She returned the hug, blinking back the tears trying to form in her eyes. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” Georgia called, her voice thick with the unshed tears.

At her welcome, the door opened and in walked a handsome couple in their late fifties. When Georgia had first told her family that she was getting married, her father had immediately protested, saying Georgia had not known Ryder long enough. Georgia thought he secretly believed it was a ‘have-to’ case. By the time the date of the wedding came around, so had his way of thinking. Ryder had proven just as charming and loving with her family as he was with her.

“Oh, baby, you are so beautiful.” Her mother rushed over to hug her, while her father hung back, giving her a huge grin.

After several tear-filled minutes, the women pulled back from each other and her father rubbed his hands together, repeating Faye’s earlier words. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we? I’m pretty sure that cowboy of yours, Georgie, is about to burst out of his tux if you keep him waiting much longer.”

With a happy grin, Georgia took her father’s arm. Within minutes after her mother had returned to the small chapel, she heard the first strains of the Wedding March.

Ryder stood at the front of the church waiting anxiously for Georgie to appear. He tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling like a hog-tied heifer.

“That noose around your neck bothering you already, bro?” Gabe stood at his side, a grin on his face.

Ryder dropped his hand and turned to Gabe. “So help me if you—”

Calhoun quickly put his big body between the brothers, his eyes a steely flint color that said he wasn’t putting up with crap from either of his brothers. “Gabe, you will behave yourself today, got it?” Gabe might be the oldest of the brothers, but when Calhoun spoke, everyone listened. “And Ryder, you need to greet your bride with something other than that scowl on your face.”

“What?” Ryder turned away from his brothers. He wouldn’t have minded pounding Gabe into the ground and relieving some of the tension eating away at him, but as Calhoun pointed out, he had better things to do.

Much, much better things to do.

Just as he turned, the music changed and the back doors to the sanctuary opened. His heart pounded as he watched Gramps and Pops escort Georgie’s mother down the aisle. The three were smiling to beat the band. Pops gave him a wink as he took his seat on the groom’s side, stretching out his legs. Gramps’ face was a little more solemn. He was sure both men were thinking of their own long past wedding days. He knew both men had loved their wives dearly and missed them every day.

Next came Georgie’s two sisters, identical twins that were turning nearly every cowboy’s head in the room. Including Gabe’s. He caught Calhoun’s gaze and his brother nodded. Ryder relaxed, knowing the man would keep his brother away from the girls. They were much too young and Gabe was much too jaded.

A flash of white behind the lavender of the sisters’ bridesmaid dresses caused his breath to catch in his throat. Time seemed to slow down yet his heart continued to beat at a runaway pace. He’d heard it all his life—that it took only one second for your world to change. For better or for worse. He’d experienced the worst already when his parents had died so unexpectedly. And now, he was experiencing the best. Another life-alternating moment he would remember forever.

The preacher’s words sounded from far away as he asked who gave the bride in matrimony. All he could focus on was the smile on Georgia’s soft, pink lips and the happiness radiating from her face.

She was his, and he was hers.

And that made all things right in his world.

WORD FROM THE AUTHORS

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