Joshua and the Cowgirl (22 page)

If there was a groom, she thought, suddenly filled with apprehension. What if Joshua had lost patience with her? What if he’d decided to get on with a life that didn’t include her? Or, almost as bad, what if he was out of town?

“You must be looking for Mr. Ames,” the secretary said, following her hushed phone conversation. Though there was a definite twinkle in her eyes, her expression was outwardly impassive, as if brides turned up on the doorstep every day looking for her boss. “I’m Suzy Winters. You must be Garrett.”

“How did you know?”

“I can’t think of another woman he knows who would dare this. Can I help you?”

Garrett swallowed hard. “Is he here?” she asked, disgusted at the squeak in her voice. She certainly didn’t sound very daring.

“Afraid not. He’s at a meeting away from the office. He should be back within the hour, though. Could I get you something while you wait? Champagne, maybe?” A smile dashed across her lips, then retreated behind her businesslike facade.

Garrett chuckled. “It’s a little too much, isn’t it?”

“With a man as dense as my boss can be, you might as well hedge your bets.”

Sensing an ally at once, Garrett nodded. “That was my thinking, too. Subtlety doesn’t exactly sink in with him. Half the time I couldn’t even get through to him with a direct hit.”

“Are you expecting a minister? A few guests?”

Garrett nodded. “I told everyone to be here at three. I figured that would give me time to revive Joshua if he fainted dead away. It would also give me time to call it off if he told me to get lost.”

“Somehow I don’t think that’s going to be his response. How’d you do it, by the way?”

“Do it?”

“Lasso him? Women all over the world have been trying for years. He’s been resistant.”

“I haven’t the vaguest idea,” she admitted, sinking down in a chair, the full skirt of her wedding gown spreading out around her. Mrs. Mac had personally picked out the dress, insisting that even an unorthodox wedding should observe some traditions. She’d spent an hour at the hotel fussing over the lace until Garrett had been ready to snap her head off.

Just then the florist, still clucking over the lack of suitable places to display his exorbitantly priced roses, came out of Joshua’s office. He practically clicked his heels together as he presented her with his bill. Garrett looked at the total and swallowed a gasp. As she reached in her purse for her credit card, Suzy spoke up.

“Let me put them on Mr. Ames’s account.”

“One surprise today is probably enough,” Garrett said, handing over the card. “I don’t want the man to have a heart attack. Besides, my boss is taking care of everything and loving every minute of it. The woman is a closet romantic. I had no idea until I mentioned my plan to her.”

“Given half a chance, I think most women are.”

Moments later, inside Joshua’s office, Garrett signed off on the bills for the catering and the champagne. Though the amount staggered her, it was mere pocket change to Mrs. McDonald. Garrett was uneasy with the sense of obligation implied, but for once in her life it didn’t seem to matter. The only thing that mattered was showing Joshua how much she loved him. If it took a dramatic, outrageous gesture like this to do it, it was well worth the expense and the obligation.

She explored the office, studying what she could still see of the modern Scandinavian furniture. The crisp, clean lines and functional designs fit Joshua’s no-nonsense personality. Buried under a sea of fragrant roses, however, the room had taken on a decidedly sensual personality that also fit. Hoping to calm her jittery nerves, she inexpertly popped the cork on a bottle of champagne sending a fizz of bubbles into the air.

The champagne tickled her nose, but did nothing for her nerves. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly three now. What if he didn’t get back before the minister and the guests started arriving? Would he ever forgive her for putting him in the awkward position of having to give her his answer in front of witnesses, especially if that answer turned out to be no?

She heard the outer door open then close, and prayed it was Joshua. She clenched her hands together and waited. And waited. Maybe he’d been warned by the obviously loyal Suzy and had taken off again. Garrett opened the office door and peeked. A tall, red-faced man dressed in a suit and cowboy boots stood toe-to-toe with the diminutive Suzy.

“Where the devil is he?” he demanded, running his hand through a shock of prematurely white hair. “I’ve had this appointment for six weeks. First he was gallivanting around the country…”

“He was working on a client’s account in Wyoming,” Suzy corrected firmly.

“Whatever. All I know is I have a three o’clock appointment with the man and it’s just about that now. Where the devil is he?”

“I’ve had to cancel all of his appointments for this afternoon, Mr. Schaeffer. I’m terribly sorry. I know Mr. Ames will want to see you as soon as possible, but something came up today that couldn’t be helped. I did try to call you before you left your office to save you the trip. Perhaps, if you had checked for messages…”

Garrett grinned at the deft way in which Suzy had turned things around so that the man no longer seemed quite as certain that Joshua was the one at fault. His sunburned face turned one shade redder.

“I ain’t gonna do business with a man I can’t count on,” he blustered. “I don’t care if the recommendation came from the good Lord himself, it’s no way to run an operation.”

Garrett sensed that Mr. Schaeffer was about to bolt and it would be all her fault. Since she had no idea how valuable a client he might become, she threw open the door and stepped into the foyer. Startled, the man took a step back, his shrewd gaze taking in the wedding gown with an air of disbelief.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said softly. “Ain’t you the prettiest little thing.”

“Thank you,” Garrett said, reassured by the compliment. Mrs. Mac had said the same thing, but she hadn’t trusted it coming from her biased lips. “Forgive me for eavesdropping, Mr. Schaeffer, but I couldn’t help overhearing about your cancelled appointment. I’m afraid it’s my fault.”

“How’s that?” he said, obviously intrigued.

Garrett had met enough mavericks in her time to recognize one. Whatever business acumen Mr. Schaeffer might have, he was at heart an adventurer.

“I’m afraid I showed up without warning,” she said, playing to that spirit of adventure.

“You running away from a wedding or something?”

“Actually, I’m here for a wedding.”

“Here?” he said, looking around the reception area.

She gestured toward Joshua’s office. “In there actually. I’m sure Mr. Ames would have given you more advance notice about changing your appointment, but he wasn’t aware of my plans.”

His gaze narrowed suspiciously. “You’re gonna marry the man and he don’t even know it.”

She smiled. “That’s about it.”

“Well, I’ll be. Mind if I stick around to see how things turn out? This’ll sure be something I can tell the missus about. She thinks business is dull.”

“As long as you don’t hold it against Joshua for cancelling your appointment.”

“Hell, no. In fact, if those contracts were ready, I’d sign ’em this minute. I’m gonna enjoy doing business with the two of you.”

“Actually, I don’t work here. I’m a cattle rancher.”

“Well, don’t that beat all. So am I. How about we just go inside and talk till that fianc;aae of yours gets here.”

Roswell Schaeffer had a lot to say and talking made him thirsty. Garrett was very glad she’d ordered lots of champagne. In fact, she was beginning to feel less edgy by the time they’d started on the second bottle. Mr. Schaeffer was actually a very funny man. Or maybe it was the champagne. Her blood seemed to be singing with it. She was just thinking how agreeable the sensation was, when the door opened.

“What’s this?” Joshua inquired.

To her amazement, his attention seemed to be riveted on Roswell Schaeffer, not the roses, the food or her wedding gown. “I can explain,” she said.

“Could we have a little privacy?” Joshua asked the other man, never once looking at Garrett.

Mr. Schaeffer grumbled about missing out on all the fun, but he got to his feet and headed for the door.

“Please don’t leave,” Garrett said, suddenly feeling the need for an ally in case this didn’t go at all the way she planned.

“I’ll be waiting just outside,” he promised her, then came back and leaned down to whisper, “A man’d have to be a fool to turn you down.”

Her lips curved into a shaky smile. “Thanks.”

When he’d gone, Joshua finally looked at her. At once his eyes darkened with familiar desire. “You look…stunning,” he said in a low voice that slid over her nerves and set them aflame.

Clenching her hands together, she stared at him. “You’re not surprised, are you?”

He shook his head. “I was on the phone with Suzy when you made your grand entrance. I was terrified you’d change your mind and leave before I could get back.”

“Where were you?”

“In a plane.”

“In the air?” she said incredulously.

He nodded. “Fortunately it was Cal’s plane. The pilot turned it around.”

“But where were you going? Was there some sort of emergency? Mr. Schaeffer had an appointment. Suzy said she’d cancelled it, that she’d had to cancel all of them. I thought it was because of me.”

“No. Actually, something came up earlier.”

“If it was that important, though, why did you come back?”

“I couldn’t very well miss my own wedding, could I?” he said, smiling.

“We could postpone it,” she offered, working to hide her disappointment. “I mean, if you were going someplace really important, I wouldn’t want to interfere.”

“Oh no you don’t. I’m not about to risk having you change your mind again. Besides, how long can it take to say
I do?
We can go together.”

“Combine your business with a honeymoon? Are you sure you won’t mind?”

“Sweetheart, there is nothing,
nothing
, more important to me than marrying you. I’d almost given up on talking you into it. What finally convinced you?”

“I realized that I’d just gotten into the habit of saying no all these years and that all the things I’d worried about for so long didn’t apply to the way we feel about each other. I spent too many years without anyone in my life. It didn’t seem to matter before because I had Casey and Mrs. Mac and Red, but Red made me see that they would never be able to substitute for what you and I have together. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing that feeling again, not just because I was being too bullheaded to take a chance.”

“I owe this to Red, huh?”

She grinned at the note of possessiveness that had crept into his voice. “Maybe you’ll be a little more civil next time you run into him.”

“If this works out the way I want it to, I won’t be running into him all that often.”

Garrett’s heartbeat slowed. Surely after all that he’d said, he didn’t intend to ask her to leave Wyoming after all. As much as she loved him, she wasn’t sure she could bear that. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Joshua’s fingers brushed across her lips. “Stop frowning. It’s not what you think.”

“What do you mean, then?”

He drew a bundle of papers from his pocket and handed them to her.

“What’s this?”

“Your wedding present. I was on my way to Wyoming to finalize the deal when Suzy told me you were here.”

Garrett spread open the contract and started to read. “It’s a ranch,” she breathed softly.

“It’s yours, if you want it. In your name, no matter what happens in the future.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered as his arms closed around her.

“No, thank you,” he said solemnly.

“But I haven’t done anything for you.”

“You came here. You arranged this wedding. That’s the most precious gift you could have given me. Your trust.”

She lifted shining eyes to meet his. “We’re going to make it work, aren’t we?”

“If you can figure out a way to warm up the winters in Wyoming, we’ll do just fine.”

She grinned at him, fitting her body provocatively to his. “Oh, I have a few ideas about that.”

She heard his breath catch and felt his pulse begin to race. “Is it working?” she murmured.

“Working? In another ten seconds I’m going to have to adjust the air-conditioning or embarrass us both in front of our wedding guests.”

Just then the intercom on his desk buzzed. Keeping Garrett pressed close, Joshua leaned over and punched the speaker button. “This better be important, Suzy.”

“There are half a dozen people out here wondering if they should go or stay.”

His gaze dropped until it locked with hers. “What do you think? Want to hold out for a church wedding with all the trimmings?”

Garrett glanced around the room. “That would be far too ordinary for the two of us, don’t you think?”

“You’re turning into a regular little daredevil on me, aren’t you?”

She nodded slowly. “I think I like it, too. I never felt safe enough before. You’ve given me that.”

“Then you want to go for it now?”

“Let’s do it.”

There were sparks of delighted amusement in Joshua’s eyes as he gathered her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. “We are going to have one hell of an adventure, sweetheart. I promise you that.”

Unconcerned with the sudden arrival of Casey, Mrs. Mac, Cal and Marilou, Garrett sealed their bargain with a sizzling kiss of her own. “I can’t wait,” she murmured in his ear.

“That’s an even better vow than
I do
,” he told her, laughing. “I can’t wait, either.”

“Then let’s get on with it,” Casey said impatiently. She tugged on the minister’s hand. “Do it quickly, before they change their minds.”

Garrett reached out a hand to her daughter, whose eyes were shining with happiness. “Would you be my maid of honor, baby?”

“Oh, wow,” Casey breathed, taking her place beside Garrett. She leaned around her mother and winked at Joshua. “I told you we could pull it off.”

He winked back and Garrett’s heart sang. This was the real gift he was giving her, this intangible feeling of love and family and commitment. Even if the deal on the ranch were to fall through tomorrow, she finally knew deep in her heart she would have everything she’d ever dreamed of.