When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds) (20 page)

Lanie sat on the edge of the exam bed, thumbing through her phone. She looked up when he walked in, slipping her phone into her purse and giving him her full attention. He strode to her, taking a spot behind her.  His hands went to her shoulders, rubbing the tightness from them.  She shouldn’t be this tense. Not over this. He made a decision and he had to tell her now, so she’d never doubt his motivation.

“I want us to stay at Whispering Winds. No matter what the results are, no matter what I have the ability to do or not do, our home is there. That’s where your family is, where Cody’s cousins will be. That’s where we need to be, where we should establish our roots. I know, without any doubt, that the rodeo days are behind me, as far as riding.”

The tension slowly rolled of Lanie.  Her eyes bore into his, searching for the veracity of his words. A smile lit her face. “You really mean that, don’t you?” retirement. There are a few endorsements I’ll have to

“I do. We can even announce an official retirement.  I still have a few endorsements to carry out now that my leg’s healed, but then I’m done. I want to be a family man.” He dropped his voice. “Your man.”

“Marry me, Jeremy.”

His fingers spun the ring on her finger. “Isn’t that the plan?” He smiled and wink.

“Today.”

Too shocked to speak, his mouth gaped open. Scratching his chin, the doctor walked in, postponing a conversation about Lanie’s proposition.

“You are a lucky man, Mr. Travers.”

“Yes I am.” Crazy in love, he looked at Lanie, not thinking of his leg.

The doctor smiled patiently and hung the x-rays on the board for Jeremy to see. He went into detail, pointing out each bone that had broken and had now healed.  “Telling a patient their injuries will change their life and put new limitations on them is one of the worst parts of my job. When a patient exceeds their expected recovery, that’s the best part. Congratulations Mr. Travers, you have a Christmas miracle. You’re officially cleared for all activity. Let’s make a final appointment in four weeks and if everything still looks good, we’ll be done here.”

“Thank you, Doc.” Jeremy squeezed Lanie’s hand. The doctor had given clearance and Jeremy’s decision hadn’t wavered.  He was firmly dedicated to remaining at Whispering Winds.

“Should I expect to see you riding?” the doctor asked, looking up after scribbling notes in the file.

“No. You can be the first to know I’m officially retiring from the sport.”

The doctor looked back and forth from him to Lanie, with a knowing gleam. “Good luck in your next endeavor.”

Jeremy shook his hand and the doctor left. Looking at Lanie, he waited to see if she’d pick up their conversation where it had been left, but she simply smiled and said, “Let’s go.”

At the front desk, he checked out, and paid his bill, also making the final appointment. They left the building and he opened Lanie’s door for her. She still hadn’t said anything further. Circling the truck, he stepped into the driver’s seat.

“Well?” Finally speaking, Lanie looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Well what?” He played dumb, still disbelieving what she’d said.

“Will you marry me today?”

“You’re serious? Just like that?” His heart thudded, knowing he wanted nothing more.

“Yes. Why wait? We did the big wedding before. This time I just want you.”

“What about your family?”

“I’ll call them. They can meet us at the courthouse.”

“This is crazy.”

“Cody?”

“We’ll pick him up from school before he gets on the bus.”

“Rings?”

“Allie has a key to my place. She can stop in and get mine from my jewelry box.”

He was coming on board with the idea. Lanie was right, why wait? “Mine is in a safe at our old house. It won’t take but ten minutes to drop by and get it.”

Lanie’s excitement bubbled over. “Then you’ll do this?”

“I can’t say no to you. If you want to get married today, who am I to argue?” He flashed her his best grin. He’d do anything for her.

“You drive, I’ll start making calls.” By the time he reached the house, she’d talked to Allie. “Jase and she can meet us there at three. She’s going to call her parents for me.”

They sat in the driveway of the house they’d first shared. “We’ll have to sell this house.”

Lanie twisted her lips, “There’s so many memories inside that house. We thought we’d be there forever.” A bittersweet tone edged her voice.

“This time, it will be forever. I talked to your dad. He showed me a few plots of land on Whispering Winds that would be perfect to build on. We can stay in your cabin while we build our new house.”

They walked up the pathway to the house, lingering just inside the door.

“Do you remember the day I left?” Lanie asked.

“We’re getting married in a few hours. I don’t want to think about that time.”

Lanie ignored him. “Do you remember it?” she pressed.

“Yes.” His life had shattered that day and he’d never forget the desperation he’d felt. He went back three years, recalling the moment she’d left. On impulse, as she walked out the door, he’d reached for her, encircling her wrist and pulled her to him.  He’d needed to touch her one last time, feel her smooth skin under his, experience the warmth her touch left on him. And then she’d kissed him; that final kiss goodbye had haunted him for years. Too late, he’d understood that she was his other half and he’d never be whole again. 

“I hated you so much, but even then I knew I’d never find another love like ours.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He breathed heavily, not wanting to think about the past.

“I just wanted you to know I never stopped loving you. Going into our future, I can look at our past and remember our good times; see the light when it was dark.”

“You’re my light, ladybug. You always were.”

A small group of people gathered inside the small room of the county courthouse. Her parents, Jase, Allie, Cody, the Tyndales, Lexie, Shorty and Cook all came out to witness her marriage to Jeremy.  In one hand, she held a bouquet her mother had surprised her with. Unwilling to break their touch, her other hand remained connected to Jeremy’s through their threaded fingers. She wanted him by her side, not just today, but for all their days ahead. 

An officiate came into the room and everyone hushed.  He directed her and Jeremy to the front of the room. They took their places; their family standing to the side.

Vows were being recited. She couldn’t remember the exact words. All she knew was that Jeremy looked at her as though she was the only woman on earth. He recited words of loving her and cherishing her.  He promised to take care of her, to love her and only her, to join with her until death did them part. His eyes reflected the sincerity of every vow he took.

Her turn came. She repeated the vows back to him, promising to spend her life with him. Through strangled words and emotional tears, she became his wife, for the second and last time.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The world stood still, everything around them faded. All she saw was Jeremy: her husband, her lover, her best friend. Nothing existed but them and this moment. Still clasping her hand, he brought it up, hugging it to his heart.  He leaned his head down, pressing a tender kiss, full of promise and passion, on her lips. 

She had a lifetime to spend with this man. A lifetime of perfection crafted from their flaws.  At long last, she had everything she’d ever wanted.

An excerpt from:

Jase rolled over in bed, keenly aware that something was different.   He was alone.  Just a few hours ago, he’d lain in his hotel bed staring at his new wife.  In her sleep, Allie had murmured words of love, and he caressed her hair, soaking in those first moments as newlyweds. 

Okay, so they hadn’t gotten married under traditional methods. But they were married, good and legal, and he would never regret it. If she wanted to plan a big, fancy wedding when they got home, that was fine by him. He’d been in love with Allie for as long as he could remember. Anything she wanted, he’d give her. That’s how it had always been and always would be. But her disappearance had him worried. Why’d she leave this morning without a word? Someone knocked on the door.

“Jase, it’s me Allie. Are you in there?”

“Just a sec.” He threw the sheets off and stood up. A cold rush of air reminded him he was naked, and he went to pull some clothes out of his suitcase. Where’d his last pair of clean jeans go? He could’ve sworn he had another pair in there, along with another clean t-shirt. Not wasting any more time, he threw on the pair he’d taken off the night before and went to the door.

“It’s about time,” Allie snapped when he opened it.

“Good morning to you too,” he answered. This wasn’t a good start. His stomach clenched with a forming fear.

“We need to talk,” she said simply, her tone straight with no inflection to indicate what she was thinking.

“Yes we do,” he agreed. Man, did they need to talk. He took a seat on bed, patting the space beside him in an invitation for her to join him. Instead, she pulled out the chair at the desk and sat in it, maintaining her space. “Why’d you leave this morning?” he asked.

“Can’t you put a shirt on?” she
asked, her eyes averting his.

“Really Allie? It’s not like you haven’t seen me a hundred times without a shirt on. And you saw me with a whole lot less on last night,” he couldn’t help teasing.

She threw a bundle of clothes at him. “Stop it, Jase.  This isn’t funny.  What are we going to do?”

He pulled a shirt over his head. “About what?” he asked.    

“This marriage. How could we have been so stupid?”

Jase felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. Sure they were drunk when they’d decided to get married, but he’d been sober enough to know he wanted to marry her for real. He’d thought she felt the same. He’d seen it in her eyes when she first said last night that they should find a chapel and get married. However, her words, just now, made it obvious that they weren’t on the same page. He remained silent, trying to form a response.

“What are we going to tell our parents? They’ll never forgive us for a drunken marriage. But a divorce, in their eyes, would be worse. This is a nightmare. I’ve got it! An annulment- that’s it!” she exclaimed. “We’ll quietly get this annulled and no one will ever know. Charlie and Missy won’t breathe a word to anyone.” Allie rambled on, unaware that each word was driving the knife further into his heart.

“I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but there’s no annulling this marriage,” Jase told her.

“Why not?” she asked, her face paling.

“Once consummated, it can’t be annulled,” he answered.

Allie’s face turned a bright red, no doubt remembering the wild night they’d shared after the ceremony. It wasn’t all wild though. As the drunkenness wore off, they became more passionate. More like making love. Or so he thought. Slowly, he stood and walked around to the edge of the bed.  Sitting back down, he was directly in front of Allie. He put both of his hands on her shoulders and asked the question he didn’t want the answer to.

“Why are you so intent on ending this marriage before it has barely begun?” His eyes bore into hers, searching for the answers behind her words.

“You’re my best friend, Jase. We drank too much and didn’t know what we were doing. Everyone knows you’re not the type to settle down,” she answered.

Jase knew his reputation, unfortunately. Some of it was justly deserved from his younger days; but, the truth was, all this time, he’d never become seriously involved with anyone because his heart belonged to her. All these years of looking after her, being there for her- couldn’t she see how he felt?

“How’s this,” she began again. “Let’s go back and act like we meant to get married and have been thinking about it awhile, realizing we were in love. Our parents will never know we were drunk. After a few months we’ll separate, telling them we recognized we rushed into this,” she said.