Page 31 of Old-Fashioned Rancher

I smiled to myself and set aside my powder brush, poking my head out of the bathroom. He fumbled with his tie in the mirror attached to his closet door.

“I told you,” I said. “Skip the tie if you hate it that much.”

Grady sighed with exasperation and fixed me with a look in the mirror.

“For my first wedding, I didn’t wear a tie. I’m doing it right this time.”

I couldn’t help noticing how often he made little comments like that. Letting his worry leak out that he would screw up his second marriage, and how much he genuinely wanted to make it work this time around. As I crossed the room, he kept his gaze locked on me.

The lace that clung to my body almost appeared transparent in all the right places—a teasing glimpse of bare hip, hugging my cleavage that he couldn’t resist. Avery had helped me select it, giving me a little nudge when I tried to talk myself out of it. I’d never felt more beautiful in my life than when I was wearing this dress.

“I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding,” Grady said.

I snorted and came to stand in front of him, taking his tie.

“We’ve already been married for a month. This ceremony is just for show, so there’s no bad luck here. Besides,” I added, looping the tie around his neck. “You’ve seen me naked often enough. It’s about time I was fully clothed in your presence for more than a few hours.”

Grady rumbled a laugh and placed his hands on my hips as I finished with his tie.

“Does that mean wedding night sex is off the table?”

I rested my palms on his chest and rose up on tiptoe to kiss him. He looked so handsome in a button-down shirt, a suit jacket, with his customary jeans and cowboy boots. A small corsage of forget-me-nots was pinned to his lapel.

“Not a chance, mister. I’m counting on you to get me out of this dress so fast that you set a world record tonight.”

He smiled, giving my hips a squeeze. Just as he started to pull me closer, a knock interrupted us.

“Are you two decent?” Avery called. “I need Birdie’s help with my hair, and I don’t want to see you making out. Again. It was cute for the first fifty times you did it in front of me. Now I’m getting a little traumatized.”

I laughed and pulled away from Grady, opening the door. Avery was still in her bathrobe, her makeup flawless, but her hair was wrapped in a towel.

“You’re both dressed!” she said. “That’s a surprise.”

“If you showed up five minutes later, it would have been a different story,” Grady replied.

“Grady,” I admonished.

Avery made a face but I could see the amusement in her eyes. She hooked her arm through mine, drawing me into the hallway.

“Birdie, I place the blame entirely on your shoulders for my father’s horndog behavior. If you didn’t look drop dead gorgeous in that dress, he might be able to keep his hands to himself.”

“Joke’s on you, kid,” Grady called after us. “You started this with your meddling, remember?”

Avery was a stunning bridesmaid in a breezy, pale blue gown and her curls intertwined with tiny pearls like ice crystals. Grady couldn’t stop tugging at his tie during the ceremony, until I finally pulled it free and tucked it in his pocket. He didn’t need to strangle himself to keep our marriage alive.

After saying our vows, Grady was true to his word and slid a massive princess cut diamond onto my finger. The room erupted in applause. His ranch hands cheered the loudest, whooping and howling.

I couldn’t believe how much had changed so quickly. Lavender Lane would remain open for business, and I would continue to grow my own flowers and arrange them. That part would remain the same until I was old and gray. But this was my family now, my home. With the promise of a new year around the corner, I couldn’t wait to fully settle in at High Plains Ranch as a wife to Grady and a stepmother to Avery.

When the reception began, Grady lasted thirty minutes before he brought his mouth to my ear.

“Please tell me I can get you naked now. I’ve been patient.”

I huffed a laugh.

“At least dance with me first.”

He relented, leading me to the dance floor. The broad heat of his palm came to rest on my lower back, drawing me closer. When I looked up at him, I could have sworn I would drown in those gray eyes. I reached up and traced my finger along his square jawline. Even though he was clean shaven for the wedding, I missed his stubble.

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