Page 18 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

“I understand. Thanks for being honest with me, Jace.” She said his name with hesitation, as if she was trying it out. He liked the way it sounded coming from her.

“I’ll be back in fifteen.” He stepped back and nestled his hat on his head.

“Maybe you have a getaway car around the corner?”

Smiling, he shook his head. “I’ll be right back.” He stepped from the church and jogged to the flower store across the street.

Mrs. Williams, Tucker’s mom, was sitting behind the counter, her hands clasped before her as if she’d been waiting on him.

“Hey, Mrs. Williams, I need some help.” He leaned one hip against the counter. He had a suspicion she knew what was going down over at the church and might be miffed about not being invited.

She crossed her arms. “Go on.”

“What’s that saying women use when they’re getting married? About old things? Because I need you to help me put all that together. I’ll need a bouquet, and I’ll need you to you at the church in thirty minutes to see me get married.”

9

It was him! The one she’d hopednotto be matched with, and he had busted her shoving clothes in her pack.

Left alone in the church classroom, Meredith had known it was time to beat feet. Freedom was calling. She would have preferred to strike out on her own in a big city, get lost in the masses, but it wouldn’t be the case here. Having driven through main street to get to the church, Meredith knew a stranger would stick out in the cute western town. She'd seen tie-ups for horses outside some of the stores. So charming. As soon as Sabrina had stepped from the room, Meredith had tossed what she could into her pack, setting out a change of clothes, knowing a woman in a wedding dress would be like a lighthouse beacon on a foggy night.

Being on her own had to be easier than living with a stranger, right? Even if the stranger had been the nerdy guy, she’d planned on leaving. When he, Jace, stepped into the room and caught her, she was struck with two things: panic and butterflies. Panic because her instincts told her she was right about him—he'd be a force to be reckoned with—and butterflies because his picturehadn't done him justice. He was breath-stealing gorgeous. There was no way she could stay. She didn't know how to be around someone who made her stomach quiver every time she looked at him.

When he told her there were no cabs or buses, Meredith briefly had considered hitchhiking. Until a second later, when it dawned on her that she was picking potential death over marriage. How many crime shows had she seen on TV where the hitchhiker lived? Mm, she couldn't recall one, and she was a crime show addict.

She was so ashamed. Of her actions, her desperation, and indecisiveness.

Her surprise had gotten the best of her when he’d stepped into the room. She hoped she hadn’t shown her disappointment when realizing her life was not likely to be that of Charlotte Lucas fromPride and Prejudice, destined to spend her days as she pleased in a sitting parlor. No, this man would make demands on her, and that thought alone had caused her hands to tremble with anxiety. It was inevitable, for she would not be able to avoid confrontation. This would be no easy transition away from her controlling father to a passive, mild-mannered stranger.

Dr. Fleming had said she needed to stand up for herself right away. That’s what she would do.

She would not run. That was plain stupid. She would take the deal. It was the best option.

After quickly repacking her suitcase and hiding the backpack—she didn’t want Sabrina to see it—she escaped to the restroom where she stood before the sink and pushed from her mind thoughts of home and Texas. This would be home now, for however long. She'd landed, albeit temporarily. This was a good thing, right? So why did tears threaten to fall once again? She was one step closer to her goal. Now if she could learn to ask for what she wanted.

Dabbing at her eyes with the hankie, she found her attention drawn to it, her thoughts straying to the man with the light gray eyes who’d held her hand when she cried and offered her a handkerchief for her tears. There was gentleness in him that told her she would be all right if she stayed.

The handkerchief was a simple square of linen, but it spoke of so much more. The frayed edges and slight off-color stain in the corner told the story of use. Whether for tears or sweat, it showed a history of cleaning up messes.

And now it was cleaning up the mess that she was. Funny, though, she didn’t have to be. Not at this moment. Not in the next. Fresh start. It was hers for the taking.

Even the headache that had threatened to come earlier while she was about to enter the church was nowhere to be found. A horse had neighed, and she’d turned to search for the animal, suddenly swept away in the memories of a better, more carefree time of her life when she had taken horseback riding lessons from her grandmother. There was something about this place. Something that spoke to Meredith.

It was the mountains standing tall and strong against the elements. Presenting with a range of color, some peaks light, others dark, they welcomed and cautioned. The foothills extended out as if arms stretching to embrace the land and her. They gave her strength, odd as that might sound. In order to form, they’d pushed through years of earth and resistance to rise above the fray and now presided over the landscape majestically.

Meredith was ready to form. To become the person she was meant to be, though she had no desire to preside over anything except her own home. And her life, of course. That was why she’d done this insanely impulsive act.

She recalled how her mother used to whisper words of encouragement, always cheering her on, boosting her up.

You can have anything you want Meredith. You only have to be willing to ask for it.

She sure hoped asking for this would not be a future regret.

For the past ten years, Meredith had been surrounded by people and had felt wholly alone. At this moment, in this place, she was acutely aware she had no one but herself. It was really a new, fresh start.

Who was she and who did she want to be?

Heavy footfalls, likely from boots, snapped her from her reverie. Where was Sabrina? Had she decided to leave without saying goodbye?

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