Page 23 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

Sabrina elbowed him. “It must be killing you to be all social and make nice with people.”

“Making nice with you takes all my energy.” He faced her. “Tucks gonna kill me. I said I’d be back shortly and left him in charge. I shoulda had him come in for the wedding.”

Sabrina broke into a large smile.

“What?”

“What?” she echoed.

“What’s with the smile?”

“I’m just real proud of myself, and if you go about this right, I’ll be real proud of you.”

“Any advice?” He’d be a fool not to be nervous about all this. Heck, if their initial attraction didn’t continue and their interactions became awkward and stilted, how would he explain that to Pops? He reached passed the punch bowl and poured two cups of coffee, then handed one to Sabrina.

“I just gave you advice.”

“That was advice? To go about it right? C’mon. You can do better than that.” Jace glanced around the room and found Meredith chatting with his mother. Though she looked much like before, there was a slight squint to her eyes and once, while his mother was looking away, she rubbed her temple. He poured another cup for her, wondering if she even liked coffee.

“Think of her as a scared filly and work your magic.” Sabrina clapped him on the back, causing a splash of coffee to slosh over the top and hit the table.

“Right now I think she’s getting a headache, and I should try to get her out of here before she starts to run or buck.” He took a step.

When Rina touched his elbow, he paused. “She doesn’t know how to buck, but if she did it, it would be a beautiful thing.” She raised a brow then let go of his arm.

He made his way to Meredith, pondering Sabrina’s words. They hadn’t been here long, but coffee had been doled out, and behind the counter, plates of pie and cake slices were quickly lining up. They would be able to leave soon.

When he reached her side, he bent close and said, “Can I get you an aspirin? A piece of pie?” He held the paper cup out.

Meredith glanced at him, her light blue eyes cloudy with discomfort, then at the cup. She shook her head, wincing slightly as she did. He needed to get her away sooner than later. He set the cups aside.

“Ma.” He pulled his mother into a hug. “I’m sorry I sprangthis on you, but thanks for being understanding. I’m gonna take Meredith to the ranch now. You’ll handle the crowd?”

She held him tight before releasing him. “You all need to have some cake, and then you can go. You will have the rest of your lives to do what you have in mind.”

This was a new spot for him, torn between his mother’s request and this new and unfamiliar need to take care of Meredith, his wife, basically a stranger. He wasn’t sure what to do or say. Yeah, he wanted to get Meredith home and maybe recapture some more of that sexual interest that poked out when he’d kissed her at the altar. He’d like to explore that further, but she didn’t look to be in the best of shape and was fading fast.

“Ma, I think Meredith is overwhelmed.”

She looked over his shoulder then nodded. “I’ll grab some cake, and you can make quick work of it. Trust me on this. Give the town a little something, so they’ll leave you alone. You know how old-fashioned these people can be.” She squeezed his shoulder before spinning away. Presumable to get cake.

Mrs. Carson was yammering on about knitting, not really caring if she had Meredith’s attention. Jace leaned close to Meredith and whispered in her ear. “My mom is getting us cake. We’ll do a thing where people share a bite, smile, and get out of here. You good with that?”

She nodded. “I can stay as long as you like.”

Jace frowned. Her words did not reflect the vibe he was getting. Not that her actions did either. It was something else. Something he didn’t know how to label.

Hell, this married business was hard. All this guessing and second-guessing. He rolled his shoulders. Chances were high he was going to jack this up royally.

His mom approached carrying a large slice of red velvet cake. She thrust the plate at him and a large brown bag, too.

“Here’s dinner and some extra dessert for later tonight. I loveyou.” She kissed his cheek. “I don’t know why this has all come about, but I mean to find out. If you married this sweet girl to make your father happy, to have someone cook at the house, or for any other reason than you are madly in love with her, I will skin you alive.” She met his gaze, gave him her famous stink eye that used to leave him cowering, all before turning to the crowd.

“Can I have your attention please? Jace and Meredith are anxious to be on their way. I’m sure you all understand.” There was a low rumble of laughter through the crowd.

Jace placed the bag on the table next to him and handed Meredith the fork. He raised a brow in question, but he knew she’d lie and say she was fine. She’d gone a few shades paler since they arrived, and the weight of a clicking clock pressed upon him. There was no logic as to why he felt like he needed to get her outta here. He just did.

“Ready?” He stepped closer.

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