Page 37 of The Texas Cowboy's Lady

CeeCee was upstairs getting the hair and makeup people situated in their rooms. That left Laurel to tackle getting the wedding dress into its designated dressing room once it arrived. She found her glance going to her watch at least every five minutes. The designer had sent it on its way to Texas on time. So where was it? Another glance at her watch, and then the door chime sounded.

That had to be it!She flew down the last of the stairs from the second floor landing and skidded to a stop at the front door. She threw back the wooden door and stopped.

Jaxson stood before her. There was both a feeling of elation at the sight of him, but also a feeling of panic was beginning until she realized that he was holding a long garment bag over his arm. The gold lettering of the designer’s name made her want to leap for joy. She would have opted to kiss the person delivering it, but that would have not been wise given the situation.

“I take it you might be a bride in need of a dress?”

She moved quickly, taking the dress in its protective covering from the cowboy and draping it over her two arms—the best way she could carry the gown. She headed into the dining room as the closest place she could lay the long bag out and hopefully not do damage to the contents.

Carefully, she drew the zipper down to where the top of the dress, with its heavy crystal beading, was exposed. The craftsmanship was intricate and beautiful.

“Since when do you like that color? Aren’t brides supposed to be in white, or should I just not go there?” Jaxson stood beside her, looking at the exposed material in its purple color with black beading.

Laurel had forgotten that the gown was ordered in that special color. It was CeeCee’s favorite, and she was a fan of the Victorian era, so the dress was a replica of one worn by a member of the English royal court.

She put a smile on her face and played it off as best as she could. The words she wanted to say to him were right there in her throat, yet she couldn’t say them. This sudden appearance had thrown her prepared plan off. She said the next thing that came to her brain.

“It’s Sean’s favorite color. And just how did you end up with this dress?”

“The delivery guy was lost down at the stables. I asked what he was looking for and that’s how I knew you might be looking for this. I did him a favor and sent him on his way.”

“Well, thanks a lot. I appreciate you doing this.”

“So you have a dress. I saw you had other people arrive earlier. Looks like this party is going to come off.”

“Yes, it does.” They both were without words for a few seconds.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then. And this is probably where I should tell you that I do wish you all the best and hope you have a perfect day. You deserve it. And I didn’t want to leave without saying that in person.”

“Leave? Aren’t you going to be here for the wedding? Why wouldn’t you be able to say it to me then?”

“I’m not going to make it to the party. I am taking over for Tom, so he and Joanne can be with their daughter when she gives birth. Tom had deliveries to make of horses, and I’m taking them for him. Don’t frown. You won’t even miss me once you start down that aisle. I’m sorry I’ll miss having a dance with you—and maybe some of that wedding cake—but I know it’ll be great. I better head out.” Jaxson turned and headed toward the front door, sliding his hat on his head and taking determined strides.

Jaxson would not be at the ceremony. That had never entered into her mind. There were things he needed to know and she needed to say, and he was leaving. She caught up to him at the door. Her hand grabbed the door handle first. He looked down at her with a question in his eyes.

“I’m surprised and sorry that you won’t be joining us. I’ll save you a slice of cake for when you get back.”How insane did she sound?

“Thanks, but you’ll be on your honeymoon when I get back. I doubt you’ll have given a thought to me or anyone else. At least that’s how it should be. Bye, Laurel. Be happy.” And then he left her standing there with no idea what to do. And a pesky tear just had to escape her blinking it away. Brides weren’t supposed to cry before the big day. But she hadn’t counted on Jaxson not being there. What was she supposed to do next?

What else did a dramatic scene in a movie do? The unexpected. She went running down the steps, trying to keep her balance on the gravel in her heels. Jaxson was almost to his truck.

“Wait! Stop! You can’t go yet.” He turned with a look of shock on his face as she came to a halt, out of breath and hobbling on one broken shoe. It might not be her finest moment.

“What are you doing? What’s wrong?”

She took another gulp of air and tried to gather her thoughts to make some sense.

“I need to tell you something. It’s more of a confession. I planned to tell you later after the ceremony, but your leaving changes things, so you can’t leave yet.”

“Well, yes, I do have to leave. I made promises to Tom and his family, and the Tremaynes are waiting for me as well.”

“Fine. Then I’ll give you the short version. I’m not getting married.”

“That is definitely the short version. Maybe you better add a few more words to that sentence. Maybe a whole paragraph.” He folded his arms across his chest and allowed his body to lean back on the front of the truck’s hood. She definitely had his attention.

“Sean and CeeCee are getting married. But that is not for public consumption. We have worked very hard to keep it under wraps and throw people—notably the paparazzi—off the trail. And with the movie studio news, we were able to fly under the radar even better.”

“So, you came here and lied to everyone. You didn’t think you could trust us enough with the truth. You let people go out of their way to go along with your plans and believe that the community was going to benefit from the studio being built here?”

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