Page 21 of A Nice Day for a Cowboy Wedding

Emily nodded out the window. “Here she comes. I don’t suppose you have any more weddings lined up aside from this one?” Emily asked hopefully.

Cora didn’t have to ask to know Emily’s bakery was struggling. Every business in Gracely was struggling. Except Annie’s Chainsaw Repair & Used Furniture.

The door opened, and Deb swept in, a big smile on her face. “Oh, I just can’t help grinning every time I step inside, Em. Who knew those tea parties you used to have with Lou and Molly would give way to this?”

Emily grinned. “And who knew I’d be baking your wedding cake one day. I never thought . . .” Emily trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut.

“It’s okay. I never thought I’d marry again either. Owen was the love of my life. But, the wonderful thing about life is it never fails to surprise you with something you thought long gone.” She turned to glance at Cora. “And this little lady is working miracles to give me my dream wedding.”

“Well, you deserve it, Mrs. T,” Emily said emphatically. “I’ve picked a few designs I think you’ll love. We can schedule a tasting whenever Ben’s available too.”

“See, not everyone is against Ben,” Deb said, nodding toward Cora.

“Is Shane still giving you trouble?” Emily rolled her eyes. “Men are idiots. Especially Tyler men. No offense.”

“It’s imprinted in their DNA,” Deb said with a laugh. “Now, let’s see these designs.” She moved toward a table, then seemed to notice Micah and stopped short. “Who’s that?” she mouthed.

Cora stepped toward Micah. “Deb, this is my son, Micah. Micah, this is Emily and Deb. You can say hello.”

He grumbled something close to hello.

“His camp . . . unexpectedly ended early today, so he’s going to be my little helper.” Cora smiled thinly, and Deb didn’t push it. She nodded and smiled and slid into a chair at a table that looked like the surface of a log.

Emily scooted into the chair next to Deb with a giant binder, and Cora tried to find some kind of focus.

“I figured you’d want something traditional, Mrs. T,” Emily was saying, flipping through plastic pages of picture after picture. “Maybe a little rustic.”

“I like rustic. I want everything to fit in at the ranch.”

Cora knew she had to earn her keep, which meant focusing on cakes not on her son kicking his feet against the floor in the corner. “Will the amount of people affect what designs you can do?”

Emily started talking logistics and sheet cakes, and Cora forced herself to take notes. To focus and do herjob.

Eventually Micah scuffled over. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Emily pointed to the back. “It’s right back there, sweetheart.” She smiled broadly.

Micah muttered a half-hearted thanks, which was more politeness than Cora usually got out of him. He trudged away.

“So, he got kicked out, huh?” Deb asked.

Cora startled. “Oh.” But Deb looked sympathetic instead of accusatory or judgy. “Yeah, he did.”

“I couldn’t keep Boone in a camp, class, or court-ordered community service to save my life.”

Cora couldn’t believe Deb hadn’t always had complete control of her family, even if theyweretrouble. Still, it was nice to hear. It was nice, for once in her life, to have someone who’dbeenthere. Cora and Lilly had raised Micah without having much of a clue as to what they were doing. Mom had hightailed it out of their lives the minute she’d found a husband. Right before she told Cora she’d be better off getting rid of her baby than ever trying to raise it.

Cora straightened a little bit. Micah was a challenge, but she wasn’t done trying yet. She’d brought that boy into this world, and she’d do her damnedest to make him into a good man.

“We shouldn’t be talking about . . . Our meeting is about cake.” She tapped Emily’s binder. “Maybe Emily can copy a few of the pictures of what you like, and you can keep them to make your decision.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“I want the one that looks like aspen wood, with the mountain silhouettes. If reception size becomes an issue, we’ll talk sheet cake.” Deb clapped her hands together. “Decision made. Now let’s help you with your problem. You bring that boy out to the ranch.”

Cora blinked. “What?”

“He needs some fresh air and some responsibility. You bring him out to the ranch.”

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