Page 15 of Bride for the Space Cowboy

I’m on a new planet, and I’m about to pledge my heart to an alien space cowboy. It’s definitely unlike anything I ever expected to do.

I take an unsteady breath as Jane leads me through a doorway, murmuring, “Wait here.”

I have become close to the women I traveled here with. They’re all waiting for me. Melody and Romi smile at me.

“Are you ready?” Melody asks, her voice soft.

I take an unsteady breath as I nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Melody’s honey-blond hair gleams under the sunlight coming from above. The entire roof of this place is glass. Natural sunlight shines through, casting a warm glow throughout the space.

I still can’t believe I’m the first one of us to be mated. What has happened with Kayden feels truly otherworldly.

Jane peers through the doorway again, gesturing for me to come with her. We walk down a short hallway into a large open space. Melody and Romi sit to the side near the front, where Jane gestures for them to go.

I follow her with my pulse drumming. Kayden waits at the front. My heart feels like it’s going to crack my ribs. I can hardly breathe.

Kayden is dressed simply in his usual breeches with a navy silk shirt open at the collar. His bronze skin shimmers in the light coming through the glass above. His gaze snags mine, and I can’t look away as I approach.

A moment later, I’m standing in front of him, and all I can see is him. Everything else fades away.

A tall woman leads the ceremony. Kayden pledges his heart, his protection, and his body to me. I repeat the vows back to him. I can feel the sizzle of electricity joining us as our pulses beat together.

His hands hold mine as the woman marrying us gestures above our hands, and light moves like an infinity symbol surrounding his wrists and mine.

I take an unsteady breath. I can feel the heat of the band of light joining us. I’m lost in his gaze when he bends low to kiss me, sealing our vows.

Time passes in a blur. The king and queen congratulate us on our marriage. Jane and Asher lead the procession out. While Kayden is usually one of the guards for Asher, he’s not for today. The royal procession surrounds us, and we walk outside along a path. It feels surreal to hear birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing.

We walk up a sloping hill and through a flowered archway into a walled garden. Long tables are set up with food piled high. Kayden and I are seated at a table with Asher and Jane and the king and queen. The queen is very kind.

The food is incredible, but I feel Kayden’s presence beside me the entire time. My brain is filled with static, a cacophony of the intensity of emotion and sensation of being close to Kayden, jumbled with the enormity of the event.

I’m married to an alien space cowboy. Mere weeks ago, I felt trapped on Earth.

Finally, the celebration winds down, and the crowd gradually breaks apart. Jane and Asher come over to walk us out.

Jane congratulates me and murmurs something, but I don’t even register it. Somehow, I manage to be polite and say my goodbyes as we prepare to leave. Kayden’s hand is warm around mine. Moments later, we walk outside down a street with flowers and trees flanking it.

I’ve walked through the town daily since I’ve been here on the planet. I take in the familiar sights as we pass through the main part of town. Kayden leads us down another street. Life carries on around us, with some people zooming around on those hovering transport vehicles and others walking. A soft breeze gusts through the air, and I savor the freshness.

“This way,” Kayden says as we turn along the path. We walk through a flower-lined arch that leads us into another walled compound.

“Where are we?” I finally ask.

The small garden is beautiful, with more trees and flowers. I’m still adjusting to living somewhere that isn’t just dry, baked dirt with dust blowing.

“This will be our home,” he says.

I glance ahead to see a home that blends beautifully into a hillside. It’s low with a roof that angles up. Kayden leads me through the entryway, and I quickly take in the airy space. Light comes in through windows that run the length of the house.

This is the first time Kayden and I have been alone today. The day has been so full that I almost haven’t been able to think. I take an unsteady breath and glance up at him as he turns to face me.

I’m instantly ensnared in his gaze. His golden eyes bore into mine.

I try to take a breath, but I can barely get any air. Heat blazes through me as my pulse rampages. “We’re married!” I suddenly blurt out.

He studies me for a beat. “We are.” He’s still holding one of my hands, and he lifts his other hand, his fingers trailing through the ends of my hair where it falls over one of my shoulders. “How do you feel?”

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