Page 36 of Cowboy Falling Hard

Chapter 12

I think the ability to forgive makes a marriage last. - Linda King from Australia

––––––––

“INOW PRONOUNCE YOUman and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The preacher’s voice held humor as his kindly eyes looked at the couple in front of him.

Beside Dwight, Orchid sniffed, and he turned his head to look at her more fully.

Yeah. She actually had tears in her eyes. He hadn’t thought she was joking when she said women loved weddings.

“I thought you said you loved weddings,” he said, just to tease her and to try to get her to smile. He was pretty sure the tears were happy tears, romantic tears, maybe, but he still didn’t like them.

Felt like he wanted to do something to get rid of them.

“I do. Can’t you tell?”

“No. Looks like you’re crying.”

She hadn’t taken her eyes off the couple, and her smile widened. He looked up just in time to see the end of the kiss and Bryce raising his head. There was no doubt as his friend looked down at his new wife that he absolutely adored her. And the way Peyton looked said she felt the same way about him.

Had anyone ever looked at him like that?

Dwight was pretty sure he already looked at Orchid that way. Or at least, he caught himself wanting to.

Still, Miss Charlene’s advice had at least gotten him to be able to spend the day with her, and it was easier than he thought to focus on her. To find out what she liked. He could flat-out ask. That had been a success. And he could listen to her sisters’ casual conversations. That had been a success as well.

He supposed, through the years, he’d missed all kinds of things because of his preoccupation with himself.

He shook his friend’s hand and congratulated him while Orchid hugged Peyton and told her how beautiful she looked.

Her eyes sparkled. Her smile was huge and genuine.

The thought went through his mind that she would be a beautiful bride, and he wanted to tell her that, and after their conversation at breakfast, he thought that maybe she might be open to the idea of extending their friendship into something more. But what Miss Charlene had told him about a solid friendship being the basis of a good marriage rang in his ears.

There was no need to rush things. As much as his feelings and emotions wanted him to, he wanted to make sure he built something that would last. He’d never built a relationship before. Not deliberately. It had always been something that happened naturally, and he supposed there wasn’t anything wrong with that, exactly, but the idea that they would be friends, that they would set out to create a solid friendship, something that they could build more on, was one that resonated with him.

Mastering the fundamentals were essential to being a good ballplayer. It made sense that a relationship that was supposed to last a lifetime would need just as much care taken at the beginning, laying down and mastering the things that would enable them to build something strong and resilient.

Orchid’s comments from the morning rang in his head. He’d seen plenty of people be like that. Friendly to people who could get them somewhere. Agents, in particular, who sidled up to athletes who might be worth a lot of money.

It was all part of the business, but it had rubbed him the wrong way then, and now he could see how that showed a total lack of loyalty and consideration to the people they already represented.

He supposed it took character to treat people the person was familiar with as well as or better than strangers. Everyone wanted to put their best foot forward.

It was easy to let down his guard and want to relax and be more like himself in private.

And probably there was nothing wrong with that, if the idea that being more like himself would mean he was more considerate and kind to others.

---