Page 79 of A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy

Tate took a deep breath and met Stephanie’s gaze once again. Did she wish they’d spent months planning a wedding so they could have found little symbols like this to portray their blending? He had no regrets and, by the soft smile she sent his way, he doubted she did, either.

It was time to stop thinking like that. For better or for worse, they’d taken the step they had, back in June. And Tate loved her with all his heart.

Epilogue

Why had love found Graham’s cousin when he hadn’t even been looking? Tate had always been a nice guy, somewhat easygoing. A pushover, Graham had once thought.

Yeah, he’d been wrong.

He’d been wrong about so many things. Love, for instance. He’d once dreamed Cadence Foster actually noticed him, but then she’d begun to date his cousin — the one from his mom’s side of the family, not one of the Sullivan cousins. Thank the good Lord for that, since he had to work with his father’s relatives.

And then, somehow, Graham had been roped into being a groomsman for their wedding. Paul had needed ten groomsmen, and Mom had pushed Graham to accept the honor. He hadn’t dared tell her why he was reluctant.

Cadence had been at Sweet River Ranch for six weeks now. She’d been all grateful for Graham’s intervention back then, but now? Now she had ignoring him down to an art.

Graham didn’t understand art. Math, he could do. Numbers stayed where they were supposed to, and they always added up the correct way. There was nothing subjective about math. Art, on the other hand, could be anything you wanted it to be.

Except Graham couldn’t make it be a picture of him and Cadence together, like Harper and Eli beaming at each other as they cut their wedding cake. Like Tate and Stephanie, still all giddy-eyed two months after their quickie wedding.

He’d have given them a month, and for a bit, it had looked like he was right, but they’d sorted things out. Tate had cut back on office hours, not just for himself, but for all of them.

What was Graham supposed to do with so many free evenings now that he didn’t have meetings all the time? He had no clue. Bryce and Max had taken up horseback riding. For Graham? That was not going to happen. He did not love the freaky feeling of being so high up on top of a brute with a mind of its own.

Tate’s brothers had made some sort of peace with the Kline cousins. Drat Grandfather and his long-ago fling, anyway. The results might not haunt Grandfather now that he knew, but they sure made life difficult for his sons’ boys. The real grandsons.

Yeah, yeah, he knew Weston and Jude were just as related to the old man as he was, but it had sure been a kick in the pants to find out they existed and would have an equal part to play in rebuilding Sweet River Ranch’s prospects.

Thankfully, Graham and Tate held leadership. After Grandfather, of course. But the Kline brothers were right there, in his face, every single day, along with their mother, Nadine. Dad’s half-sister.

“Is this seat taken?”

Graham looked up to see Weston’s sardonic grin. “No, help yourself.”

The other guy dropped into the seat and looked around Harper and Eli’s reception. “Quite a shindig.”

Also, the Kline brothers weren’t educated. Not like Graham and his real cousins. Right, they were all real. Even after four months, it was hard to wrap his head around it.

Everyone thought he couldn’t wait for his part in this venture to be fulfilled so he could move back home, but what was in Chicago? A social scene he’d never quite fit into. He’d always been awkward. More into books than movies. More into Solitaire than parties.

Not that he loved ranch life, either. Didn’t matter where, he was just a misfit.

“Guess I’ll head back to the ranch.” Weston balled up his napkin and tossed it on the table. “No reason to stick around here and watch couples dance, huh?”

This wasn’t the kind of church that allowed dancing in the fellowship hall, but Graham wasn’t going to set Weston straight.

“Unless you see some girl you want to ask to dance, you could ride back with Jude and me.”

Graham had caught a ride with Maxwell and Bryce, but they were wandering around chatting with people they didn’t even know. “Yeah, I think I’ll take you up on that. I’ll let the guys know.” That’s what was expected in polite society. Mom and Dad had drilled manners into him hard his entire life.

Weston thumbed toward the double doors open wide to the summer evening. “I’ll be just outside. Don’t take too long, or I’ll leave without you.” He sauntered away, motioning to Jude across the space.

Graham watched them head out. It wasn’t his place to train them on niceties. He stood, noting that the Cavanagh brothers and their wives had clustered around the bride and groom. Those guys intimidated him with all their testosterone and swaggering ways.

Montana was full of cowboys like that.

He tore his gaze away and found his cousins again then made his way toward them. “Hey, I’m catching a ride back to Sweet River with Weston and Jude.”

Maxwell blinked at him. “Thought you hated them.”

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