Page 6 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

“I love riding.”

Graham blinked. “You ride? Horseback?”

“Summer camp. I lived for the horses.”

“Oh. Well. That’s great then.” He studied her face in the glow of the solar lights. Was she considering…?

“Are you serious? About the offer, I mean.”

No. He was absolutely crazy to encourage her. She’d be nearby, and she’d find some other guy, like maybe his cousin Bryce, and Graham would have to watch it unfold yet again. On the other hand, he couldn’t simply walk away and make her deal with the fallout of a wedding cancelled at the last minute when she was at the end of her own resources. Not when he could offer her a way out. “Uh, yes?”

“When next week? No. Even Monday is too late.” She bit her lip. “Tomorrow? Early?”

Graham opened his mouth to protest but shut it again. The only reason he was in the city at all was this wedding that wasn’t going to happen. He’d drop the ring back to Paul, return to his apartment, pack up his stuff, catch a few winks, swing by for Cadence, and hit the road.

Why not?

Because it was a really, really bad idea, that was why not. On the other hand, it might be the best idea he’d ever had.

God? What do You say?

The heavens did not part. There was no holy, booming voice. Not even a still, small whisper.

He was on his own here. And all he could think of was Cadence, bravely facing this mess alone.

Before he’d consciously decided to go for it, he found himself nodding. “Let’s exchange contact info, and I’ll text you when I’m ready to roll. The Jetta has a reasonable amount of cargo space, but you’ll need to pick what’s most important for the summer. I hope you’ll plan to stay at least through Labor Day if we give you a job.”

“Sounds good. I understand.” Cadence unlocked her phone, poked around in it then held it out to him.

Ah, she’d opened it to ‘add contact.’ Graham tapped his info in and hit ‘save’ before glancing up. “I can’t promise your perfect job. I… I don’t even know what you do.” He’d tried so hard to avoid thinking about her over the past few years.

“I’ve been a social media marketer for Lake Effect.”

One of the premier local tourism sites? Graham nearly dropped her phone. “Seriously?” He managed to hand it back without incident.

“Why would I lie?” She tapped into her cell.

His pinged with an incoming text. He glanced at it. Cadence had said hi, so now he had her number. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… social media is one of our big needs at Sweet River Ranch right now.”

“Then I’m your girl.”

If only that were true.

* * *

Cadence avoided her parents’ wing of the house as she padded toward the garage to examine her pile of belongings. How big was Graham’s car? He’d said the staff housing was partially furnished, but what did that mean?

She shifted a few boxes of Christmas ornaments and winter clothes to one side and eyed what remained. She wouldn’t need five boxes of paperbacks, but she hadn’t packed with the thought of sorting them. Everyday clothes, obviously. Her honeymoon bags stacked in her bedroom had been filled for a tropical vacation. None of that was relevant. From upstairs, all she needed were her purse and personal care items.

Cadence moved six boxes toward the garage door then stacked the book boxes behind them in case there was room. The rest could stay. She’d get Mom to ship things if she’d miscalculated.

Mom.

Cadence wrapped her arms around herself. Her parents were going to be devastated, possibly even angry. They’d sunk a ton of money into this wedding and, with the tight timeline, they’d lose much of it. Could they absorb the losses? As far as Cadence knew, they could, but still. It wasn’t fair to make them do that.

Should she see if they were still awake and explain things? They’d try to talk her into patching things up with Paul.Mom, especially, adored the guy, gushing about him constantly.

How did Cadence know Graham was telling the truth? Maybe he’d made the whole thing up. She replayed their conversation but couldn’t see that as a likely path. If she truly loved Paul, she’d drive over to his place right now and beg him to reconsider.

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