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gasped and let out a wounded-sounding moan. “I remember some of

the other ways we eased our tension after a night of studying,” he

whispered into her ear. His hands slid over her shoulders and down

her arms before skimming back up. The motion was so familiar it

was almost painful, and her nipples tightened under her bra.

Pulling away from him, she scooped up her part of the list and

hurried to the desk. “I’m going to put this in the drawer so that Lacy

doesn’t find it before we’re ready, and then I think I’ll go check on

Marilyn. I’m surprised she hasn’t been out of her room since this

morning.”

Vin watched her like a predator stalking its prey. He looked

lethal and badass. She wanted to launch herself across the room into

his arms and beg him to make love to her. But she didn’t. That would

be like saying what he’d done to her was right, and she wasn’t ready

to go there yet.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Vin asked abruptly. She felt her

mouth drop open, and she shook her head before she could

reconsider.

“Why do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “Curiosity I guess.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

Grinning a bit like the Cheshire Cat himself, Vin retorted, “But

satisfaction brought him back. Nine lives, baby.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she said rolling her eyes.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“Take it however you want.”

“Why haven’t you been back to Crawley Creek before now,

Lauren?” He stood between her and the door, but she knew if she

pressed forward he would move. He might look and feel harder than

the boy she’d fallen in love with, but the boy was still in there

somewhere.

“You know why I left.” She tipped her chin and glared at him.

“I’d rather let the past go than rehash it. You asked for a truce, but

that doesn’t mean I will ever forget.”

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Lori King

“I did what I thought was right.”

“Right for you, maybe.”

“Right for both of us. Look at what you’ve done for yourself.”

She felt her lip curl up as she thought about her day job. “Oh,

yeah, I love being surrounded by destruction every day.”

“Do you think you would have been able to have the career you

have if you’d stayed in Montford?”

“Maybe I would have actually gone to UND and followed my

dreams to become a full-time chef,” she threw back. “But instead, I

took the path that got me as far away from you and my home as

possible.”

His eyes widened and his face paled slightly. “So that’s why

you’re still angry? You blame me for you not having the career you

actually wanted?”

She shook her head and grumbled, “I don’t blame you for any of

my choices after I left Crawley Creek. I just don’t think I would have

made the same ones if I’d been going to Nebraska instead of

Louisiana.”

“So if you want to be a chef, why are you working at Fast-Aid?”

he pushed, looking far too curious.

“Because not everyone gets to live out their dreams, Vin,” she

snapped. “Look, what’s done is done. I can’t change the past any

more than you can. That doesn’t mean things can ever go back to the

way they were.” She shifted her stance and crossed her arms over her

chest.

“I missed you.”

The words were so soft that she was afraid she’d misheard him,

but one look into his dark blue eyes and she knew he told the truth.

Unable to find the words to respond, she shook her head as tears

filled her eyes. This was the last thing she needed on her plate right

now. Vincent Rhone was her Achilles heel. If he suddenly got caught

up in the past and decided he wanted to pursue her again, she wasn’t

sure she would have the strength to walk away.

On shaky knees, she walked past him and out the door, leaving

him behind. That’s where he belonged. In her past.

74

Claiming His Cowgirl

~ ~ ~ ~

“Is this for real?” Lacy asked, already getting emotional as she

looked around the dining room at her new family. Each one was

wearing a matching look of hopeful caution. “You guys really called

everyone on the list? And you set up the trip?”

“We know it’s not exactly what you were hoping for, but the

only important thing is that you have a wedding. You can throw a big

party later for everyone to come to,” Franki explained. “It was the

best solution we could come up with.”

Lacy nodded and looked at Drannon. He looked as emotional as

she felt. “I don’t know how to thank you guys. This is absolutely

amazing.”

“You aren’t disappointed?” Roman asked, amazement written all

over his face.

“Oh, I’m most definitely disappointed that I won’t be getting

married at Crawley Creek under an arbor of sunflowers, but this is

the next best thing. At least we’ll get to share our special date with

Abe and Sera, and the most important part to me is that I get to marry

my best friend.”

Drannon reached for her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her

soundly. “I love you, sweetheart.”

She snuggled against his chest, absorbing the intimacy of the

moment even though everyone was still watching them. Finally, she

said, “Thank you. For all of it.”

“And hey, look at it this way,” Vin said, “No Goddamn—er,

gosh darn, monkey suits or purple vests!”

“Amen to that brother,” Drannon said, giving him a mock salute.

Lacy elbowed him, but she laughed, joy seeming to fill her from the

inside out.

Lauren grinned. “The surprises aren’t quite over yet.” She

hurried into the kitchen followed by Marilyn who was moving a bit

slower than usual. Lacy made a mental note to ask her about it before

she was stunned to see the two women reappear holding a small

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Lori King

wedding cake. It only had three tiers, but it could have been found in

the display window of any boutique bakery. The work was flawless.

“Happy night before your wedding!” Lauren announced loudly,

gesturing to the cake like she was on a game show.

“I can’t believe it! You made me a cake even though we’re not

having a wedding.” Lacy was shocked at the genuine affection she

felt for the other woman. Had they really only known each other for a

few days?

“Can’t have a wedding without a cake! Everyone sit down to

supper, and then we’ll ask the bride and groom to cut into their cake.

This way we’ll be able to get pictures just like you would have at a

reception.” Lauren explained.

Before they could all do as instructed, the doorbell rang, and

Hawke hurried to see who was there. He reappeared with a dripping

wet Destiny who looked paler than normal.

“Destiny, are you okay?” Lacy asked as Hawke hurried to find

the wet girl a towel.

“Th-there’s a leak in the roof of my cabin and water up to the

back door. I was scared it was going to fill it up,” Destiny explained,

taking a seat with a dry towel wrapped around her.

“Damn, the rain just won’t quit,” Drannon cursed. “If it’s already

up to the back door of the Wonderland cabin, we’re going to have

some serious trouble.”

The Wonderland was the cabin farthest from the main house.

When they’d given Destiny her pick of the empty buildings she’d

immediately chosen it for its privacy.

“You’re going to let me handle it,” Vin declared. “You’re

leaving bright and early for Las Vegas, and Hawke and Romeo can

leave tomorrow for the auction rather than waiting until Sunday. That

will give them a jump on the other bidders. The weatherman said it

should end tonight, so at worst, we’ll have water in the Wonderland

and the Shire because they’re the lowest. There’s nothing we can do

to stop the rain, so we’ll just clean up when it’s over.” Lacy thought

through what he was saying and found herself agreeing.

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Claiming His Cowgirl

“Destiny, why don’t you just stay here in the main house until

we can get the roof repaired? I’m sure one of the guys would be

willing to go back over there to get some of your things,” she offered,

glancing around the room.

“Oh no, I don’t want to be a bother. If you have a couple of

buckets I could—” Destiny protested.

Interrupting the woman’s poorly thought out argument, Lacy

changed the subject. “It’s not a bother, we were just talking about the

change in plans. Drannon and I are eloping tomorrow since we can’t

have the wedding in a muddy pasture.”

Destiny’s sad eyes lit up with pleasure for a brief moment,

“That’s exciting! I’m happy for you guys.”

“It’s not what I planned…” Lacy started to say before she

realized that everyone in the room was holding their breath waiting

for her to fall apart, “But maybe this will be better. It takes the

pressure off. Of course, now we have hors d’oeuvres and flowers

coming out of our ears, but at least no one has to watch the wedding

from a kayak.” A loud sigh of relief went through the room, and she

laughed. “Come on, let’s eat! I want to try that cake and get my

beauty sleep before my big day.”

The room buzzed with activity around her, and she took a minute

to just sit back and observe. Franki and Roman were sharing a private

smile, and the love between them was almost tangible. Even though

she still had reservations about how Franki was dealing with her

sister’s death, seeing her bloom and accept that she was loved was a

truly wonderful experience.

When Jeanette wasn’t looking, Hawke was peering her way,

obviously entranced by the waif-like beauty. Lacy found that

humorous considering they were miles apart in maturity. The Doctor

would have her hands full fending off his attentions if he’d set his

mind to seducing her. Lacy knew firsthand how persuasive the

Crawley Creek boys were.

At the other end of the table, Marilyn was filling an empty plate

for Destiny who gave her a weak smile of thanks, but just pushed the

food around. It had only been a few weeks since she’d been found

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Lori King

battered and bruised in the remnants of a makeshift brothel, so it was

no surprise that she was still struggling to find footing in the real

world. Lacy just hoped that time would help heal her scars, and allow

the sweet girl to enjoy life again.

That left Vin and Lauren who were literally ignoring each other

even though they sat side by side. There had to be a story there.

Whenever she was near them she could almost feel the sexual tension

crackling in the air, but the two of them were clearly fighting it.

Drannon reached for her hand, startling Lacy from her private

musings. He gave her a curious smile and asked, “What’s going on in

that pretty head of yours?’

“Oh, I’m just sending up a prayer of thanks.” Tears of happiness

stung her eyes. “It’s like God gave me a second chance at the happy

family that I craved as a child. I never imagined I’d find it in North

Dakota, but I’m so glad I did.”

“I love you, sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing her softly. As

always, her body responded immediately, and she kissed him back

hard.

“Hurry up and eat. I want to show you how much I love you in

private,” she hissed, giggling as he made a dramatic show of

scooping food into his mouth.

Caught up in their own worlds, no one seemed to notice their

byplay. It was as though several different movies were all trying to

play at once, and somehow they all had to get to the finale together.

Who will be left when it’s time for the credits
, she thought with a

silent laugh. Only time would tell.

78

August 8 – Wedding Day – Status: Change of Venue

Lauren helped with the sendoff early Saturday morning, and

cursed herself for feeling jealous of Lacy and Drannon. The two were

so in love, and so happy. Even though their wedding plans had been

shifted, they’d adapted because they would still become man and

wife. What would it be like to have a love that strong?

A quick glance at the driver of the SUV she was in, was all the

reminder she needed that true love didn’t exist. Vin stared pensively

ahead at the road, ignoring both her and Marilyn for the most part.

Since the moment Lauren had pulled away from him his

advances in the study, he’d been carefully, pointedly avoiding her.

She wanted to confront him, but she was afraid it would give him the

wrong idea. Hearing him say he missed her had shaken her to the

core. All this time, a piece of her had believed him when he said he