The Shy Cowgirl (Bear Creek Rodeo)

  The Shy Cowgirl

  Bear Creek Rodeo

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright © 2019 by Kirsten Osbourne

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  What’s Next in Bear Creek

  About the Author

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

  One

  Stephanie Kelly—member and official song writer of the up and coming singing group the Kelly Sisters—was lonely. Very lonely. Both of her sisters had gotten married in the time since they’d sung at the Bear Creek Rodeo, and she felt like she was the last single person on the planet.

  She’d moved into a smaller apartment because she didn’t need three bedrooms just for herself.

  Now she sat at the computer in her living room, having finished her work for the day, and stared at a phone number on a website. She’d planned to call Matchrimony a dozen times, but she’d lost her courage every single time.

  She sucked in a deep breath and dialed, scared out of her wits. Who called a matchmaker who would introduce people at the altar? How desperate was she?

  “This is Dr. Lachele.” The voice came on the line, and it was soft and melodious.

  Stephanie panicked, not sure what she should say. So, she ended the call. What else could she do?

  Her phone immediately rang back. “This is Dr. Lachele from Matchrimony. Don’t hang up on me again.”

  Stephanie swallowed hard and found her voice. “I won’t.”

  “Are you looking for someone to marry? You want to talk about being introduced at the altar?” Dr. Lachele asked.

  “I do . . . but the idea petrifies me as well as inspires me. What if I’m a terrible wife? What if you introduce me to a serial killer?”

  Dr. Lachele laughed. “I’ve done this many times. I promise, I will do a full psychological screening on anyone who I might match you with. There will be no serial killer.”

  “Are you sure?” Stephanie couldn’t imagine trusting someone as much as she’d have to trust this woman.

  “Very. Tell me your name and a little about yourself.”

  “I can still back out even if I do that, right?”

  “You’re a skittish one, aren’t you? Yes, you can back out even if you give me your name.”

  “I’m Stephanie Kelly. I am a singer and songwriter. My sisters and I are the singers of the country and western group the Kelly Sisters.” With that little bit of information, she knew that this Dr. Lachele person would be able to look her up and see her dancing. All she had to do was look on YouTube.

  “Well, I’m glad it’s you and your sisters and not some random strangers who just call yourselves sisters.” Dr. Lachele cackled softly at her own joke.

  “I live in the Houston area, and I need to stay in this area so my sisters and I can continue to perform together.” For Stephanie, that was non-negotiable.

  “I see. Well, I can probably make that happen. Do you need to marry in Houston?” Dr. Lachele asked.

  “I guess I could marry somewhere else if I needed to.”

  “All right. When can I come to you and do a psych profile on you? I have to make sure you’re not a serial killer as well.”

  “Um . . . we have a show this weekend, but we don’t next weekend.”

  “I’ll come next weekend, then. Give me your address.”

  Stephanie gave her address. “And if I change my mind, I can call you and tell you not to come?”

  “You couldn’t even talk to me when you called the first time. I don’t expect to hear from you.”

  With that, the line went dead, and Stephanie sighed. Dr. Lachele was right. She was too shy to even talk to another woman. How was she ever going to be able to talk to a stranger she was married to? What was she thinking?

  She walked to the couch and sat down with a notebook, planning to write a song about never finding the right man and when someone did seem right, she couldn’t talk to him. She was sure it would be a hit. Many women must feel the same way she did.

  James Nixon followed his father as they rounded up the cattle after the summer feeding frenzy. It was late September, and he’d only been home for a month, but already he felt trapped. He’d never had any desire to be a rancher, but his father had made a deal with him that he could ride rodeo for ten years, but at the end of those ten years, he would be home. He’d gotten a concession for nationals in Las Vegas in a few months, but other than that, he was sticking to his word.

  What he really wanted—if he had to be a rancher—was to have a wife to snuggle up with at night. He was done playing the field. There had been too many years of that as a bull rider. No, he was ready to move on, but he wanted a woman to move on with. Wondering about the girls he’d gone to school with and dated back then had only ended up with him learning they were all married. All of them.

  He shook his head. He’d been in a small class, but that was ridiculous. He promised himself that if his father ever let him quit working for the day, he’d check out dating sites and apps on the computer. There had to be an easier way to just smile at a woman and say, “Let’s get married,” with none of the dating nonsense.

  He’d figure it out.

  Six hours later, James finally had some time, and he collapsed into the computer chair in the office he was sharing with his father. He knew his dad planned to move with his mom to a place in town as soon as James was married and capable of running the ranch on his own. His father would be there for questions, but he felt like he’d put in the years he needed to put in to move on and retire. It was definitely James’s turn.

  He did a search for dating sites, and the first thing he spotted was an ad for a company called Matchrimony. He followed the link and found that they introduced people at the altar. A slow grin crossed his face. That was exactly what he was looking for. No dating. No extravagant proposal. He just needed to show up at the church, in a tux, on his wedding day. He picked up the phone, knowing it was just what he needed in his life.

  It was early November when Stephanie received the call she’d been waiting for. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Steph. It’s your favorite purple-haired doctor! I found someone for you. How would you feel about marrying in Vegas on the seventh or fourteenth of December?”

  Stephanie frowned, putting the call on speaker so she could look at the calendar on her phone. It seemed like something was going on around then. Was that when she was going to be in Vegas anyway? “You know what? Either of those work. I’m singing with my sisters on the fifth to open the rodeo nationals, and I’ll be there anyway.” She felt so much more comfortable talking to Dr. Lachele now that they’d met. The woman was a little wonky and definitely marched to the beat of her own drum, but Stephanie adored her.

  “Perfect. Let’s say the seventh, because then you can honeymoon while you’re there. I’ll email you details of the time and place. Get your wedding dress, girl! You’re going to be married in a month!” With those words, Dr. Lachele ended the call, and Stephanie looked at her phone for a moment. Dr. Lachele was odd. There was no other word for the purple-haired maniac. But Stephanie adored her.

  “Well, I guess she’s done with me.” Stephanie rolled h
er neck, which was sore from typing all day. She was having to work less and less at her day job, but the singing was happening more and more often. The rehearsals were almost daily. The band had quit the other groups it played for, and now the Kelly Sisters had their very own band.

  She dialed her sister Emily first. Emily had been married for a few months, and she was loving married life. It was there in her smile every day. Stephanie hoped the man she married made her smile like Emily and Brittany did.

  Emily answered on the first ring. “Hey, Steph! What’s going on?”

  “I have a wedding date. I’m getting married December seventh. I want both of my sisters to be my matrons of honor.”

  “Absolutely! Brittany and I can wear the dresses the two of you wore for my wedding if you want.” Emily paused. “Wait. We’re going to be in Vegas that week. For Rodeo Nationals. Tell me you’re not backing out!”

  “I’m getting married in Vegas. He’s going to be there that week, too. He’s probably a rodeo guy, but I told Dr. Lachele he had to live near Houston, so maybe not. I really know nothing about the man. It’s probably better that way.”

  “Whatever works for you,” Emily said. “Have you told Brittany?”

  “Not yet. I was going to wait until Olivia’s naptime. Then she’ll have more time to talk.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Olivia was their new niece . . . sort of. Their sister Brittany had married Matt, a man who was raising his niece. So, they had both become honorary aunts of the little girl, and they loved her dearly.

  “Well, call her soon. I’ll see you at rehearsal in a few hours.”

  Stephanie kept her voice happy as she said, “See you soon!” As soon as she put her phone down, she buried her face in her hands. She was lonely. Her two closest friends were and had always been her sisters. Now, she was alone. Very alone, and they were both married and happy as could be. It made things hard.

  She got up and made herself some lunch, knowing that it would be good timing for her to call Brittany as soon as she was done. Both of her sisters had been very supportive of her having a matchmaker hook her up at the altar. It was strange—they all accepted that—but they understood that Stephanie was too shy to do things any other way. It was a miracle she could get up on stage, but the time on stage made it impossible for her to do anything else.

  As soon as she’d finished eating, she made the call. “Hey, Steph. I’m just putting Olivia down for her nap, and Puff the Magic Dragon must be sung. Can I call you back in ten?”

  “Absolutely.” Stephanie sat down on the couch and looked at the song she’d been writing. There was something just a little bit off with it. She would try to figure it out while waiting.

  When Brittany called five minutes later, Stephanie gave her the news.

  “You’re kidding me! You’re marrying while we’re in Vegas? That’s awesome! Please tell me you’re getting married by Elvis.”

  “Elvis? Did you really just say you want me to get married by Elvis? I’m shocked at you, Brittany!”

  Brittany laughed. “Could be fun, don’t you think? So, when are we wedding dress shopping? I know Olivia will want to go, and she really wants to go to Vegas. Matt is trying to find someone he can hire to go with us and stay with her when we’re not able to be there. I’ve heard there are sitters you can hire while there through the hotel as well, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. Maybe if I had her come early so I could spend a little time getting to know her first.”

  “That makes a lot of sense. You could get adjoining rooms or something. I mean, I’m sure Mom and Dad would watch her, because they love her, but I’m not sure how she’d feel being away from her aunt and uncle. I don’t think a child has ever attached to anyone as quickly as she did to you.”

  “Yeah, we’re taking her, so if you need a flower girl . . .”

  “Oh! Yes, of course! Then she’ll be there for sure. Let’s go shopping Friday and get dresses. If you and Emily aren’t busy, of course.”

  Brittany was silent for a moment. “Steph, I know that you must feel abandoned, but we are not too busy for you. We’re triplets. We do things together. We will be shopping for dresses on Friday.”

  Stephanie frowned. She didn’t realize her sisters knew how she was feeling about things, and it made her feel a little guilty. “Thanks, Brit. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. I’ll see you at rehearsal tonight!”

  “Sounds good to me.” Stephanie tapped the end key. Soon she wouldn’t be the only sister left single. She just hoped she could figure out how to talk to a man she’d never met before who she happened to be married to.

  Two

  Stephanie, her sisters, their husbands, and Olivia landed in Las Vegas a couple of days before the girls’ performance. The men were there to support the ladies, but more importantly, they were there to watch the national rodeo competition.

  They all stood in line to check into the hotel, and Matt and Chris shook hands with another man in line with them.

  “Are you competing?” Matt asked. “I thought your dad was making you join the ranching team at home starting September first.”

  “Oh, he did.” The man shrugged. “I’d already qualified for nationals at a rodeo in Idaho, though, so he said I could be gone for two weeks for the rodeo, but that was it. No more out-of-state rodeos.”

  “That’s a bummer,” Chris said, “but I do wish I’d gone home sooner like my dad wanted.” He didn’t say more, but he didn’t have to. Everyone around him knew that he had planned to quit the rodeo after ten years, and his father had died after nine. He hadn’t had the time learning the ropes that he wanted with his father, and he regretted it.

  The man—whose name hadn’t yet been mentioned—intrigued Stephanie. He was wearing cowboy boots and a hat, and it was obvious he’d done some work with her brothers-in-law over the years.

  “Where are our manners?” Matt asked. “James, this is my wife, Brittany, and my niece Olivia. Here’s Chris’s wife, Emily, and their sister, Stephanie.”

  James smiled, touching the brim of his hat. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I should have known you two would marry identical sisters.” He looked at Stephanie. “I guess you’re triplets? Or are there more of you hiding somewhere?”

  Stephanie smiled and fought to find her voice. “No more,” she said softly, thankful words had come out and not just a squeak.

  “Wow.” He shook his head. “And you’re all here for the rodeo? I didn’t think most women were interested in anything but sleeping with the cowboys.”

  Emily smiled. “Well, I am sleeping with a former rodeo cowboy, but we’re really here to sing. We have a country music group called the Kelly Sisters, and we are the opening act for the rodeo.”

  “Oh, awesome.” James looked confused for a moment. “Wait . . . Chris gave me a CD of yours as a welcome-back-to-Texas gift. I love the song ‘Lipstick on my Jeans.’ It’s absolutely brilliant!”

  Stephanie grinned at Brittany, who wrote the music to her lyrics. “We like it ourselves.” She was surprised to have found her voice, but for some reason, this man didn’t scare her like most did.

  “I can’t wait to hear you sing. I had no idea Chris and Matt married two of the Kelly Sisters or that you were opening the rodeo this year. I feel like I’m rubbing shoulders with the future of country music.”

  The three sisters laughed, and Stephanie added a blush to the laugh.

  “We love what we do,” Emily said. “I’m the lead singer. Stephanie writes the lyrics for our original songs, and Brittany writes the music to Stephanie’s lyrics.”

  “That’s really cool.”

  “Next!” the person behind the front desk called.

  Emily and Chris advanced to the counter, and another person immediately called for the next person in line. There went Brittany, Matt, and Olivia, leaving Stephanie completely alone with James.

  James smiled at her. “It’s got to be tough being an identical triplet at times.”
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  Stephanie shrugged. “I always felt like it made me belong in this little group with my two sisters. I never felt alone.”

  “I hear past tense in that,” James said. “You feel lonely now?” The woman was beautiful, head to toe. He wanted to stick her in his pocket and take her home with him. Maybe he’d contacted Dr. Lachele too quickly.

  “Well, my sisters and I have always shared everything. Rooms, apartments, cars. . . . Now they live with their husbands, and I rarely see them other than rehearsals and concerts.” Stephanie looked at her sisters, noting that now they were all together for a while, Brittany was back to wearing her glasses, which made her look different. She needed to look different, while Stephanie embraced their sameness. And Emily didn’t seem to care one way or the other.

  “That makes sense. But you’re all here together. How long are you staying?” James wanted to kick himself. Now was not the time to start a new relationship. He was getting married in four days!

  “We go home the fifteenth. So, we’ll be here a while. Our rooms are comped the entire time we’re here, so we’re going to have a little vacation.” Stephanie didn’t mention her wedding, because for once she was attracted to a man she could actually talk to. Of course, it couldn’t go anywhere with her getting married in just a few days.

  “Next!”

  “That’s me,” Stephanie said.

  “We’ll have to all have supper together tonight.”

  “That would be nice,” she told him, moving to the desk.

  Stephanie registered and received her room key, seeing that her sisters were waiting for her. They’d all asked for rooms just down the hall from each other, and they were pleased to have received them.