Dreaming in Dairyland Read online

  Lachele laughed, jumping up and throwing herself at Cissie, hugging her tightly. "I need you to meet my new assistant. She reads as much as the rest of us do! This is Samara Royal."

  Cissie smiled at the dark haired girl sitting in the booth. "It's nice to meet you, Samara. I'm surprised anyone can work with this crazy woman day after day." Samara looked remarkably normal to work with Lachele. She wondered how long it would be before the pretty woman would be sporting pink streaks in her hair.

  Samara grinned. "Oh, it's a trial—but I do love my work!"

  Lachele put her hands on her hips, glaring at her assistant. "She's helping me out with Matchrimony. I can't believe how fast the business is taking off now that I have that beautiful website Trey made for me."

  Cindy grinned. "My husband is talented."

  "Oh, quit bragging about your sex life, Cindy!" Lachele said with a grin. "We were talking about his design skills."

  Cissie choked on a laugh as Cindy blushed. "Yeah, don't brag about your sex life, Cindy!" She turned back to Lachele. "I plan on having a sex life soon too! Please tell me this guy isn't shy. I've waited my whole life to get married and pounce on a man, and I'm not putting it off!" Since she'd been told her ideal man was found, she'd daydreamed a lot about what he would be like. And how her wedding night would go.

  Lachele laughed. "He doesn't seem shy to me at all."

  "Oh, good! What's his name?" Cissie knew she wasn't allowed to ask, but she had to. She wanted to find this man and see what he was all about. Knowing nothing was going to make her crazy.

  "You know I'm not telling you his name! Go put our food order in and behave yourself! I want my usual." Lachele laughed. "Why do I have a usual at a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin? I mean, really! This is my fourth trip in as many months. No one flies to Wisconsin that often, do they?"

  Cissie laughed, turning to Samara. "What do you want?" She couldn't take offense at Lachele's comment about Wisconsin. She loved the place, but she knew it wasn't exactly the number one tourist destination in the world.

  "I have no idea. What do you recommend?"

  "Burger and fried cheese curds," Cindy, Cissie, and Lachele all said at the same time.

  Samara blinked for a moment. "I guess I'll have a burger and fried cheese curds." She waited until Cissie had rushed off toward the kitchen before leaning forward to ask softly, "What on earth is a fried cheese curd?"

  Lachele patted Samara's shoulder. "It's a tiny piece of deep-fried heaven. You'll love it."

  "How long have you been working for Lachele?" Cindy asked.

  "Only about a month. It's a fascinating business. You wouldn't believe what goes into making a match."

  "I don't know what goes into it, but I know whatever it is, it's worth it. My match was just right for me. Trey is an amazing husband." Cindy smiled, her face lighting up when she mentioned her husband.

  "And a great lover too, I take it," Samara said with a grin.

  Cindy blushed. "No comment."

  Lachele leaned forward to talk to Cindy. "How's Cissie doing? Is she nervous?"

  Cindy shook her head. "It's amazing. She was getting mad at the world, and you called and said the wedding was happening, and suddenly she was the happiest woman alive. No nerves, just pure excitement."

  Lachele smiled. "Great. He's going to be good for her."

  "I hope so. She's a sweet, loving woman. She needs someone who can match her excitement about life."

  *****

  Bob had to pull a double shift on Friday to get the sheriff to agree to let him off for a week for his honeymoon. Not that he planned to go anywhere, but he wanted time off for assorted newlywed activities.

  Unfortunately, that meant he was on traffic duty that night. He hated Friday night traffic duty, because it always meant one thing. Drunk drivers.

  He still was having a hard time believing he was going to get to marry the girl of his dreams. He just hoped it didn't come back to bite him in the butt the way he'd gone about it. Truly, he knew he should have found some way to approach her, but hopefully she'd understand when she found out and let it slide.

  He was pulled off to the side of the road, his radar gun pointed toward the two lane highway between Shady Hills and Blevins. He saw a Yukon weaving from one lane to the other, and turned on his lights, pulling out behind it. Obviously a drunk driver. He hated traffic duty, but he told himself it was worth the honeymoon time as he pulled over to the side of the road behind the SUV.

  He had his hand on the gun at his side when he walked up beside the car. The woman had already rolled her window down. His eyes widened as he realized it was Lachele, and Cissie was in the back of the car. Holy cow. How was he supposed to do his job with Cissie looking at him from the backseat, her eyes wide, a huge grin on her face. She obviously thought it was amusing Lachele had been pulled over.

  Lachele jumped out of the truck, running around behind it with him. Normally, he'd have stopped her, but the situation was strange.

  When they reached the back of the vehicle he frowned at her. "Have you been drinking?" He could think of no other reason for the woman to have been weaving in and out of the lanes as she was.

  Lachele laughed. "Sure. I've had four Cokes with extra ice. Bachelorette parties make me thirsty!"

  Bob frowned, looking toward the truck. "People drink at bachelorette parties." What had they done? He hoped Cissie hadn't been forced into the type of debauched activities he'd read about happening at bachelorette parties.

  "Not at this one! Really, we only had soft drinks." She shrugged as if she didn't care if he believed her.

  "Are you willing to take a breathalyzer?" He didn't want to give her a ticket. What if she told Cissie that she'd set everything up, and Cissie refused to marry him as a result? He didn't think she would do it, but he didn't really know her either.

  "Yip. Of course, I am! I wouldn't drink and drive, Deputy Bob."

  Bob frowned. "Deputy Bob? You make me sound like a bad cartoon character." He certainly hoped that name never caught on.

  Lachele's laugh filled up the night. "Get the breathalyzer out so we can be on our merry way."

  "You were driving recklessly no matter what your intoxication level is. I don't want you driving any more tonight." Or with Cissie in your vehicle ever again.

  "Oh, that? I was telling one of my stories, and I got to giggling, and then we were all laughing. I just swerved a little, and I didn't hit anyone." She shrugged. "I haven't hit anyone in over a month!"

  "A month?" Bob felt his eyelid twitching a bit. "Do you hit people often?" What had Cissie been thinking getting into a vehicle with this crazed woman? He was going to have to take her to task as soon as they married, and he was not looking forward to it.

  "Oh yeah! They should have taken my license away years ago."

  Bob leaned over, trying to keep his voice down. "You've got my future wife in that car. I want someone else driving. Now." He knew he was acting overbearing, and at that moment he didn't care. The woman he loved was in danger, and it needed to stop.

  Lachele sighed. "Fine. We'll let SamiSunflower drive. She's better at it than me anyway."

  "Who on earth is SamiSunflower? Why am I even asking this?" He couldn't keep the exasperation out of his voice. He wanted to force this SamiSunflower to take a driving test before he would let her drive Cissie, but he knew that would look terribly suspicious.

  "Oh, that's my nickname for my assistant, Samara. She was in the passenger seat. Do you want me to introduce you?"

  It was all Bob could do not to reach out his hands and shake the woman. "No, I don't need to meet her. Just give her the car keys."

  "I thought you were going to give me a breathalyzer."

  Bob closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Just give her the keys and drive away. I'll see you at the wedding tomorrow." Cissie was worth dealing with the eccentric matchmaker she'd chosen to marry them.

  Lachele smiled. "Cissie is going to love you! I'll remind her a
fter the wedding that you didn't give me a ticket!"

  Bob just nodded as Lachele rushed away, giving her keys to a slender woman with dark hair, who waved at him as she ran around the car and got behind the steering wheel.

  "I'll drive safe! I promise!" she called back.

  Bob watched them drive off, hoping his bride was still in once piece for the wedding. He could just see her face all bruised and broken from hitting a tree. Lachele should not be allowed to drive on public roads. Ever.

  *****

  Cissie watched the exchange out the back window of the truck with a wistful expression on her face. "I sure do love a man in uniform. And that one is sexy!" She put her hand over her mouth. "I guess I shouldn't say that since I'll be married tomorrow."

  Lachele turned around and grinned at Cissie. "I have a feeling your future husband won't mind a bit."

  Cissie's eyes widened. What kind of man wouldn't mind if his wife was lusting after another man? "You're not fixing me up with a gay man, are you?" She needed a man interested in women.

  Lachele had to hold her sides as her guffaws filled the car. "No, he's not gay," she choked out between peals of laughter.

  Cissie breathed a sigh of relief. It would be just her luck to marry a gay man. She wanted love, companionship, and sex. Was that too much to ask for?

  *****

  It was after two in the morning when Bob got home from work, thrilled to finally be off. It was all he could do not to call Cissie just to make sure she was still alive. He hoped Lachele had stayed out from behind the steering wheel, because that woman scared him. There was no telling what that crazy woman would do next.

  As he undressed for bed, he imagined what it would be like the following night, seeing Cissie lying in bed waiting for him. He imagined her in a white silk nightgown, her hair spilling over her shoulders. Nothing in life would please him more.

  He closed his eyes, pulling the covers over him. In less than twelve hours, he'd be standing at the front of the church, watching the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen walk down the aisle toward him. He was the luckiest man alive. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve her, but he hoped no one ever realized she was too good for him.

  Chapter Two

  Cissie paced back and forth in the bride's room at the back of the church. "Is he here?" she asked Lachele. She was already dressed in her wedding dress, and instead of acting like a typical nervous bride, she was impatient. They could start without the last of the guests as long as the groom was there. She didn't care who missed the wedding. The only people that really mattered to her were already there.

  "Yes, Samara is out there talking to him, trying to keep him calm."

  "I want to see him!" Cissie demanded, reaching for the doorknob. Why did he need to be kept calm? Was he thinking of leaving?

  Lachele leaned against the door, preventing Cissie from opening it. "No. You know the rules. You'll see him when you're walking down the aisle and not a moment sooner."

  Cissie frowned. "We should have set the wedding for earlier. I want to see him." She stared down Lachele, determined to get the woman to talk. "You can at least tell me his name. It's not like that's going to reveal anything." She had to know something. She was ready to get down on her knees to get the older woman to throw her a bone.

  Lachele met Cissie's stare with a level look. "You may be taller than me, but I will take you down if you touch this door again."

  Cindy stood back watching them, ready to jump between the two high strung women. "We don't need a knock down drag out fight between the matchmaker and the bride right before the wedding." She put her hand on Cissie's arm. "You need to go sit down and play a game on your phone. Crush some candy or something!" She turned to Lachele. "Do not antagonize her. She's a little bit psycho about getting married, but I've never met a woman who wasn't!"

  Lachele sighed. "I understand, but she's not seeing the groom yet. She agreed to my rules, and she's going to follow them."

  Cissie retreated to the corner and pulled out her phone, muttering under her breath. What would it hurt to see him? She'd be walking down the aisle in fifteen minutes! She took deep breaths trying to calm down, but all she could think about was walking down the aisle to a man with no face. And what if he was blond? She couldn't remember if she'd told Lachele not to find her a blond.

  There was a knock at the door, and Cissie's parents rushed in. Cissie's dad looked nervous, but her mother had an extremely calm look on her face. Her dad walked to Cissie. "Anything I need to know before I take over for the week?"

  Cissie shrugged. "Not really. Everything's the same as it always is. Well, that's not true. I have a new kid cooking in the kitchen. He's got the hots for Ashley, one of my bartenders. She's ten years older than him and definitely not interested. Keep an eye on him." She hated passing off troubles to her dad, but she knew he could take care of it. She also knew he needed a distraction to keep him from worrying about her married to a virtual stranger.

  He nodded. "Will do." Looking his daughter up and down, he said, "You're just as beautiful as your mom was on her wedding day."

  Cissie smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

  "I wish you were covered a bit more, but I guess that's the style these days."

  Cissie laughed. Her dress was perfectly modest. It was strapless, but there was no boobage hanging out. He should be pleased instead of complaining. "It is the style. You want me to look good for my husband, right?"

  He shook his head emphatically. "No, I don't want you to look good for him. He might get ideas about my baby girl!"

  "You do know we're getting married, right? He's supposed to get ideas!" If the man didn't get ideas, she was going to be sorely disappointed.

  His eyes narrowed. "Not about my baby, he's not!" He shook his head. "Any grandkids need to either be immaculately conceived or adopted. That's my final offer."

  Cissie grinned, getting to her feet and hugging her dad. "You know, I do know how to take care of myself." And she didn't really want kids right off anyway, so she didn't argue with him about his grandkids.

  "I know you do." He sighed. "I just hate the idea of my baby marrying some man I don't know."

  "I'll be fine. Lachele made a good choice for Cindy. I'm sure she did just as good for me."

  Lachele stood up and walked over. "I'll tell you, Mr. Rivers, I ran extra tests on this one. He's been forced through four more tests than any other man I set up. I just wanted to make sure he was the right man for our Cissie. She's too special to get the wrong man."

  Cissie frowned. "You ran more tests than you did on Trey?" Now why on earth would she do that?

  Lachele nodded. "I did. I had to be sure."

  "Was there something you were worried about?" Cissie had no idea why her man would need more tests than any other, but it didn't sound good.

  "His profession worried me a little. That's all."

  "And what is his profession?"

  Lachele laughed softly. "I believe it's time for you to walk down the aisle." She took Cindy by the arm. "You're first!"

  "I'm marrying him in five minutes. You can tell me his profession!" Cissie couldn't believe how difficult Lachele was being.

  Lachele just waved over her shoulder as she left with her mother and Cindy.

  Cissie looked at her dad. "Sometimes that woman makes me crazy!"

  Her dad grinned. "I can see why! Is she always like that?"

  Cissie nodded. "Pretty much!" She took his arm. "Thanks for giving me away, even though you have reservations. It means the world to me that you and Mom are here for this." She'd have married regardless, but she didn't tell him that. She knew whomever Lachele had chosen would be the perfect man for her.

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."

  As they walked out of the room to stand at the back of the church, she waited for the butterflies in her stomach, but they just didn't come. No, she was excited about her marriage, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

  They ste
pped through the doors at the back of the church. As her eyes zeroed in on her groom, she blinked. He looked so familiar to her, but she just couldn't place him. How on earth did she know the man?

  He was tall, dark, and handsome. Exactly what she was looking for. Her eyes swept down his body and back up. Oh yeah. She could jump his bones. No doubt about it. The man was hot, and he was about to be all hers.

  *****

  Bob's eyes locked onto Cissie as she floated into the sanctuary on her father's arm. His heart almost stopped. He'd never seen her hair down before, because she always had it in a ponytail, which made sense, because she was always serving food. Her usual wear for the bowling alley was a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, but there she was, looking like she'd just stepped out of the pages of a bridal magazine. He swallowed hard. He only hoped he could get his vows out.

  Her father placed her hand in his, and Bob realized he was shaking. Cissie must have noticed too, because she leaned close to him and whispered, "Don't be so nervous. I won't bite until we know each other a little better."

  To his embarrassment, Bob felt a blush spreading across his cheeks. What did this woman do to him that he could blush? Before he started going to the bowling alley to see her sing, he hadn't blushed since high school when he was caught making out with one of the cheerleaders under the bleachers during a football game. And he'd only blushed then, because he was caught by his algebra teacher, who he had a crush on. Of course, he was supposed to be on the field at the time.

  The preacher started speaking then, and he forced himself to concentrate, saying a silent prayer that he wouldn't stammer over his vows. Thankfully, he wasn't asked to repeat anything, and he managed, "I do."

  Cissie's voice rang out clear and strong when she said, "I do."

  And then the preacher invited him to kiss his bride. He turned to her fully, catching her waist with one hand and pulling her close. He lowered his head toward hers, and just as his lips were about to touch hers, she whispered, "It's our first kiss. Make me feel it in my toes."