Bartender's Beauty (Culpepper Cowboys Book 11) Read online

  “I don’t know! But everyone knows you can’t.” She held her hand out for the keys, and after a moment, Dallas gave them to her.

  Dallas quickly threw some things into an overnight bag, and they all rushed out to the two cars that were waiting. Patience drove Corinne, and Felicity drove Dallas.

  “Thank you for hurrying over to help me get ready. I didn’t even know the wedding was going to be so early.”

  Felicity grinned at her, and Dallas grabbed the dashboard of the car. The girl barely looked at the road as she drove. “It’s my duty as best friend and maid of honor.”

  Dallas closed her eyes as another car came toward them on the highway, and Felicity went a little bit off the road to avoid it. “Are you my maid of honor?”

  “Well, we’re best friends, so I just assumed. I guess I should have waited for you to ask me.”

  Dallas shook her head, feeling as if her life was suddenly careening out of control. It wasn’t the fast wedding to Austin that was doing it, either. It was getting into a car with Felicity. “Will you be my maid of honor, Felicity?”

  “I’d be happy to. So kind of you to ask me. I accept, even though it is rather short notice!” Felicity pulled into the parking lot of the church, and Dallas drew a deep breath. She felt like she could breathe for the first time since they’d gotten into the car together.

  Dallas looked around to see if she spotted Austin’s truck, but when she didn’t she got out of the car and rushed toward the church. Opening the door, she hurried in, going straight to the bride’s room. She knew the church well, because she’d attended there for many years.

  Lovie came to the back and stuck her head into the room while Patience and Felicity were putting their bridesmaid dresses on. “Oh, good. You’re here. I’ll make sure Austin stays out of the way.” She stepped all the way into the room and stopped in front of Dallas. “I’m sorry about your father.”

  Dallas nodded, knowing it was expected. “Thank you.”

  “I’m also very glad you’re home, and I know you are going to make a wonderful wife to Austin. That boy has loved you for a very long time.”

  “Am I the only person in the whole world who didn’t know he was in love with me?” Dallas asked, her voice almost a wail. She felt like she’d been in the dark for a whole lot of years.

  “Probably,” Lovie said with a pat on her arm. “We’re glad to have you back in Culpepper where you belong.” She slipped out of the room, and left Dallas shaking her head.

  Feeling a tug on the wedding gown, Dallas looked down at Corinne. “Yes?”

  “You were told that I’m not going to walk down the aisle, right? Because I think it’s important that you know that.”

  Dallas grinned, sitting down in a chair so she would be eye-level with the girl. “What will you do instead?”

  “I need to dance down the aisle. And don’t worry, I don’t have to throw my petals out, because they fly out of my basket as I twirl. I’ve done this enough that I don’t need any instruction. I have my own method, and I’m very good at it.”

  Dallas laughed. “I’m sure you are. I’m glad to have someone so experienced as part of my wedding party.”

  “You really did get lucky.” Corinne wandered off to look at the petals in her basket.

  Felicity grinned, putting her hand on Dallas’s shoulder. “We’re all ready. Wedding should start in about five minutes.”

  Dallas went to the door and put her ear to it. She could hear people moving around, but there seemed to be way too many for a small wedding.

  There was a knock on the back door, and Felicity hurried to answer it. “Hi, Roy!”

  An older man Dallas had known her whole life stepped into the room. She remembered him coming over when there had been some problems with an outlet when she was a teenager. “Linda sent me in to see if you wanted me to give you away,” he said, looking a bit nervous at the prospect.

  Dallas grinned. “You’re Roy, right? Roy Williams, the electrician?”

  He nodded. “I am. I know we never knew each other super well, but since your dad just died, Linda thought you might appreciate someone to walk with you.”

  Dallas nodded, stepping forward to kiss the older man’s cheek. “I’d be honored.”

  Linda stuck her head into the room. “It’s time. You staying back here, Roy?”

  Roy nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to walk her down the aisle.”

  “All right, everyone else get out here then.”

  Patience, Felicity and Corinne all followed orders, knowing that when Linda spoke, everyone listened. “Are you going to tell us when to walk, Wiggie?” Corinne asked excitedly. She’d taken to calling Linda by her favored grandma name shortly after Patience and Ryan had married.

  Linda nodded, patting the girl on the head. “Go ahead, Patience.”

  Dallas stood in the back, taking deep breaths. “I can’t believe how nervous I am.”

  Roy laughed softly. “You’re supposed to be nervous when you get married. Just don’t go running out the back of the church, because I’d feel the need to chase you, and I don’t want to think about how Austin would react to that.”

  Dallas laughed. “I’ll do my very best.”

  Linda waved her hand at them to start walking, and Dallas clung to the arm of the man beside her. He wasn’t her father, who would have berated her the whole while, but instead he was a man she had good memories of from her childhood.

  Together they slowly walked to the front of the church, her eyes locking with Austin’s almost immediately. She was vaguely aware that every pew in the church was full, and there were people standing at the back. She couldn’t believe Austin had pulled off a Monday morning wedding with that many people on less than twenty-four hours’ notice.

  She didn’t recognize everyone, but there were a lot of people she knew from school. Teachers, other students, and even the principal, who she would soon be working for.

  It seemed like barely a moment and forever all at once until she reached the front and her hand was placed in Austin’s.

  Brother Anthony smiled at her, and then began speaking. “Dearly beloved, we’re once again gathered here for a ridiculously rushed wedding. These two fine young people have known each other for over twenty years, but they still had to plan a whole wedding in less than twenty-four hours. I would sure like to know what’s wrong with the fine people of Culpepper, Wyoming that they all feel the need to drop whatever they’re doing and get married at a moment’s notice. Am I the only person who thinks this is a strange new custom everyone in town seems to have banded together to start? Well, let me tell you something—.”

  Lovie shook her head, clearing her throat. “Save it for a sermon, Tony! Back to the wedding.”

  Dallas bit her lip, sneaking a glance at Austin who looked equally amused. She focused all her attention on Brother Anthony, hoping he’d get on with the ceremony.

  Brother Anthony muttered under his breath for a moment again, and then continued. “As I was saying, we’re gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Austin? You’ve loved this girl since you were a boy. I remember you coming to me one Sunday after church and asking me if it was legal for you to marry Dallas and live with her under the monkey bars at the school, because you didn’t have a job and had no way to support her.” He shook his head. “Do you remember coming to me about that?”

  Austin grinned. “I sure do. I knew even way back then I wanted her as my wife.”

  “That’s sure a long time for you to wait on a woman. I feel like I’m asking a question that everyone here already knows the answer to, but that’s kind of how it goes with a wedding ceremony, isn’t it? Austin, will you take your fellow Texas city, Dallas here to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her and have babies and yell and make up?”

  Austin looked down into the smiling face beside his, knowing he was doing the smartest thing he’d ever done in his life. “I do.”

  “And do you, Dallas, promise to sp
end the rest of your life with the man beside you, not running off to Cheyenne, and raising kids with him?”

  Dallas chuckled softly. “I think I can do that, Brother Anthony.”

  “Well, then I hereby pronounce you two as married as married can be. Would you kiss already?”

  Austin turned toward her, his arms winding around her as he pulled her into his arms. His lips on hers were gentle yet insistent, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she kissed him back. She forgot all the people who were watching, and all the people who had made fun of her. Today was about Austin, and she was going to love him with everything inside of her.

  When Austin finally raised his head, looking down at her with a grin, he whispered, “I told you that you were mine. It’s about time I told the whole town, huh?”

  She laughed softly. “Seems to me like you told the whole town twenty years ago!”

  Chapter Seven

  When Dallas turned and saw the sheer number of people that were gathered for her wedding, she was overwhelmed. She’d had only a vague awareness of them as she walked toward the front of the church. Looking at Austin, she asked, “How on earth did you arrange all this? You were at my house until eight last night!”

  He shrugged. “It only took a few phone calls to very choice people.” His arm around her, he led her toward the fellowship hall, where he knew the food would be waiting. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look in that dress yet? I’ve never seen anything that took my breath away like you did walking down the aisle on Roy’s arm.”

  “Did you ask him to offer to give me away?” she asked, still stunned the older man had done it.

  He shook his head adamantly. “Nope. I heard Linda asked him, but I had nothing to do with it.”

  “Did you ask Felicity to be my matron of honor?” she asked.

  He laughed, shaking his head again. “Nope. I did call and ask Allen to be my best man, and she took it from there. The girl is special.”

  “She is that. And I can’t believe I had a flower girl. It never would have even occurred to me to ask anyone, and there they were, offering their services.” She dashed away a tear. “It was a perfect wedding, and I’d been expecting a quiet ceremony with just two or three people.”

  “All I did was get the Quinlans and Culpeppers involved.” He stepped into the fellowship hall, and she looked around her, completely floored by the food there. The wedding cake had a place of honor on a table by itself, and there were women standing everywhere, ready to help serve. “This is the Culpepper I know and love,” he said softly. “I want you to love it here as much as I do.”

  People swarmed them, telling them how happy they were for them. Dallas was hugged over and over, sometimes by people she knew, sometimes by new people who told her their names mid-hug. One girl she knew she’d remember was Joy Culpepper, who was getting thick around the middle.

  “I’m Joy,” she said, hugging Dallas tightly. “I’m Kolby’s wife.”

  “So good to meet you! If I adopt Felicity’s phrase, you’re now my friend-in-law.”

  Joy laughed in a way that could only be described as, well, joyful. “Why don’t we decide to be friends instead of friend-in-laws?”

  “I don’t know about that,” Dallas responded. “Felicity offered me best friend status!”

  “Oh that cousin of mine is out to win you over first, isn’t she?” Joy asked with a laugh. She linked her arm through Dallas’s, dragging her off to Kolby. “Look who I found!”

  Kolby grinned at Dallas, leaning down to hug her tightly. “I’m glad you came back. I haven’t seen Austin as happy as he was today since the day he caught you on the playground and kissed you.”

  “Hey now!” Austin complained from right behind Dallas. “Hands off my bride, and don’t be going giving all my secrets away.”

  Kolby just laughed. “You gave me permission to say whatever I wanted on the phone last week. I’ll never forget it.”

  Austin pulled Dallas back against him, groaning loudly. “Give the man an inch…”

  Kolby pulled Joy close to him. “Yeah, whatever. I see the look in your eye. I’m really happy for both of you.”

  “Because I’ll never have to try to explain math problems to my kids?” Austin asked.

  “There is that. I was thinking more because you two are going to be happy with each other. You need to have a baby soon, because my kiddo here is going to need a friend to tell all her secrets to.”

  “Her?” Joy asked spinning to him. “You finally admit it’s a girl?”

  “I admit nothing!” Kolby said, grinning at her. “I just know it’s a child and will need a secret keeper.”

  Allen walked over then, grabbing Dallas from Austin and scooping her up in his arms in a huge bear hug. “How’ve you been?”

  It was then that Dallas realized Austin’s two closest friends hadn’t been friends with her just for his sake. They were genuinely her friends too, and the knowledge brought tears to her eyes. “I’m okay.”

  “Sorry about your dad.”

  Dallas nodded. “Thanks.”

  “It’s good to have you back, though. This louse has been mooning around about you for eleven years. Do you have any idea how many times I told him he should just take off and go to Cheyenne and drag you back here? He wouldn’t listen!”

  Dallas shrugged, grinning at Austin. “Not sure if I was ready to be dragged back. Everything in its own time, right?”

  “I guess. But all that moping around about you got old really fast.”

  Dallas laughed. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

  Allen looked at Kolby, who nodded emphatically. “It was bad. I thought we were going to have to have an intervention. Someone to go kidnap you and bring you home.” His eyes laughed at Austin. “You can tell her the rest of my plan later when there aren’t so many people listening.”

  “I think we’re supposed to be eating,” Dallas said, trying not to blush, but knowing it didn’t work.

  Joy shook her head at Kolby. “Don’t be teasing my new best friend now.”

  “New best friend?” Kolby asked, frowning. “You girls better not be ganging up against us now.”

  Joy shrugged at Kolby. “I’m hungry. Time to feed the baby.”

  Kolby groaned. “Hopefully there’s something baby’s hungry for in that mess of dishes.” He took Joy’s hand and led her over to the line of food, and Dallas followed, Austin right behind her.

  Dallas looked up at Austin with a grin. “I think your friends have met their matches.”

  “I know they have. Wanna know a little secret?” he asked softly, his lips against her ear.

  “What?”

  “They were always jealous of me in high school, because I knew who I’d end up with. There was never any doubt that you would be my wife. They dated different girls, always wondering if they’d find the right one.”

  “Really? They didn’t think you were crazy for settling on me?”

  He laughed. “They thought you were beautiful, funny, and smart. They were right, you know.”

  She shook her head at that. “Only a blind man could look at me and think I’m beautiful.”

  “I have twenty-twenty vision, sweetheart.”

  She didn’t say anything else as they walked down the line, and she got a little bit from each of the dishes, afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings.

  *****

  It was two more hours before they were able to leave the church and head to the house where Austin had grown up. Dallas had been there many times over the years, although the two dads had preferred to hang out in the bar whenever possible. There had always been a good supply of booze in the house for them to share, though.

  Dallas looked around, noting the subtle changes Austin had made to his living space. She turned to him with a frown. “I think I want our own house. A house that has no bad memories of either of our dads.”

  Austin nodded, shrugging. “I don’t mind that at all. We can sell both of our ho
uses and find a place that’s perfect for us. I don’t want you haunted by memories all your life.”

  She took the two steps that separated them and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for being so wonderful to me. I wonder every day why you put up with me.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve told you why over and over. You belong to me.” For some reason, he couldn’t tell her he loved her. He wasn’t sure why. He knew he did, and had since they were young, but the words didn’t come freely.

  She nodded. “Brother Anthony seemed to say that today. Of course, it was so convoluted by the time he was done, it was hard to tell if that’s really what he said.”

  “I have sat through a lot of Brother Anthony’s weddings over the years, but that one is the one that makes all others pale. I don’t know if he was really that much funnier than usual, or if it was because it was my wedding. To you.” He sighed. “You know, I do have one complaint about our wedding day, though.”

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “You’re wearing altogether too many clothes.”

  Dallas blushed. “Well, I do believe it’s your job to see that the clothes are removed. Wanna know why?”

  He nodded. “Why?”

  “Because I couldn’t get out of them on my own if you paid me to do it! There are too many buttons up and down my back. I don’t know how a bride would get dressed without someone helping her. I always thought it was just a togetherness thing when bridal parties got ready together, but it’s not! It’s so the bride can actually get ready, because wedding dresses are made very stupidly!”

  “Is stupidly even a word?” he asked, frowning.

  She shrugged. “It felt like a word, so I used it. You got a problem with that?”

  “Hey, you’re the teacher, not me!”

  She turned her back to him. “Would you please deal with all these ridiculous buttons?”

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, glad her hair was all out of the way atop her head as it was. “I will gladly deal with all these buttons.”