Jillian Hart - Montana Cowboy

“Something tells me you were expecting something spiffier.” The wind ruffled Luke’s thick, sandy hair. “Hope we didn’t disappoint. I did warn you.”

“I’ve been to a lot of spiffy weddings.” All three of her sisters’ weddings, cousins, friends, her father’s clients. “Not one has been as genuine as this one. Brooke and Liam clearly love one another.”

“They do.”

Silence fell between them. At the next picnic table over, the bride and groom nestled together, sharing a private moment despite the family surrounding them. The groom leaned in to whisper something, and Brooke’s smile blossomed and the love that filled her eyes when she gazed upon her new husband was singular. Never had Honor seen anything as pure and true.

“And here I’ve vowed to stop believing in the existence of true love.” She dug her fork into the remnants of potato salad on her plate.

“I know what you mean,” Luke agreed.

“Those two had to prove me wrong.” She sighed a little, watching the couple. “What am I going to do now? Start believing again?”

“Brooke and Liam have that effect,” he agreed lightly. “Where did your disillusionment come from, your former fiancé?”

“Partly. Marriage is a big business in my family. Not that there isn’t love.” She looked quick to clarify. “But money trumps love if it ever comes down to it. You should have seen my parents’ divorce.”

“Mine was pretty ugly, too.” He blocked out those old memories. Not worth thinking about. It was why he’d always thought long and hard before getting serious in a relationship. Not that it was a fail-safe plan. Sonya had broken his heart. Love could turn out better, like it had for Brooke and for his other sister, Bree, but there was a pattern in his family. One of romantic disaster. He was afraid of repeating it.

Picking the right woman seemed to be the key, he’d decided. The trick was in finding her.

“That’s why I’m single.” She took a small bite of hot dog. “I worried that Kip and I didn’t have what it took to make it last. There were too many problems.”

“Like what?”

“Just about everything.” She swiped a dab of mustard from her lip.

Pretty lip. He leaned in a little closer, wanting to hear her better. The rest of the party faded away, the din of cheerful conversations silenced until there was only Honor with the breeze tousling her hair and the golden sunshine adoring her. Zip, there she was. The center of his attention.

“Kip went to college with my sister and one day she bumped into him, found out he was all alone on the West Coast without family and invited him to Thanksgiving dinner.” She set down her hot dog and picked up her fork. “He was charming and his interest in me was flattering. When he called me up a week later to ask me out, I accepted.”

“Was he a nice guy?”

“He was. He was also really ambitious.” She shrugged her shoulders in a what-can-you-do gesture. “He was polite, he worked hard to ingratiate himself with my family and he seemed happy to be with me. It seemed like the sort of relationship I’d been hoping for.”

“You’re using ‘seemed’ a lot. I get the sense that was the problem.”

“Exactly. He did everything right and he said everything right, but something felt off. Something felt missing. I didn’t know what. I just chalked it up to him being so busy with his work. My father liked him and had offered him a job. Which was his goal all along, apparently.”

“Oh, I get it. He’d set his sights on the boss’s daughter.”

“And not really me.” A dash of pain flashed in her eyes, but she shrugged it away. She’d been hurt.

He hated that. He knew what it was like to find out the one you were falling in love with wasn’t as devoted as you thought. “How did you find out?”

“It was the first time we met with our wedding planner. He kept texting, answering his phone, leaving to sort out some problem at work. He had a high-pressure job, I got it, but when he came back and was sitting near me, he wasn’t there. He was bored, not with the plans but with me. It wasn’t me he loved.”

“It was the successful life he was trying to build?”

“That’s it.” Her hand landed on his arm, reaching out to him.

As he looked down at her slender fingers against the white cuff of his shirtsleeve, his heart tripped.

“Kip never actually loved me. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, it was more that I was a necessary step to what he wanted his life to be,” she explained. “As my husband, his future at the company would be secure.”

“Ouch.” He winced, understanding. She’d loved the man and wanted his love in return. He’d been in a similar situation.

“After the wedding planner, we had a heart-to-heart. Kip didn’t have time to talk, so we argued and in his anger the truth spilled out. I was stunned.”

“Did you break off the engagement right away?”

“Yes, but my family pressured me to reconsider. Everyone loved him. He fit in so well. My sisters and mom kept saying it was just wedding jitters, that what I was feeling was perfectly normal. After the wedding I would be a happy bride. Not to worry.”

“I’m glad you didn’t give in.”

“Me, too. I didn’t want to marry a man who loved success more than he would love me. My family was devastated with my decision.”

“They love you. They must want what’s best for you.”

“They were convinced Kip was it. That’s the hard part.” She stirred her fork around in the remains of her potato salad, and he could feel how hard it had been for her.

“It must have taken a lot of courage to stand up for what you wanted with all that well-meaning pressure.”

“I don’t know about courage, but it wasn’t easy. That’s why I took the job tutoring Jerrod. It got me away from the situation. I could regroup, figure out what I wanted and get my head together.”

And the pieces of her heart, he figured. He knew how that felt, too. “Is it working?”

“I’ll let you know.” She smiled, nothing could be prettier. His pulse fluttered, because he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Her expressive blue eyes just blew him away.

“Hey, you two!” Colbie trotted over, changed into a T-shirt, athletic shorts and tennis shoes. “Let the game begin. Girls against guys.”

“No way.” He dropped his fork on his plate. “We talked about this, remember? Honor’s on my team.”

“Not anymore. As the entertainment director of this reception, I have unilaterally changed my mind. Sorry, buddy.” Colbie winked at him. “This is for Honor’s own good.”

“My own good?” Honor sounded surprised as she took a last sip of punch. “Is Luke a terrible player?”

“No, but we’re better. This way you’ll be on the winning team, and we’ll get to know you better.” Colbie gave a wink and bounded off to drum up more players for the match.

“This is already spiraling out of control.” Luke shook his head. “That’s what happens when a woman takes over.”

“I’m sure if your sister heard that and believed you meant it, she wouldn’t take that well.” Honor hopped up from the bench, reached over to steal his plate and stacked hers on top. “I’ll take these in. I need to change. I don’t want to play in my dress.”

Before he could answer, she breezed away. Brandi caught up to her, asking her about who designed her dress, some fancy name he’d never heard before, and the pair tapped off in the direction of the house, leaving him behind like he was yesterday’s laundry.

Well, at least he knew where he stood. He shook his head, pushed off the bench and dodged his cousin’s son, dashing off to play with the other little kids in the sprinkler. Around him rang the happiness of his family, who were still seated and relaxed, talking merrily.