Happy Is the Bride Read online

  Erin pulled it out of her pocket and held it out for him, noticing her hand shook just a bit.

  Was taking this step with Tanner so monumental it was enough to have her trembling?

  Maybe.

  Or maybe she just really wanted him.

  As he bent his knees slightly to see the lock better, she noticed how incredibly thick and strong his thighs were. The jeans fit him like a glove and she didn’t need much imagination to create a vivid mental image of how good he’d look stripped of them.

  When he grabbed the knob in one big, strong hand and slipped the key into the lock with the other her mouth went dry.

  The door swung in. He flipped the switch on the wall and the room lit behind him. He took off the cowboy hat and put it on the dresser inside before he turned back to face her and waited.

  Erin didn’t make him wait long. She strode inside, closing and locking the door behind her, and then stepped close to Tanner. Slipping her hands beneath his jacket, she felt the bulging hardness of his chest.

  No doubt about it, he was all man. He worked hard for a living, relying on his strength and his muscles.

  Why had she never realized the appeal of the working cowboy before? Instead, she’d spent years surrounded by cookie-cutter guys, not looking beyond the Austin city limits to where there was a whole other world.

  Yes, she and Tanner were very different, but that was exactly what made him irresistible.

  As the realization hit Erin, she noticed he was staring at her. Not moving, just watching.

  His tightly held control was evident in his grip around her waist, the rapid beat of his heart beneath her hands, the quick rise and fall of his chest . . . yet he was being a gentleman and waiting.

  She knew instinctively that with one signal from her—a word, a move—he’d unleash the need he held in check. Tanner, wild and uncontrolled, was exactly what she wanted. What she needed.

  Reaching down, Erin grabbed the bottom of her cotton dress. The stretch of the material and the style made it easy to slip over her head.

  She tossed the garment onto the chair. His nostrils flared while his gaze dropped. He took all of her in as she stood before him in nothing but lacy lingerie and heels.

  Seeing the heat in his eyes ramped up Erin’s own need for this man. Her lips parted as she found it hard to breathe. He jumped on the opportunity.

  Tanner crashed his mouth into hers. Their tongues performed an erotic dance as he stole what little breath she had remaining.

  He broke the kiss and began backing her toward the bed. “I’ve wanted you from the first day I saw you carrying all those books into Brady’s.”

  His words sent a tingle down her spine. Her body vibrated from within, overwhelmed by the combination of nerves and anticipation and long-ignored physical need.

  Goose bumps rose on her skin, following the path of his hands as he ran them over her. He lifted her easily and tossed her onto the bed, following her down.

  As much as Erin loved the weight of Tanner pressing over her, he had entirely too many clothes on. She pushed at him with both hands.

  When he lifted himself off her, she reached between them and started to tug at his belt buckle, making little headway against it.

  He stood and kicked off his boots. “It’ll be faster if I do it myself.”

  “Fast is good.” As far as she was concerned, the quicker he got naked, the better.

  “Not always.” He let out a breathy laugh as the belt gave way and the heavy buckle swung.

  “I’ve got nowhere to be until the morning.” Her announcement had him fumbling with his clothes in an attempt to get out of them.

  “Me neither.” He tugged his shirt over his head and her gaze dropped to his torso, a washboard of ridged, hard muscles.

  The rest of the clothing quickly followed until a pile of his abandoned things lay on the floor and Tanner was crawling onto the bed gloriously naked.

  He looked like a starving man, and what he was hungry for was her. Erin felt pretty starved in that department herself.

  The distraction of Tanner, naked and braced over her, held all her attention, until he rocked back on his knees and tore into a condom wrapper with his teeth. She hadn’t even noticed it in his hand until then. She’d been too busy enjoying the rest of the view. One particular part especially as it bobbed between them while he gripped it and rolled the latex down.

  “You always travel prepared?” Erin was only half-joking as she tried not to be jealous of every other woman who’d ever had the pleasure of Tanner’s preparedness.

  “No.” He leaned lower. “I knew I’d be seeing you. Wishful thinking on my part, I guess.”

  It was a good answer. She rewarded it by reaching up and pulling him to her for a kiss she got lost in until he slid one knee between her thighs and nudged her legs apart. Her body surrendered to his with the first thrust.

  She cried out with the pure relief of finally being joined with him. Of getting what she craved.

  Her tension broke and fled with every stroke until the thought that she’d ever been nervous with him seemed ridiculous. As did the notion that this man whose breath brushed her ear as he held her tight and made love to her had ever been a stranger.

  It felt so natural, so right being with him.

  Her muscles gripped him tighter and he groaned. As the orgasm rocked her, he lifted up enough that she could see his face. She saw in his expression the effect that watching her come had on him.

  As her body pulsed around his, his breath came faster. His eyes lost focus until he finally lost control. Tanner slid his hands beneath her hips, clutched her close, and pounded them both to an explosive conclusion.

  He collapsed on top of her, panting, not moving.

  Finally, when both of their breathing had slowed, he pushed off.

  Lying on his side, he pulled her to him with one arm he left draped over her.

  He shook his head and opened his mouth. All that came out at first was a short laugh. Finally, he said, “That was . . .”

  She understood his lack of words. “Indescribable?”

  “Yeah. That about covers it.” Tanner nodded before rolling over and swinging his feet to the floor.

  Erin’s heart fell. “Are you leaving?”

  He glanced back as he reached for his jeans on the floor. “Hell no. I’m texting Randy and telling him to get a ride back to the ranch. If you don’t mind me spending the night.”

  Erin smiled. “I don’t mind.”

  “Good.” He punched in a text and then tossed the phone to the nightstand before climbing back onto the bed. He gathered her close to him again. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  The idea that they should repeat what had just happened came to mind. The thought that Tanner should be naked as often as possible did, too. Erin kept those thoughts to herself . . . for now . . . and said, “No. What?”

  “For one, I’m now ‘Erin’s cowboy,’ just like Jessica says.”

  “All right. I can handle that.”

  “Can you?”

  “Mm hmm.” Erin bobbed her head. “And what else?”

  “That after I close on my place, the first thing I’m getting is a nice big bed . . . and Wi-Fi.”

  “That’s an interesting combination. The bed I get, but why the Wi-Fi?”

  “I’m hoping I can entice you to spend a whole lot of time there with me if I give you the tools. That way you can work nights from my place instead of your own.” Tanner smoothed a finger down her cheek. “Do you think you could do that? Be okay staying outside of the city? Maybe even permanently one day, if it’s not too far and you can still drive in to the office?”

  Erin had never considered it before, but now it seemed so logical. Perfect really. “Yes.”

  “You really think you could ever see yourself with a cowboy for the long haul?” There was a small spark of hope inside him that began to show through.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I think I can.”

  Hi
s eyes brightened further. “Even with how different we are?”

  “I think it’s because of how different we are. Being the same is boring.”

  Tanner donned a mischievous expression as he leaned lower. “Oh, I promise that you and me together will be anything but boring.”

  They’d already proven his point, but that didn’t matter. Erin felt the hard length of him pressing against her and said, “Show me.”

  He rolled on top of her again. “Gladly.”

  They were both going to be tired for tomorrow’s wedding, but it would be worth it.

  Taming the Sheriff

  Kate Pearce

  Chapter One

  “Still not married then, Nate? I thought you’d be the first man down.” Brady Cutwright gave Nate a manly slap on the back. “Thanks for coming to my wedding.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Couldn’t let you go to your happy fate alone, now could I?”

  Nate Turner grinned at his old college friend, who looked remarkably relaxed for a man who was getting married in two days. Nate had decided to make the long trip from home in California to Austin, Texas, into a vacation and planned to do some tourist stuff when the wedding was over. Being the deputy sheriff of a small northern Californian town wasn’t exactly a stressful job, but he’d grown up there and everyone knew where he lived, so he was never really off duty.

  “Come meet some of the guys.” Brady steered him toward the bar. “Did you get booked into the hotel yet? Sorry there wasn’t room up at the ranch for everyone.”

  “Not yet; I’m . . .” Nate studied the large guy in a suit who appeared to be guarding the entrance to the bar. “Are you expecting trouble?”

  “Jeez no.” Brady lowered his voice. “Do you remember Brian Dobbs?”

  “The weedy guy who wrote poetry and stuff the girls loved?”

  “Yeah, him. He changed his name to Travis Whitely.” Brady looked at him expectantly. “The country and western singer?”

  “Er . . . no?” Nate frowned. His musical tastes ran somewhere between the ’80s pop his mom had forced into his brain during car rides to school, rap, and heavy rock. “It’s not really my thing.”

  “Well, he’s a big deal around here and, as he’s my second cousin or something, he was invited to the wedding. He doesn’t want the paparazzi hanging around, so he’s keeping a low profile.”

  “That’s low-key?” Nate glanced over his shoulder at the security guard who was checking each incoming guest against a list. “So that guy is protecting him from crazy fans?”

  “Apparently.” Brady grimaced. “And he hasn’t even come down from his room yet.”

  “I can’t wait to meet him,” Nate said dryly.

  “You probably won’t recognize him.”

  “Is he singing at the wedding?”

  “I hope not.” Brady made a face. “You know me, Nate. I’m a simple guy.”

  At that moment they were hailed by a group of people, some of whom looked vaguely familiar. Nate took the seat offered to him as Brady went to get them a couple of beers and attempted to put names to faces he hadn’t seen for about ten years. Luckily, in his job he’d honed that skill to perfection.

  “Onsk!” One of the guys leaned forward to shake his hand. “Nate Turner, right? How are you doing?”

  “Good, thanks, Steve.” It was weird hearing the distinctive Texan drawl again. When he’d chosen to go to college outside California, he’d struggled to understand anyone during his first year.

  “Onsk?” The woman beside Steve, whom he introduced as his wife, Bonnie, said with a polite smile. “Are you Polish or something?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Steve grinned. “Honey, Nate’s not Polish. He just has a great nickname: the One-Night Stand King.”

  Nate winced. “Yeah, as to that—”

  Steve carried on talking. “Dated all the time but never took anyone out twice.”

  The lady didn’t look very impressed. “It’s weird how men think that’s funny when other men do it but not when it’s a woman.”

  “Um.” Nate cleared his throat. “It’s not quite what you’re thinking, ma’am. I just had a lot of first dates.”

  Luckily, at that moment Brady rejoined them, giving Nate a chance to stop talking and take a look around the bar. The actual wedding was taking place at the Hawk Creek Ranch, which was owned by a friend of Brady’s. The rest of the wedding party was camping out here.

  He always tried to forget that stupid nickname, which made him sound like some kind of Lothario. It was so far from the truth it was ridiculous. But, in fairness, he couldn’t say he’d changed his policy on dating much in the ten years since he’d left college. The only woman he’d taken out more than once was the local veterinarian, Jenna McDonald, and that had only been to annoy his old friend Blue.

  Time was ticking on and he was beginning to wonder whether he was ever going to meet his match. In his family you were supposed to just know when you met The One. Due to his occupation, he’d developed a cynical streak a mile wild that made buying into the family legend somewhat difficult. All these years, something had stopped him from settling and he’d remained a bachelor. Standing up, he offered to get another round of drinks and made his way over to the bar, glad to escape the frosty glare of Steve’s wife.

  A commotion at the entrance caught his attention, and his hand automatically went to his nonexistent holster. The big guy was blocking the entrance and vehemently shaking his head. Nate’s gaze narrowed as the man put his hand on the diminutive woman in front of him and shoved her backward.

  “Hey.” Setting down the tray of drinks, he walked over. “What’s the problem here?”

  Big guy ignored him, which was a new experience for Nate, seeing as where he lived he represented the entire force of the law.

  “I said, what’s going on?”

  “There’s nothing to worry about, sir. This . . . person was trying to get into the bar without an invitation.”

  Nate looked down at the flushed face of the woman the security guard still had his hand on and encountered a pair of furious brown eyes, a bow-shaped mouth, and a riot of black, curling hair tied back with a pink scarf.

  “Honeybun, where have you been?” She blinked as he inserted himself between her and the guy, forcing him to drop his hold. “I told you to text me when you were coming down so I could meet you outside.”

  “Um, I . . . I thought you said meet in the bar.”

  He gave her his best reassuring smile and took her hand. “Maybe I’m the one who got it wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time, now would it, honeykins?” He turned to the guard. “Check under my name—Nate Turner plus one. This is my plus one. Give him your name, darlin’, and he can put it next to mine right where it belongs.”

  * * *

  Della gave the man holding her hand one last incredulous look and turned to the security jerk. “It’s Della Forbes.”

  She watched as he took a long time writing it on his stupid list. Who would’ve thought the Cutwrights would hire security to keep people out of the wedding? They were known as a fine, upstanding family who usually welcomed all the locals to any event at their place. It hadn’t occurred to her that she’d need help just to get into the only hotel in town.

  She risked another glance at the guy beside her. Brown hair cut military short, gray eyes, and a lazy smile that made her want to smile back. She’d never seen him before in her life. He must have come for the wedding. He took hold of her elbow and gently steered her into the bar.

  “Sorry about that. That security guy was way out of line putting his hands on you.”

  “It was really sweet of you to come to my rescue.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I had no idea they’d shut down the whole place just for a wedding.”

  “Apparently, one of the guests hired his own security.” He tipped his Stetson to her. He wore the usual cowboy uniform of cotton shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots, but his accent definitely wasn’t from Texas. “I’m Nate Turn
er. I’m a friend of Brady’s from college.”

  “Della Forbes.” She shook his outstretched hand and then hesitated. The security guy was still watching her. “Can I buy you a drink for being such a hero?”

  “I just bought a round, so I’d rather get you one.” He picked up a tray of drinks and gestured at the table full of people toward the rear of the bar. “Let me just take these over and then we can get comfortable.”

  Unwilling to lose his protection while the security guy was still eyeing her, she followed him, staying at his shoulder as he distributed the drinks around the table.

  “Hey, Onsk, is that your date? Did you just meet her?”

  Fearing discovery, Della froze to the spot. Beside her, Nate looped a casual arm around her shoulders.

  “This is Della, everyone. She’s with me.”

  The group all acknowledged her. The man who’d first called out kept talking, his face flushed from too much sun and alcohol too early in the day.

  “It’s a three-day celebration, Onsky. Have you got a girl lined up for every event?”

  “Nope, this is my one and only.” Nate smiled down at her. “She’s stuck with me for the whole weekend.”

  “How much did you have to pay her to hang around that long?” Steve demanded and laughed uproariously. The woman sitting next to him elbowed him in the ribs.

  “I apologize for my husband. He’s an idiot.”

  Steve belched behind his hand. “No offense to the little lady.”

  “None taken,” Della answered, her smile so sweet he blinked. “Nate doesn’t need to pay for dates. He’s one of the good guys.”

  She turned on her heel and Nate followed her.

  “Sorry about that,” Nate murmured. “Steve was a jackass at college and obviously nothing’s changed.” He steered her over to the bar. “Now, what can I get you to drink?”

  “Just some white wine, please.”

  He found her a seat and took the one next to it, chatting amiably with the bartender about the upcoming wedding. It gave her the opportunity to study him more carefully. He didn’t look like the kind of guy who picked up women in bars and expected them to put out immediately. He looked like a nice, quiet, responsible guy. Did they really exist anymore? After her recent online dating experiences, she’d come to the conclusion most men weren’t worth the effort.