Hard-Riding Cowboy (Kinky Spurs 3)

“I can’t believe you just sprung this on us,” said Harper, dragging Megan’s focus away from the crackling fire sending ambers floating toward the dark sky.

Emma finished off her sip of wine. She wore an A-line, off-the-shoulder, white tulle dress with a jeweled belt. In her hair, she had small purple flowers on one side. “It’s all your fault, really,” she said to Harper.

“My fault?” Harper gasped.

Emma nodded. “Remember a while back when your brother was getting married and it all happened so fast?” Harper’s brother and his wife, Brody and Faith, had a shotgun wedding without the pregnancy. All because Harper had intended to move to Las Vegas. Until her relationship with Chase kept her in River Rock.

Harper frowned. “Okay, yeah, I remember that.”

“You told me then that all anyone needed was the people they loved at their wedding,” Emma said with a soft smile. “I guess that stuck with me. Because after Shep proposed last week, I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to be his wife, so we only told his brothers about the engagement.” She glanced around for gossiping ears nearby, then added, “My mother doesn’t know how to do things small. The wedding would have gotten so big before I knew it, and I wanted”—her smile widened—“I wanted our wedding to be about us, without all the fuss.”

Megan wanted the exact same thing for her wedding. “I think it was the best choice for you and Shep. Suited you perfectly.”

Harper nodded and grinned. “And you’ve got really great wine.”

“The wine was definitely a priority.” Emma laughed.

The laughing suddenly ceased, and Emma and Harper glanced over Megan’s shoulder. She didn’t have to look. She knew exactly who was approaching by the rising hairs on her neck.

Nash.

When she turned to face him, he had a blanket tucked under his arm. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said, offering his arm to Megan. “I need to steal Megan away for a little bit.”

She noted the emotion in his eyes. The questions there too. Of course, he would want to talk about why she’d been avoiding him all day.

She turned to the girls, knowing they needed to talk. “I’ll be back soon.”

Nash grinned and winked. “Well, not that soon. You both know what we like to do at weddings.”

Harper and Emma burst out laughing.

Megan snorted and shoved Nash forward. “Just go.”

The daunting silence spread out between them while they strode up the hill, far away from the wedding. Nash built them a fire using wood from the forest. After that, he laid out the blanket and they sat beneath the starry sky, watching the flames flicker in the fire pit he’d made of stones.

“Are you still angry with me?” he finally asked gently, staring into the fire.

“Angry?” She mulled over that word. She finally shook her head. “No, I’m definitely not that.”

“Then why have you been ignoring me all day?”

She sighed. “I needed some time to think.”

Nash looked at her then, the orangish glow from the fire lighting up the side of his face. Emotion shone in his eyes. “Next time maybe tell me that. Hell, even text me that. Today”—his jaw clenched and unclenched—“today topped one of the worst days I’ve ever had.”

She was momentarily stunned by his words. Nash never let his guard down to show his weaknesses ever. But the pain he showed her was raw. Real. And she felt bad about that. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back.”

He glanced back into the fire, his expression haunted. “I drove around town trying to find you.”

Though she did feel bad, she also knew she wasn’t doing either Nash or her father any favors if she didn’t expect more of them. “You can’t fight like that with my dad,” she said flat out. No miscommunication. “Why can’t you let it go? Be the bigger man?”

Nash searched her eyes for a long moment, then began poking at the fire with a stick. “I actually think we did remarkably well today.”

“Seriously?” She snorted a laugh. “You were in a screaming match with my father.”

Nash’s amused gaze slid to her. “I didn’t want to clock him one. That’s an improvement.”

Maybe in his eyes they were taking small steps forward. But Megan couldn’t deal with small steps anymore when it came to the anger. She inhaled, long and deep, staring into the warm flickers of the fire, under the blanket of stars above them. Knowing she had to, she finally admitted the thought she couldn’t run from today. “You know, everyone keeps telling me that everything is going to be okay. But when is it going to be okay? When will I see everyone’s happiness that I’m having a baby, and this is really incredible and amazing?”