The Cowbear's Christmas Shotgun Wedding (Curvy Bear Ranch 3) Read online

  Of the ten bridal sets, two stood out. One featured a huge round-cut blue diamond in the center, surrounded by a swirl of white diamonds and blue sapphires. The other had a square-cut white diamond flanked by slightly offset twin blue sapphires. Both rings were worthy of a princess.

  “Well?” Logan asked.

  “I don’t know. They’re all so beautiful.”

  “Which one calls to your heart?” Edwin asked. “If you’re not sure, try them on. Sometimes they look different on your finger.”

  She hesitated. In the past when she’d tried rings on for fun, none of them were the right size. They were always too small. They never seemed to carry size nine, but maybe they could size it for her.

  As Logan slipped the first ring over her knuckles, her heart soared. It fit. She couldn’t believe it. “Oh, I love it.”

  “I like that swirly thing,” Logan said.

  She couldn’t stop staring at the stunning ring. She didn’t want to have to take it off, but she had to try on the other one, just to be sure. After reluctantly sliding the ring off, she let Logan place the second ring on her finger. It also fit, which made the decision harder.

  As she held it up to the light, her throat tightened. She couldn’t believe she was going to marry someone so amazing. How on earth had she gotten so lucky?

  She silently thanked her father because in a way, he was the one to bring them together. He wouldn’t be able to walk her down the aisle, but she had no doubt that he’d be present in spirit when she got married.

  “I love them both,” she said. “Can I try the first one again?”

  “Of course,” Edwin said.

  When Logan settled the first ring on her finger, it only took a second to know that it was the one. “I love it. I want this one.”

  “I was hoping you’d like that one too. It’s my favorite,” Logan said. “Take it off for one minute, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Logan took the ring from her hand and dropped to one knee. “I’m doing this the right way now. Honey, I want to be with you every day for the rest of your life. I want to wake up by your side and go to sleep with you each night. I want to share all of my love with you and I swear I’ll cherish you for the rest of my life. Kate, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said as tears filled her eyes. She pulled Logan into her arms and held him until he gave her the sweetest, most loving kiss of her life.

  “What about your ring? You need one too,” she said.

  “I want one that matches your rings, but something simple. Do you have anything like that?” he asked.

  “I do have a ring that goes with her set.” Edwin pulled a simple gold band out of the case and handed it to Logan.

  “Oh, they look perfect together,” she said as she held her hand next to his.

  “Can you bag that up for me? I’ll have to wait until the wedding to wear it,” Logan said.

  “But I can wear mine now, right?” she asked.

  “Of course, honey. Let’s go show off your new ring,” Logan said.

  “Right now?” she asked.

  “Yes, right now.” He smiled. “Madison and Rachel are hosting the Christmas baking contest at the B&B today.”

  “I don’t want to upstage their party.”

  “Are you kidding? They’re going to love it.”

  “I guess I’m just nervous about telling other people,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Everything is moving so fast.”

  “Should we slow down?” he asked with a furrowed brow.

  “No, I don’t want to slow down. I want to marry you. I love you. I just hope your family will love me too.”

  “They will,” he said as he led her out to the truck.

  As they drove down Electric Street, she gazed up at the strands of holly which had been strung over the road. Tiny twinkling white lights shimmered in store windows. And at the end of the road, an enormous Christmas tree shimmered with huge ornaments.

  The spirit of Christmas was all around her, and in her heart. She couldn’t imagine a better time to get married.

  Chapter 12

  “Are you sure I should leave the ring on?” Kate asked. Butterflies flitted around in her belly as they approached the B&B.

  “They’re going to find out sooner or later.” Logan smiled.

  “I know. I’m nervous about it. I guess I hope your family’s okay with it.”

  “They will love anyone I choose, and I choose you.” He kissed her until she melted against him.

  “Can’t we just skip to the honeymoon?” she asked.

  He roared with laughter. “I would love to do that more than anything in the world. But if we don’t walk in there right now, Madison and Rachel will kill me. I promised them that I’d help judge the contest.”

  “Well then, let’s not keep them waiting,” she said with a grin.

  Inside, Christmas rock music played just below the buzz of conversation. Guests filled the living room. Some sat on the sofa, some on the chairs, while others cuddled in front of the roaring fire.

  “There you are.” Madison hustled into the foyer from the kitchen. “We’re about to start the judging. Kate, do you want to be a judge also? One of the judges caught a cold and couldn’t attend at the last minute.”

  “Sure,” Kate said. “But I’ve never judged anything before.”

  “There are two categories—presentation and taste. We score from one to five using anonymous ballots,” Rachel said.

  “I’m ready for cake,” Logan said.

  As they strolled into the kitchen, seven cakes sat on the counter, all uncut. Every cake had a Christmas theme. Each of them looked so tasty that Kate had a hard time keeping her hands to herself.

  After Madison passed out the score cards, Rachel joined them. An elderly lady strolled into the kitchen. A shock of white hair sprouted out from beneath a red knit cap. Decked out in a faux fur coat and black sweater dress, she floated in as if she were royalty.

  “This is Gertrude Campbell. She’s the president of the Red Hat Society women’s group in West Yellowstone,” Madison said.

  “I’ve been judging food contests since before you were born,” Gertrude said.

  “I’ve never judged anything before,” Kate said.

  “Follow me, dear. I’ll show you how it’s done.” Gertrude grasped Kate’s left hand in a surprisingly firm grip. She held it up and inspected the ring. “Are you engaged?”

  Everyone in the room froze and all eyes turned to stare at Kate.

  “Yes,” she said in a near-whisper.

  “Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me?” Madison shrieked as she ran over and grabbed her hand. “It’s huge. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I love it. Where did you get it?”

  “When did it happen?” Rachel asked before Kate could answer Madison.

  “We got it in town. He proposed today,” Kate said.

  “What’s going on?” Mack asked as he wandered into the kitchen.

  “Kate and Logan... wait, it is Logan, right?” Madison asked.

  “Yes.” Logan said as he slid a protective arm around Kate’s waist.

  “They’re getting married,” Madison said as she rushed to give Logan a hug.

  “Congratulations,” Mack said.

  Hank joined the group and slapped Logan on the back. “I heard you’re getting married.”

  “We are,” Logan said.

  “When? Because we have two more weddings we’re planning right now,” Madison said.

  “As soon as we can,” Logan said. When everyone gave him a look, he added, “No, she’s not pregnant.”

  “I was worried you were going to have to do a shotgun wedding,” Hank said.

  “Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you need to get married right away,” Madison said with a pout as she rubbed the slight roundness of her stomach.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that. Sorry, Madison,” Hank said.

  “I know,” Madison
said.

  “One of you should have a shotgun wedding. Hell, Reverend Thompson’s around here somewhere, you could get married right now,” Drew said as he poked his head in from the dining room.

  “A shotgun wedding?” Logan looked at her with a glimmer in his eye.

  “If my dad was still around, he’d make it a shotgun wedding,” Kate said.

  “So we’ll do it in his honor then,” Logan said. “Hey Mack, can you go grab a shotgun?”

  “Seriously?” Mack asked with a smirk.

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” she said with a laugh, knowing that he wasn’t actually serious.

  “Come with me for a second.” Logan grabbed her hand and led her through the group and out onto the front porch. When they were out of earshot he said, “Hank’s a joker. They’re just kidding.”

  “That’s good, because I don’t have a wedding dress.” She chuckled.

  “Is that all you need?” Logan tilted his head to one side.

  “I’m a simple girl.”

  “What if you had a dress right now?” he asked.

  “Where on earth are you going to get a dress this time of night?”

  “I have an idea. Come on, honey.”

  As she followed him down the porch steps and through the snow to his house, she half-wondered if he was serious. If he magically pulled a wedding dress out of thin air, could she actually go through with the shotgun wedding idea? The whole notion was so funny that she brushed it off. Maybe he was just trying to sneak away to get her into his bed. That was an idea she could get behind.

  Inside his house, they walked up the steps to the second floor, then up another set of steps into the attic.

  “I know it’s here somewhere,” Logan said as he opened a trunk filled with vacuum-sealed bags.

  “What is?”

  “Just give me one more minute. Ah, here it is.” He pulled a bag filled with cream-colored material out.

  After unzipping the bag, he pulled out a hanger which held the most exquisite lace wedding dress she’d ever seen. She placed her hand over her heart to keep it from jumping out of her chest. He wasn’t kidding. He wanted to marry her right now. Tonight!

  “It’s beautiful,” she said.

  “It was my mother’s.”

  “I doubt it will fit.”

  A ruckus on the stairs caught her attention. Madison scurried up the steps. When she reached the top, her eyes widened. “We thought you were kidding. They sent me to tell you to come back for the contest. But you have a dress.”

  “Only if Kate wants to get married tonight. I don’t want her to feel pressured,” Logan said.

  “I want to marry you. But it’s so sudden,” Kate said.

  “I think it’s romantic. Like you can’t wait to get married so you do it as soon as possible. After looking into how much money it takes to cater a wedding, I’m half-ready to elope,” Madison said with a grin.

  “Can you give us a second?” Logan asked.

  Kate didn’t need a second. Why wait when she planned on spending the rest of her life with him anyway? And Madison was right, a shotgun wedding had such urgency attached to it—like if they didn’t get married right away they’d die from yearning—that it was totally romantic. And right before Christmas too. She’d be a Christmas bride.

  “Let’s do it. Let’s get married. Remember what I said earlier?” Kate asked.

  “About getting straight to the honeymoon?” Logan’s eyes sparkled with realization.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Madison, get the reverend,” Logan hollered.

  “Wait, you can’t see her in her dress. It’s bad luck. I’ll help her get ready. Go tell Hank to get the reverend since it was his crazy idea, and then find something to wear. We’ll be back in an hour,” Madison said.

  Kate laughed as Madison gave Logan a gentle push toward the stairs. “Go on. We have work to do.”

  As soon as Logan left, Madison grabbed the dress in one hand and Kate’s hand in the other. “Come on. We only have an hour.”

  ***

  Exactly one hour later, Kate sat still in the living room as Madison pulled the last hot roller from her hair. Her soon to be sister-in-law had worked Kate’s hair into an elegant up-do complete with cascading curls. A half a can of hairspray, give or take, held every single strand in place.

  Kate’s fear about the dress not fitting was completely unfounded. Other than a bit of tightness across the hips, the elegant dress hung perfectly. The enormity of what it meant to wear Logan’s mother’s dress hit her just as Madison swooped in with the mascara brush.

  “Oh, you can’t cry now. This isn’t waterproof,” Madison said.

  “I didn’t even ask you if it was okay to wear the dress,” Kate said.

  “I think Rachel would be first in line, but she already has two dresses and can’t pick between them. I have my eye on a dress online, but I’m waiting for the insane price to drop.”

  When Kate couldn’t hold back a choked sob, Madison wrapped her arms around her. “You deserve this dress. A woman who could tame Logan deserves everything he gives her. Trust me, we thought that heartbreaker would never settle down.”

  “Really?” Kate half-laughed, half-sniffed.

  “Really. Now, close your eyes so I can blot the mascara. We don’t want you looking like a raccoon.”

  Mack walked in. “Are you ladies almost ready? We’ve got pandemonium going on over at the B&B. I haven’t been able to get Gertrude off the phone. I’m pretty sure everyone in West Yellowstone already thinks you’re married.”

  “We’re almost done,” Madison said while waving a hand. “Shoo.”

  “I love you, honey bear,” Mack said before giving her a quick kiss.

  “I love you too,” Madison replied.

  “I was wondering,” Mack began. “If you’re okay with it, I was hoping that maybe I could walk you down the aisle. You know, since your dad…”

  “Oh, great. You made her cry again,” Madison said.

  “I can’t help it,” Kate blubbered.

  “You sure you’re not pregnant?” Madison asked.

  “I’m pretty sure,” she laughed.

  “Well then, let me put your lips on and we’ll get you to the wedding,” Madison said. “Isn’t this fun Mack? We should have a shotgun wedding too.”

  “We already sent out save-the-date cards.”

  “I know, but February 1 is so far away.”

  “It’s less than six weeks away,” Mack said, exasperated.

  “You’re right. I just want to get married before I turn into a roly poly.”

  “We will,” Mack said.

  After holding a tissue to Kate’s mouth to blot her lipstick, Madison held up a tube of shimmering red gloss. “This color okay? I wanted you to look like a Christmas bride.”

  “Can I check it in the mirror?” Kate asked.

  “Of course.”

  Kate carefully walked across the floor in a slightly too-big pair of Madison’s heels. Although they’d stuffed tissue in the toes, they still weren’t quite fitting. Hopefully she wouldn’t trip and fall on her butt when she was walking down the aisle. Wait, would there be an aisle to walk down?

  The second she spotted herself in the mirror, she gasped. “Oh, wow. I really do look like a Christmas bride.”

  “I think I did okay,” Madison said.

  “I can’t believe my hair. It’s amazing.”

  “You’re going to be my sister now, and as your sister, it’s my responsibility to make you look amazing on your wedding day,” Madison said. “Crap! Look up and blink a lot or your mascara’s going to run again.”

  Kate blinked back happy tears. As an only child, she’d always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. She didn’t have to wonder anymore.

  ***

  Logan struggled with the bowtie Hank loaned him. “Whoever invented these damn things needs to be shot.”

  “I’m pretty sure they’re long dead,” Hank said with a grin
. He crossed the empty guest bedroom. “Here, I’ll do it.”

  “I can’t believe I’m getting married right now.”

  “I was totally kidding too. But hell, why not? If I found someone as hot as Kate, I’d fall all over myself to make her mine.”

  “Hey, Kate’s all mine,” Logan said as his bear perked up.

  “I know. I’m just saying, the second someone comes along who can make me and my bear happy, I won’t hesitate to marry her.”

  “Your day will come.”

  “This has been one hell of a holiday season for engagements. Who knows, my mate might show up on the front porch tomorrow.” Hank chuckled. He finished tying the tie and gave Logan a pat on the back. “Looking sharp, buddy.”

  “Thanks. I just wish our parents were here to see us get married,” Logan said.

  “Who says they’re not?” Hank asked.

  “You think they’re up there looking down on us?”

  “Sure do.”

  “I hope I can make them proud,” Logan said.

  “You do.”

  “Thanks, brother. Well, let’s do it. Lead the way.” As Logan followed Hank out of the bedroom, the first strains of classical music sounded down the hall. “How did you guys find wedding music so fast?”

  “I think it was one of the guests. They’re all gathered out there waiting. They’re saying this is the most exciting thing that’s happened on their trip.”

  “I guess not many people have been to a shotgun wedding,” Logan said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to get a shotgun? You know, to make it legit?” Hank asked with a smirk.

  “No. I don’t want our wedding on the cover of Big Guns and Hot Babes.”

  “You got a copy of that anywhere?”

  Logan laughed.

  As they walked into the living room, the pit of his stomach dropped. They’d piled all of the furniture into the corner of the room. Chairs faced the fireplace with an aisle in between the rows. He didn’t usually get nervous about anything, but everyone would be watching him. He had no idea what to say. Hopefully the reverend would help him through it.