Why not Wyoming? (Wyoming Wilds Series Book 1) (5 page)

“Damn,” he muttered as they stepped up on the cabin’s covered
porch. He hesitated a moment and then shook his head. “Just damn.”  

“And that means I nailed it,” she crowed, thrusting her arms in
the air in victory.

CJ pushed open the heavy front door and motioned her through.
She let her gaze crawl over the buffalo and pines carved in the wood portal
first. So realistic. He really was talented. Turning, she looked into the great
room. The house didn’t look that big from the outside, but the wide open floor
plan and exposed beam ceilings made it seem huge. The furnishings were simple
and what one would expect for a bachelor, right down to the prerequisite
leather sectional in front of the fireplace. At least this one was beautifully
distressed with rustic accents that fit the setting.

The Newel Posts at the base of the stairs were logs, their
knotty imperfections lacquered over, adding to the natural beauty. Wrought iron
spindles walked up the stairs and across the loft area. Drawn to the large
dining table back downstairs, she took a step forward before stopping herself.

“Sorry,” she said, stepping back and fussing with her snow
covered boots.   

“You’re fine. When it’s just me I usually come in through the
garage into the mud room,” he said, shedding his own boots.

“But the front entrance gives a much bigger wow factor,” she
finished for him.

“You could say that. Plus, the garage and mud room are …” He
took a deep breath. “Man zones are what my mother calls them. With the barn and
garage, the intent was to keep all that stuff out there, but it still creeps in
somehow.”

“Maybe because a man lives here,” she said with a teasing grin.

He took her coat to hang it up.

“I know, but Mom says—”

Annie’s grin widened when he stopped abruptly.

“Let me guess. Your sweet wonderful mom says that if you ever
want to get a girl you can’t be a slob.”

“You definitely should have been a profiler,” he muttered,
heading for the kitchen.

Trailing along, Annie ran fingertips over the wood table that
had grabbed her attention before. The thick wood planks were worn and scarred
under the polish giving the piece so much character.  

“I can’t even tell you the list of things my family is
convinced will prevent me from ever getting a man,” she said without looking up
from the wood. “I’m sure they mean well like your mom.”

“Doesn’t make it any less annoying.”

“This is one of yours?”

“Yeah. It’s reclaimed barn wood. Over a hundred years old,” he
said, opening and closing cabinet doors. “Carpenters are paying a pretty penny
for it these days, but I got lucky and traded a guy firewood for the right to
tear it down and take it away.”

“Lucky sounds like a lot of work.”

“Regardless of what some people say, that’s one thing I’ve
never been afraid of.”  

Annie wandered over to sit on a stool at the smooth stone
island. She rested her chin on a fist. “I take it not everyone is a fan of a
man having the balls to go after what he loves instead of just blindly chasing
the almighty dollar?”

“It’s uncanny,” CJ said, looking over at her and check-marking
the air in affirmation.

“Nah. I just listen and watch. Besides, jealousy is the root of
most people’s shitty comments. We’re not that different. I took a lot of heat
for choosing to live off blood money while I got my writing off the ground.”

“Jesus!” CJ snapped, slamming down the carton of cream and
turning to look at her. “Someone had the nerve to say that to you? What is
wrong with people?”

“More than one someone,” she admitted with a negligent shrug.
“Truth is, writing isn’t what most people would call secure. My income is
erratic. Have there been times in the last twelve years when I wouldn’t have
made it without the interest from the blood money?” She made sarcastic air quotes.
“Yes.”

“Please don’t call it that. You didn’t kill them or ask for the
insurance money. Whoever said that is an ass.”

“There are a lot of them in the world. The point is, if you’re
pursuing your dreams and not asking them or the welfare system to foot the
bill, then people should keep their damn mouths shut.”

CJ didn’t say anything, just nodded as he studied the swirling
cocoa. He was scowling. Had she put her foot in it? Her mom had always said
that Annie had an opinion on everything. Opinionated wasn’t on most guys lists of
things they looked for in a woman.  She bit the inside of her lip and looked at
the countertop.

“Did you build the house yourself?”

“A buddy I went to school with joined his family construction
business after we graduated. Their crew came in and did the big stuff. I helped
out.”

Looking around, she tried to pick out things that she thought
CJ had built. The square coffee table that centered the living room looked like
the barn wood again. It was a unique design with industrial castors under it.
He’d been right about the fireplace. It was a mini-replica of the one at the
lodge, right down to the roughhewn mantle. Gorgeous. She looked up into the
glass eyes of the huge head hanging above it. She’d seen her fair share of dead
deer in Michigan. None that big. She frowned. The nose and antlers were wrong
for a moose. It had longer hair on its neck, kind of like a lion’s mane.
Closing her eyes, she tried to remember seeing a picture of an elk.

“Does Eli creep you out?” CJ asked, setting a mug on the island
in front of her.    

“So it is an elk.”

He laughed. “Yeah. It’s a bull elk.”

Annie blushed despite herself and wrapped her fingers around
the warm coffee mug. “It seemed big for a deer and then I noticed the hair,”
she murmured, waving fingers at her neck.

“I shouldn’t pick on you.”

“Why? I gave you crap in the barn. Are you taking it easy on me
because I’m a girl or because I’m from the city?”

“City girl,” he said, starting to grin again. “I’d expect girls
from around here to know.”

His grin was infectious. Bumping his mug with hers, she took a
sip to hide her amusement.

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen an elk.”

“We’re going to have to fix that. What about pronghorn?”

She shook her head.

“Buffalo?”

“Yes. There’s a farm right outside of Grand Rapids that raises
them.”

“Not nearly the same as seeing a herd in the wild.”

“I can see that. Or should I say I’d like to see that?” Annie
said.

She liked the look on CJ’s face when he talked about wildlife. Her
dad hadn’t always bagged something when he went hunting, but he’d seemed about
as happy when telling her about what he’d seen.   

“Have you ever done any hunting?”

“No. My dad taught me to shoot, but I’ve only ever taken aim at
targets or tin cans. I used to love going fishing with him though. If things
were slow, I would stretch out to soak up some rays or read a book.”

“That sounds—sounds like you two had a close relationship,” CJ
said, shifting and swirling the dregs of his cocoa.

“I was definitely a daddy’s girl,” Annie said, searching CJ’s
face for a clue to his thoughts.

He sounded
off
. Had she really screwed things up that
badly? What had they even been talking about? Mentally retracing their
conversation, she looked for where it had gone wrong. Things had been good in
the barn. They’d headed inside. She caught her breath. The blood money comment
had pissed him off. He’d slammed the carton of cream down on the counter. She
hadn’t said it to upset him or even to elicit pity. She’d been trying to show
that people were assholes. They thought they knew what was best for everyone
else. She might have an opinion on things, but she didn’t tell people how to
run their lives. Shit. How did she make this right? This awkward tension
between them had to go.  

“Musical instruments.”

The words came out of the blue. Annie tilted her head with a
frown.

“Things I’m not good at,” CJ said looking her in the eye. “I
can’t play a musical instrument.”

The words hung between them. Were they a peace offering?

“I’m horrible at math. My dad said I’m the reason God created
calculators,” she said softly.

CJ smiled. “You were right. I sucked at the grammar portion of
English Lit, and I never could get the hang of breaking down sentences and
parts of speech.”

“Oh my God. Who can?” she asked shaking her head. “And
honestly, what is the point? Have you ever used it? I’m a writer and even I
don’t.”

“Maybe your editor does.”

“If anyone does, it’s her. Finn’s a blessing, but I call her
the comma Nazi. She’s convinced I purposely don’t use them to irritate her, and
I think she sprinkles the little bastards in there randomly at times.”

“I could tell you where any lure in my tackle box is by memory,
but can’t find the top of my desk,” CJ confessed.

“I can live with the condo being cluttered as long as my desk
isn’t,” she shot back.

“I’ll take you fishing if you help me organize my desk.”

They both laughed and when she caught her breath, the
awkwardness was gone.  

They were both laughing again when CJ wheeled the Jeep up to
the lodge.

“Door to door adventure,” Annie said, reluctantly releasing her
seatbelt. “That wasn’t in the brochure.”

“That one is reserved for pretty authors.”

“I guess that rules Mr. King out.”

CJ’s surprised bark set her off again and she was holding her
ribs when the lodge door opened. Her aunt’s lips were moving before Annie got
the Jeep door open.

“…hell have you been? What is wrong with you? Crystal is in a
panic.”

Annie blinked at the harsh words. Her aunt’s face was flushed
and furious. What had happened?

“How could you be so selfish? I understand you’re feeling a
little overshadowed, but this is her day. It’s not about you.”

The words hit her with the ferocity of a slap. Tears stung her
eyes and she drew in a desperate breath of the frigid air to stop the sob or
scream that threatened. Taking another, she looked back at CJ.

“Thank you.” She wanted to say more, but couldn’t force the
words past the lump in her throat. Steeling herself, she jumped down out of the
Jeep and brushed past her aunt.    

CJ stood still as Tyler’s mom secured the boutonniere and
smoothed his lapel. He offered his aunt a tight smile but anger thrummed under
the surface. He hadn’t seen Annie since the fiasco at the front door. What in
the hell was wrong with her family? He’d seen her literally flinch from the
verbal ambush. Instinct had been to protect her. It had taken everything in him
not to reach around her, slam the door and take her back home. Maybe worse than
seeing the pain in her eyes had been watching the mask fall in place as she
turned away.

The lodge had been in chaos all afternoon. It had been decided
while they were gone that the wedding would be tonight because they had the
local runway cleared and flights were resuming to Denver. With the roads
nowhere near cleared, the poor pastor had been brought in by snowmobile. Maybe
that’s how the wedding party would get to the airport tomorrow.

With a sigh, he tried to swallow his snark. His uncle and
cousin should have known better, even if no one else directly related to the decision-making
did. It was one thing to clear a runway. The winding maze of county roads to
get to the airport were a different matter. Running his finger underneath his
collar, he tugged and looked out the window. As much as he would’ve liked to
step out for a breath of fresh air right now, he was afraid he would just keep
walking.

“How is everyone doing in here?” the father of the bride asked.

Unwilling to play nice with Annie’s family at the moment, CJ
slipped out of the room while the man thumped Ty’s back. Guests were gathering near
the main fireplace. Avoiding them and the bustling banquet hall where the
ceremony would take place, he headed for the kitchen. God wasn’t smiling on
him. The first person he saw when he pushed open the doors was the wedding
planner. Backing out, he thought about his parents’ quarters off the back of
the lodge but decided against it in case Tyler needed him. Being responsible
sucked.

The hallway dead-ended just back past the room where the guys
were getting ready. He pulled a chair over to the window where he wasn’t in
anyone’s way. As with any other spare moment he’d had today, his thoughts immediately
went back to his morning with Annie.  She had enjoyed the ride if nothing else.
It was hard to fake the kind of sparkle he’d seen in her eyes as they’d
two-tracked their way over to his place.

In the barn, she’d pitched right in despite his telling her she
didn’t need to. Aries loved her. She’d championed the barn cats, even if in
jest. It was obvious she was an animal lover. Major bonus points. Oh! And she
liked to fish. He smiled. That was just the whip cream and cherry on top. The
woman was perfect. Leaning the chair back on two legs, he remembered her
memories of fishing with her dad. He’d come damn close to telling her that it
sounded like heaven to him. Fishing with Annie kicked back in a bikini or cut-offs
and one of those cute little ribbed tank tops—he groaned. It was thoughts like
these that had made him grateful the kitchen island was between them today.

CJ dropped the chair back to all four legs and rubbed the back
of his neck. A part of him knew that he was getting way ahead of himself, but
she’d looked so right at his place. It was hard to remember that they’d only
known one another for a few days. There seemed to be such a connection between
them. He was sure she felt it too. Hell, she’d actually gotten a little riled
when he’d mentioned certain people questioning his intelligence for chasing his
dreams. Other than maybe his mom, he’d never had anyone so ready to stand up
for him. His lips twitched. There were a few people he’d love to turn her loose
on. Amusement turned to a frown. There’d been no further mention of her
staying. With the festivities already going two days over, he hoped she was
still considering it. Right now, he was more than ready for the rest of her
family to get the hell out of his state.  

Tension in the bride’s suite was running high. Raised voices
and tears seemed to be the theme for the day. So much for the happiest day of
anyone’s life. Popular opinion seemed to be that it was her fault. Of course.
After the ego bolstering greeting from her aunt, Annie had been treated to much
the same from the bridesmaids. Crystal was stressed, making them stressed,
which only upset Crys more. It was a vicious cycle. Companion pony to the
rescue.

The wedding planner hurried into the room to give the latest
update on what was going on downstairs. Crystal waved her away, wisely leaving
her mom to deal with it. How that woman had survived in the wedding business
was a mystery to Annie. Her high energy might be great for getting things done,
but it sucked at helping to keep others calm.

Waving a hand at another cloud of hairspray, she wandered over
to the window. It had stopped snowing. With a fresh blanket covering everything
it looked like a Christmas card. She longed for a lungful of that crisp, cold
air. ‘Who do I have to kill?’ CJ had asked. There were a few on her list today.
Her aunt for starters. Of course she’d apologized for yelling, but that didn’t
erase the words or the fact that she’d made Annie feel two feet tall in front
of CJ.

She closed her eyes, forehead resting on the chilled glass.
Today had stirred up a lot of memories. No matter what her dad had been doing,
she had always wanted to help. She remembered struggling to load firewood while
he ran the chainsaw. The old Chevy one-ton had earned a dent or two in her
efforts to lift the pieces over the side at the end of a load. Being short sucked.
As weird as it sounded, it had felt a little like that today. It wouldn’t have
mattered how cold the barn was or what they were doing. She’d wanted to be
there with CJ. The horses had been a bonus.

It had all been fun. Seeing him where he was most comfortable
and at home had been so telling. She’d learned a lot about him, just watching
and listening. He made her laugh. CJ’s sense of humor was as appealing as that
unique sense of calm that seemed to radiate from him. He was steady. She smiled.
Maybe some women equated that word with boring, but she liked how relaxed and
safe she felt around him.  

Of course, none of that was saying she didn’t think the man was
hot. His eyes were insanely beautiful, those cheeks adorable, and she loved his
close-trimmed beard. Not enough guys wore beards anymore and if they did, they
looked like they were auditioning for Duck Dynasty. He was so solid when he
pulled her against him. There was just the right amount of dark hair on that
barrel chest too, trailing down his belly. She thumped her head against the
window. She’d definitely wanted to cuddle up to him and not let go. And then
there were his hands. The man had strong, capable hands that she wasn’t afraid
to admit she fantasized about.  

“You’re getting it all over my dress and my face feels like
it’s going to crack!” Crystal snapped.

Annie turned in time to see her cousin bat at a can of
hairspray in irritation and then let out a screech and grab her hand.

“No, no, noooooo,” she wailed.

Pushing through the gawking crowd, Annie took Crystal’s wrist.

“Let me see.”

“Oh my God, it’s my ring finger!”

“Crys, let me see,” she said, gently uncurling the long
fingers.

“Why is this happening to me?”

“Crystal, I swear to God if you don’t stop with the drama,” she
bit out between clenched teeth. “It’s a broken fingernail. Not the end of the
world.”

“It’s my ring finger, Annie! It’s going to be in all the
pictures!” she wailed, tears now flooding unchecked down her cheeks.

Annie let her head fall forward so her chin was resting on her
chest and shook her head. It was a fingernail. She knew there were replacements
in the queen’s beauty chest. Why was she freaking out?

“Are you even listening to yourself? Do you have any idea how
ridiculous you sound?”

“You don’t understand. It’s not your wedding.”

“So I’ve been told,” she said with a sigh. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Crystal asked as Annie grabbed a box of
tissues and the makeup kit.

“We’re going to calm you down and fix this mess. Come on.”

Ignoring several protests, she led Crystal down the hall to her
room and into the bathroom. Grabbing a chair, she plunked it down in front of
the vanity where the light would be good.

“Sit.”

Smoothing her satin dress, Crystal sat. Tears were still rolling
down her cheeks. Annie shook her head at the splotchy mess and squatted down in
front of her. Taking her cousin’s hands, she squeezed them softly.

“Everything is going to be okay. Deep breaths. You’re letting
them get you all worked up. This day is supposed to be about you. You and
Tyler. No one else matters. So all the worries and bullshit details your mom
and the planner twit are freaking out about, they don’t matter. I promise you
that man downstairs doesn’t give a rat’s ass if the centerpieces are perfect or
not. All he wants to do is marry you and take you away from this three-ring
circus.”

“I’m sorry my mom yelled at you.”

Annie handed her a tissue. “I don’t care, Crys. Right now all I
care about is you. And this,” she waved a hand at the crying mess. “This is not
the cousin I know and love. Come on, Princess. Stop letting other people tell
you what is important and start telling them.” 

“You know she loves you.”

“I know. I do, but we’re not going to worry about that right
now.”

“Next week she’s going to invite you to lunch or something and
be all hurt when you don’t want to. She won’t even know why you’re pissed and
dissing her.”

“What part of not worrying about other people are you missing
out on?”

Crystal gave her a reproachful look and blew her nose. Annie
growled out a breath and counted to twenty, then fifty. She wasn’t ready to
forgive. If things went well, she wouldn’t be in Grand Rapids next week.

“Okay. I promise to get over it. Now can we focus on you?”

“Thank you. I know we’re cousins, but you’re the best friend
I’ve ever had. Probably my only real friend.”

“You have tons of friends,” Annie protested.

“Not ones that will tell me to get over myself,” Crystal said
with a half snort, half sob.

“I think that makes me more of a bitch than anything,” Annie
said with a wry smile and pulled out the wipes. “Now, let’s get this war paint
off you and do your makeup the way you like it.”

“I count on you to tell me the truth. You’ve never let me
down.”

“I’ll always tell you the truth. Now, no more tears.”  

“What about my nail?” she asked, drawing a shuddering breath.

“It’d be a lot more fun if it was your middle finger.”

“Annie.”

Hearing the tremor in her cousin’s voice, Annie reined in the
teasing. Today was all about Crystal.

“We’ll fix it, Princess. The pictures will be perfect. I
promise.”

It was considered taboo to outshine the bride on her big day,
but obviously, someone had forgotten to tell Annie. The deep cut burgundy dress
looked amazing with her dark coloring. He couldn’t tear his eyes off her as she
walked down the aisle, head high, hand lightly fisted in the long skirt, and a
soft sway to her hips. Their gaze met. He held his breath as hers flickered up
and down before meeting his again. Her smile of approval made his chest swell with
pride.

The bridal march started and CJ heard everyone turn to the
French doors at the back of the hall. He didn’t bother. The woman of his dreams
was already at the altar. Annie was watching the bride. Her smile was tender,
and maybe a tad wistful. Was she thinking about the day when she’d be wearing
white like he was? Crazy or not, CJ could picture spending the rest of his life
with her. He’d been seeing flashes of it since the barn. It had been like
finding the missing piece to a puzzle. The picture had finally been complete
with Annie in it.

She must have felt him watching her. Her smile widened into a
teasing grin and she rolled her eyes pointedly toward the bride. He stole a
glance. Crystal was picture perfect, but not the one for him. His Annie bit her
lip against a laugh when he looked stubbornly back at her. Then the father of
the bride was handing her off and it was time to get serious. It wasn’t their
day. Yet.

Tyler beamed with pride as he took Crystal’s hand. CJ had never
seen his cousin look happier. She was even better than the brand new Ford F250 Super
Duty for his sixteenth birthday. CJ coughed into his fist at the sudden thought
and hastily schooled his features. Annie shot him a sidelong glance, lips
trembling. She couldn’t know what he was thinking, but it was obvious he wasn’t
fooling her. He ached to share the joke. Maybe later. He focused on the pastor,
hoping that would help.

The bride distracted him. The look of anticipation and
adoration on her upturned face was beautiful. It had to be a humbling feeling
to have a woman look at you like that. What had to be running through his
cousin’s mind right now? Was he thinking about their future together or was he
just picturing Bora Bora?