Knowing it was time to end the call, Cash said, “I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention my plans to anyone, especially Bart. I’ll tell everyone when I return home next week. That’s when I’ll let them know it’s a deal with the Blazing Frontier becoming a horse ranch as well as being a dude ranch again.”

  A couple hours later, Cash returned to the ranch house after going riding. There was something about this place that renewed his energy. Made him feel as if he was in his element. He was honestly getting used to the place, but he knew he would get even more used to it when he was here with Brianna as his wife.

  EIGHTEEN

  “Are you sure you packed everything you’re going to need, Brie?”

  Brianna smiled as she moved around her bedroom. It was Wednesday morning and Cash would be arriving in less than an hour. “Yes, Miesha. I packed last night. I’m just putting together my toiletries and makeup.”

  “Your dress is beautiful.”

  A few minutes ago she had taken a picture of the dress and sent it to Miesha over the phone. “Thanks. You don’t think it’s too fancy, do you?”

  “No. I think it will look beautiful on you. I wish I could be there with you today.”

  “I wish you could, too, but like I said, it’s not that kind of ceremony. You know after Alan I never intended to get married anyway, so I don’t plan to make a big deal of it.”

  “Regardless of what you might not have planned, you should be happy if for no other reason than knowing you’ll get the baby you wanted.”

  Brianna knew that to be true. “Hopefully you and Darrett can come visit this summer once we get the dude ranch up and running again.”

  “Trust me, we will. He’s fascinated with horses so maybe he can learn to ride while we’re there. That has to make you feel good, knowing Cash is putting you in charge of everything.”

  Brianna paused what she was doing and drew in a deep breath. Cash had given her everything he’d promised in the documents that he had faxed to her. She would be co-owner of the Blazing Frontier while they were married.

  There were a number of other things he had included that she hadn’t expected, and Mr. Cavanaugh had concluded that her husband-to-be had been very generous and there was no reason she should not sign the documents. She had signed them and had faxed them back already.

  “I know you packed a lot of sexy stuff, right?”

  Brianna laughed. “I packed enough.”

  “Are you ready for Cash Outlaw to rock your world?”

  She hadn’t told Miesha what happened on Saturday and how he had not only rocked her world, he had literally made her weak in the knees. “As prepared as I’ll ever be, I guess.” She then glanced at the clock. “I need to get off the phone and finish doing everything. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even read the mail. I figure most of it is junk anyway since I pay the majority of my bills online.”

  “Enjoy your day, Brianna. You might be lucky and get pregnant tonight.”

  “I wish.”

  “Then that will be my wish for you, too.”

  After ending the call, Brianna watered her plants. Ted would be taking care of Baby while she was gone and she appreciated it. She glanced at her watch. Cash would be arriving any minute. Moving to her fireplace, she looked up at the picture hanging there of her parents. Seeing them together and knowing how much they’d loved each other gave her the will to make it through today and believe everything would work out alright.

  When she heard a car pull up outside, she knew Cash had arrived.

  * * *

  “This is nice, Cash,” Brianna said as they boarded the small plane.

  “Thanks.” He tried not to stare at her, but from the moment he had picked her up he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her hair was different, styled in a way that complemented her features. He had told her more than once how much he liked it.

  The flight from Laramie to Jackson went smoothly. Brianna sat beside him in the cockpit, although she slept most of the way there. He figured she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before, and if he had his way, she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight either.

  It would be their wedding night.

  She woke up when he landed the plane, and she quickly sat up and glanced around. “We’re here?”

  He smiled over at her. “Yes, we are here.”

  Cash had made all the arrangements for the day. Once they left the airport in a rental car that he had reserved for them, they stopped for breakfast before driving to the courthouse to get a marriage license. Surprisingly, the process took less than thirty minutes. Then he drove them to the hotel after informing Brianna the wedding ceremony would take place at five o’clock in a chapel not far away.

  The hotel was beautiful, a five-star, and they had connecting rooms. Glancing around her suite, Brianna was truly impressed. It was huge, larger than most studio apartments, and beautifully decorated. What she truly liked was the separate living areas. She could dress for the ceremony in her own space.

  She saw no reason to unpack since Cash had said they wouldn’t be spending the night here. After the ceremony they would leave for Jackson Hole, a section of Jackson that was a valley between the Teton Mountain Range and the Gros Ventre Range.

  Jackson Hole was known as a place where celebrities and those persons with plenty of money to spend migrated for fun and enjoyment. She and Cash would be there for a three-day honeymoon of sorts. At least, he was referring to it as that. She only thought of it as baby-making time.

  She checked her watch and saw it wasn’t quite noon but close to it. Since Cash hadn’t mentioned anything about lunch, she figured he intended for this to be a do-your-own-thing time, which was fine with her. She needed all the time possible before the ceremony to think about how her life would be changing.

  Then again, maybe it was better if she didn’t think about it at all.

  The more she thought about it the more apprehensive she got, and it was too late to get cold feet now. For a woman who’d always dreamed of a fairy-tale wedding day, this certainly wasn’t how she’d thought it would be. But then, Alan had destroyed a lot of things for her, when she thought of the time spent planning their wedding, sending invitations. Luckily, she hadn’t had any wedding gifts to return.

  Sighing deeply, she decided not to look back but to look ahead. The thought of one day holding a child in her arms—her child—would be worth working through any misgivings she had.

  She’d walked to her luggage to pull out something that was more comfortable to put on, when her cell phone rang. It was Cash. She had given him a special ringtone.

  “Yes, Cash?”

  “I’m going downstairs to grab lunch. Would you like to join me?”

  “No, thanks.” No need to tell him she was too nervous to eat right now. “I’m still full from breakfast. If I get hungry later, I’ll order room service.”

  “Okay. And just so you know, I have plans for dinner after the ceremony.”

  “Oh? Where?” she asked him.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She would rather it not be, but instead she said, “Alright. I’ll wait for the surprise.”

  “You won’t be disappointed. I’ll see you at the chapel at five.”

  Another thing he had told her was that he had made arrangements for them to arrive at the chapel separately. He wanted to get there early to make sure everything was as he’d requested. A private car would be picking her up around four thirty.

  Although she knew they would be spending a few days in Jackson Hole, she had no idea where. She had only herself to blame for not knowing any details since she had passed all the marriage arrangements to Cash. It would appear rather petty of her to question anything now.

  She figured she would grab an hour of sleep before she showered and got ready. She really wasn’t sleepy since she had slept on the plane, but she was getting antsy and needed to calm her nerves. Just the thought that this was her wedding day—and then to think about the wedding night—was enough to make her heart beat too fast.

  She had kicked off her shoes and slid half out of her jeans when there was a knock on her door. She quickly pulled her jeans back up and wondered if that was Cash. Did he think she had changed her mind about lunch?

  After giving herself a quick look in the mirror and fluffing her hair back from her face, she moved toward the door. Pausing, she glanced through the peephole and nearly screamed. Then she could not open the door fast enough.

  “Surprise!”

  “Miesha!” Brianna exclaimed, pulling her best friend into the hotel room. “What on earth? What are you doing here? How did you know where I was? You didn’t tell me you would be here. You had me send you a picture of my dress and everything, and you didn’t say a word.”

  Miesha laughed. “Cash arranged everything. He contacted me yesterday morning at my office and invited me, but told me not to say anything to you about it. He wanted it to be a surprise.”

  Brianna couldn’t help but grin as she and Miesha sat down on the sofa. “But how did Cash get your number?”

  “He said you told him my name and the type of business I owned, and he looked me up on Google. Girl, I was totally surprised. He was so thoughtful to want to have me here with you.”

  Brianna couldn’t believe it. “All this time Cash had me thinking it would be a small and private wedding with just me and him. Now I wonder if his brothers will be attending.”

  “Just his oldest brother, Garth, and Garth’s wife, Regan.”

  Brianna tilted her head to look at Miesha. “How do you know?”

  Miesha smiled. “Because Cash not only invited me to the wedding, but he provided transportation to get here. Garth’s wife is their company pilot. She and Garth flew the company jet to Atlanta and picked me up and then we flew here. I thought it was cute how they took turns piloting the plane. They are super nice people. You’re getting great in-laws.”

  Brianna nodded. She had met Cash’s brothers and was looking forward to meeting Garth’s wife. “It doesn’t matter how nice my in-laws are. You know as well as anyone that Cash and I won’t have a real marriage.”

  “Well, evidently his brother and sister-in-law didn’t get that memo. They are excited about the wedding. So am I, and I’m here to be with you. Darrett is with my folks.”

  “Are you staying at this hotel?”

  “Yes. My bedroom is across the hall. Garth and Regan’s room is also on this floor, but down the hall. They will fly me back home tomorrow, then fly to Florida to visit Regan’s father. Garth said his other brothers don’t know about the wedding. Cash wants to tell them himself when he returns to Alaska next week.”

  Brianna thought about everything Miesha had just told her. Cash was putting more into their wedding than she had expected him to. Just the idea that he’d made arrangements for Miesha to be here with her was special.

  “What are you thinking about, Brianna?”

  She met her best friend’s gaze and said, “Cash is making it hard for me not to love him.”

  “But you do love him.”

  Brianna lifted her brow. “I never told you that.”

  Miesha’s smiled. “You didn’t have to, Brie. I could hear it in your voice, and I know that voice. I heard that same excitement when you returned to college that fall telling me all about your fantasy boyfriend.”

  “You know why, Miesha.”

  “Yes. Cash replaced Alan in your mind that summer and it worked. In fact, I think you fell in love with him then, Brie.”

  Recently Brianna had begun thinking the same thing.

  Miesha glanced at her watch. “Come on. Let’s grab lunch. Garth introduced me to Cash in the lobby when we first arrived. Definitely eye candy, girlfriend. He was on his way out, said he had to pick a few things up.” She chuckled. “I heard he even hired a photographer so you’ll have memories of today. Cash Outlaw is really taking this wedding seriously. He is trying to make sure today is special for you.”

  “It definitely seems that way,” Brianna said thoughtfully.

  “Cash also told me you hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. The last thing I want is for you to pass out from hunger during the wedding ceremony.”

  Brianna didn’t want it to happen either. Standing, she grabbed her purse off the table. “Okay, let’s go.”

  NINETEEN

  Cash knew the moment Brianna walked into the chapel. He had been talking to Garth and when he turned, she was there, standing in the doorway with her best friend, Miesha, and Garth’s wife, Regan. Garth had mentioned that Regan had gone to Brianna’s hotel room and introduced herself, to see if she needed help with anything.

  He felt a sudden tightness in his throat when his gaze roamed over her. She looked amazing, beautiful. She was wearing a pink silk dress. It stopped at her knees with a beautiful lace hem border. He remembered once telling her how much he liked the color pink on her. Had she worn the color just for him? Pink made her appear feminine and sexy. The color also enhanced her complexion as well as highlighted the darkness of her eyes.

  She wore a pair of silver stilettos, which looked to have a four-inch heel. He’d never seen her in heels that high and they enriched the beauty of a gorgeous pair of legs. When she began nibbling on her bottom lip, he knew she was nervous, probably from him staring so hard. But he couldn’t help it. His heart began beating nearly uncontrollably. Brianna Banks was his.

  “Are you going to just stand here and stare or are you going to claim your bride to get this wedding underway?”

  Cash glanced back at his brother. “I am claiming my bride.”

  He walked off toward Brianna, holding her gaze with every step he took. Coming to a stop in front of the three women, he noticed Garth had walked over with him and stood by his side. “Regan. Miesha,” Cash greeted the two women. He then glanced at Brianna. “You look beautiful.”

  She seemed to blush. “Thanks.”

  Offering her his arm, he said, “Let me introduce you to Reverend Epps.”

  In less than five minutes, Cash and Brianna were facing each other in the chapel. He had hired someone to decorate it and she had said she liked it. She also said she liked the bridal bouquet of hollyhocks he had presented to her. One day while out riding she had mentioned her favorite flower was hollyhocks and he had remembered.

  Garth was his best man and Miesha was her maid of honor. She’d obviously asked Regan to be her attendant. When Reverend Epps told them to hold hands, he reached for Brianna’s hand and felt her tremble. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze as they followed the minister’s instructions and spoke their vows.

  The words flowed from his lips freely and her responses were clear as she continued to hold his gaze. He took that as a positive sign.

  “By the powers invested in me by the great state of Wyoming, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Outlaw, you may kiss your bride.”

  Cash smiled when he saw apprehension in her features. He knew as well as she did that their kisses could take on a life of their own. He winked to let her know he wouldn’t do anything to give the minister heart palpitations, and Garth a reason to jab an arm in his ribs.

  He wrapped his arms around Brianna’s waist, leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss that wasn’t chaste, nor was it as hot and greedy as he could have made it. Those kinds of kisses would come later.

  Upon releasing her mouth, he smiled at her. Then the minister beamed his approval and said, “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Cash Outlaw. I wish the two of you the very best, and may you have a long and happy life together.”

  Without breaking eye contact with Brianna when he replied to the minister, Cash said, “Thank you, Reverend Epps. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  * * *

  More words of congratulations came from Garth and Regan and of course Miesha, who was shedding happy tears. Brianna still couldn’t believe her best friend was here and that Cash had made it happen. Regan had shown up at her hotel door, introducing herself and offering to do whatever she could to make Brianna’s day special.

  Brianna had liked Regan immediately and she could see how Garth had fallen in love with her. There was no doubt in Brianna’s mind it was a love match. She had seen the look in Garth’s eyes the moment his wife had arrived at the church.

  Brianna had also seen the look in Cash’s eyes when he had seen her. She knew it had been lust and not love, but she would take it.

  The photographer had taken a ton of pictures and she was glad. She would need them to convince herself she was truly married. Especially those times when he left her for days, for months, and she waited in Wyoming for his return.

  She felt Cash’s arms slide around her waist seconds before he leaned down and whispered, “It’s time for us to go. We have reservations for dinner at six.”

  Nodding, she gave everyone hugs and waved goodbye. Cash then took her hand in his as they walked out of the chapel. She remembered her luggage was in the private car that had transported her, Miesha and Regan to the chapel. She glanced around for the car.

  “What are you looking for?” Cash asked her.

  “That private car with my luggage. I don’t see it.”

  “The driver has taken our things on to Jackson Hole. Your luggage, as well as mine, should be in our room when we arrive after dinner.”

  Our room.

  His reminder that they would be sharing a bed tonight sent shivers through her. Mistaking the shivers as a sign she was cold, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her to the car.