Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (21 page)

Cassie felt like her old self again. A straight-hemmed skirt, silky blouse, sheer stockings, and a pair of heels. Only she wasn’t stepping along wet pavement lined with dripping street signs. Sunlight poured from the bluest of blue skies, creating a stunning backdrop to the church house. A picture perfect Easter day. The massive doors stood propped open at either side, welcoming visitors as well as fresh air and sunshine. It had been years since Cassie had gone to service with her grandmother, and though she couldn’t exactly say she’d missed going all those years, there was something nice about stepping into the tranquil atmosphere once again. And with as handsome as Shane looked in his white shirt and tie  (she would not have guessed he even owned a tie) Cassie figured she might not mind attending every once in a while.

Blake was pointing a finger at the twins who were seated on a bench near the front. After the two gave him a nod, Blake, who was holding Reese’s hand, walked her up to the front where she took a seat facing the congregation. A bit of warmth skittered into Cassie’s heart as she watched Blake take hold of Reese’s chin, tilt it upward, and plant a kiss on her lips in front of everyone. Short. Sweet. Encouraging. Reese’s face reddened as she seemed to watch Blake return to the kids.

Shane stopped walking, eyeing the empty benches toward the center.

“Shouldn’t we go sit up there with them?” Cassie asked, nodding toward Blake and the twins.

Shane shrugged. “If you’d like to. My mom will like that. They’ll be here soon, and we can save them a seat.”

Just as Shane had predicted, the others filed in soon enough. Betty looked like a million bucks. From her studded nails and turquoise stones, to her flawless blond hair and neatly-pressed clothes. As usual, Betty hugged Cassie tight. “So happy to see you this morning,” she said. “And boy, do you look beautiful.”

Cassie smiled. “Thanks. So do you.” She stepped back to allow the couple to continue down the aisle, surprised when Grant reached out and put his arms around her, the way Betty had. “Hey, little lady.” His voice was deep and masculine, like Shane’s. “Looks like ya managed to get my boy to church.” Grant followed the assumption with a conspiratorial wink. And though Cassie hated to disappoint the man, she couldn’t help but set things straight.

“Actually, it was his idea to come.”

Grant lifted his dark brows before scrutinizing her for a blink. “Well then, he’s a better man than I am. Betty had to pull me out of bed kicking and grumbling.”

Cassie’s head fell back as she let out a hearty chuckle. “Oh, I should probably be whispering in here, right?” she said, worrying she’d been too loud.

“Certainly not, doll. A good, wholesome laugh gets you closer to God, my pa always said.” He gave her arm a series of pats before stepping past her, grasping Shane’s shoulder as he did. “Son,” he said.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Shane?” a high-pitched voice blurted from behind. “Shane Emerson?”

Cassie knew she hadn’t met whoever the woman was. She wouldn’t forget a voice like that. A sound that could literally peel paint from a wall.

Shane’s jaw tightened as his eyes clenched shut. “Natasha,” he muttered.

If one word could have stopped the peaceful rhythm of Cassie’s heart – that was it.
Natasha.

Shane turned to give Cassie an extended glance, a world of emotion stirring in the depths of his eyes. She wondered what he read in hers.

Mindfully, she placed a hand over her heart as she moved to look behind her, hoping it would keep it from shattering at the sight of Shane’s ex-girlfriend. With a deep mental cringe, Cassie took in the woman’s tiny form, bronze skin, and emerald eyes that sparkled shamelessly beneath the chapel lights.

“I was hoping I’d see you here.” Forget about peeling paint. That voice could reduce the entire chapel to rubble. 

Shane grimaced before turning to face her.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Natasha said. “I got in late last night and…” She paused to look Cassie up and down before lowering her voice and leaning closer to Shane. “I was half-tempted to drive straight out to your place. See if you were still awake.” She moved one, olive-toned hand from her neck and rested it between her cleavage. Her long lashes fluttered, and Cassie suddenly realized just how inept she was in the art of flirting.

“Well, I’d have to say it was a good thing you didn’t.” Shane rested his hand on Cassie’s lower back. “I’d like you to meet my wife, Cassie Lovell.”

Natasha’s eyebrow shot up. “Did you say her last name is Lovell?”

“Not anymore, of course,” he amended, wiping at his forehead.

One side of Natasha’s lip quirked up as she studied him.

The moment was so tense Cassie barely noticed that Jade and Gavin had walked in with Luke and the baby. Jade caught Cassie’s attention and tipped her head toward Natasha. “Is that the beast?” she mouthed.

And though Cassie wanted to find humor in Jade’s snide remark, she could barely breathe. She finally nodded in return, eyes widening in surprise as Jade picked that same row to sit in – next to Natasha.

“Mind sliding on down?” Jade asked, slightly nudging her with Kate’s car seat.

“Gavin?” Natasha chimed. “I didn’t think I’d see you in a church house come … you-know-what or high water.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Hell?”

“And look at you, Jay. Popping out babies left and right.”

“Uh – no. They actually only come out the center. You’ll learn all about it one day, kiddo.”

Natasha spouted off a series of annoying giggles just as the piano stopped. A hush fell over the crowd, and Jade motioned for Natasha to slide down further still, encouraging Luke and Gavin to sit between them. At last Natasha sat behind Betty and Grant.

As Cassie turned her attention to the front, completely unnerved by the woman’s presence, she saw Betty turn around and whisper to Natasha, a wide smile on her face. Cassie felt a sharp gulp slunk past her throat.

Shane looked straight ahead, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. Was it anger? Shock? Or confusion. Oh, please no. Please don’t let him be thinking on what could have been if Natasha had come to his door last night. Was it possible he was plotting out now – ways to escape the horrible trap he’d found himself in at the worst possible time? After all, hadn’t he just said he would not take back the time he’d spent with this woman?

The piano started playing again, and everyone reached for the old, tattered books beneath the benches.  As Jade leaned forward, she brought her head to the side of Cassie’s face. “Don’t you worry about Miss Boobs over there,” she said. “Shane can’t stand her, and neither can any body else. Check out Grant’s face.”

Cassie leaned forward, looking beyond Betty. Grant did look unhappy. Repulsed was more like it. As if somebody had just slipped him a dose of sour milk.

“Did you see him?” Jade asked in a hushed voice.

Cassie nodded, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. It was a rare moment when she took part in ugly back-biting or gossip, and Cassie inwardly scolded herself for doing so. Yet as the reverent song played, the voices carrying throughout the chapel, Cassie envisioned the way Jade had nudged Natasha out of the way with the baby carrier. It had caused Natasha to lose balance for a fraction, no doubt due to the bold pair of stilettos she wore; in retrospect it was purely comedic. What if she had tumbled over completely? Cassie could not fight back the laughter as she envisioned it. Her shoulders bounced as she thought also of how the woman was stuck sitting behind Shane’s parents, while Cassie sat right next to Shane – the man Natasha clearly wanted for her own – the man who’d just called Cassie his wife.

Shane leaned into her. “What’d I miss?” he asked. “Did Jade have some sort of joke?”

This caused her to laugh even harder. “No,” she whispered, “it’s just...” Cassie shook her head, hiding her face as the smile refused to quit. “I’m just being dumb. I don’t know what’s so funny. Nothing is, really.” She took a moment to calm down, reminding herself that she was being disrespectful to laugh at such a time and place.

“Look,” Shane murmured, nudging her arm and pointing down the aisle.

It was the twins. They were tossing small scraps of paper into some old lady’s bouffant hair. Blake sat there with his head in his hands, oblivious to the boy’s mischief. The sight made Cassie laugh again. Something about the forbidden act, coupled with Shane’s muffled laughter, made everything much funnier than she assumed it would be.

“You better tell Blake,” Cassie whispered.

Shane stretched his arm out to tap his brother, pointing at the twins once he got Blake’s attention.

Cassie couldn’t keep from gasping as the woman reached her hand up. After lightly tapping at the back of her head, she spun to glare at the twins. Reese looked horrified, and though a huge part of Cassie sympathized, the more dominant part of her found it just as humorous as the rest of it.

Blake forced them to pick out the pieces while an older gentleman spoke at the pulpit. It took Cassie a moment, but she finally gathered control of herself just in time for Reese to step up to the microphone.

She looked beautiful, and Cassie sighed in relief that her laughing spell was over. Reese had chosen to sing with no accompaniment. She didn’t need any; the rich tone of her voice filled the chapel like a high-tech instrument all its own. Chills erupted over Cassie’s body.

“Has she always been able to sing like this?” Cassie asked Shane.

He nodded. “Long as I’ve known her.” Shane kept his eyes pasted on the front, a furrow owning his handsome brow once more.

Once the song ended and other people began to speak, Cassie’s mind wandered. The peace she’d felt only moments ago, dwindling as a sudden fear struck her. What was Natasha doing there? And what if she was trying to get Shane back? What if Shane wanted her too? Really wanted her. He could be sick inside at that very moment, wishing he wasn’t tethered to his phony wife. Wishing he was free to pursue the woman he almost married over a year ago – the one that got away.

Cassie’s heart continued to thump, its pace increasing as the meeting wore on. “How long does this go?” she blurted, fearing it would never end.

“Until the top of the hour,” Shane murmured.

That was only five minutes away. Five minutes. She could do that. But then what? Go home to restless thoughts of losing a guy she never really had to begin with? She was in the way. Again. And though she loved her new place, and the people she was with, Cassie began to realize she might not be as welcome as she once thought. Especially when it came to one person in particular. Perhaps Shane Emerson had more important things to do than care for her. Maybe it was time to see if there was someplace else she could go. She couldn’t handle being somewhere she might not be wanted.

Cassie wasn’t sure how seriously to take the new direction in which her mind had wandered. The idea had come to her. Now it was time to watch and wait. See if things changed now that Natasha was back in town.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The rain fell hard and heavy on the rooftop as Cassie woke the next morning. She sat up swiftly, scurrying over to the window. A rush of steady drops thumped against the dirt road, now a mess of sloshing mud. For a moment, the overcast sky and wet appearance reminded her of Seattle. Cassie cracked the window, breathing in a full dose of the cool, spring air. Nothing smelled better than rain, she mused, until a vision of Shane came to mind. Well – almost nothing.

With a bit of concern, she checked the clock, fearing that perhaps the rain had caused her to miss waking up with Shane. She hurried to the bathroom door and swung it open, hating the idea of not seeing him the entire day.

It wasn’t until she had the door open wide that Cassie realized she’d forgotten to knock. She gasped as she saw Shane standing over the toilet, his back toward her. His shirt was off, but his Levis were on – thank goodness. In the moment of stunned silence came the familiar sound of a zipper. Followed by the swooshing flush of the toilet.

“Oh,” she spun around to face her room. “Sorry. I didn’t see anything,” Cassie promised. She relaxed slightly as she heard the water running at the sink.

“I wouldn’t have minded if you had,” he spoke from behind.

Cassie could feel the heat in her face.  She was mortified.

“You can turn around now,” he said, water still running. “I’m decent enough.”

Only then did Cassie notice she was still covering her eyes. She pulled her hands away from her face and spun around slowly.

Shane leaned over the sink, splashing water onto his face. “Morning,” he said as he shut off the faucet.

Cassie reached for the small hand towel hanging next to the light switch and handed it to him. “Morning.” Her voice sounded weak and wounded.

As he patted his face dry, she took in the magnificent sight of Shane Emerson’s bare chest. The sculpted contours of his muscles glistened from the water that had made its way there while he’d washed up. And those arms – she’d felt the size of his biceps as she’d held onto him there several times, but to look at it – the strength of those massive arms – it was unnerving.

Forcing her eyes away from him, she leaned against the doorframe and spit out the most casual line she could think of. “So, what will you be up to today?” When he took a moment to answer, Cassie looked back at him.

His eyes met hers. “Do you realize you’re not wearing pajamas this morning?”

Cassie gasped as she looked to see the tee shirt she’d slept in. It barely went to her thighs. “No, I didn’t.” With a  second dose of heat flooding her face, she slunk back into her room and closed the door. She rushed to the full-length mirror to see just what it was Shane had seen. Lots of leg, but nothing more. She sighed. That had been a close one.

A small series of taps sounded at her door, and Cassie scrambled to find a pair of sweats. “Yes?” she asked, stepping into them one foot at a time.

“I didn’t answer your question yet,” he said.

She opened the door, forcing herself to look at his eyes. Only they were just as alluring as his muscular form.

“It’s too wet to do much on the ranch,” Shane said. “Wondered if you’d like to spend the day with me.”