Here Comes Trouble (43 page)

"You look amazing, sis," Lauren told her then
leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Joel is a lucky man."

"I'm a lucky lady...so damned lucky," Terri
corrected and hugged her waist.

When they walked out the back door of the spa,
Rocky was waiting for them with Diamond's reins in her hands. The
female cowhand looked strange in a dress, she'd never seen her
dolled up before. She looked good, really good...like beautiful
good.

Terri was sure her brother Ethan would notice,
he seemed to have a soft spot for her. Rocky was an unusual woman,
quiet and capable, but Terri wondered if part of Ethan's attraction
to her was simple curiosity, because she was different from the
other women he usually dated.

Her brother was in the bridal party, Joel had
asked Ethan to stand up for him, and Terri was touched at the
gesture. Chase was Joel's best man, and Dylan and Matt were his
other groomsmen. She had seen Dylan earlier in his western tux when
he'd kissed her cheek and wished her luck. He looked delicious, she
could only imagine how Joel looked in his tux. Her heartbeat sped
up at the thought as anticipation filled her. Lifting the hem of
her dress and slid the toe of her high heeled granny boot into the
stirrup.

"I still think this is a terrible idea," she
grumbled then bounced a couple of times, before she plopped her
butt onto the saddle. Riding sidesaddle was just stupid, she had
just leaned to sit steady in a regular saddle. Terri hiked up the
skirt to see what she was doing, then looped her thigh around the
horn and resettled herself.

"I tried to tell Mrs. Rhodes, but..." Rocky
told her and shook her head.

"I know, Roxanne and I appreciate you
trying...what Curly wants, Curly gets, that's just the way of it,
so let's just do it and keep the peace." Diamond shied sideways and
Terri grabbed the reins to steady her. "Whoa girl, don't throw me
off before we get there," she said with a nervous
chuckle.

"Someone gave her alfalfa cubes this morning,
so she's feeling her oats," Rocky told her with a snort.

"Oh, that's just great. Who did that?" Terri
asked.

"Not sure, I just saw a few on the floor of
her stall when I went to saddle her. She's on high octane today, so
hold her tight."

"You gonna be okay, Terri?" Shauna asked and
eyed the horse warily. Joel's sister didn't ride either, so she was
just as concerned as Terri about the stunt.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Diamond and I get along
great," Terri told her with a reassuring smile. "Ya'll just go up
to the head of the aisle and I'll be there in a minute."

"If you say so," Shauna said and shook her
head. "Mama and her hair-brained ideas," she grumbled and all of
the ladies held up their skirts, showing their pink dyed cowgirl
boots and walked toward the pavilion.

"Thanks Rocky, I think I have it from here,"
she told the cowgirl who was standing there gnawing her
lip.

"Are you sure?" she asked and lifted worried
eyes to Terri's.

"Yeah, I've got this, you go on and sit down.
I'll be there in a second." Terri watched her walk toward the
pavilion and waited until she disappeared into the crowd. The music
stopped suddenly, then the song she'd chosen started and she nudged
Diamond forward.

Her gorgeous equine friend started moving with
an extra pep in her step and Terri's breath caught when she rounded
the corner of the spa building and saw Joel sitting astride Ace by
the entrance. Tears sprang to her eyes as she took in how handsome
he looked in his tux black Stetson and string tie. There wasn't a
more beautiful man on Earth, inside or out, as far as Terri was
concerned.

Diamond took a couple more steps and Terri
felt her tail swish a few times and she stepped sideways. Terri
grabbed the horn and bobbled in the saddle holding her breath when
Diamond's back foot kicked out and the horse snorted. Her tail
flicked violently then she whinnied in what sounded like surprise
or pain, then danced a few steps, before pinning her ears back and
taking off like a bullet around the pavilion.

All Terri could do was lean forward and saw
back on the reins, but it wasn't doing any good. Yelling
Whoa!
at the top of her lungs, Terri held onto the horn of
the sidesaddle with her thigh as tight as she could, and the horn
on top of the saddle with her hand, but she knew she was going to
be thrown any second. Riding this way, there was no way to post a
trot or ride a gallop, it was wild and scary, and Diamond wasn't
stopping. All she could do was hang on and pray she didn't break
her neck, before the horse decided to stop.

"
Terri!
" Joel yelled behind her and she
heard Ace galloping behind. Diamond had headed across the field
behind the pavilion now, and had plenty of running room. Terri just
hoped she didn't hit a gopher hole or something and go down, or she
would break her neck, instead of marrying the man she loved.
Cursing Curly Rhodes and herself for fools, Terri watched the
ground zoom by her and zoned in on the hoof beats, hoping Joel
would save her somehow.

Her ears were buzzing with the adrenaline
pumping through her, so she didn't hear Joel the first time he
shouted, "Lean over here, baby!" as he raced Ace beside Diamond and
leaned over trying to grab her. The second time he said it she
figured out what he was trying to do, and was scared he would drop
her, so she shook her head. After she looked up and saw the fence
coming up on her fast, she knew she didn't have much choice.
Looking into his worried eyes, she decided she had to trust him to
catch her or she was going to die.

Joel had Ace tight against Diamond's side and
his arm around her back. She leaned into him and he jerked her out
of the saddle and held her tightly to him, then slowly brought Ace
to a stop. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her
chest, and she whimpered when Joel pulled her up onto the saddle in
front of him and held her so tight she though he might break her in
two.

A shuddering breath ruffled her hair, then a
tremor passed through him. "Are you okay, baby?" he asked in a raw
whisper.

"This was your mama's lame idea, I'm gonna
kill her," Terri mumbled into his white dress shirt. She just
wanted to stay right where she was, safe in his arms and breathe in
his comforting scent.

"Not before I get a piece of her," he said
with an angry edge to his voice.

"Diamond will head back to the barn," he told
her then scooted back in the saddle and settled her more securely
in front of him. She was still sitting sideways, but this she could
handle, because she knew Joel would never let her fall.

"Let's go get married before more trouble
shows up," he told her and kissed her hair before turning Ace back
toward the pavilion.

Their entrance was even grander than Curly had
envisioned, Terri imagined, as Joel pulled Ace to a stop at the
pavilion, then dismounted. He found his mother in the crowd and
gave her a glare, before reaching up grab Terri by the waist and
lift her out of the saddle before setting her on her feet in front
of him.

He stopped long enough to give her a sweet
gentle kiss on the mouth, then offered his arm. When his eyes met
hers they held relief and more love than she ever hoped she'd see
there. Giving him a wobbly smile, Terri took his arm and they
walked under the pavilion and down the white runner to the dais
where the preacher waited.

The ceremony was short and sweet thank God,
Terri thought, as the preacher introduced them to the crowd as Mr.
and Mrs. Joel Rhodes. They walked back down the aisle to thunderous
applause and whistles and headed straight for the head table where
the wedding party would sit. Terri needed a drink, or ten, and she
needed them now. She suspected her new husband felt the same way,
because before he sat down he went and got them a bottle of
champagne.

After everyone settled and a country band
replaced the preacher on the dais, it was time for the toasts.
Terri took a large swig of her second glass of champagne, before
the first toast was made. Her husband was a little more relaxed
now, and the bubbly liquid had taken the edge off of her nerves as
well.

The microphone volume raised a little and she
heard what Chase was saying now.

"So, my brother goes to a helluva lot of
trouble to set things up, mama runs errands for him all day to
help, and he even puts on a suit..." Chase grinned from ear to ear,
glanced at his wife and seven-month old son then looked back at the
crowd telling the story that had almost become Rhodes family legend
in the six months since Joel had asked Terri to marry him. Joel
just sat at the head table with
his
wife and
smiled.

Except for the close call they'd had
before
the wedding, where thanks to his mama the love of his
life had almost been killed before he could marry her, he hadn't
been able to stop smiling. Most likely he'd die with that smile on
his face, because Terri Rhodes was his now...forever.

He dragged his eyes from his gorgeous bride to
listen to his brother again.

"He gets so nervous Terri thinks he's going to
break up with her, and offers to leave!" Chase hooted
incredulously. "I have to tell you, I think my brother almost had a
heart attack right then and there. When he called me the next day
to tell me the story, his voice was still shaking. Terri had told
him no, not once but
five
times. Not because she wanted to
say no, but because she was so stunned she couldn't speak. If you
know Terri, you know that speechlessness is not something she is
ever
afflicted by. My sister-in-law always has something to
say, and it's usually something my brother needs to hear. I just
thank God that she was finally able to use sign language to put
Joel out of his misery. There's no way in hell we could've lived
with him if she had turned him down. Welcome to the family,
Terri."

Chase, his brother and best man, took a pause
and raised his glass to them.

"Congratulations, Joel on marrying the second
best woman in Texas, and I hope you two are as happy as we are. I
love you, man."

Applause and whistles rang out from the
two-hundred and fifty guests assembled under the new event pavilion
at the R & R Ranch.

"Now, let's eat, drink and be merry, and Jenny
you're gonna get that dance I promised you, sweetheart," he told
her with a wink. "I'm sure mama won't mind taking Caleb off your
hands."

Joel leaned close to Terri's ear and
whispered, "I love you...thank you for marrying me,
baby."

Her green eyes glowed with happiness when she
looked up at him and put her hand on his cheek. "Thank you for
asking
me to marry you. I love you, Joel."

"It was a no-brainer, sugar, you had me at
suck it up
the day I met you," he told her and put a gentle
kiss on her lips.

"Well, I had to do something, you were feeling
pretty sorry for yourself. Glad I felt sorry for you too," she told
him with a wink.

Joel straightened and his eyes widened, then
he asked incredulously, "Did you just say I was a sympathy
fuc--"

Terri put her finger over his lips and looked
around to make sure nobody could hear him. The band had started
playing, so he knew they couldn't.

"Well, I was just a flavor to you then and I
knew it, but you had to start on the thirty-one somewhere, right? I
figured it might as well be me. You are one sexy cowboy, and looked
just like a hot fudge sundae to me...still do," she purred then
leaned up to kiss him.

"Speaking of which..." he hesitated then
continued, "I have a surprise for later," then he nipped her lower
lip and kissed her again.

"Ooh, I love your surprises...just make sure
it's not something that requires an answer," she teased.

"No, answer required...just a creative use of
a few flavors. I figured combining the flavor I decided was my
forever favorite, with a few others would be an interesting
experiment."

Terri gasped then moved away from him. Her
green eyes sparkled angrily, as she spat, "You wait until
after
I marry you to let me in on your kink? That ain't
happening, Joel. I catch you sampling any flavor other than mine,
and you're gonna be one nutless cowboy. Rocky knows things, and
since she and I came to an understanding she'll show me," Terri
warned.

Joel knew his wife was devious and patient.
You didn't mess with her, because she would always pay you
back...eventually. Rocky, his female ranch hand, had learned that
the hard way. The tricks Rocky thought were funny while she gave
Terri riding lessons, bought Rocky a lesson of her own. One day a
few weeks ago, Rocky had a rope burn on her hand and went to see
Terri at the first-aid station.

Rubbing alcohol and methiolate don't feel very
good on an open wound. Combine that with a tetanus shot given by
someone with a grudge, and you have one painful
situation.

No, Joel wouldn't be crossing his beautiful
wife.

"Whoa, baby...I'm just talking about a little
ice cream...that's the limit on my kink factor. Well, unless Rocky
shows you how to rope, that is," he told her with a
grin.