White Collar Wedding

White Collar Wedding:

A Shadow Maverick Ranch Bonus Short Story

by Parker Kincade

Copyright © 2014 by Parker Kincade

No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Parker Kincade. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy, available exclusively at Amazon.

Editor

Lacey Thacker

Cover Artist

Hot Damn Designs

Formatted by

JTLW Design

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, places, brands, and dialogues in this book are a product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental. This book contains content that is not suitable for readers who are 17 and under.

Dedication

F
or all the readers who wanted more of Gavin and Lauren, this one’s for you
.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for purchasing this bonus story from the Shadow Maverick Ranch Novella series. Many readers have written to me, asking if I would write Gavin and Lauren’s wedding. I’m thrilled to be able to share their special day with you.

If you are new to the ranch, you can read how it all started for Gavin and Lauren in
White Collar Cowboy
, book one of the Shadow Maverick Ranch Novella series. For a complete list of books in this series, please see the list at the end of this story.

Welcome to the wedding of Lauren Delgado and Gavin Mathis. Sit back and enjoy the celebration.

Happy reading,

Chapter One

Three weeks before the wedding…

“We’re going to have to cancel.”

Gavin held onto his patience by a thread. “Lauren. Be reasonable.”

His bride-to-be spread her arms and twirled in the middle of what should’ve been their new kitchen, if the fucking contractor had done what Gavin paid him a fortune to do.

Lauren laughed with a manic tone Gavin could go the rest of his life without ever hearing again.

“I
am
being reasonable. How can we leave for our honeymoon when…” She waved her hand to encompass the area. Her beautiful eyes turned glassy with tears.

Son of a…

Gavin wanted to hit something. Lauren wasn’t prone to shed tears over messes and missed deadlines. She shared his no-nonsense approach to business. More than once he’d been in awe of her strength, the steel in her spine as she’d out-maneuvered countless boardrooms of men.

Every woman had her limits. It seemed the business of building their home had caused Lauren to hit hers.

What was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives had turned into a complete nightmare.

He glanced around the room, which was nothing more than a construction zone. The custom cabinets had been installed, leaving gaping holes where the appliances should be. There were no countertops. No trim. No. Goddamn. Sink.

And that was just the kitchen. The master bathroom didn’t have a shower. The guest bedrooms didn’t have flooring. The walls throughout had yet to be painted.

Anger fired his blood. Oh, he was definitely going to hit something—the chubby jaw of the bastard who’d left this shit undone.

“We aren’t canceling our honeymoon.” He’d waited more than twelve years to make this woman his. They were less than a month from making it official. Lauren deserved the wedding of her dreams, which included their honeymoon in Hawaii. He’d be damned if she wouldn’t get it.

Seemed Lauren had other ideas.

“Let me rephrase. It’s done. I called the travel agent this morning.”

“Damn it, Lauren. You should’ve talked to me before you made that decision for both of us.”

“Talking about it wouldn’t have changed the situation, Gavin, and you know it. Look around. Our home is in shambles. We’re scheduled to move in a month. You really think that’s going to happen if we aren’t here every single day to make sure things are getting done?”

Gavin couldn’t help but take her comment personally. He didn’t believe in micro-management. He paid good money to others so he wouldn’t have to. But the fact remained: the ranch kept him so busy these days that he hadn’t done
his
job to make sure their house was completed on time.

“So we postpone our move-in date. We’ll stay at the cabin a little longer. It’s not the end of the world, and certainly not worth missing out— ”

“No. We need to stay and deal with this mess. We can go on our honeymoon later.”

“With calving season right around the corner? You know I can’t leave my brothers to handle all the work.”

“They handled it themselves all the years you lived in London. You think they couldn’t handle one more?”

Gavin stared at the woman he loved, wondering at what point she’d decided to turn on him.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said slowly. “Clay has his hands full with the new stock coming in over at Ainsley’s. Even with Jared’s help, it’s all Pax and I can do to keep up without Clay. You know we’re hiring more help, but until then, it’s all hands on deck, baby. We’ve talked about this.”

He reached for her and muttered a curse when she stepped away.

“Lauren.” Gavin folded his arms to avoid the urge to reach for her again. “When I came back to Texas, I made a promise—to myself and to my family. I have a responsibility to be here for them.”

Lauren shoved both hands through her hair, leaving behind a mess of shining waves Gavin longed to bury his own fingers in.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I didn’t mean … of course we can’t go away during calving season. But we can’t go away now either. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing things are such a mess here.”

Gavin was on her before she could retreat. He pulled her into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief when she melted against him. “I can think of a few ways to help you relax.”

“I have no doubt.” She nuzzled his chest. “I know it’s not ideal, but we could spend our wedding night at the beach house. Maybe spend a day or two there?”

He loved his—
their
—place on Galveston Island. However— “November isn’t the greatest time for swimming in the Gulf.”

“Who said anything about swimming?”

Gavin stroked a hand over her silky hair, struggling for the words to express how precious she was to him. He settled for, “All right, baby. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

He’d find a way to give this woman the moon if she asked for it, but spending what should be their honeymoon fighting with housing contractors was not his idea of a good time.

He had to make this right.

It was time to call in reinforcements.

Chapter Two

Minutes before the wedding…

“You look beautiful.”

Lauren’s heart warmed at her father’s praise. She’d special ordered her wedding dress from New York. The sleeveless ivory gown was perfect. The deep V neckline displayed enough of her cleavage to be alluring without being overly sexy. The bodice was custom fitted to her curves with a skirt that flowed into a stunning lace train.

But her favorite part was the sheer lace back. Lauren smiled when she pictured Gavin wrestling with the tiny pearl buttons that lined her spine. Once he realized she wore no undergarments, her poor dress wouldn’t stand a chance. She hoped he didn’t completely destroy the delicate fabric in his bid to get her out of it.

She raised the dress high enough to slide her feet into the pair of ivory and tan cowgirl boots that completed her wedding attire.

“Thank you, Dad.”

Her father grinned. “The boots are a nice touch. I’m glad to see you’re embracing your Southern roots.”

Lauren had worked hard to lose her Georgia accent when she’d moved to the east coast, but she’d never been ashamed of her roots. Ditching the accent had been a professional decision, not a personal one.

She went to her toes to smooch her dad’s cheek. “I don’t have to sound Southern to be proud of where I come from. You and Mom are wonderful parents. I wouldn’t be here today if not for the life you provided.”

It was true, and a better explanation than her soon-to-be husband had a fantasy that included Lauren in a pair of cowgirl boots and nothing else. A fantasy she planned to play out for Gavin later.

It was the least she could do after canceling their honeymoon.

Lauren checked the mirror one last time. Her hair was fashioned into sleek curls that framed her face. She decided to forgo heavy makeup, opting instead for a light dusting of blush and her favorite gloss on her lips. And since she cried at the drop of a hat these days, only the hardiest waterproof mascara would do for her lashes. Who knew running a cattle ranch while planning a wedding and building a new house could be so emotionally demanding?

Stressful or not, Lauren loved her life in Texas. Gavin’s family had welcomed her into their midst with open arms. Learning all the ins and outs of the cattle industry fascinated her, and Gavin … well … Gavin took every available opportunity to show her how much he loved her.

Her father’s gentle gaze met hers in the mirror.

“You ready, baby girl? It’s almost time.”

Lauren’s stomach fluttered. She was about to become Lauren Mathis.

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

* * *

Gavin stood under the large, st
urdy oak and tried not to fidget. He folded his hands in front of him.

His suit was perfectly tailored. The collar wasn’t too tight. The pants weren’t creeping anywhere they shouldn’t. He had no reason to keep shifting his weight or reaching to adjust his tie.

He’d waited a lifetime for this. For Lauren.

His wait was almost over.

Gavin glanced to his left and met the smiles of the men who stood shoulder to shoulder with him. Gavin’s chest swelled at the support his brothers had shown him the last few months. Even though he wanted to kick their asses at times—Jared’s more often than not these days—he was proud, honored to have Pax, Clay, and Jared, as well as his brother-in law, Trevor, stand up with him.

Across the aisle, Lauren’s two girlfriends from New York stood with his twin sister Erin. The combined colors of their dresses made him think of falling leaves and autumn hayrides. Erin caught him staring and tossed him a wink. He returned it with a smirk.

Sweet Jesus, wasn’t it time to start?

His gaze darted over the crowd. Lauren’s mom offered him a tearful smile. The woman hadn’t stopped crying since she’d arrived three days ago. Gavin had been convinced she had some sort of medical condition, but Lauren assured him it was normal for a mom to cry a lot when their only daughter got married. He decided it was best to take her word for it.

His own parents beamed from the front row, just a few feet in front of him. Family and friends filled the rest of the chairs, carefully lined up in the meadow behind his parents’ house. The weather had provided for a perfect fall afternoon, and promised a mild Texas night to come.

Gavin checked his watch.

A heavy hand clapped his shoulder and squeezed. Pax’s amused voice whispered over his shoulder. “Relax, brother. She’ll be walking down the aisle before you know it.”

Gavin’s gaze zeroed in on the billowy tent set off to the side, waiting for the woman who was about to become his wife to emerge.

His wife.

God, he loved the sound of that.

After an eternity of waiting, the soft tinkling of music drifted through the air. Gavin squared his shoulders, and smoothed his tie for the umpteenth time.

This was it.

His heart melted when Amber, his two—almost three—year-old niece came into view. Jade guided her down the aisle as Amber’s tiny fingers sprinkled yellow and cream colored rose petals on the ground. When they reached him, Gavin bent to kiss his youngest sister on the cheek and then scooped Amber into a hug.

“You’re as pretty as a princess,” he whispered.

Amber’s tiny arms tightened around his neck. “I dropped flowers like you said.”

Gavin kissed her baby-soft cheek. “You did an excellent job, too. Now, go with Jade to stand next to your momma. And don’t forget to save me a dance for later.”

The music changed as he placed Amber back on her feet. He counted on Jade to get her where she needed to go, because his gaze was glued to the tent.

The crowd stood.

Gavin’s breath caught as Lauren stepped from the tent.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He took in every inch of her as she approached. His body responded to the subtle sway of her hips. His muscles tensed at the sight of her cleavage, the sleek lines of her bare arms. He really shouldn’t be thinking about how she’d taste if—
when
—he put his mouth on her.

Get a grip, Gav.

A knowing smile spread her glossy lips and he swore she slowed down, prolonging the time until he could touch her.

Good thing all eyes were on his stunning bride. He had about fifteen seconds to get his shit under control before she reached him. Gavin had known Reverend Moore his whole life. He didn’t relish facing the man while sporting a hard-on.

Gavin focused on Lauren’s eyes.

He read the joy and love in her gaze, and grinned like an idiot. He reached for her too soon, but he didn’t care. Arm outstretched, he’d wait as long as it took.

Five … four … three … two … her hand slid into his. Her touch electrified him. Gave him purpose. Gave him life.

And within moments, she was finally his.