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As they slowly walked down the aisle to a man with dark hair and eyes, wearing a black cowboy hat to match his suit, Alexis felt a sense of peace wash over her. She was doing the riskiest thing she’d ever done in her life, and it felt so right. Soon she’d be married, and then her life would really start.
When she reached the front of the church, she gave her groom her best smile as her father put her hand into his.
Alexis gripped the new hand tightly as if to let him know they would be unified against the world. She doubted he got that from her hand, but if he did, she’d know they were perfect for each other.
The pastor started the ceremony. “We are gathered here today to join this woman, Alexis Paxton, with this man, Kyle Stifter, in holy matrimony.”
After that, she mostly spaced out. She repeated her vows when she was supposed to and held her hand out for the ring at the appropriate time. When he was told to kiss his bride, he barely brushed his lips against hers. She was a bit disappointed and wanted to know what his problem was, but she’d ask that later.
Or maybe soon. She would be asking though.
She’d decided against a reception because she didn’t know anyone in the area, and they were going to lunch with her family instead before the family left for the airport. As she walked with Kyle to the back of the church, she softly explained that. “And what was with the kiss? That wasn’t a kiss. That was the kind of kiss you give your puppy for being sweet.”
He chuckled. “It was meant to be. I want to have our first real kiss with no observers. Why should the whole world get to be there for everything?”
“I guess that’s all right then. Tell me about yourself. I assume you’re a cowboy. Does that mean you’re ready to run the day-to-day operations of my ranch?”
He stopped walking. “What?”
“I forget. You know exactly as much about me as I know about you.” Alexis shook her head. “Two weeks ago, I inherited a cattle ranch outside of Boulder. I had never set foot on a ranch in my life. I need someone to run the ranch, but my degree in management should allow me to do the books and take care of that sort of thing.”
“How did you inherit a cattle ranch without ever stepping foot on one?”
“That’s a good story for later,” she whispered. She didn’t want to color his opinion of her parents before he’d had a chance to have a meal with them.
“So where are we going for our bridal lunch?” he asked.
“There’s a little Tex-Mex place not far from here. I want to try it to see if it’s a place I can get Tex-Mex when the craving hits. I’m not sure how I’ll survive otherwise.”
“You’re a fan of Tex-Mex?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve lived in Texas all my life, and I live and breathe for Tex-Mex. It’s hard to believe people will eat inferior Mexican food when they can hold out for the best. If this place is as good as I hope it is, we’ll be going there often.”
Kyle smiled. “All right. Okay if we take my truck?” he asked.
“We’ll have to. I rode in with my parents.”
“Sounds good. Just let me know how to get there.”
“I have it pulled up on my phone, and Siri will lead us there.”
Chapter Three
At the restaurant, they joined Alexis’s family in one corner where two tables had been pushed together. “Mom, Dad, this is Kyle. Kyle, my parents, my brother Brent, and my sister Brittany. They’ll be going back to Texas this afternoon.”
Kyle nodded. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” As soon as Alexis had taken her seat, Kyle took one beside her. He felt strange being at this little family gathering, with everyone knowing he was going to bed with Alexis.
Alexis was too busy with the menu to say anything else. “I’m going to keep it simple,” she said. “Beef enchiladas with sour cream sauce and rice and beans. We’re getting queso, right?”
“Of course,” her mother said. “We’re not animals.”
She closed the menu and turned to Kyle. “What are you getting?”
He shrugged. “Probably just tacos. They’ve got bison tacos here. I’ve been working on a bison ranch since I finished school, and I’ve really grown to love bison meat.”
“My ranch just has cattle.”
“That’s all right. I know lots about cattle as well.” He took a chip and dipped it into the salsa. “Do you know that bison are the only cattle native to America? So, the rest of the cattle have been shipped in, and they have to go through a lot more inoculations than bison, because bison have natural resistances to things here.”
