Page 13 of Rancher’s Strength (Flying Diamond 5, #4)

Chapter Eleven

LEXIE

W e’d left this wedding until the last minute, and I could feel the wolves knocking on the door to get to the kids. But finally, it was our wedding day again.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared out at the orchard.

This was nothing like the first time I’d married Ryder.

That wedding took place at the crystal blue lake, deep in the mountains south of the ranch.

It had been the perfect day, and if I closed my eyes, I could almost transport myself back there.

“Lexie, are you ready?” Wes’ soft voice asked from the doorway.

I couldn’t help but smile, there wasn’t any way to have my dad here, and it only felt right to have Griff’s dad walk me down the aisle.

He’d taken Ryder under his wing when Griff brought him home years ago.

While Ryder often said no place had ever felt like home, I knew Gwen and Wes’ place was always his safe place.

“I am.” I nodded as he walked into my room.

“He told me what was happening. He didn’t want to, but he can’t lie to me.

I think you have the biggest heart in the world, doing this for Ruby and Sawyer.

” There were tears in his eyes, and I had to blink quickly, or I’d start crying too.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.

” He winked and offered me his arm. Looping mine through his, we walked out of the house and down to the orchard.

Ruby spotted me first and beamed as she hit play on the phone she was cradling.

Music filtered through the speakers as I walked down the aisle toward him- the one man I’d vowed to love forever.

The man I’d left because he deserved a better wife, one who wasn’t career-driven and couldn’t give him the family he longed for.

And now, here we were, once again being thrust together.

He looked good. Well, he always looked good, but today in his black Stetson, crisply starched blue wranglers, and white pearl snap shirt, I couldn’t help but get lost in him.

His dark brown eyes burned into me as I moved closer.

Ryder reached out his hand to me, and I took it.

It was the same as the first time I’d held his hand: rough from ranch work, calloused in some spots, and big.

His hand enveloped mine, and the familiar feeling of being safe when he was close washed over me.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” the officiant asked, breaking the thoughts of Ryder holding my hand.

“As a stand-in for Alexandra’s father, I do.

” Wes’ smile would have lit up the dark, and he leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly before taking his seat between Gwen and my mother.

The rest of the crowd wasn’t so happy. There were no smiles, mostly scowls, and I wondered how long the guys had tried to talk Ryder out of this.

The officiant jabbered on about love and marriage; while we’d asked for something simple, this was anything but.

“Marriage isn’t a game or something to do just for fun, it’s serious and comes from the heart.

” My heart was pounding so hard that I was pretty sure everyone would be able to hear it.

Ryder squeezed my hand, and I tried to slow down my breathing.

The last thing I needed to do was pass out on my wedding day.

“Do you, Alexandra, take Ryder to be your husband?”

“I do,” I said, my voice barely registering.

“Ryder, do you take Alexandra to be your wife?”

“I do.” Of course, his voice would be strong and commanding. It was as if he didn’t have a doubt about this at all. If a stranger walked into this orchard, they’d see a confident man and a woman shrinking under the weight of the burden on her shoulders.

“It’s my pleasure to announce you husband and wife. Ryder you may kiss your bride.” Time stopped, the crowd froze and all I saw was Ryder take a step toward me. He lowered his head, and I tipped mine up as our lips pressed against one another.

His lips were soft. Had I remembered to put lip gloss on before I walked down the aisle?

Were my lips chapped? Did I brush my teeth?

Oh god, I didn’t, did I? My breath must be awful.

God, he kisses like he always did; I could get lost in his kisses.

When he pulled away, I kept my eyes closed and wanted to beg him to come back to me, but a round of applause that made the golf clap look enthusiastic forced me to open my eyes.

Ryder offered me his arm, and we signed the marriage certificate, with Gwen and Wes witnessing it before we walked away from our ceremony.

“You look beautiful,” Ryder said as we walked up the hill toward the house.

“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.” I turned to him. His eyes were filled with concern, not the excitement and ease of our first wedding. “How were the guys with all this?”

“Not thrilled.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No kidding."

“They’re worried, and they have a right to be.”

“Well, we both know what this is. Our eyes are wide open going into it.”

“Right.” He nodded, and silence filled the air around us. An awkward, thick silence that I hated.

Tables had been set up around the yard, and people trickled in from the orchard. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Ruby and Sawyer play with the other kids at the ranch. Ruby held onto Josie’s hand as if it were her job.

I needed a minute, so I wandered into the kitchen. It was almost supper time, and people would be getting hungry, and tempers would rise when that happened, so I started preparing things to put out.

“It’s your wedding day. You shouldn’t be in here doing all this,” a man’s voice said from the doorway. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Kipp, so I slowly dried my hands and turned to find a scowl across his face.

“Kipp,” I said politely. He’d been mysteriously quiet when Ryder had taken the kids and me to the main ranch.

“I need to say something, and then I won’t bring it up again.

When you leave, because let’s face it, you will, I won’t let you near him ever again.

I don’t know why he's doing this or if you’re holding something over him, but we almost lost him last time, and I won’t let that happen again.

” He clenched his jaw, the muscle straining against his cheek.

“You won’t be the reason I lose one of my best friends.

Understood?” All I could do was nod, but I didn’t understand.

What was he talking about, almost losing Ryder?

Without another word, Kipp walked out of my house.

“Kipp found Ryder at the lake,” Griff said from behind me.

I hadn’t even heard him come in. “We hadn’t heard or seen him in days.

We knew he was depressed, but we didn’t realize how bad things were until that day.

If Kipp had been five minutes later, you’d have buried your husband because the papers weren’t through the courts yet.

” Griff’s voice was harsh, and my heart ripped open.

I gripped the counter and closed my eyes as the tears slipped between my lashes.

His heavy footsteps approached and stopped when he moved to my side.

“We’ve all dealt with our feelings about that day, but I don’t think Kipp will ever be able to forgive you for what you did to him.

You were all he had. You were his family, and then, all of a sudden, you kicked him to the curb like everyone else before you.

Just so you know, I don’t hate you for it anymore, but I don’t trust you either.

” Without another word, he walked out the front door of the house, and I collapsed onto the stool behind me.

I didn’t know how long I had sat there, and I didn’t know how many tears I’d cried. “There you are,” Julie’s chipper voice said as she entered the kitchen. Her quick footsteps to my side stopped, and she wrapped her arms around me. “It’s okay, child, get it out.”

“I didn’t know,” I sobbed, my breaths coming in short bursts as if I were hyperventilating.

“Shh, it’s okay now,” Julie said over and over as she held me.

“What’s going on?” Ryder’s voice was filled with rage, and I looked up at the man I’d hurt so deeply.

“Nothing, just the day catching up to me.”

“Julie, can you give us a minute, please,” Ryder spoke calmly, but I knew that simmering beneath that calm was anger that could explode at any moment.

“Of course, I’ll make sure everyone stays out of the house.” She kissed the top of my head before she left.

“It’s not the day. What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t know, Ryder, I swear. If I’d known, I would have ripped up the papers and come home.” I couldn’t look at him.

“Fuck,” he spat before rounding the island and hauling me up into his arms. Involuntarily, I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed into his chest. “I need to take care of something. Come out when you’re ready.

” He was eerily calm as he let me go and stalked out of the house we now shared.

I wiped my face with the towel and ran out the door, following him.

“You fucking asshole, you had no right,” Ryder yelled before he pulled his arm back and hit Kipp with a right hook.

“That wasn’t your story to tell, you fucking son of a bitch.

” He threw another punch, this time aiming for Kipp's stomach. The women hurried around and gathered the kids ushering them to the back of the house. Phil and Wes stood from the porch swing and walked over to the stairs but didn’t try to stop what was happening.

Linc and Nash stood quietly on the periphery, watching their business partners hash this out.

“Ryder, man, come on, stop,” Griff said as he walked up as close to Ryder as he dared.

“Fuck you too, and I saw you walk out of the house just a few minutes ago. What, did you both plan this and team up on her?” The only sound in the yard was the frogs at the creek. “You’re lucky you’re hurt, or I’d be hitting you too. So much for being my best friend.”

“Ryder.” His voice pleading, his face filled with anguish.

“No, no. I’ve had people talk behind my back all my life, but I never thought I’d have to deal with it from two of the people I trust most in the world.

Fuck you, Griff.” Ryder shook his head before turning back to Kipp, who was standing straight again.

The vein along his temple bulged the way it did when he was angry, his breathing ragged, hands clenched into fists.

But Kipp never attempted to fight back or move towards Ryder. “Both of you get off my land.”

Nora and Elle both came to stand beside me. “Nora, let’s go,” Kipp said as he turned to walk away.

“No, you were the one asked to leave, not me. You’re wrong this time, big man.” Nora’s voice was firm, and he just stood there, mouth open, before shaking his head and walking away.

“I suppose you’re staying too?” Griff asked Elle.

“Yep.” She tightened her grip on my shoulder, and I leaned against her.

“Don’t feel like you have to stay. I don’t want to cause more trouble.” I looked at the two women who I’d only met days ago but already felt a strong kinship with.

“Lexie, we don’t know what happened, but we don’t follow our husbands blindly.

They’ve caused this; they can deal with the consequences,” Nora said calmly before she turned to me and wiped the tears from my face.

“They’ll figure it out. I’m sure this isn’t the first time the five have had issues.

I swear they’re worse than women.” She giggled, and I couldn’t stop the smile from forming.

“Well, I can tell you this isn’t the first time punches have been thrown.

This might be the first time it was one-sided, though.

” Sighing, I thought back to the night they’d all gotten a little punchy, with five men sporting various frozen vegetable bags on their faces sitting in the kitchen at the main house.

I couldn’t remember what had caused the fight, but I did remember that the next day, with black eyes and split lips, they all went back to work and were laughing and joking with one another by supper time.