Page 67 of Tempting Wyatt (Triple Creek Ranch #1)

MY MOM AND SISTERS OUTDO themselves, decorating the ranch for mine and Ivy’s wedding.

We didn’t give them much time to prepare, but Ivy wanted an outdoor ceremony, and we all know winter will be upon us sooner than later.

Just before the ceremony is about to begin, I find my bride in the main house, staring out the window of the upstairs guest room where she and the bridesmaids got ready. Her cell phone in her hand.

“Angel? You ready to do this? Or you thinking about calling for a getaway car?”

She turns and smiles up at me. “Are you telling me this is my last chance to run?” The sight of her in a form fitting white satin dress, illuminating her hourglass shape, takes my breath away.

I want to make a joke, tell her Lucifer and I would just track her down if she tried to escape. But I can’t. Not with her looking like this and looking at me like I’m every dream she ever had come true.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I breathe, unable to comprehend that this gorgeous creature is mine and wants me. Forever.

“You clean up nice too.” Her smile widens, but there’s still something sad in those gorgeous eyes. “I’m more than ready.” She glances down at her phone. “My mom isn’t going to make it to the ceremony after all.” She lifts one shoulder in a shrug, but her pain weighs her down.

Ah. The source of the sad eyes.

“Everything okay?”

I’ve never met Ivy’s mom, and, damn, I hope I never do. The hurt she’s caused my sweet girl seems never-ending. We sent her a pair of first-class plane tickets, and she RSVP’d. But apparently, she couldn’t be bothered. And she waited until the last minute to let Ivy know. Real nice.

Ivy lifts one shoulder and drops her gaze. “Bruce—that’s her husband—couldn’t get the time off work. She didn’t want to come without him, I guess.”

I lean down until her eyes meet mine. “I’m sorry, baby. There are so many people out there who love you. And I—”

“Ivy, sweetheart,” a voice calls as the door opens.

My mom steps inside, and the sadness clears from Ivy’s eyes.

“Hey, Laurel. I’m in here.”

My mom gapes at me. “Wyatt, you know you’re not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony.” She swats my chest playfully. “Go on now. Let us girls have a chat.”

I step aside and watch her take Ivy in her arms, gushing over her dress, and see both of their eyes fill as my mom tells my future wife that she’s her daughter now.

There’s hugging and sniffling, and I have to get out of here before my own eyes get watery.

As much as my greedy ass wants to stay in here and kiss the hell out of her before sharing her with our wedding guests, I know Ivy needs this as much as she needs me.

She belongs to this family and this ranch as much as I do.

I kiss her forehead and tell her I’ll see her soon.

“I’ll be the one in the white dress,” she teases.

I give her ass a squeeze. “You’ll be the one that’s mine, angel.” Another forehead kiss because I’m struggling to tear myself away.

“Go on, son.” My mom shoos me toward the door. “Get to the altar already.”

With one last grin at Ivy, I nod at my mom, so fucking grateful she loves my girl as much as I do. That we’re able to give her the family and the home she’s always deserved.

Then I make my way toward the altar, where Isaac should be meeting me if he’s not hooking up with a wedding guest somewhere.

As I make my way to the barn beside the private stables where the ceremony is taking place, the wind kicks up suddenly, and some of the pink and white decorations threaten to blow off the chairs.

A loud whirring sound comes closer.

Isaac jogs over, and there is indeed lipstick on his neck and near his mouth. Shiny, glossy. Pink, like the shade the bridesmaids are wearing. There’s only one who isn’t our sister, so my brother has already hooked up with Ivy’s agent. Of course he has.

“Dude, wipe off the lipstick.”

“What? You don’t think it’s my color?” He grins. “Just enjoying the perks of being the best man.”

I’m about to comment when he points to the approaching helicopter.

I frown as I realize it’s about to land in the pasture beside the barn. Talk about terrible timing.

“What the hell?”

A few dozen guests are littered around the clearing. Women clutch their dresses and hats as the chopper sets down a couple hundred feet from us.

We watch as a man in military fatigues jumps out, followed by another man in dress blues.

The guy in camo stays by the chopper while the other man jogs toward us.

“Asher,” Isaac calls out excitedly before I can. “He said he’d try to make it, but I didn’t think he would.”

“Well, look what we have here,” I say as he reaches us. “Captain America making a grand entrance, just in time.”

Asher looks exhausted, but he grins at us. “Gentlemen. Heard there was a wedding today. Wanted to make sure the bride saw all the Logan brothers before she made her final decision.”

I nod. “SEALs haven’t trained the overinflated ego out of you, I see.”

“Probably made it worse,” he admits with a shrug.

A few months ago, I’d have shaken his hand. Today, I pull my brother into a firm hug.

“Means a lot to me that you’re here,” I tell him, giving him a solid clap on the back. “Thanks for coming, brother.”

The surprise is evident on his face when we separate.

I grin. Ivy has changed me, softened me, and taught me to show the people I love that I love them every chance I get.

I’ll never be able to say the words I wish I had to my dad, but thanks to my soon-to-be wife, my family won’t go another day not knowing what they mean to me.

Asher smiles. “Congratulations, Wyatt. Can’t say I wasn’t surprised to hear your grumpy ass was getting married. But I’m so damn happy for you, brother.”

Isaac hugs him too, adding, “And to someone from California no less.”

Asher arches a brow. “No shit? She do yoga and make you eat tofu?”

Isaac responds before I can, “It’s kale, and I think he might be starting to like it. I’m pretty sure watching her do yoga is how he ended up proposing.”

I shake my head. Some things never change. But if my brothers giving me shit about my beautiful wife for the rest of my life is my fate, then I’ll take it.

Asher thanks us for the care packages, then glances at his watch.

“I don’t have a ton of time, unfortunately,” he tells us. He gestures to the chopper. “That’s a buddy doing me an unsanctioned favor, so we’ll have to get moving as soon as the ceremony is over.”

“Just glad you made it,” I tell him. “Make sure you meet Ivy and see Mom before you go.”

“I will. And I wouldn’t have missed it,” he tells me.

“Still can’t tell us where you’re going to be?” Isaac glances to where the wedding party is lining up near the barn.

Willow stands with Lucifer, who Ivy insisted on being the ring bearer. My sister adjusts the floral wreath around his neck, and I’m half expecting the fucker to trample me and run off with my bride himself.

“It changes fairly often,” Asher says, averting his gaze. “I could tell you. But then I’d have to kill you.”

Isaac snickers. “You could try, SEAL.”

Asher forces a grin, but he’s carrying tension like a fifty-pound rucksack.

He and Caleb are twins, but Caleb still looks his age.

The military is aging Asher rapidly. I didn’t miss that he winced in pain when we hugged.

There are shadows in his eyes that weren’t there before.

It’s taking serious effort for him to stand still right this moment.

His gaze darts all around, as if he’s securing the perimeter constantly.

Asher was always the best shooter of us kids. Had a knack for it, even when we were little. My mom hated it, but my dad took us hunting and to the range, even clay shooting, quite often. Asher outshot grown men when he was ten years old. They weren’t happy about it.

We’re all fairly certain he’s a sniper now.

He’s never confirmed it, but whatever he’s doing, it’s taking a toll.

He told our mom he was a mechanic, and I’d believe that, too, since he was always the one to fix shit around the ranch.

But I’ve seen him receive expert rifle marksmanship medals at several ceremonies and be the youngest one receiving them.

His knuckles look recently healed, and there’s the faintest hint of bruising along his jaw. I doubt repairing airplane engines would have done this to him.

Before I can say anything, remind him there’s always a place for him here if he wants to retire early and come home, Caleb strolls over to us, adjusting his tie. It’s still crooked. Pretty sure adjusting it made it worse.

“What’s up, brothers?” he quips, turning wide-eyed to Asher. “Didn’t know you’d make it today.”

“I could say the same to you,” Asher answers evenly. “Heard about the bull riding.” The same disapproval I feel about Caleb’s latest career choice weighs heavily on Asher’s tone.

There’s been tension between them since birth. Caleb sizes him up, likely contemplating an argument he could start.

Then he smirks. “Speaking of”—he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a check, handing it to me—“put it toward my tab.”

I glance down at the amount. Jesus.

“Caleb, this is a check for forty grand, made out to you.” It’s from a company called Diamondback Denim. I vaguely recall seeing commercials that have some kind of bedazzled snake on them. I only remember because there was a lot of focus on women’s asses. “From a company that makes blue jeans?”

He grins proudly. “Yeah. My new sponsor. Check the back. I signed it over to you.”

“Caleb, I don’t—”

“Take it,” he says firmly. “I owe it to the ranch. I owe it to Dad. Call it a wedding present if you want. Pay off the legal fees I caused. Damn. Just take it. Please.”

I’ve never seen him this serious or heard him say please, so I pocket it and nod.

“Okay then. I’ll put it in the operations account in the morning.”

Tension ripples in the air between the four of us.