The Cowboy Lassoes a Bride by Kate Pearce (free ebook reader txt) 📕

“I believe he’s in Vegas.” January chuckled. “But don’t worry, Chase promised me they’d bring him home safely.”

Sam pouted. “But I want him to be here.” She dug her phone out of her pocket and started texting.

Avery looked over her shoulder and cleared her throat. “Er, Sam, you’re texting your mother. You probably don’t want to send her that.”

Sam blinked at the screen and giggled before deleting the text. “Oops! Sorry, Mom.”

“I don’t think HW has his phone on him anyway,” Avery said. “They were planning on a lot of physical activities so Ry thought he might drop it.”

“Physical?” Sam frowned. “I hope he’s not stripping or anything.”

Avery grinned at her. “Nope, just some mechanical bull riding, craft beers, and jumping off a building.”

“Wow . . .” Sam put her phone away. “I really wish he was here though.”

“I can text Ry, and see whether they are on their way back if you like?” Avery offered.

“Thanks. That would be awesome.”

Sonali, Yvonne, Lizzie, and Marley came up to wish Sam good night, and Avery went to speak to January and Jenna, leaving Sam by herself. Cam and Nancy were chatting up the limo driver while settling the bill.

She really missed HW . . . . Sam started walking, her gaze on the recently erected water feature in the center of the street, which commemorated the first Morgan who had founded the town. It had a circular stone base filled with about six inches of water that flowed down from a rocky-type pedestal on which stood the figure of a cowboy, which the Morgans insisted looked nothing like their ancestor William. He stood, booted feet wide apart, one hand shielding his eyes, and a pickax in the other.

Sam stared at him for a long moment. There was something wrong with him, but it would be an easy fix. She waded into the water, giggling as it sloshed over her boots, and clambered awkwardly up onto the stone plinth using the statue’s legs to hoist herself up.

“Sam!”

She heard the shouts, but ignored them, too intent on her mission. She stood upright, grinning as she embraced the cowboy and put her arms around his neck. When she felt steady, she carefully took off her hat, and stuck it on the statue’s head.

“There,” Sam shouted. “Fixed it.”

She took out her phone, found HW’s number, checked she had it right this time, and held the phone up. She pressed her cheek against the cold stone features of the Morgantown founder, and smiled as she took a selfie and sent it to her lover.

“Sam! Get down from there!”

She looked down to see Cam and Nancy gesticulating at her, and waved at them, almost losing her grip.

“It’s okay!” she yelled. “It’s all good!”

“Sam . . .” Nancy took a step closer. “You need to get down. You’re going to wake people up.”

Sam nodded obediently, and stared down at the gushing water, which seemed to be churning up into a storm.

Nancy held out her hand. “You’re coming down, right?”

“Got to get my hat first,” Sam said as she put her cell in the pocket of her jeans. She reached up to take the hat, and almost slipped again, making her friends on the ground gasp.

“Be careful!” Cam said in the calm voice she used in her professional life. “Just take it slow, Sam. You can do this.”

“I dunno.” Sam was now clutching the statue like a lifeline. “I’m not sure about that. Everything’s swirling around. . . .”

She looked up as a vehicle came around the corner, blue lights flashing, and stopped right beside the fountain. Nate Turner, the local sheriff, got out of his car, put on his hat, and strolled over to look up at Sam.

“Hey, I’ve had some calls about you causing a disturbance.” His smile was full of encouragement. “Do you want to come down and tell me what’s going on?”

Sam swallowed hard. “I’m not sure if I can actually do that.”

Nate sighed and rolled up his sleeves. “Then stay put. I’m coming in.”

* * *

HW cursed out loud, waking his twin, who was sleeping beside him on the plane.

“What’s going on?” Ry groaned and rubbed at his eyes.

HW showed Ry his phone, which his twin had returned to him later in the evening.

“What the hell is Sam doing?” Ry peered at the image. “Who’s that guy?”

“That’s the new statue in Morgantown,” HW growled. “And she’s up there taking a selfie with it.”

“Well, at least she’s almost home.” Ry relaxed down again, and then sat bolt upright when his cell buzzed in his pocket. He took out his phone “What’s going on, now?”

“Avery wants to know when we’ll be back,” Ry called out to Chase, who was sitting at the front of the plane with BB.

“In about five minutes,” Chase confirmed. “We’re landing on the ranch strip.”

After the Sky Jump, they’d taken HW to a microbrewery, and then on to the PBR Rock Bar and Grill, where they’d met up with his best friend, Rio Martinez, and other old rodeo buddies. He’d tried out the beer, rode the bull, and generally had a great night. None of them were big drinkers so HW was quietly buzzed, but definitely still standing.

His bride-to-be was obviously up to something far more worrying, but why was he surprised? Sam’s specialty was getting into trouble.

All the cell phones on the plane suddenly buzzed except HW’s, and then everyone looked at him.

“What?” HW stiffened his spine. “What’s Sam done now?”

Chase came back to speak to him. “Don’t stress, Bro, but Sam’s been taken to the sheriff ’s office for causing a disturbance.”

* * *

Gosh, the sheriff ’s office was loud . . . Sam wished everyone would just go away and leave her in peace. She closed her eyes, but she could still hear her friends arguing with Nate about his decision to put her behind bars. Had he actually charged her with anything? She couldn’t remember. He’d helped her down off the plinth, carried