The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) Read online

  The Cowboy Lassos a Bride

  By Cora Seton

  Copyright © 2013 Cora Seton

  Kindle Edition

  Published by One Acre Press

  ISBN-13: 9781927036556

  Author Note

  The Cowboy Lassos a Bride is Volume 6 in the Cowboys of Chance Creek series, set in the fictional town of Chance Creek, Montana. To find out more about Cab, Rose, Hannah, Mia, Fila, Ethan, Autumn, Jamie, Claire, Rob, Morgan and other Chance Creek inhabitants, look for the rest of the books in the series, including:

  The Cowboy’s E-mail Order Bride (Volume 1)

  The Cowboy Wins a Bride (Volume 2)

  The Cowboy Imports a Bride (Volume 3)

  The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire (Volume 4)

  The Sheriff Catches a Bride (Volume 5)

  The Cowboy Rescues a Bride (Volume 7)

  The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Volume 8)

  Visit www.coraseton.com for more titles and release dates.

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  Prologue

  October

  She was alone at a wedding. Again.

  Hannah Ashton lifted a hand to her hair to make sure her elaborate updo hadn’t come tumbling down. Her white-blond waves had a tendency to defy hairpins, but as Bella Chatham’s maid of honor, she had corralled it mercilessly into a sophisticated style. Her empire-waisted, China-blue gown was flattering, at least. Some of the dresses she and Morgan Matheson—Bella’s other bridesmaid—had tried on at Ellie’s Bridals had sent them into fits of laughter.

  Bella, her boss and one of her best friends, looked pretty as a picture standing next to her dream man—Evan Mortimer, billionaire investor and all around great guy. Hannah had engineered the circumstances under which Bella and Evan met on the set of Can You Beat a Billionaire, after Bella’s tender heart had nearly bankrupted the Chance Creek Pet Clinic and Shelter where Hannah worked. Bella didn’t need to worry about money anymore, and practical Evan would balance out her tendency to want to save any and every animal around. They made a great couple.

  Hannah wished she had a man like that. He didn’t have to be a billionaire. He just needed to care about her the way Evan obviously cared about Bella. As the two exchanged their vows in the small chapel presided over by the minister, Ed Halpern, they couldn’t look away from each other. They were so much in love.

  Hannah wanted to be in love.

  She wasn’t. Not anymore. Today’s desertion by Cody was the final nail in the coffin of their relationship—a relationship she now had to admit had been over for some time. He was never there when she needed him. He liked her well enough when she was at home cooking him dinner or listening to another of his endless diatribes against his employees or customers or family, but when she asked him to take on a chore, he refused. When it was her turn to talk, he became suddenly busy. When there were parties or picnics or weddings to attend, he couldn’t be found. He disliked her friends, disliked her job, and certainly couldn’t be bothered to attend the nuptials of her boss. So here she was by herself, for everyone to see. She’d have an empty seat beside her during dinner at the bridal table since she’d responded to her invitation saying the two of them would come. She’d have no one to dance with once the music started, except for pity invitations from her friends’ husbands. And by the time she got home, Cody would be stretched out on the couch in his boxers, too wrapped up in some late night Hollywood western to even care that she was there.

  Once she’d fancied herself in love with the man, but that was a long time ago, before he’d let her down in a hundred and one ways. Before she realized they had little in common except for a desire to be with someone. She’d been all set to dump him when Bella and Evan’s wedding invitation arrived in the mail. In a moment of weakness, she’d asked Cody to accompany her, placing the fate of their relationship in his answer. If he said yes, she’d give it one more shot. If he said no, she’d leave right away. He must have intuited her intentions—he’d said yes, and she’d stuck with him for several more weeks.

  She shouldn’t have wasted her time. She’d gone to get her nails done this morning and when she returned home, Cody was gone, his cryptic note stating he’d been called in to work. Since he was self-employed, the excuse bordered on insulting. She had her answer. Their relationship was over.

  Hannah sighed. She was sick of being alone. She wanted to find her life partner like Bella had done. She wanted a wedding and a happily ever after. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She was thrilled that things had gone so well for Bella, but she couldn’t help feeling a little resentful, too. Just a little. If she hadn’t coerced her boss to go on the hit reality television show, Bella would still be broke and lonely. Just like her. Instead, her friend was the happiest woman for miles around. She had everything—a handsome, funny, loving husband, a career she adored, all the money she could ever want…

  And Hannah had nothing. She blinked back sudden tears of self-pity, aware that she was on display up here for all her friends to see. Hopefully they’d think she was overcome with happiness for Bella. Which she was. Hannah dug her nails into the palms of her hands to get control of her emotions. She had promised herself all this wallowing in self-pity was over. Bella was her friend. Nothing would change that. And she’d find a man sooner or later.

  It just wasn’t Cody.

  Taking a deep breath, she made a vow right then and there. She would split up with Cody, and she would manage to do it without having a fight. It was hunting season right now—a perfect time to end the relationship. If she was smart, she’d wait until just before he left on one of his hunting trips to let him know, and then she could remove all her things from his house while he was gone. A cowardly trick, but one that would make things easier for both of them.

  She knew the perfect time, too. In a couple of weeks, bison season opened up. Cody had been blathering for days about a bison on some big game ranch out in the western part of the state he intended to go shoot. It sounded silly to her, but it would keep him busy, at least overnight. That was all the time she needed.

  With the decision made and her course set, she felt somewhat better, as if she’d gone through a long winter and just seen the first signs of spring. It would be a relief to end this relationship that was heading nowhere. She would have done it sooner if living together hadn’t made things so complicated. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her now. She would un-complicate things, leave Cody, and then she would be free in a few short weeks. Hannah straightened her shoulders and focused on the ceremony again.

  Two hours later, she fiddled with her glass of champagne and watched the couples on the dance floor, her resentment creeping back to depress her mood again. It killed her not to feel joyful when this was Bella’s wedding, but the fact that her best friend was leaving her behind kept tears pricking at her eyelids. She hadn’t expected the wedding to be so emotional in this way and she refused to let Bella know how she felt. Once again she pasted a bright smile on her face and surveyed the room. The night hadn’t been all bad. Ethan Cruz had danced with her once as a gesture of friendship. Married to her friend, Autumn, the tall cowboy had always been kind and considerate like that. Several other married men in her group of friends had taken her for a turn around the dance floor, too. That was nice of them, but she didn’t want pity-dances. She wanted something else—something more.

  It was probably for the best there wasn’t anything more to have, she thought, since she hadn’t broken up officially with Cody yet. Still, in her mind it was over—and had been for a long time. She and Cody hadn’t acted like a couple in ages. She was lonely
. She wanted a man’s arms around her. She wanted to be kissed.

  She wanted to be loved.

  “Care to dance?”

  She glanced up with a start to find Jake Matheson, Morgan’s brother-in-law, standing beside her table. “Um… sure.” Too surprised to say more, she stood up and took his hand. As he led her to the dance floor, she allowed her gaze to trail over him in a way she hadn’t looked at any man in a long, long time. Jake was one of the handsomest cowboys she knew and she was shocked he’d deigned to issue her this invitation. Like all the Matheson men, he was tall, broad-shouldered, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was the oldest of four, and everyone knew he’d run the Double-Bar-K when his father stepped down from that job. Any woman who married Jake would enter one of the oldest, proudest ranching families in the county. But Jake seemed to have no notion of settling down.

  At thirty-three, he was seven years older than her, so he’d graduated before she’d even entered high school. Their crowds hadn’t ever converged until this past summer when she began to work at the Cruz ranch from time to time, helping Autumn with her guest ranch business. Ethan was good friends with Rob Matheson, Jake’s youngest brother and Morgan’s husband, and she’d gotten to know the rest of the Mathesons in the intervening months, especially at Ethan and Autumn’s weekly poker nights.

  Still, it was strange to feel Jake’s large hand curve around her own as he led her through the crowded tables, and when he pulled her close on the dance floor and put his hands on her waist to sway next to her to the slow dance now playing over the speakers, her breath caught. She’d never been so near to Jake. His dress shirt was smooth under her cheek as she rested her head against his chest. His hands were warm through the thin fabric of her dress. He smelled of soap and man and outdoors, a scent that filled her with an unnamed longing. She hoped he couldn’t hear her heart racing in her chest. Jake was so masculine, so utterly out of her league, she’d never even pictured a moment like this.

  As her body came alive under his touch, Hannah realized just how bad things between her and Cody had become. He never made her feel like this—her heart thrumming, her pulse racing, her breath caught in her throat. Jake, on the other hand, made her senses reel. She tingled all over from his proximity.

  “Enjoying the wedding?” he murmured. If he wanted, she knew he could easily rest his chin on top of her head. He held her carefully but firmly, and she felt safe in his arms. Protected. Valued in a way she wanted to be valued. She could tell by the way he moved with her that he was very aware of her too. Knowing his thoughts were on her—not just his hands—was as intoxicating as any glass of champagne. The play of his muscles under his shirt delighted her. She wished she could touch him. Run a hand over his chest. She tilted her head down so he wouldn’t be able to read her thoughts in her face. This was a man who could warm her through any long, cold Montana night.

  She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. The testosterone leaking out of this handsome cowboy must be playing havoc with her hormones. Jake wasn’t interested in her that way. He was dancing with her out of pity, just like the rest of them.

  “It’s nice,” she managed to say finally.

  “Where’s Cody tonight?”

  Hannah leaned back to peer up at him. She was surprised he even remembered Cody. Had the two men even crossed paths? She wasn’t sure. “He didn’t feel like coming. He’s not much for weddings.” She suppressed a sigh.

  “He ought to know better than to leave a pretty girl like you alone in a situation like this.”

  “Why? What could possibly happen to me?” She smiled up at him as he smiled down. Flirting with Jake was the last thing she’d expected to happen when she arrived here tonight, but it felt as comfortable to do so as if she’d had years of practice. If only this dance could last more than a few minutes. She wanted it to go on forever.

  “Who knows what kind of unsavory elements might get a hold of you.”

  His fingers pressed into her skin and she leaned into his embrace, realized what she was doing and tried to pull back. He didn’t let her. His hands settled more tightly at her waist and kept her pressed up against the length of him. Suddenly Hannah could hardly breathe.

  “I’m impervious to unsavory elements,” she made herself say, but her voice sounded weak. Unsure.

  He stopped dancing for a moment. Started again. “Impervious?” He dipped his head lower so that his lips were near her ear. “Are you sure?”

  Not when his breath tickled her neck like that. “Absolutely.”

  One of his hands slipped down just a fraction of an inch on her waist, but it was enough to make its position almost indecorous. His other arm wrapped around her to make it entirely clear who was in charge here. Hannah was aware of every inch of his body that pressed against hers. Her heart was beating strong and fast. She clung to him, so off-balance as to be dizzy.

  Jake swayed with her to the music and Hannah wondered if everyone could see the way desire was setting her nerves alight. She now knew just how intimate a simple dance could become when one partner was determined to seduce the other.

  Because that’s what Jake was doing. Seducing her. Reeling her in until he was the only thing she could think about. It was working, too.

  “Let’s test that theory, shall we?” Suddenly he was pulling her back through the tables, across the reception hall and out into a corridor. He traced its length, trying the handles of the doors they passed to storage rooms, smaller meeting rooms and the like. Hannah stumbled after him, not caring who saw them or what they thought. She just wanted to be with Jake. Anywhere he wanted to be.

  Finally one opened. Hardly bigger than a closet, it appeared to be a break room for the staff. Jake spun her back into his arms, backed her up against a counter and kissed the daylights out of her.

  Hannah only had a fleeting thought of Cody at home on his rundown couch, in his boxers and a T-shirt, a six-pack and a bag of chips on the coffee table, television remote in his hand. Then she could think of nothing else but Jake. The man’s mouth on hers, devouring her, kissing her until she had to gasp for breath, his hands smoothing over her waist, almost dipping down over her ass, but hesitating, not crossing that threshold.

  Not yet.

  Hannah knew this could go as far as she wanted to take it. Knew too that Jake was too much a gentleman to push for more than she was willing to give. How much was she willing to give? She wasn’t sure. Except with each passing moment she felt closer to wanting to give him everything. The champagne she had drunk lent a warm glow to the workaday room. Jake’s arms around her, his mouth on hers made her forget everything else.

  She wondered briefly who this wanton woman was. It couldn’t be her—safe, quiet Hannah who’d supported herself since she was barely eighteen. She’d never done something so reckless, so out of character. But she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to.

  As she twined her arms around Jake’s neck, he lifted her suddenly and placed her on the counter. Never breaking off the kiss that was searing her straight down to her soul, he pulled her tight against him and she reflexively wrapped her legs around his waist, her gown riding up over her thighs.

  “Hannah,” he groaned as he trailed kisses down her neck. “Hannah, you drive me wild.”

  Hannah blinked, but surrendered to his ongoing sensual attacks. This was news to her. She would have bet he’d never noticed her in his life.

  Sure, they’d been thrown together last week at one of Ethan and Autumn’s poker nights. She’d asked him some questions about an article she’d read—something about sustainable ranching. Apparently she’d hit on one of his favorite topics and they’d discussed it at length—as acquaintances at a get-together. Then the poker game had started and that had been that. She hadn’t given it another thought. Having a crush on Jake would be like lusting after your older brother’s best friend—completely safe because its outcome was completely predictable.

  Except now Jake was kissing her. As if he couldn’t get enough. A
nd she was kissing him back just as passionately because she’d never liked kissing a man this much. Was it the champagne? Or the unexpectedness of it? Whatever the reason, the more they made out, the more she wanted him.

  Jake kept one hand at her waist to hold her firmly against him. He slid the other one higher until he almost cupped her breast, but hesitated. Hannah knew he was asking for permission. She didn’t think about the consequences. She leaned forward until her breast pressed into his hand. She caught her breath as he ran his thumb over her sensitive nipple. Heat throbbed between her legs. Jake groaned and pulled her even closer. She could feel his hardness through their clothes.

  How far would they take this? Would she stop him? Could she?

  A sudden tumult in the distance had them both stiffening. There was a clamor of voices. “The bride and groom are leaving,” someone called to someone else.

  Hannah looked at Jake. Saw regret in his eyes. Knew he’d see the same in hers. “I have to go—I’m the maid of honor!”

  Jake backed away. She hopped off the counter and straightened her dress.

  “Do I look okay?” she asked as they approached the door.

  “You look… amazing.” Jake bent down and kissed her again. “Hannah…”

  “We’d better hurry.”

  “All right.”

  Jake went first. She waited a minute, then followed, joining the crowd that had erupted from the main reception hall to escort the bride and groom to the waiting limousine. She joined her voice to the ones wishing Bella and Evan well. Got a quick hug from both bride and groom. Waved until the limo was out of sight. Then she turned to search the crowd.

  And saw Jake bending down to talk to Tracey Richards, a waitress at Linda’s Diner who helped Autumn with her guest ranch business from time to time, too. As she watched, Jake tugged a lock of Tracey’s hair. Tracey blushed and laughed.

  Hannah flushed hot, then cold as realization overtook her. No miracle had taken place here tonight. The hottest, sexiest cowboy around hadn’t fallen head over heels for her. He hadn’t acted on a long-standing desire. She had no future with him, either. They’d probably never even kiss again. Jake was drunk, horny and out for a good time. That was all. The fact that she’d nearly lost her head with him told her she had drunk too much herself. She wasn’t even single. Which Jake knew all too well.