Fortune's June Bride (Mills & Boon Cherish) (The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country, Book 6) by Allison Leigh Page A

hairpiece. “The college roommate who gets on your nerves?”
    “I didn’t say—” She made a face and clipped the hairpiece into place, instantly adding a half ton of spiraling red hair to the back of her head. “Yes. That’s her.” She slid her watch locket down the front of her dress and spread her hands. “There. All set. Ready to ride to my rescue?”
    He held his white hat to his abdomen and grinned slightly. “Be my pleasure, ma’am.”
    Something inside her belly did a little jig and she quickly pushed open the trailer door, hurrying down the steps. “See you at the altar,” she managed blithely and picked up her skirts to jog toward the buckboard, since the theme music had just started to play.
    She was breathless when she clambered up alongside Frank, who gave her a pointed look as he tapped his wristwatch-free wrist.
    “Sorry,” she mouthed soundlessly and quickly pulled on her headset and veil. Then the gate opened, and Blackie burst through.
    For once, Aurora didn’t even have time to feel her usual surge of nausea. She looked over her shoulder toward Galen and Cabot where they and the rest of the cast were mounting up.
    Galen tipped his hat toward her and she grinned before the buckboard turned nearly on two wheels as Blackie raced right on cue toward Main Street. “My daddy will roll over in his grave if the railroad comes through our land,” she cried into her microphone. “I’d do anything to keep that from happening, Frank. But I can’t marry you! I love another!”
    Galen realized he was grinning as he listened to Aurora over the loudspeaker.
    “Looks to me like you’re having some fun at this,” Cabot observed.
    Galen tucked the “deed” into his shirt and nudged along his horse, Blaze, with a squeeze of his knees. “Maybe,” he allowed. But only because he was having fun watching Aurora have fun. He set his white hat more firmly on his head so it wouldn’t go blowing off when they made their mad dash down Main. “But I’m definitely not looking for a career change. Ranching’s in my blood. Only thing I ever wanted to do. Amusing as this might be for now, I’ll be happy as hell to hand over Rusty’s hat to whoever they get to replace Joey.” He took in the other riders as well as Cabot and gathered his reins. “Y’all ready?”
    They nodded, and as one, they set off in a thunder of horse hooves.
    Eleven minutes later, on the dot, he was pulling Aurora into his arms after “knocking” Frank off his feet, saying “I do” to Harlan’s Preacher Man, and bending Aurora low over his arm while the audience—always larger on a Saturday—clapped and hooted.
    Unfortunately for Galen, the longer he’d gone without Rusty actually kissing Lila, the more he couldn’t stop thinking about it as he pressed his cheek against Aurora’s, her head tucked down in his chest.
    “Big crowd,” he whispered. The mics were dead and he held her a little longer than usual. Because of the lengthy applause they were getting, of course.
    “Too big,” she whispered back. “You going to let me up anytime soon?”
    He immediately straightened, and she smiled broadly at the crowd, waving her hand as she tucked her hand through his arm and they strolled offstage.
    But he could see through the smile to the frustration brewing in her blue eyes.
    He waited until they were well away from the stage. “Sorry about that.”
    “About what?” She impatiently pushed her veil behind her back and kept looking over her shoulder as they strode through the side street. She was damn near jogging, and the beads hanging from her dress were bouncing.
    “Holding the...uh...the...uh,” he yanked his string tie loose, feeling like an idiot. “You know. The embrace.”
    She gave him a distracted look. “What about it?”
    “Holding it so long.”
    Her smooth brows pulled together. “Don’t be silly. You were showing great timing.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “Oh, crud on a cracker,” she