Romance: The Wedding Planner & The Endowed Cowboy Husband by Erin Walsh Page B

last steady relationship ended. He wanted things that I wasn’t quite ready for. I was just getting started in my career and he was already talking about having a baby. After that, I hadn’t really thought too much about dating until recently.
    “Maybe that’s why I’m so antsy about going out with Charles.” Not dating anybody for a long time would make anybody feel a little “rusty”. “It’s not a date Stephanie.” I said again to myself and I sighed. I was started to agitate myself with all of this wishful thinking. I got up then and headed towards the bathroom. “A nice bath will definitely ease my mind.”
    Chapter Two
             
    Wednesday had passed me by like a breeze but Thursday was dragging on rather slowly. Throughout all of my appointments today I felt myself looking at the clock on the wall every five minutes. I knew why I was so anxious to get out of the office. Charles and I were having dinner tonight to go over some more detail regarding his wedding. His wedding, I thought to myself again. The man was taken, even though his was getting ready for a non-traditional union, he was still another woman’s man. It wasn’t like I liked the man or anything, even though I was attracted to him. It’s just something about him that makes me want to get to know him on a more personal level.
    “Thank you so much Stephanie.” Tori said as she stood up and extended her hand to me and I accepted it automatically. “These designs will definitely make my wedding the best that this town has ever seen in the last twenty years!” Tori’s hyperactive voice made me smile. She was a cute red haired young woman, but I thought that she was getting married too young. At twenty years old she decided to make that huge committed to be with someone for the rest of her life. Even though I thought something was definitely fishy regarding their upcoming nuptials, she was twenty and the man was pushing fifty, I didn’t say anything about it. It wasn’t my job to try to talk somebody out of getting married, that’ll cost me money. My job was to plan a breathtaking wedding and that’s what I was surely going to do.
    “It’s no problem Tori. I love what I do.” I grinned at her and got up to show her to the door. “Let’s get back together once you get your dress. I want you to take a picture of it so that I can have the right décor to go with your dress.”
    “Of course.” She said with a toothy grin. She walked out of my office then and my receptionist, Karla, winked at me.
    “You’re going to make a fortune off of that one.” She said to me and smiled. She was right on that one; however, the real money was coming from my companion for this evening. I looked at the clock and notice that it was quickly approaching five and called out to Karla.
    “You go on out. I’ll lock up again.” I didn’t have to tell her twice because she was up and out of her chair before I even finished my statement.
    “Alright see you tomorrow Stephanie.” She called out as she shut down her computer and picked up her belongings. She was out of there faster than the speed of Tori’s voice, which was fast. I began packing up my belongings as well and began feeling that same anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I slowly inhaled and exhaled.
    “It’s nothing but business.” I told myself and locked up my office.
                   ****
    By the time 7:30 had come around I was in a tight fitting black dress which hugged each and every bit of my curves. My hair was a wild mess of curls, the way that I liked it, and my make-up was subtle yet seductive. Even though this technically wasn’t a date, I wanted to look as if I was going out. Ollie came running into my bedroom then and sat down on the ground.
    “I shouldn’t be out too long, but don’t wait up.” I laughed at myself as I talked to the dog like he was my teenage child. Just when I looked myself over again in the mirror, my doorbell rang signaling