Texas Tango: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2 by Cynthia D’Alba Page B

words that day. Some of the mothers were not happy with Mamie.” She took his left hand. “Come on.”
    The county clerk’s office was obviously having a very slow day. No one was waiting to be served, and behind the desk, many of the staff stood looking at some pictures. A short, well-endowed woman waved a hand. “Be right with ya.” She pulled away from the group and took a seat behind the desk. “Now, how can I help you folks?”
    “We need to get a marriage license,” Caroline said.
    “Well, good for you. Congratulations to you both.” She pulled two clipboards from under the desk, clipped a form onto each of them and slid them across. “I need each of you to complete an application. If you’ve been married before, I’ll need to see a divorce decree or a death certificate. The fee is fifty-eight dollars. We only take cash.”
    Caroline and Travis moved to the chairs along the wall to complete the paperwork. Travis wrote quickly and finished first.
    “Done?” he asked
    “Just about.” Caroline signed the form. “Finished.”
    Travis took both clipboards and returned to the counter. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket, placed it on top of his form and handed both to the clerk. She took them, unfolded the paper and nodded. Caroline could read the large bold print at the top. Death Certificate . She hadn’t even given a thought to his being a widower.
    “Good thing you remembered this,” the clerk said. “Have to have it. Okay, let’s see what we’ve here.” The clerk’s fingers began flying across her keyboard as she entered Travis’s information. It didn’t take long before she refolded the death certificate and handed it back to him. “You’re done. Let’s get your bride in there.” She lifted Caroline’s clipboard and read the name. “Caroline Graham. You related to Joshua Graham over on Maple?”
    Caroline shook her head. “No, ma’am.”
    “Just as well. He’s an old bastard anyhow. Okay, let’s see. Never married, so I don’t need anything there.” She continued to talk to herself as she rapidly entered Caroline’s information. “Okay, that’s it.” She looked at Travis. “If you and Ms. Graham will have a seat, it’ll be just a minute.”
    In about five minutes, the clerk waved them back to the window. “Okay. Here is your license. Remember that you need to have it signed and back to this office within sixty days. Good luck to both of you. I wish you many years of happiness.” She smiled as she passed the legal document across the counter.
    Travis took the license, folded it and slipped it into his jacket pocket. “Thank you.”
    After retrieving her purse from the chair, Caroline looked at the clerk. “So we’re done?”
    “Yes, ma’am. Good luck.”
    “Thank you.”
    Caroline was amazed at Travis’s calm exterior, in contrast to her quivering insides. Once they reached the exterior door, Travis dialed the limo, which pulled up not more than a minute later. They climbed in, the air vibrating with tension. Or maybe it was just her. She didn’t know.
    They pulled into the circle drive that fed St. Michael’s Hospital visitor entrance. As before, the driver slipped from the car before Travis or Caroline could reach for the door release and opened the rear passenger door.
    “We will be a while in here,” Caroline told the driver. “I’ll call when we’re ready to go.”
    “That’s fine, ma’am.”
    As the car pulled away, Caroline’s stomach rolled and pitched like a ship at sea. Travis’s hand at the small of her back as they entered the hospital did little to calm her nerves. If anything, his touch was stirring up emotions she had no right to feel about him. In the lobby, she paused.
    “You okay?” Travis asked. He turned and looked into her eyes.
    “No second thoughts, not about what we’re doing. I just wish…I mean…” She let out a long breath. “I just wish this wasn’t a fake wedding.” As though realizing what she’d