Page 73 of Rawhide and Ransom

“The honor is all mine.” He stepped back. “You’ve made our newest councilman and our most recently retired councilman the happiest men on the rez.”

Her heart was too full to say anything, so she leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek as he led her from the room.

They stood at the back of the church and waited until the lone guitar player strummed the opening notes to the Wedding March. Then they made their way toward the altar where Hawk was standing.

The tiny church was crammed so full of people that it was a miracle there was any air left in the room to breathe. Children peeked out from behind their parents’ knees, pointing and craning to get a better look at what one chubby toddler called “the flower lady.”

She smiled and blew a kiss to the little boy. He buried his face bashfully against his mother’s skirt.

“Ohhh!” A breathy sigh left her as she caught sight of the leather vest Hawk was wearing over his white dress shirt. She would’ve recognized those hand-carved roses anywhere. It was such detailed and intricate work that Miley must have put in some very long hours over the past week to finish it.

His dark gaze glowed into hers as they approached him. It was the first time he was seeing her in her wedding gown, and he looked like he very much approved of her non-traditional approach. As they drew closer, she saw a sheen of wonder misting his eyes.

Running Bear stopped in front of Hawk and transferred her hand to his arm. “I love you both more than my own life,” he choked. “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” He backed away from them with a damp sniffle.

Pastor Josh Chavez officiated over the ceremony in what had to be his first experience doing anything like that. He was glowing nearly as much as Annalee and Hawk. It seemed to her that his gaze rested a little longer than necessary a few times during the ceremony on Miley, but it could’ve simply been her mama bear instincts going into overdrive.

She and Hawk exchanged theirI Do’sand slid wedding bands on each other’s fingers. After the final blessing was spoken over them, he tipped her chin up for a tender kiss. “I love you, Mrs. Chesney.”

The room erupted into clapping and cheers. They strolled up the aisle, waving their love and appreciation to their family, friends, neighbors, and tribal council members.

Their wedding festivities poured into the parking lot where a long white tent had been erected for the reception. There was music, singing, toasting, and dancing, during which Edward gave Mirabelle a rather masterful spin in his lap on his wheelchair. There was no denying to anyone who was watching that the two of them were very much in love. Annalee was fully expecting another engagement announcement soon.

* * *

Tucker stood on the sidelines,wishing he was somewhere else. Yeah, he thought the world of Hawk, Annalee, and Miley, but a wedding was no place for a rogue like him. His hands had too much blood on them, his heart too many black spots. The only worthwhile skill set he possessed was catching criminals.

Glancing at his watch, he wondered what the protocol was for how long a best man was supposed to suffer in a tie and blazer before making his escape. He’d already loosened his tie three more times since leaving the church building.

Yanking on it a fourth time, he decided he’d waited long enough to make a run for it. He pivoted toward his truck on the far side of the parking lot and nearly plowed into a teenage boy.

“Sorry about that, kid!” He did a hasty sidestep, managing to yank his tie off at the same time.

“Kid?” An outraged female voice twanged around his ears.

He frowned and took a closer look and found himself staring at a petite, dark-haired woman who couldn’t have been more than a hundred pounds sopping wet. Her wind-tousled hair was in a pixie cut, and there was nothing feminine whatsoever about the beige plaid shirt she’d half tucked into her faded jeans.

“My bad.” He raised his eyebrows at the amount of dust on her knees. She looked like she’d just taken a tumble from her horse in the middle of a barrel race. “Are you the parking attendant?” He knew he was being rude, but there was something brewing in her coffee brown eyes that rankled. He’d already said he was sorry for nearly mowing her down. If his apology wasn’t good enough for her, she could go roll in another pile of dust.

“Wow!” She slapped her hands down on her skinny hips and surveyed him with a look of disgust. “You’re every bit as much of a jerk as they said you were!”

He snorted, not surprised that someone had been talking about him behind his back. Or several someones, from what she’d made it sound like. “If we’re done trading insults here, I’ve got somewhere to be.” He started to step around her, but she sidestepped to block him.

“Not so fast, Pratt. We need to talk.”

He didn’t know how she knew his name, since he’d never laid eyes on her in his life, nor did he particularly care. “Sorry, beautiful. Though I’m between girlfriends, you’re not my type.” He’d never had a serious girlfriend, but she didn’t need to know that.

She snickered and attempted to cover it with a cough, keeping her glare intact. “Oh, trust me. You’re nobody’s type, cowboy, and I’m nowhere near desperate enough to try to change your mind.” She gave him a withering once-over, intended to put him in his place.

However, the interest flickering in her gaze was at war with her words. She didn’t hate what she saw, a fact he found far more fascinating than he should have. He almost wished he wasn’t so good at reading body language, because he was truly done with peopling for the day. He’d closed his latest case and earned his forthcoming evening of solitude. Just him, his dog, a cold beverage, and a nap on his back porch. No TV. All he wanted was silence. Pure, uninterrupted silence.

“Now that I’ve got your attention,” her voice was way too smug for her own good, “I want to hire you.”

He barked out a laugh that made her face redden. “Sorry, but I’m off duty, ma’am.”

“Mallory,” she supplied. “Mallory Evans.”

He reached inside his blazer to fish out a business card for Lonestar Security. He extended it lazily to her. “Here you go, Miss Evans,” he drawled, since he didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger. “Call my office and tell whoever picks up to assign your case to anyone besides me.” He was kidding, of course, but she sort of had it coming.

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