Page 20 of Rancher's Strength

“Not at first, but it clicked after a minute. Of course he knew Ryder,” I scoffed. It shouldn’t have irritated me, but I was letting it go. He was my ex-husband; he wasn't supposed to be the person my dad knew.

“Yeah, well, I think he’s there a lot. Even after you went to Bozeman, he hung around. I think he was hoping you’d come back, actually, but his consolation prize was our dad. He didn’t know me when I went earlier this week, by the way, so don’t feel like you’re special.” She bumped my shoulder, and I smiled. Oddly enough, it made me feel better.

There is nothing worse than a parent forgetting their children, both for the kids and the parent. The person that told you they’d love you forever gradually forgets who you are. It is cruel and unfair.

Chapter Eleven

LEXIE

We’d left this wedding until the last minute, and I could feel the wolves knocking on the door to get to the kids. But finally, it was our wedding day again.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared out at the orchard. This was nothing like the first time I’d married Ryder. That wedding took place at the crystal blue lake, deep in the mountains south of the ranch. It had been the perfect day, and if I closed my eyes, I could almost transport myself back there.

“Lexie, are you ready?” Wes’ soft voice asked from the doorway. I couldn’t help but smile, there wasn’t any way to have my dad here, and it only felt right to have Griff’s dad walk me down the aisle. He’d taken Ryder under his wing when Griff brought him home years ago. While Ryder often said no place had ever felt like home, I knew Gwen and Wes’ place was always his safe place.

“I am.” I nodded as he walked into my room.

“He told me what was happening. He didn’t want to, but he can’t lie to me. I think you have the biggest heart in the world,doing this for Ruby and Sawyer.” There were tears in his eyes, and I had to blink quickly, or I’d start crying too. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” He winked and offered me his arm. Looping mine through his, we walked out of the house and down to the orchard.

Ruby spotted me first and beamed as she hit play on the phone she was cradling. Music filtered through the speakers as I walked down the aisle toward him- the one man I’d vowed to love forever. The man I’d left because he deserved a better wife, one who wasn’t career-driven and couldn’t give him the family he longed for. And now, here we were, once again being thrust together.

He looked good. Well, he always looked good, but today in his black Stetson, crisply starched blue wranglers, and white pearl snap shirt, I couldn’t help but get lost in him. His dark brown eyes burned into me as I moved closer. Ryder reached out his hand to me, and I took it. It was the same as the first time I’d held his hand: rough from ranch work, calloused in some spots, and big. His hand enveloped mine, and the familiar feeling of being safe when he was close washed over me.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” the officiant asked, breaking the thoughts of Ryder holding my hand.

“As a stand-in for Alexandra’s father, I do.” Wes’ smile would have lit up the dark, and he leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly before taking his seat between Gwen and my mother. The rest of the crowd wasn’t so happy. There were no smiles, mostly scowls, and I wondered how long the guys had tried to talk Ryder out of this.

The officiant jabbered on about love and marriage; while we’d asked for something simple, this was anything but. “Marriage isn’t a game or something to do just for fun, it’s serious and comes from the heart.” My heart was pounding so hard that I was pretty sure everyone would be able to hearit. Ryder squeezed my hand, and I tried to slow down my breathing. The last thing I needed to do was pass out on my wedding day.

“Do you, Alexandra, take Ryder to be your husband?”

“I do,” I said, my voice barely registering.

“Ryder, do you take Alexandra to be your wife?”

“I do.” Of course, his voice would be strong and commanding. It was as if he didn’t have a doubt about this at all. If a stranger walked into this orchard, they’d see a confident man and a woman shrinking under the weight of the burden on her shoulders.

“It’s my pleasure to announce you husband and wife. Ryder you may kiss your bride.” Time stopped, the crowd froze and all I saw was Ryder take a step toward me. He lowered his head, and I tipped mine up as our lips pressed against one another.

His lips were soft. Had I remembered to put lip gloss on before I walked down the aisle? Were my lips chapped? Did I brush my teeth? Oh god, I didn’t, did I? My breath must be awful. God, he kisses like he always did; I could get lost in his kisses. When he pulled away, I kept my eyes closed and wanted to beg him to come back to me, but a round of applause that made the golf clap look enthusiastic forced me to open my eyes. Ryder offered me his arm, and we signed the marriage certificate, with Gwen and Wes witnessing it before we walked away from our ceremony.

“You look beautiful,” Ryder said as we walked up the hill toward the house.

“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.” I turned to him. His eyes were filled with concern, not the excitement and ease of our first wedding. “How were the guys with all this?”

“Not thrilled.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No kidding."

“They’re worried, and they have a right to be.”

“Well, we both know what this is. Our eyes are wide open going into it.”

“Right.” He nodded, and silence filled the air around us. An awkward, thick silence that I hated.

Tables had been set up around the yard, and people trickled in from the orchard. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Ruby and Sawyer play with the other kids at the ranch. Ruby held onto Josie’s hand as if it were her job.

I needed a minute, so I wandered into the kitchen. It was almost supper time, and people would be getting hungry, and tempers would rise when that happened, so I started preparing things to put out.

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