Page 32 of Soldier Cowboy
They arrived at the tux rental place early for his appointment, so Colton drove Jennifer to a shopping strip mall nearby. There was a large department store not far, but he’d determined in order to keep a closer watch he’d prefer a small place without as many exits.
“There should be something you can find here.”
He parked, then held the door open and followed Jennifer through the small shop as she picked up and put down about twenty dresses. Any of them would have looked good on her and he grew more irritated with every passing second.
“Aren’t you a patient one?” The clerk winked. “Good for you. Most men wouldn’t follow their woman around without complaint.”
He wanted to shout:I’m her bodyguard! I’m not following, dammit, I’m leading.I’m working here.
But yes, he was following her.
“I’m going to wait by the entrance,” he told Jennifer when he’d had enough of following her around in circles.
He should have thought of parking himself here earlier but didn’t want to announce to the entire world he was security detail even if that’s exactly what he was. There wasn’t any reason to keep up the pretense of lovers in public with people they didn’t know and might never see again.
Colton stood near the door, arms crossed, shades on, doing his best not to look like a guard. Every now and again he glanced at his watch to be sure he wasn’t going to be late for his fitting. All this wedding stuff was bad enough to deal with, on his own, but now he had Jennifer along. He’d known this would be the case, but the practicalities of their arrangement were beginning to drain him.
She was…a lot. And not just because she was beautiful, and he had a difficult time keeping his hands off her. She wanted to discuss things he’d rather not. PTSD. The whole situation with Horace and her brother. The fact Colton had been disconnected from his family for so long. He knew better than to think she’d let it go. She’d only put the subject on hold for now because she wanted a dress. Well, he’d take his distractions and interceptions when and where he could.
The door to the shop opened and closed several times while Jennifer took eons to choose a dress. Then shoes.
“Oh my God, what are you doinghere, Sean?”
When Colton and Sean were younger, people often mistook the two brothers. But Colton, who’d had a late growth spurt, was now a good inch or two taller than Sean, at six-two. His hair was shorter than Sean’s, he had a scar over his left eyebrow, and quite a few others on his back. A coiled-snake tattoo half sleeve covered most of his right arm. Yet they were still being mistaken for each other.
He peered at the woman over the rim of his shades. “I’m not Sean.”
“I can see that now, but gosh! You look a lot like him. You must be Colton.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Tabitha, runner-up. Yes, that’s right, had destiny gone the other way I might be getting ready to be your sister-in-law. Hoo boy, but if I’d seen you first…”
He nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Colton really should watch thisMr. Cowboyshow which had apparently had its streaming run over six months ago. His brother had datedthiswoman right alongside Bonnie Lee. What a wonder everyone still had all their major limbs intact. If he recalled, his sister-in-law-to-be had matched Sean dollar for dollar in the jealousy department.
Two more women waltzed in right after the pretty blonde.
“Guys, check it out! It’s Sean 2.0.” She waved over to them. “Colton, this is Jessica. And this is Angela. We were all in the final four with Bonnie Lee.”
“You all decided to stay in town?”
“Not me,” the one named Jessica said. “I got married not long after the show ended.”
“And I’m working in New York City,” Angela said. “But the show invited all of us to attend the wedding of the year.”
The wedding of the year.
Colton felt his jaw turn to granite. “Yeah, I had no idea this wedding was going to be so wellattended.”
If so, he would have actually told Horace that Jennifer might be safer staying in LA. But no, surely that wasn’t true. She was safe here, far from the stalker, as long as he kept his edge.
“Wouldn’t you like your boyfriend to see how you look in the dress?” The attendant said to Jennifer.
“Oh, no, it’s fine, he’s not my boyfriend.”
Colton watched as Jennifer turned to see him standing with the women and she almost visibly jerked and straightened her posture.
Colton stilled. Jennifer didn’t yet know these women were coming to the wedding. He could always hope they hadn’t heard Jennifer. If he were better at mind reading or she could read hand signals, he would relay the information to her. Even so, he tried to deliver an SOS with his eyes.
“And who isthis?” Tabitha turned to watch Jennifer as she paid at the register. “A friend of yours? A cousin?”
