Page 61 of A Cowboy's Claim
“Hello, complicated life,” she offered. “What about you?”
“When I left the bachelor party, Cody was trying to convince his brother to shave off his moustache.”
She gasped. “Not the day before the wedding.”
“I think Chance was pulling his leg about being interested in the idea, but hopefully he doesn’t do anything that makes Rose want to kick his ass on their first day married.” Declan peered through the rain that descended in light gusts and then in downpours that made it look as if a river was being dumped through a sieve. “When Sadie and I got married, she insisted any parties happen at least two weeks before the big day.”
“I can see why, since the goal of the bachelor party seems to be to cause havoc,” Sydney said.
“What’s the worst prewedding story you’ve heard?” Declan asked.
Sydney adjusted position. “The worst is the group of pre-med students who took the very drunk groom-to-be down to the clinic and wrapped his leg as if he’d broken it.”
“The hell?”
“Oh, yeah, it was terrible. Funny in one way, if you can picture the poor guy standing at the front of the church in an ankle-to-hip, rock-solid cast.”
“She still married him?” Declan asked. “Sadie would have married me, but she might have broken something over my head for being an idiot before the big day.”
“The wedding went ahead, but the worst part was they didn’t tell him the cast was a fake until three days into the honeymoon.”
Declan felt slightly guilty for being amused. “Poor woman. I hope somebody paid for them to get new wedding photos somewhere down the road.”
“It was her brothers who did it, so yeah. There was payback.”
The truck hit a pothole Declan hadn’t seen in time, and the entire cab rocked violently. Sydney gasped then didn’t make another sound.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she reassured him. “I would’ve had to turn back over ten minutes ago.”
The next twenty minutes she directed him. The road became steadily steeper and more and more soupy as the rain turned the gravel road into a sea of mud.
When they finally pulled into the yard of the old-timer’s cabin, Declan was happy to put the truck inParkand release the death grip he had on the wheel. “How do you want to do this?”
Sydney peered out the window. “He’s got a little porch, so grab our bags and head out there. Knock to see if he answers, then open the door if he doesn’t.”
They did a mad rush between the parked truck and the fifteen steps to the porch, and Declan’s jacket still clung to him like a second skin.
Sydney wiped water from her eyes and tightened her ponytail before putting her knuckles to the door. “Mr. Nagy? We’ve come for a visit.”
A chorus of barking erupted behind the door, followed by frantic clawing. At least the dogs inside were excited to say hello.
She knocked three more times then tried the door.
When it swung open easily, two mid-sized mutts rushed forward, bumping their heads into Declan and Sydney before weaving their way around their legs. They barked and licked and otherwise acted excited to help.
“Down,” Declan ordered, hand stretched over their heads.
One of them whimpered slightly as he dropped onto his haunches, but the other disappeared into the house, tail wagging furiously.
“Let’s see what’s happened,” Sydney said.
“I go first,” Declan said firmly.
She stepped aside, brushing another streak of rain off her cheek. “Be my guest.”
The house was empty. Unlike previous mountain cabins Declan had visited, this bachelor kept his organized. There was a cold pot of coffee on the counter, three-quarters full, and a few clean dishes in a drying rack. The airtight stove held the remains of a dying fire.
