Page 6 of Bringing Home A Cowboy
His boots creak against the boards as he heads back toward his truck. The sound fades and then he’s gone—tail lights cutting through the snow until they disappear behind the ridge.
For a long moment, I stand in the doorway, keys heavy in my hand, heart heavier still. The house feels both familiar and foreign, like stepping into a memory that’s still deciding whether to let me stay.
Chapter 4
James
Harlan moves quicker than most lawyers I’ve met. By morning he’s got papers clipped in a tidy stack and a time set with Sheriff Dan Collins at the courthouse. I sign where he taps, slow and careful. Olivia signs with a steady hand that only trembles when the pen lifts.
“You sure?” I murmur, low so only she hears.
She nods once. “For the ranch.”
It’s enough.
The judge is out on circuit, so Sheriff Collins stands in—broad-shouldered, straight-faced, the kind of man who’s seen every kind of trouble Cady Springs can kick up and still makes it home for supper. “Short and sweet,” he tells us, voice warm. Deputy Clay Callahan slips in at the back to witness, giving me a chin tip I answer with one of my own.
There’s no music. No flowers. Just snow sliding lazy past the windows and a string of paper snowflakes taped to a bulletin board someone forgot to take down last year. Harlan clears his throat before beginning.
Olivia looks… different this morning. Hair down, soft around her cheeks. A wool coat that makes her eyes brighter. She stands square on both feet like she’s decided to meet the day head-on. I didn’t know it was possible to be proud of somebody you barely know, but here I am.
She’s prettier than I remember from yesterday. The kind of pretty that sneaks up on a man when he’s not looking for it. Maybe it’s the light, or maybe I’m finally seeing her instead of the problem she came to fix.
“Do you, James Callahan, take … ” Dan begins.
“I do.” It’s easy to say. Easier than most words. For a second, it’s too quiet in the room. Feels strange, saying words meant to last forever when we’ve barely said anything else at all. But I’d stand here again if it meant keeping her from losing the place.
When it’s her turn, she glances up at me, searching for something. I hold her gaze and give the smallest nod I’ve got. She inhales, shoulders loosening.
“I do,” she says.
“By the authority vested in me by the great state of Colorado, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride,” Sheriff Collins says, deadpan, like he’s reciting a parking ordinance.
Olivia arches an eyebrow. “Is that required?”
“Might look suspicious if we don’t,” I say.
She hesitates, then leans forward. It’s meant to be a formality—a polite brush of lips to make things look official. But something about the warmth lingers longer than it should.
When she pulls back, her cheeks are almost crimson, and for a second I forget we’re standing in front of the law.
“You’re good at making things look real,” she says quietly.
“That’s the job,” I tell her, though my pulse doesn’t seem to agree.
It’s a wrap. We’re married. Paper thick between us, something thinner and stronger threading itself along after that kiss though.
Still, there will be no champagne. No one waiting to throw rice. Probably the only marriage in Colorado without a honeymoon, unless you count the drive back up the mountain.
Harlan shakes our hands. Deputy Clay signs as witness beside the secretary’s name. She popped in earlier with mugs and made us drink cocoa first, said a body shouldn’t make promises on an empty stomach. Olivia laughed then, sound so cheerful it made Dan smile.
We step outside and the day feels new … crisp and clean. Olivia turns to me and takes both of my hands, holding onto my fingers.
“Thank you,” she says. “You saved me. You saved the ranch.”
“Someone had to. Hungry?” I ask. “Millie’s is close.”
She hesitates, then nods. Inside the diner it’s coffee and eggs and the usual morning talk. Folks keep their curiosity polite. Cady Springs knows how to give a person space when they need it. Millie sets a cinnamon roll down between us with two forks and a wink.
