

Brides of Cedar Falls #7:
“You’re getting married where?” Griffin Jameson wanted to kick himself for not seeing this coming. He should’ve known his delightfully hoydenish soon-to-be sister-in-law wouldn’t mind stretching the boundaries of propriety — even on her wedding day.
“You heard me.” His younger brother, Kane, tossed him a laughing look that was accompanied by a shoulder-bump as he led his horse back to its stall. “I’m not sure why you look so surprised. We’ve been building our replacement hot air balloon for months.” He gave a war whoop of elation for no particular reason. “Right under your nose, Griff. Where have you been?”
And just like that, Kane effortlessly flipped the conversation into yet another one of his interrogations concerning Griff’s whereabouts lately. The three overnight trips Griff had taken during the last two months had stuck a Texas-sized burr on his brother’s backside. However, Griff’s not-so-above-board activities during his personal time weren’t up for public discussion. Or even a private discussion with the people he was closest to. Not yet, at any rate. More’s the pity. He didn’t like keeping secrets from his family.
However, he’d been sworn to secrecy, so he had no choice but to ignore his brother’s curiosity. Since his own mount was already back in her stall, he followed Kane. “I almost lost you when you crashed your first hot air balloon,” he reminded gruffly. He paused outside the stall, leaning against the door frame to watch Kane brush down his horse. “I’d just as soon not watch a repeat of that.” As long as he lived, he would never get the smell of burning burlap out of his nostrils. Nor would he ever be able to purge the image of Kane and Bert plummeting from the sky through an inferno of flames.
Kane shrugged unconcernedly as he continued to brush his horse. “I think you’re forgetting that we purposely crashed our hot air balloon.” They’d done it to save a friend in trouble in a nearby hot air balloon, positioning their balloon under his to cushion its fall. By some miracle, their shenanigans had worked, and all three of them had survived.
“That’s not making me feel any better about you getting married in the clouds.” Griff pointed upward. Why, oh, why couldn’t his brother and Bert have a regular ol’ church wedding and be done with it? Unfortunately, he already knew the answer to that — Bertha Langston, Kane’s betrothed who preferred to be called Bert, must have specifically requested it.
“We won’t be that high up,” his brother assured. “Not even close.” He winked at Griff over the back of his horse. “You can go up there with us, if you’d like, to add your weight of disapproval to the basket."
“Not funny.” Griff jutted his chin.
“On that, we’ll have to disagree.” Kane grinned to himself in a way that warned Griff he was up to mischief. “If exchanging our wedding vows in a hot air balloon bothers you that much, I’m willing to strike a bargain that could change our venue.”
“You don’t say.” Griff’s instincts went on full alert as he straightened. Since Bert wasn’t present to take part in the so-called bargain, he could only assume that his fun-loving younger brother had already rigged its outcome.
“Oh, but I do.” Kane tossed his brush aside and stepped around the horse to meet him face-to-face. “If you tell me the real reason you’ve been hightailing it out of town, left and right, I’ll beg Bert on my hands and knees to move our wedding ceremony back to the ground.” He waggled his eyebrows mockingly. “How could she refuse such a humble request?”
How, indeed? Kane had to know it was a safe gamble on his part, because he’d long since figured out Griff’s lips were buttoned as tight as they could be about the side job he’d taken on.
“Your silence is telling.” Kane’s grin faded. “I truly hope the new woman in your life is worth all the secrecy."
Griff muffled a snort. Now there’s a thought. “She is,” he lied, hoping he hadn’t responded too quickly. A little misunderstanding like this could easily provide the perfect cover story for getting closer to his target. He wished he’d thought of it himself. He’d never pretended to court a woman before, but how hard could it be?
To his surprise, his brother pounded one of his fists into his other hand. “What do you think Bea Hazelwood is going to say about this?”
Griff blinked at him. “Say about what?” He’d been so engrossed in plotting his next move on his case that he’d all but tuned out what his brother was saying.
Kane looked at him like he’d sprouted horns. “About the fact that you’re courting another woman.”
Griff was more puzzled than ever about the odd direction their conversation had taken. He pushed back his Stetson, scowling. “Why would she care?”
Kane barked out a laugh. “That’s a good question. I’m glad I brought it up.”
That’s not an answer. Griff was more puzzled than ever why his brother had arbitrarily injected the name of a close childhood friend into their discussion. Thinking about Bea never failed to make him smile, though. She was nearly as spirited as Kane’s betrothed, albeit a more ladylike version of spirited. To his knowledge, she’d never publicly gallivanted around in trousers like Bert so often did. Bea was equally witty, though, and brimming with opinions on a wide variety of topics — possibly because of the amount of reading she did. According to the last tidbit about her that had reached his ears, she’d recently joined some new ladies’ reading club. It didn’t surprise him one bit. Her mother was notoriously strict with her. The book club was likely one of the few places she was allowed to go.
Kane pointed at Griff’s mouth. “You’re a contradiction unto yourself.”
Griff threw his hands into the air. “Now what?”
“You’re smiling.”
“I wasn’t aware that was a crime.”
“You’re smiling about Bea.”
“I wasn’t aware that was a crime, either.” Griff lowered his hands, feeling suddenly restless. Whatever his brother was insinuating about him and Bea wasn’t true. They were nothing more than friends. Good friends. One of those lifelong friends he hoped and prayed he’d never lose. They shared a deep and abiding kind of friendship he’d never been willing to risk by flirting with her. Not that it wasn’t tempting sometimes. Her company was that lovely and bewitching.
“It should be a crime since you’re secretly courting another woman,” Kane reminded in an aha voice.
“We’re friends.” Griff stared at his brother, wondering why he was acting like a bloodhound chasing the wrong scent.
“Bert and I started off as friends,” Kane pointed out with an annoying supply of calmness.
“You also crash landed a hot air balloon together and nearly died,” Griff growled. “In case my meaning on the subject wasn’t clear, I’m not planning on following in your footsteps.”
“Suit yourself.” Kane folded his arms, looking superior despite the dust and dirt clinging to his shirt and denim trousers. “I can’t force happiness on anyone. You have to want it for yourself.”
Alright. Enough is enough. Shaking his head at his brother’s nonsense, Griff stalked from the barn. He was happy. Whatever harebrained notion to the contrary that Kane had gotten stuck between his ears was hogwash. Marriage wasn’t the only thing in the world that could make a fellow happy.
The two brothers, along with their sister, Paisley, and brother-in-law, Train, ran a successful ranch on the outskirts of town and an equally successful inn downtown. Griff was also making a decent go of his new side job as an undercover detective. He had a good life here in cozy Cedar Falls, Texas. One that made him feel like he was making a difference.
Which didn’t explain why the restlessness he’d experienced earlier was back in full force.
* * *
One week later
Bea Hazelwood watched the pale green-and-white striped hot air balloon ascend over the grassy pasture with its gently rolling knolls. Her throat constricted with envy. Talk about a match made in Heaven!
Her childhood friend Kane and his beloved bride were quite literally floating toward Heaven itself as they exchanged their wedding vows. High above their heads, puffy white clouds floated against a June sky, forming the perfect celestial backdrop. They were too high in the air for her to hear with any clarity what was being said. However, the way Pastor Nathan Daniel was gripping his Bible in one hand and the side of the balloon’s basket in the other hand suggested he was in the middle of officiating their union.
Bea bit back a smile over the memory of seeing Bert climb into the basket, wearing yet another one of her infamous split skirts. It was white this time, and it was a far cry from donning a pair of trousers. Bea had always admired the way the outdoorsy woman never hesitated to flout convention. Bert, whose real name was Bertha, was quickly becoming a local legend, adored by many and gossiped about with a vengeance by others.
If only I had the courage to live my best life as freely as she does! Sadly, Bea had never dared to do such things. Her mother was too much of a stickler for rules and such, determined to turn her only daughter into a perfect lady. And eventually the perfect bride. As a result, Bea had always contented herself with living vicariously through the adventures in the books on her shelves.
As she shaded a hand over her eyes to continue watching the wedding ceremony, a sense of longing swept through her. Her twenty-first birthday was fast approaching. Already, the biggest gossips in town were whispering about how fast she was skidding toward spinsterhood.
Please, Lord, don’t let it come to that. She sent up a silent plea that her many years of learning the arts of painting watercolors, playing the pianoforte, and embroidering intricate designs would not fail to grace the rooms and halls of her own home someday.
But that was something she could fret about later. Today was supposed to be a happy day for her friends. She didn’t want to spoil it by being the only thundercloud in the crowd of friends and family gathered outside beneath the hot air balloon. She forced her attention back to the present, which wasn’t difficult since the man of her dreams was in attendance — Griffin Jameson.
Saying his name inside her head was almost enough to make her sigh aloud. However, she didn’t want to explain herself to her austere mother standing on her right or her dignified father standing on her left. It took some effort, but she managed to hold in the wistful sound.
Griff was serving as his brother’s best man, of course. If Bea’s eyes had been twin candles, they would’ve surely ignited the dark fabric of his suit jacket the way she was staring a hole through his deliciously broad shoulders.
He’d been avoiding her gaze today, which was odd. In all her happy memories of being raised in the same small town together, while attending the same schools and church, he’d not once avoided her. No matter how many times she’d attempted to catch his eye today, though, she hadn’t succeeded.
She figured the elegant, coal-colored suit and dove gray dress shirt he was wearing was new, since she’d never seen them before. He’d paired them with a black leather Stetson and black boots, two wardrobe accessories her favorite rancher never left home without. His blonde hair waved out from beneath his Stetson, brushing against his collar and making her long to thread her fingers through the silky waves.
Like her, he was standing on the ground, which actually surprised her. The Jameson brothers were like two peas in a pod. A person rarely saw one without the other. She would’ve been less surprised to see him up in the hot air balloon with the happy couple. However, it had been a tight squeeze to get three people in the basket. There simply hadn’t been enough room for a fourth person.
It felt like an eternity before the balloon started its descent. Bea didn’t realize how tightly she’d been clasping her hands in front of her new pink frock until the basket finally bumped to the ground. Only then did it dawn on her how clammy her palms were. Her knees felt a little shaky, too.
After Kane and Bert’s crash landing a mere three months earlier, she would never be able to look at a hot air balloon the same way again. Air travel was dangerous. Her friends had nearly died.
Her palms grew even clammier at the realization that Griff was looking her way at long last. Her gaze roved his wholesome, tanned features. She’d always admired the strong line of his jaw and his squared-off chin. She especially adored the tiny cleft in his left cheek when he smiled. Then, wonder of wonders, he lifted a hand and waved at her. Actually waved!
She lifted a hand and eagerly fluttered her fingers in return.
Then something awful happened — something so horrid that sleep would surely elude her for days to come. A raven-haired creature swept around Bea from somewhere behind where she and her parents were standing, waving her hand with such energy it was a wonder her fingers didn’t fall off.
The woman was as slender as a broomstick, wearing a ruffled gown in the exact shade of pink as Bea’s new gown. Its hem was an inch or two shorter than Bea’s hem, showing a good bit more of her ankles.
Her mother’s indignant gasp told her that the color of the woman’s gown, as well as her well-turned ankles, hadn’t gone unnoticed. No doubt Bea was going to catch an earful about it later.
But that was far from the most horrid part of what was playing out in front of them. The woman flew straight up to Griff and snuggled against his side, brazenly wrapping her hands around his upper arm and gazing raptly up at him.
She might as well have staked her claim by building a fence around the two of them. Her meaning was undeniable. She and Griff Jameson were courting.
My Griff.
Bea found herself struggling to swallow past the lump in her throat, struggling to see through the mist sweeping her vision…struggling to breathe, for that matter!
Oh, this was bad! Very, very bad!
She could feel the prickle of sensation the woman’s actions were sending across the crowd. Through her clouded vision, she could only dimly see the number of hands that flew to the mouths of a certain bevy of women. Her heart sank at the realization that Griff’s name would soon be paired with the strange woman clinging like poison ivy to his arm. She must be new in town. Bea had never before laid eyes on her.
What made her heart ache most of all was that the man she was so desperately in love with was making no move to shrug off the woman’s hands. It could only mean one thing. He was truly courting the baggage.
Why in the world am I just now finding out about this?
Bea squeezed her eyelids shut for a moment to gather her shattered emotions. Her mother had raised her to be proper and resourceful. She possessed too much backbone to dissolve in public, but she was mighty close to doing so. Fortunately, no one needed to know just how close.
No, indeed. A proper and resourceful woman like her mother’s daughter didn’t come unraveled at the first sign of trouble. What she needed to do was come up with a plan.
Then again, she might already have a plan. Her heart was bleeding too much to muster a smile, but it gave her comfort to remember she had allies. Clever ones.
By the time she reopened her eyes, they were nearly dry. Until she caught sight of Griff and his new lady love again, which brought a fresh sheen of tears rushing to her eyes.
This will never do!
She blinked rapidly as she scanned the people gathered around her and quickly found who she was looking for — Tessa Kingsley, the founder of the town’s all-new Christmas Book Club. The juiciest gossipmongers in Cedar Falls hadn’t been kind to Tessa, labeling her heartless and shallow for bowing to her goldminer grandfather’s demands. She’d subsequently turned down an offer of marriage from one of the nicest cowboys in town.
As if the old goat had given her a choice! On the contrary, he’d nearly forced her into a loveless alliance with some shriveled-up attorney friend of his. Then he’d stepped from this world into the next before he could force his sole heiress to the altar against her will.
Life was so unfair sometimes, especially for women, but sometimes it wasn’t. After escaping disaster in the nick of time, Tessa had immediately formed the Christmas Book Club, where members could join its hallowed roster by special invitation only.
Bea couldn’t fathom how she’d secured an invitation to the posh women’s club or how Tessa had convinced the owner of the Cedar Falls Bookstore on Main Street to let them meet in the private parlor at the back of the store. She was equally puzzled why her mother had allowed her to associate with a woman who possessed such a tarnished reputation. Maybe it was because Tessa was wealthy — the King Midas kind of wealthy. At the age of two and twenty, she’d inherited a bank vault filled with gold, along with the mine it had been unearthed from.
The best part about Bea’s membership in the Christmas Book Club, however, wasn’t her growing friendship with the strong-minded Tessa Kingsley or the other members. It also had nothing to do with the lovely parlor they were privileged to congregate in. The best part was their top-secret mission — to unite each of them with their one true love.
Most unfortunately, Bea’s one true love appeared ready to declare his feelings to a different woman entirely. The wrong woman. She added a few extra “wrongs” inside her head for good measure.
It was a disastrous turn of events. There was no denying it. But if anyone could help draw dearest Griff’s attention away from his skinny-as-a-string amour, it was Bea’s new friends at the Christmas Book Club.
No. I want more than that.
She lifted her chin in determination, vowing on the spot not to settle for drawing his attention away from the woman at his side. After today, Bea feared she would never again be content to be merely friends with him. She wanted his heart and hand. She wanted his last name. She wanted it all!
You’re going to choose me in the end, Mr. Griff Jameson. She lifted her chin a notch higher. I’m your perfect match, even though you can’t see it yet. But you will.
She clenched and unclenched her fingers, mentally preparing for battle.

Find out what Bea and her spirited new friends in the Christmas Book Club have up their lovely sleeves to coax Griff’s bachelor heart to the altar in
Bride Unchosen.
Much love,
