Marry Me for Real, Cowboy - Valerie Comer Page 0,68

easy to leave. His mom had been the first. She hadn’t tossed him a backward glance on her way out the door. Dakota wouldn’t have, either, if they didn’t share custody of Toby. No way was Travis giving up access to his son.

Toby slammed his head hard against Travis’s chest. That was gonna leave a bruise. “What’s Mama doing?” His voice was louder this time.

“Shh. We’re in church.”

“But what?”

A few people tittered. Alexia twisted around in the front pew and scowled at the four-year-old and then, pointedly, at Travis. Of course, his teenage sisters warranted seats of honor between Dad and Kathryn. Adam was their half-brother, but Travis, Blake, and Ryder barely rated second-tier status for the day.

Travis sighed and pressed his finger against his son’s mouth. Hadn’t they gone over this before the ceremony started? “Your mama is helping Adam and Riley get married,” he whispered.

The only good thing about today was watching Dakota without anyone noticing. It had been a long time since she’d dressed to the nines for a date with him. He’d never seen her hair all done up fancy with just a few trailing curls brushing her shoulders. In a flirty dress like this one, pale pink with a deep V in the back. She went more for the urban cowgirl look most of the time.

Toby bopped his skull back against Travis’s chest enough times that Travis tightened his hold around the little guy, the only part of Dakota he had left. Once things between them had been good. Promising. Now? Not so much.

But Adam had come back from a pretty stupid mistake and still won his girl. How did the guy land on his feet time after time? Although, perhaps, not with Running Creek. So far, Travis’s dad refused to clarify his stance on the Anderson ranch.

Served Adam right.

Pastor Marshall pronounced Adam and Riley husband and wife, and Travis watched them kiss for a few seconds before snapping his gaze back to Dakota.

Her eyes were on him, eyebrows raised.

Was she reading his thoughts? Seeing his regrets?

The music leaped into an energetic recessional. Beaming, the newlyweds practically bounded to the back of the church, followed by Riley’s sister and Noah.

Then Dakota took Nathaniel’s arm. Nathaniel leaned down to whisper something to her, and she laughed. Both of them met Travis’s gaze as they swept by.

Get your hands off my woman, cowboy.

Somehow Travis kept his seat. Dakota wasn’t his. Hadn’t been for a long time. She was a free agent, and she made sure Travis knew it.

It killed him. Every single day.

A note from Valerie:

Happy sigh. Adam and Riley have earned their happily-ever-after. :)

But… Travis. Did you love to hate him? He hasn’t wasted much time in his life trying to win his stepbrothers’ favor, but maybe they’ve just misunderstood him. How much will his attitude trip him up as he tries to win back the mother of his young son? For Toby’s sake, I hope his dad is ready to take action. You know Dakota’s going to make him work for reconciliation, right? What’s it going to take?

Read all about Travis and Dakota in Give Me Another Chance, Cowboy.

Did you miss Sawyer and Anna’s story? Check out The Cowboy’s Reluctant Bride.

Acknowledgments

Ah, cowboys! There’s just something about them, isn’t there? Masculine, hardworking, resourceful, honorable, and gentlemanly... a cowboy is hard to beat.

Thank YOU, dear reader, for loving the Saddle Springs Romance series so much I was inspired to write the Cavanagh Cowboys Romance series as a spin-off. I hope you enjoy the ride. Pun intended!

Always, always, thanks to my fellow author and friend, Elizabeth Maddrey. She prods, cheers, and commiserates as needed, then offers helpful critiques and continued encouragement. If you haven’t read her Christian contemporary romances, go find them and get started!

I also appreciate my beta readers: Paula, Amy, Debbie, and Joelle. These gals combed through an earlier draft of Marry Me for Real, Cowboy to find any errors or inconsistencies. I am forever grateful!

My amazing editor, Nicole, has been with me from the beginning. I can’t give her enough kudos for her support and her eagle eye as we discuss the differences between “she was under no illusions” and “she was under no delusions...” and other tricky word choices.

I’m also grateful for the Christian Indie Authors Facebook group and my sister bloggers at Inspy Romance. These folks make a difference in my life every single day. I’m thrilled to walk beside them as we tell stories for Jesus!

Thank you to my Facebook friends, followers,