His Convenient Virgin Bride

barely said a word since they boarded the plane in Montana.

She’d been waiting since the wedding for his sullen mood to lift. She kept thinking another day, another week, and he’d stop acting like she’d kicked his dog.

He unclipped Rosie’s lead rope, and the horse startled.

“Wesley,” Stephanie sighed, knowing time was up. He needed to focus completely on jumping, and that meant she had to confront the situation head-on.

“Yeah?” He concentrated on coiling the lead rope in his callused hands.

“You can’t ride like this.”

He didn’t look up. “Ride like what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

He crossed to the stall gate and slipped the catch. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

He set his lips in a thin line, opening the gate.

She followed him out. “We need to talk-”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’m your coach.”

He glared at her, obviously struggling to mask the hurt with anger. “And I guess that’s all you ever were.”

Guilt tightened her chest. “Wesley, I never-”

“Never what? Never said we had a future? Never said you liked me? Never rushed off to marry that-”

“Wesley,” she warned.

“Why did you lie?” The pain was naked in his eyes now. “All that stuff about us talking about it later. Why didn’t you just tell me up-front it was him?”

Wesley was in worse shape than she’d realized, and she knew she had to talk him down. Riding Rosie-Jo at Brighton was a once in a lifetime chance for him to make a splash in front of a huge, national class audience.

“I didn’t lie,” she told him sincerely. “I do like you.”

His lips thinned, and he turned to walk away.

She rushed after him, pushing her hesitation to a far corner of her mind. It was time to be completely honest. “I married Alec because I’m pregnant.”

Wesley’s head jerked back.

“We got married because of the baby.”

He stopped and blinked at her in stunned silence.

“I don’t know where it’s going, or what will happen in the long-term. But I didn’t lie to you, Wesley.”

He glanced reflexively at her stomach. “That’s why you’re not riding.”

“Yes.”

“You mean…” His brain was obviously ticking through the math, going back to Alec’s first visit to the ranch.

“Don’t even go there,” Stephanie warned, already regretting her impulse. Her behavior was none of Wesley’s business.

“Right.” He squared his shoulders. “So it’s a marriage of convenience. You’re not in love with him.”

She didn’t answer.

After a beat of silence, the pain and anger cleared from Wesley’s eyes. Then he smiled. “So, afterward…”

In an instant, Stephanie realized her error. His hopes were up all over again.

It took Alec the rest of the afternoon to get from Chicago to Lexington and take the short hop to Cedarvale and the Brighton facility.

He tried Stephanie’s cell phone again, then tracked down her hotel and had the front desk try her room. In the end, he was forced to talk his way into the restricted area of the grounds and walk methodically through the horse barns looking for her.

He finally spotted her in the distance, outside, next to a white rail fence line decorated with sponsor bulletin boards.

Even at this distance, she took his breath away. The late day sunshine glinted off her hair. She was silhouetted against a dark background, her jeans and white blouse accentuating the body that he adored. He swore he could hear her voice, her laughter, her gasps when he drew her against him and kissed her.

It was all in his mind, of course. He was deluding himself if he thought she’d ever laugh with him again after this.

He wished he didn’t have to be mad at her. He didn’t want to fight. He wanted to hold her in his arms, caress her and kiss her, tell her everything was going to be okay. Then he wanted to figure out a way to make it okay.

For a moment he wondered if he’d played it wrong at their wedding. She’d asked him to leave, but if he’d stuck around, maybe she wouldn’t be here. Their baby would be safe. And he wouldn’t be headed for a confrontation that was sure to hurt them both.

As he drew closer still, he saw she was talking to a couple of reporters. Despite his simmering anger, he had to give her kudos for that.

But then he saw who was standing beside her. Wesley again. And the kid was way too close. They were practically touching. While Alec marched forward, Wesley reached up and cupped his hand over her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Alec quickened his pace.

The sun was setting, but the barn area was still alive with activity. Grooms walked horses, stable hands moved feed and manure, while technicians worked in the broadcast tents, setting up sound and video equipment for the weekend.

Alec halted beside Stephanie, and in one swift motion wrapped his arm around her shoulder, dislodging Wesley’s hand.

Stephanie turned to stare at him. While Wesley’s head whipped around. Both reporters immediately stopped talking. And the television camera swung to Alec.

“Alec Creighton,” he introduced himself with a nod. “Stephanie’s husband.”

Stephanie froze beneath his embrace, while the two female reporters’ jaws dropped open.

“Sorry to interrupt, darling,” he put in easily.

One reporter recovered more quickly and stuffed her microphone in Alec’s face. “You’re married to Stephanie Ryder.”

“Stephanie Creighton,” Alec corrected, though they’d never actually discussed her changing her name.

“When did you get married?”

“Tell us about the wedding.”

“We were married in Montana. At the Ryder Ranch.” Alec made a show of smiling down at Stephanie. “It was a simple ceremony, just the family.”

The reporters switched their attention to Stephanie.

“This is big news. Were you planning a formal announcement?”

Alec didn’t give Stephanie a chance to speak. Not that she seemed particularly capable of joining the conversation.

“You can take this as a formal announcement,” he told them. “You can also take this as notification that Stephanie won’t be competing this weekend.”

Both microphones went to Stephanie. “You’re not competing?”

“Thank you,” said Alec. “That’s all we have to say for the moment.” He swiftly turned her away and started back across the yard. “You did not just do that,” Stephanie rasped as they angled across the lawn to the nearest building.

Wesley seemed to have found his feet and was struggling to catch up with them.

“What are you doing here?” Alec demanded of Stephanie.

“What do you mean?”

Wesley caught them at a trot, and Alec pasted him with a warning glare.

Was the kid suicidal?