The Reluctant Bride (Montana Born Brides) by Katherine Garbera

now.”
    “ Thank you, Monty—can I call you that?”
    “ Yes, ma’am. No need to thank me, just doing my job.”
    Maude looked over at Risa. “A true hero. Have you two set a date, now that he’s back?”
    “ Yes,” Monty said.
    “ No,” Risa said at the same time.
    “ Which is it?” Maude asked.
    “ Yes,” Monty said, reaching over to take Risa’s hand. “We’re going to get married in June, isn’t that right, love muffin?”
    She gave him a hard glare, but as Maude turned to face her, it faded into a fake smile. Faking it , he mouthed to her.
    She sighed. “We are indeed. I just didn’t want to steal any of the focus from the couples in the Giveaway.”
    “ I’m sure you won’t. Where are you going to marry?” Maude asked.
    “ At the red barn. Do you know it? I bought it from the Scott brothers and we fancy pledging our life together at the place where we are going to make our home,” Monty said. Hoping he wasn’t laying it on too thick or pushing Risa too hard but, as he said it, he realized those words were the truth. He did want to claim her as his in front of God and man, in the place where they’d spend the rest of their days as man and wife.
    He met Risa ’s gaze and saw she had tears in her eyes. “That’s so sweet.”
    She reached for his hand and twined their fingers together.
    “You two are so cute. I’ll leave you to your dinner.”
    Maude walked away, and Monty couldn ’t help but feel he’d finally found a way to catch Risa for real this time.
    They had a nice dinner, talking about current events, books and movies. He felt like they were finding their own natural level together.

    Monty had done what she ’d asked. To fake being a happy couple, but of course he’d pushed it to the next level and pushed her. She came back from the ladies’ room to find him chatting with the piano player. She watched him a second.
    Any woman would be lucky to have him as her own. To call him her man. She knew that. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was messed up and Monty’s way of dealing with it was to simply act as if she were fine.
    Was she? Could she be for him and for them?
    She didn ’t know. A June wedding that was barely two months away to figure everything out and she wasn’t sure she could do it. She knew it wasn’t fear motivating her this time but stubbornness. She’d asked him to give her space and he’d ignored her wishes.
    True, setting a date made sense, but what if he did that every time she asked him for patience? She didn’t want to be pushed. She couldn’t let him set that as the tone for their future.
    She went back to the table and Monty joined her a few moments later. “I asked the piano player for a request.”
    “ I figured that’s what you were doing.”
    “ You’re mad at me,” he said.
    “ I am. I don’t like the way you keep making statements.”
    “ What statements? You asked me to pretend and I did. Maude wasn’t going to buy that everything was okay if we haven’t set a date.”
    “ This one is for Risa and Monty. Congratulations on setting the date and being reunited.”
    Monty stood up and offered her his hand. She wanted to refuse to take it but couldn’t, not when all eyes in the restaurant were on them. He drew her into his arms as “The Way You Look Tonight” was played and sung beautifully.
    She felt her anger and her will slipping away as she stared into Monty ’s grey-green eyes. Saw his determination to keep chasing after her, no matter how hard she ran or what obstacles she put up. Must be the military training and that never-say-die attitude of his coming to the fore.
    Telling herself she ’d straighten him out tomorrow, she rested her head on his shoulder as the piano played and that lovely baritone filled the room. It was easy to believe the fantasy. It felt like Vegas all over again.
    But then she remembered what happened after their engagement in Vegas. How her entire world crumbled in the space of a few