Cattleman's Courtship by Carolyne Aarsen

thought of her after she left?
    “I’ll have to. I can’t go to Europe knowing that Uncle Alan can’t work.”
    “I hope he can get back to it soon,” Nicholas said. “It would be a shame if he has to slow down. He enjoys his work.”
    “He must,” Cara said, shooting Nicholas a quick glance. “He’s been here forever.”
    “You sound surprised.”
    “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be tied down to one place,” she said, hoping her wistful feelings didn’t enter her voice.
    His eyes narrowed and she didn’t imagine the frown shoving his eyebrows together. “No. I didn’t think you could.”
    She caught a note of anger threading through his voice and then he turned and walked away from her.
    He had misunderstood her.
    And she knew he saw her the way his father did. Rootless. Unwilling to commit. The thought kindled her anger. She wouldn’t have said yes to marrying him if that was the case, but if he couldn’t see that, then she couldn’t change his opinion of her now.
    Just as well, she thought, turning back to the scenery in front of her. Anger was an easier emotion to sustain around Nicholas than the yearning winding around her heart each time she saw him.
    Cara waited a moment, then followed him to where Trista and Lorne were still talking, hoping she could sustain her emotional distance from him over the next while.
    “I don’t think we need to look at the other place,” Trista was saying, her smile as bright as the summer sun shining down on them. “Lorne agrees with having the wedding here. This is the perfect spot. We’ve got lots of room for guests to park and the view is stunning.” Trista flashed a grin at Cara. “What do you think?”
    “If you two agree on it,” she said.
    “My mom will just have to get over the fact that we aren’t having a church wedding,” Lorne said. It looked as if their differences had been ironed out. “If this is what Trista wants, then that’s good enough for me.” Lorne looked down at Trista with such love and devotion that Cara’s heart faltered at the sight.
    They looked so happy and Cara knew she had to set her own feelings aside for the sake of her close friend’s happiness.

    Trista released a sigh of satisfaction as she tucked her arm into Lorne’s. “I can’t thank you enough, Nicholas, for suggesting this. It’s absolutely perfect for a wedding.”
    “Yeah, I thought so, too,” Nicholas said.
    “And I want to let you know that my mom and dad are putting on an engagement party for us at our house on Saturday,” Trista said. “We’d like you two to come.”
    You two. As if they were still a couple.
    “I’ll be there,” Cara said just as her phone started to buzz. Cara pulled it out and glanced at the number on her screen.
    “Sorry, people, I gotta go,” she said.
    “Is it your uncle?” Nicholas asked, his concern giving her a surprising lift.
    “No. It’s a vet call.” She gave him a tight smile, then walked swiftly to her car, as if outrunning her own emotions.

Chapter Five
    T he Elderveld place was a zoo, Nicholas thought, watching the aimless movement of bodies from the house to the decorated yard. Minilights twinkled from the branches of the shrubs and trees surrounding the large front lawn. Tables and stacks of chairs filled one corner of the yard. Some older women were directing the movements, contradicting each other from the sounds of the complaints being registered by the men by the chairs.
    He waited a moment before descending into the chaos, catching his breath from his mad drive over. His hair was still damp from the quick shower he’d taken to wash off any hay dust that had accumulated while he’d been swathing the hayfields.
    Thankfully he’d gotten all the hay cut. But just barely.
    “Are you sure you want the cake out yet?” one female voice called out.
    “What do I do with the fruit platter?”
    “If I get asked one more question I’m going to scream,” Trista’s mother called from inside the