A Christmas Wedding For The Cowboy. Mary Leo

his own world.

      “That’s comin’ up fast,” Milo said. “Christmas will be here before you know it. What are we down to? About two or three more weeks?”

      “Twenty-one days to be exact,” Carson said, shifting on his stool, then leaning his elbows on the bar.

      “Where’s that woman of yours?” Milo asked. “Shouldn’t she be in on all these last-minute details? I heard she was in town, but then somebody said she left. I figured that couldn’t be true what with all that probably still needs to be done for your wedding. When Amanda and me got hitched, we were still makin’ decisions the morning of our wedding. It sure was one hell of a party, and if it wasn’t for Zoe here, I don’t think we could’a ever pulled it off. It don’t matter what anybody says, Zoe Smart really knows her stuff.”

      Zoe thought he’d probably heard all the rumors swirling around about her business and she wanted to jump in and defend herself, but Carson suddenly woke up before she had the chance.

      “And just what is everybody saying?” Carson asked while leaning on the bar. “Like you said, I’ve been holed up for a while and haven’t been privy to much town gossip.”

      Milo’s gaze went to Zoe. “Sorry, I just assumed you knew, I mean... What can I get you guys?”

      “A cold one in a long neck,” Carson told him, his gaze now focused on Zoe.

      “Make that two,” she told Milo, who went off to retrieve the beers looking as if he was happy to get as far away as possible.

      Carson adjusted his stool to face Zoe, his eyes catching the twinkling lights that surrounded him; a warm smile creased his lips and Zoe’s heart raced.

       Did he have to look so darn cute?

      “So tell me, Zoe Smart, just what is it that everyone’s saying about you?”

      Milo dropped off the beers and disappeared to the far end of the bar before the bottles settled on the napkins. Obviously, he wanted no part of the conversation.

      Both Carson and Zoe took a long pull from their beers while she decided on whether or not to tell him about the nasty yet somewhat true rumors swirling around her business. She wished she could confide in him like a friend, but she didn’t know him well enough for that. As it was, she barely knew him at all, and the longer they spent time together, she realized the man was a closed book. Sure, she was attracted to him physically. There weren’t too many healthy, heterosexual women over sixteen who wouldn’t be. Unfortunately, not only was he getting married in three weeks, he wasn’t very chatty, a trait Zoe liked in a man.

      But there he was, Mr. Oh-So-Cool-Cowboy and local hero waiting for her reply. She decided she’d keep it simple and get right to the point.

      “It all started when you drove away from St. Paul’s with your sister Kayla, the beautiful bride, sitting in the backseat of your SUV, crying over deserting her fiancé on their wedding day.”

      He took another long pull on his beer, then ordered two more from Milo, who barely looked their way.

      “What started?” Carson appeared to be completely unaware of the rumors, a difficult state to be in while living in Briggs. Everyone seemed to know everyone’s business.

      “This whole thing about We Do I Do’s being jinxed.”

      He chuckled. “Jinxed? How on earth did this town come to that decision?” He finished off his beer and started on the second one that Milo had quickly dropped off.

      Zoe downed the rest of her beer, discreetly burped, excused herself and started on her second bottle. She knew she was a lightweight and had to curb her intake, but the first one went down so easy, she couldn’t stop herself.

      She leaned on the bar, turned to Carson, looked into those beautiful eyes of his and decided to come clean. “Kayla wasn’t my only bride who bolted. I had another runner over in Jackson, and recently two couples cancelled and took their business to my competitor in Idaho Falls. If it wasn’t for your wedding, I’d be begging Amanda for a job at the bakery. As it stands right now, if you back out of this wedding, I’m thinking I’ll have to close up shop and go back to work for my parents in Boise at their law firm. Something my parents always wanted. The folks in this town love a happy ending, and if they can’t get one, they think whoever stopped it must somehow be jinxed.”