Free Bartender's Beauty (Culpepper Cowboys Book 11) by Kirsten Osbourne, Culpepper Cowboys

distress. Saving her is my job!”
    She shook her head at him as she got the food out of the microwave. “Just sit down and let me serve you your supper.”
    He sighed. “The first of many.”
    “I only cook in the summers. You’ll have to cook the rest of the time!”
    “Peanut butter sandwiches for every meal!”
     

Chapter Six
     
    Dallas put her pillow over her head to drown out the persistent noise coming from her cell phone. Surely it was too early to call another human being! She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only seven. She was always awake by seven during the school year, but she only had three days left of summer break, gosh darn it! And today was her wedding day.
    She sat up straight in bed, reaching for her phone. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was local, so she answered. “Hello?”
    “I didn’t wake you, did I? This is your best friend, Felicity, and I’m about to come over with my sister. My cousin Grace is in the bakery getting your wedding cake finished up, and Patience and I are going to get you all beautiful for Austin. Not that he cares what you have on. I saw the way he looked at you!”
    Dallas blinked a few times. It was a little early for Felicity. “Why are you coming so early?” she asked, yawning.
    “Austin just called, and he said that Brother Anthony had to do the wedding this morning, because he needed to go to Cheyenne this afternoon. Something about picking up an associate pastor at the airport. Anyway, wedding is at ten, and it’s already seven. You want to be at the church by nine-thirty to avoid seeing the groom, so that gives us just a couple of hours to get you ready. Do you even know what you’re going to wear? Austin said you didn’t have a weddin’ dress, and that’s just shameful!”
    “I’m going to jump in the shower. I’ll see you when you get here.” Dallas hurried into the bathroom and showered, washing her long blond hair. She was sure she couldn’t handle Felicity this early in the morning, but maybe Patience would be able to keep her sister quiet for long enough that she could wake up.
    Fifteen minutes later, her hair in a towel, wearing nothing but a robe, she went to the door. “Now, I know you said you don’t have a wedding dress, so we called around after Austin called me last night. Some of the ladies in town had some dresses that you can try. You do want to wear a wedding dress, don’t you?” Felicity asked. Both sisters had their arms full of garment bags.
    Dallas blinked a couple of times, opening the door wide so they would come in. “I don’t really have a preference. I won’t feel less married if I get married in green or purple than in white.” It was just then that Dallas noticed the little girl from the bakery, again wearing a leotard, tutu, and butterfly wings.
    Patience smiled at Dallas. “You sit down, and we’ll hold the dresses up for you, and you can say yay or nay.”
    Dallas sat on the couch, noting that the little girl sat beside her. “I’m Dallas,” she whispered, shaking her head at a hideous dress Felicity held up.
    “I’m so glad you said no to that one,” the little girl whispered. “It’s ugly. I’m Corinne. I’m a butterfly ballerina.”
    “I see that. And a beautiful butterfly ballerina at that.”
    Corinne patted her hair. “I know.”
    Dallas stifled a giggle. The dress Patience held up was pretty. “Maybe.”
    As they went through the ten dresses, Dallas consulted Corinne more than once. “What do you think of that one?” Dallas asked as Patience held up the very last dress.
    Corinne nodded. “I think you should wear that one if you can.”
    There were only two maybes out of the ten, so Dallas prayed that one would fit. She was certain Felicity would try to fashion her a wedding dress out of toilet paper if it didn’t. She took the two dresses and hurried off to her room, determined not to let anyone see her as she tried them on. She didn’t want anyone to see that much