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Last time in Playin’ With Fire

BREA

Everyone was in attendance in the 2-acre lawn covered backyard at the Triple K ranch. The grass looked newly clipped and spread out for what seemed like miles with an eye blinding, emerald green. A wide open sky sparkled from above with a sapphire blue that could only be found in Texas. It was a perfect place to hold a wedding, she agreed mentally with Mable’s words of before.

Gosh, the only cliché’ missing would be doves.

Brea half expected them to fly over at any second. She felt like none of this could be real in any case. She was walking on air as she nearly floated forward. Everyone was here, people she knew from town, from the diner she worked at and some of the girls from high school even. The skinny, pretty ones too. They all looked green with envy.

With a sudden realization, Brea straightened her spine. Damn right! All the fatsy fat taunting and the blubber buns, plushy plush butt names they called her? The fact that she could not even get a date to the prom had prompted a whole week’s worth of sneers and comments from most of them.

WELL HA!

Look who is marrying THE hottest cowboy in this whole state! THE PLUSH GIRL, that’s who!

Suddenly, a huge smile rippled along her lips. I dreamed big, went after my man and it worked!

Maggie caught her attention as she sat in the second row with an ear to ear smile as if she just heard Brea’s thoughts. Mable even gave her a wink from where she sat in the front row, like she also knew what Brea had been thinking.

Most of the cowhands were even present, sitting in the chairs along the flower petal filled aisle. When she passed, all of the cowboys removed their hats in acknowledgement. It was so cool, like a tribute and acceptance. All of them stared directly at her too, as they let out ooohs and ahhhs when she passed by.

Her smile was shaky from all the attention and her hands trembled. Her bravado of before just dried right up. She certainly wasn’t used to so many people staring at her and she SURE wasn’t used to everyone acting as if she was THAT beautiful. She glanced down at the magnificently gorgeous lace and velvet gown that Cole had designed for her. It is beautiful though. Just like she thought it would be. It fits me to a tee and is so flattering. It struck her again, how thoughtful and wonderful her Cole really was. How lucky could a girl be?

She held a bouquet in her hands, her favorite white poseys. Another touch provided by her husband to be. Glancing up, she came closer to the tree. All decorated with bows, flowers and white silk streamers. Cole showed this to her just yesterday, it was the very one his grandfather planted there when Slade Kincade first bought this land for the ranch.

Cole stood there in front of the ‘Kincade Tree’, as they called it…waiting for her. He sported a tux while wearing his best boots and that black Stetson he always wore. A huge, gorgeous smile beamed on his face.

Am I really marrying the cowboy of my dreams?

The wedding march playing in the background and floated to her ears as she moved closer to her future.

Yes, it appears that I REALLY am!

Excitement and joy filled her to the brim and she tried so hard NOT to tear up. Daisy told her never to do that… “When you’re wearin’ paint in public.” Speaking of her, Brea’s gaze swiveled around, searching for her notorious mother. Wasn’t this supposed to be her wedding day too? Maybe they will be up next and they’re getting ready right now? Brea returned her focus to her path. It would be just perfect to fall right on her face into a pile of petals in front of everyone in the county…ON her wedding day too!

She moved closer to the sweet sexy man who was about to be her husband. Would they have children? Live on the ranch or maybe build their own house close by? Would she be a boring housewife? Or one day, be on the PTA? Her mind swam with questions, but she needed to believe what Cole had said. “They would be together and that meant it would be a happy future.”

Cole stood waiting as he held out his hand. He nodded his head slightly with an almost glowing warmth reflecting from those baby blue eyes of his.

The preacher smiled at her from behind him.

Brea reached out and grasped his warm fingers as he tugged her up and stood her next to him.

Brea fought off the feeling that she was gonna faint. NO! You CANNOT do that! Get through this and marry him, for Corn’s sake! Faint later when you are on your honeymoon as Mrs. Cole Kincade. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on what the preacher was saying.

“…If anyone gathered here has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace—” “I OBJECT!” A voice shouted.

A collective gasp rippled along the guests sitting in the chairs.

Brea whipped her head around and looked through the crowd to the only person who was standing.

It was a woman. She was far back, along the chairs and she held something in her arms as tears streamed down her face. “I just could not let this happen! He needs Cole!” Brea squinted hard to try to see who it was. Her eyes widened.

Victoria stood there, then stepped out onto the flower petal aisle. She lifted something into the air with both hands.

Brea sucked in a huge breath when she finally realized that Victoria held a baby high into the air, a bright blue blanket swathed the boy as he began to cry.

The whole beautiful setting turned from a sparkling scene to a black ash color before her very eyes. Everything blurred and the once bright colors ran together, like a Rockwell painting gone wrong. She could hear a loud roaring, it sounded like that time when a tornado passed close to where she lived in town last year. Her body shook as her stomach heaved. This can’t be real! She leaned her head back and screamed, “NOOOO!”

“Brea!”

Someone was shaking her. She bolted upright with a huge gasp, then she screamed again with,

“NO!”

“Brea honey. It’s okay. It was just a dream…”

She turned her head toward the warm, comforting voice.

Cole’s face wore a concerned expression. “Sweetie?” He clasped her hands in his. “It’s okay.

You’re safe and sound.”

Brea hiccupped and swiped a rolling tear from her cheek.

He squeezed her hands and gazed into her eyes. “What has upset you?”

Brea shook her head. She couldn’t tell him. It was SO horrid, so horrible! Could it really happen? Did Victoria hide the fact that she’d gotten pregnant? She shook her head to the question. Cole said they didn’t sleep together. WAIT! Not that he knew of! He woke up in another room, but since they were drunk, they could have earlier in the day! OH, god! Oh, god. Fear rippled through her as she started to weep in earnest now.