CHAPTER 10 What happens in Vegas

Las Vegas, Thursday...

Cody and Cordell were headed out to the next whatever thing ranchers did, so Colt and Meri could have a sort of honeymoon before he joined them. Meri woke up slowly. Her body felt liquid. A snore ruffled her hair. Waking up yesterday morning to discover she was married had been a shock. She closed her eyes vaguely remembering being drunk at a western bar with Colt and several of his fellow PBR buddies. They all decided to head back to where their horses were and go riding together. Ending up in the desert with a bonfire, someone started chanting for him to propose so he did.

"I was in love with you from the first moment I saw you. I knew you were amazing, and you have put up with more than your share of bother from Sam and Cody. Meredith, my darlin', will you be my wife and make cookies for my horse for the rest of our days?"

The crowd went wild with chortles and laughter as Meri stood in front of him, stunned and staring into his dark eyes. Sinner Sam I Am took that moment to shove her forward and she fell into Colt's arms. His embrace was so strong, safe, but she had had it with the cookie monster.

"Dammit Sam, I don't have any cookies," Meri yelled as she slapped at Sam's nose. Wretched and sad, the horse looked disappointed while Colt and Cody's rodeo friends roared with laughter.

Colt laughed and held a ring in front of Meri, in a low tone he said, "Ya didn't answer my question, darlin'."

"Where'd you get that?" Meri gasped, her drunk mind was too addled to properly process how he had just pulled a beautiful antique ring out of thin air.

"I asked my dad if I could propose with my mama's ring." He looked at her with all his hope.

Staring at the diamond twinkling in the fire light, Meri smiled so wide she thought her cheeks would split. "Yes, I'll marry you, cowboy, just keep that damned horse out of my kitchen."

The witnesses went crazy cheering. They even staged a wedding because one of the cowboys claimed he was an ordained minister. He performed the ceremony then everyone got more drunk.

Monday morning, so hungover she could barely think, she tried to give Colt the ring back when he drove her home, but he refused. Colt took her hand and kissed it gently, before putting the ring back on her middle finger because it was a size too big. "Darlin', I meant every word I said, and I am not good at this sort of thing. I want to marry you. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I'm in love with you, I ain't never felt this way about anyone. If you want to take things slow we can but... Meredith, I lost my mama when I was eight. When you love someone, you want to spend time with them, and you want it to start as soon as possible. Daddy asked Mama the first day he saw her, and they were happy until she passed. I know I can take care of you and keep you happy. Just give me a chance."

Meri had felt like she was in some crazy cowboy romance novel since. She wanted to put the brakes on hard, but her heart or maybe her hormones said, "Okay."

"Really?" He looked so happy and relieved at the same time. She kissed him, it was like skydiving. When they stopped to breathe, she realized she was sitting, straddled on his lap.

He begged, "Can I see you tonight before we leave?"

"You better or I'll get Taggert to unwed us!" Meri threatened.

Colt laughed. "I think he's been thrown from one too many bulls and landed on his head, but it was good practice for our real wedding. I can't wait to take you home to meet Gramma and see the ranch at Christmas."

"Me either." Meri closed her eyes. "I am going in to get a few hours sleep before my shift. "I'll see you tonight."

Colt made a sound in his throat as she got out, "How does that place even stay open when you aren't there? What will they do when you quit and move home with me?"

She didn't answer because stepping down from the tall truck made her nauseous. She breathed for a moment then said, "Love you, bye..."

Thinking about it now, she should have told him she wasn't going to quit her job and move to Texas. She loved her life in Vegas with her friends and working her way up to being the lead chef. She had a few more hours to sleep before she needed to get up and go to work. She wondered how Katrina's final exams were going and worried about how her sister and cousin would react to her nuptials. She felt very guilty that she hadn't waited for them to come and share the ceremony with her.

Waking, Colt inhaled, and looked down at her, "You okay, darlin'?"

"Perfect as a peach pie," Meri snuggled into him. "Go back to sleep."

"Cain't. Dad will be here in an hour and ten minutes," He complained then he turned to look at the temptress who has stolen his heart. "What to do for an hour?"

His voice made Meri quiver in places that Stevie and Claude never had. Her heart was racing, and it didn't seem like they could get more than a half-breath of air as they invoked each other's passion. Moments or forever later, he groaned her name like he was dying as she came undone then they collapsed into the malaise of the afterglow.

Meri mumbled, "Remind me to make cookies for Sam before you go." Then she fell asleep to Colt's rumbling chuckle.

His only thought before he dozed off. 'If this isn't love, then I have no idea what love is, but I never want this to end.'

~~~~

Later, Merideth woke up alone. She yawned and stretched thinking about the text message to Katrina about her husband and wondered when she would arrive from Pueblo. She loved the sound of that, she loved the way he loved her and daydreamed about riding off into the sunset with her cowboy until her bladder poked her and she reminded herself she needed to check on her neighbor's plants. Mrs. Lui was off to Japan for Christmas and until the Chinese New Year and Meri had agreed to water the plants three times a week.

Getting up, she stumbled into the bathroom to find all of Colt's toiletries gone. He wasn't there and there wasn't a note. Even his mother's ring was gone. Suddenly, Meri felt very afraid and almost sick. She knew his family was leaving today but she didn't expect him to go and take her ring. She almost jumped out of her skin when her cellphone rang. Wiping her tears, she answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"I saw you with your cowboy tagged together on social media." It was Steven. His threatening tone made her blood run cold.

"You aren't supposed to call me." Meri tried to sound calm. "It's been months, get over us and move on, Stevie." She mocked using the nickname he hated.

"I am not playing with you, Meredith, you belong to me. I will kill him and his family."

Colt took the phone from her hand and snarled into it, "Stay away from my wife. We got married last weekend and if you come anywhere near her or my family, I will personally stake you down on the prairie for the vultures and coyotes to eat." Colt sounded terrifying. "Your alleged mob connections mean nothing to me and my kin, I can shoot a coyote from a mile away and any man that raises his hand to a woman is a coyote in my book. Do you understand, city boy?"

Steven let out a stream of profanity, but Colt hung up. Meri just stared at him with wide, wet eyes, she hadn't even heard him come in.

"Oh darlin'," he said as he hugged her, "Shhh, you don't have to be afraid. He will never bother you again." He wiped her tears and smiled gently. "I brought you some breakfast, you have nothing easy to make in your refrigerator or pantry, cookie lady." He kissed her.

"I make everything from scratch." Meri finally found her voice, then asked, "Um, did... did you take your mom's ring?"

As he laid out the food, he nodded, then pulled a slip from his pocket. "The jewelry shop should have it resized by next Friday. Just in time to head to Wyoming finals. And Meri, it's your ring now, we got married."

"Colt, are you sure about this? About us?" Mer asked the question because she was still not over the fear she had felt only minutes earlier.

"I am." Holding out a large envelope he said, "Taggert got this certified and gave it to my dad last night." It was a marriage certificate. He kissed her in a way that melted her bones and worries, then their food got cold before Meri had to go to work. Colt insisted on driving her and picking her up.

During the pre-dinner lull, her phone rang. "Hey Trina!"

"Hey... Uhm, when I get done with exams tomorrow, can I come out? I need a job and there's nothing here," Katrina asked as Meri finished decorating dessert pastries.

Meri waved to a waitress to take the plates, while responding, "Sure, do you and Houston need a place to stay?"

"He's going to New York to see his dad and be in some rap battle thing," Katrina answered. "It will just be me."

"Okay, cool, well, when you get here, you can meet my husband. I gotta go, see ya!" Giggling, Meri hung up as the head chef demanded, "Meri! You haven't told your family?"

"I... I was going to surprise them for Christmas," Meri answered with a shrug, then she went back to preparing desserts, but again her guilt about not including Cher and Trina in her wedding, chewed on her heart. She pushed it away and mentally hugged the feeling Colt gave her, wrapping it around her like a soft blanket.

~~~~~

Friday morning...

"I can't believe you got married." Charlene chastised but she tried not to scold.

But Meri could tell she was worried, "What? I'm happy."

"It's just a little sudden... I mean you've never talked about him before. How did you meet? What's his family like? I... don't even know your new last name," Char murmured like she was trying not to pick a fight.

"It's King, and we met here a while back... Don't worry. He's sweet, his family and friends are great. I even like his horse, well, most of the time." Meri buried her own reservations as Char's doubts about the sudden marriage poked at them. "Please don't worry. I chose wisely this time."

"Well, okay. I have to get ready for work. Love you."

"Love you too, Char. Have a nice evening and overnight watch. Bye." Meri hung up on her sister as Colt came out of the small bathroom with a towel slung low around his hips.

"Hey cowboy."

Beads of water dotted his muscular chest and dripped from his hair. He looked like a model from one of her romance novels. Suddenly, she was glad they were all on apps through her phone so he wouldn't know why she kept ogling him.

"Everything okay, darlin'?"

Meri grinned. "Yes. My cousin Katrina is on her way from Colorado and my sister in Hawaii says welcome to the family."

"I can't wait to meet them." He grinned, adding, "Family is the most important part of a person's life, and I would like to thank them for having such a beautiful sister and cousin."

The way he said it and the way he looked at her made Meri want to call off work, but she didn't. She kissed him instead and sighed, "Thanks for flying out Sunday so you can meet Trina."

He smiled then looked around the tiny loft apartment, asking, "Where are we going to put her?"

Meri smirked and wrinkled her nose mischievously, "Mrs. Lui next door is fine with her staying there. She trusts me and I am watering her plants for the next two months. I'll see you later tonight." Kissing him again, she dragged herself away from his lips to go to work.

"I should drive you." Colt started to pull out some clothes, but Meri stopped him.

"It's fine. I'll be fine." She looked at his bag. "I can't believe you're already packed."

He shrugged. "Grammy always said, it's better to prepare early than to be too late to prepare."

One last kiss and she headed out the door. Colt made Meri feel special and she adored him. She worked in a malaise of happiness but as she left, the owner stopped her, "Meredith, can you work the weekend? We are expecting a food critic and I don't know which night. Please, your French tortes and Italian pastries are so much better than Marcel's and he's put in his notice."

Meri chewed her lip; she owed him for agreeing to give Katrina a waitressing job without meeting her. "Uhm, sure. My husband was leaving Sunday morning anyway."

Going out to the employee parking with her chef, Carl, and sous chef, Janine, they talked about the revised menu for the weekend while she wondered what she would tell Colt and Trina.

"Oh damn, Meri! Your windshield, your windows." Janine's exclamation drew Meri from thoughts of tortes and cannolis.

"Omigawd." Meri breathed out. Glass littered the area around her parking space, glittering like snow in the morning. Every window was shattered.

"This is Carl with Viva Roma, I'm in the employees parking at the Belagio. We need the police. Our pastry chef's stalker has vandalized her car again." He sounded enraged.

Groaning, Meri texted Colt- There is a problem with my car. I have to get it towed before I uber home.

The police arrived at the same time as Colt and Trina. He stared at her car with a look of fury as Meri and Trina hugged.

"You made good time," Meri murmured.

"I left after I finished my exam," Trina admitted then she shook hands with the heavy man as Meri made the introductions.

"Katrina DuBois, this is Chef Carlito Andresi, everyone calls him Carl, and Carl, this is your new waitress, and here is my husband Colton King."

Carl shook Colt's hand firmly. "Meredith is like a daughter to me. I am happy that you make her happy."

Colt responded respectfully, "I'll take good care of her, sir." The chef nodded to him and left.

Colt held Meri as the police officer went to talk to the security guard. Katrina carefully got the paperwork out of Meri's glove box and the bag of clothes out of the back seat, shaking the glass off it. A flat bed tow truck winched it up and covered it with a tarp. Meri watched her car leaving, knowing it would be a week or more until she could get it repaired and returned.

"Let's go home, darlin'," Colt insisted but Trina didn't miss the way he constantly looked around for threats.

As Trina settled into Mrs. Lui's loft, Meri grinned at her. "Well, what do you think of Colt?"

Her cousin sucked in her lips for a moment then admitted, "I... I, uhm, think he's great but you guys don't seem to know each other very well. I mean, he doesn't even know your favorite color or flavor or flower?" Her voice sounded strangely uncomfortable. "He seems very protective."

Meri looked confused and shook her head, "He is and he does... It's been a stressful night; he probably was just thinking about other things."

Not wanting to point out that she had questioned him before Meri's car was found damaged, Trina said, "Yeah, sure... so what's his family like?"

"His dad Cordel is great, his brother Cody is as annoying as Chuck and he talks about his Grammy all the time," Meri revealed then added sadly, "His mom died when he was eight."

"Oh, how did she die?" Trina asked but Meri gave her a blank look.

"Does he have any other siblings? What's his grammy's name?" Trina fished for more information.

"I don't think so... and... Sorry, sis, I'm just too tired to think. Sleep in and I'll take you in tomorrow to meet everyone. I have to work, there's some food critic coming," Meri suddenly needed to get away from Trina's questions and doubtful looks.

Going back into her loft apartment, Colt seized Meri and kissed her senseless. When he lifted his lips, he murmured, "I was so worried. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. As long as we're together, you'll be safe." Then he kissed her before she could respond and began stripping her clothes off. They made love desperately, then again very slowly. As Meri fell asleep in his arms, he kissed her hair, murmuring, "You'll love Texas, darlin'."

~~~~

Sunday morning...

Every moment between Meri and Colt was amazing until it suddenly wasn't. Two weeks after they met, one week after they were married, the honeymoon was over. Meri was madly in love with the biggest mistake she felt she had ever made because she was married to the most stubborn man in the world. "I'm not going with you to Wyoming. I am not moving to Texas, and that's final."

"You don't have a choice, you are my wife and where I go, you go, and that's final."

"I can't, and I won't! I have a full semester of student teaching and classes for my degree. I am about to be promoted to head pastry chef at Via Roma. I've worked too hard for this, I'm not leaving," Meri yelled at her husband.

Trina cringed, eavesdropping through the door, but made herself knock and open the door. Colt towered over Meri, but she didn't back away. Trina could see on her face that there would be no compromise. This was hour four of their fight.

"I have competitions, I am ranked second nationally. I need you with me, so I don't have to worry about you." Colt insisted again, the veins in his temple bulging out.

"Well, I am not leaving school and my students to ride around the country in a horse trailer to watch you and Sam chase cows," Meri declared with a glare. "Why should I have to give up my..."

"Steers," he interrupted.

"What?"

"They're steers," he corrected Meri.

"I don't care if they're steak tar-tar, I'm... not... go-ing," she annunciated sarcastically.

"Look, Meredith, I need you to come with me, so I don't have to worry about you being alone with that lunatic stalker out there." He tried to use this calm tone, but his words only infuriated her more.

"I don't need you to protect me, I can protect myself and..." His derisive snort cut her off. "You don't believe me?"

He actually rolled his eyes as Meri snapped, "My sister taught me self-defense, and I have taken classes. I managed to stay ahead of Steven, before I met you and I will continue to be fine without your protection."

"Meredith, I ain't gonna fight ya on this." Colt was exasperated. He had never met a woman so stubborn. "You're coming with me and that's final."

"No."

Colt reached out to touch her face, begging, "Meredith, don't do this. Just pack so we can go."

His touch was so gentle, it made her want to cry, but instead she shoved him away and he ended up on his backside. "Have a good trip, cowboy. I am not going anywhere because I still have a job here, a real job, and my shift starts in half an hour." Meri stalked past him, picked up her small shoulder bag and steered Trina out the door.

Colt stood in the door staring at them. His tone demanding, "Meredith..."

"You're going to miss your flight, Colton."

"So, this is your choice?" His eyes narrowed as he licked the lips that she had spent most of last night kissing. The door opened and she shoved Trina into the elevator ahead of her. "See you when you get home, darling," Meri called out flippantly.

After the door closed, a tear leaked down Meri's cheek.

"Are you okay?" Trina asked quietly.

Leaning against the polished wood and dark mirrored wall, Meri rubbed her forehead. "I'm fine... We're fine."

Trina was silent until they started the drive to work. "I can't believe he wants you to just quit your job."

"How?" Meri looked surprised but Trina cringed with a scrunched-up face.

"The walls in that building are very thin. Very, very thin," Trina admitted, quietly embarrassed.

Meri flushed bright red, as she asked, aghast, "You heard us... last night."

"And the night before and I am certain all of your neighbors have had a very interesting week, and that's probably why there aren't any headphones or earbuds in the little shop on the first floor." Trina grinned like the Cheshire Cat then asked, "Please tell me you are on birth control."

Snorting, Meri shook her head, and admitted, "Yes, I'm on the pill. They send me three months at a time, and I already got my refill packs in the mail."

"Okay, good."

"Why?" Meri suddenly sounded defensive. "Don't you like Colt? He's great, he's strong, protective. He's..."

"A little controlling and you two barely know each other." Trina interrupted, then begged, "Please, I don't want to fight, but I'm worried about you."

"We'll be fine. I just need him to see that my dreams are just as important as his. Marriage is about communication and compromise," Meri insisted. "We'll talk when he gets back. It's our first Christmas after all."

Trina parked and Meri got out before the engine was turned off. Locking the doors, Trina followed her through the employee only parts of the giant hotel to the restaurant. The shift was long with the holiday crowds. The cousins drove home making small talk about the food service and the critic being a no-show. Getting off the elevator exhausted, they went to the separate loft apartments to go to bed.

Laying in her bed, Meri heard Trina knock on the wall then call out, "Goodnight, sis."

It reminded her of their childhood, so Meri called back, "Goodnight, sis."

In the silence of her loft, Meri dreamed of Colt's stomping footsteps thundering as he walked away and slammed the door. She fought the raging desire to chase him. He made it clear in the last two days that she would have to leave her life or lose him. He chose his dream while she chose hers. Waking up alone, Meri decided Cowboy a la Cart had left a bad taste in her mouth.

~