A Bravo Christmas Wedding Read online

  LOVE ON THE RANGE?

  Princess Aurora Bravo-Calabretti is wishing for a mountain man this Christmas! But her most unroyal crush—rancher Walker McKellan—insists that they remain “just friends.” Now he’s her round-the-clock bodyguard while she is the maid of honor at her cousin’s holiday wedding. Rory can’t resist this Colorado cowboy…but she wishes she was walking down the aisle to meet Walker at the altar!

  Both the best man to the groom and Rory’s bodyguard, Walker can’t shake his charge. As he begins to see Rory in a different light, a surprise snowstorm strands him with his princess…and sparks ignite into a holiday love affair! Can their Christmas passion blossom into a very Bravo happily-ever-after?

  “Damn it to hell, Rory…”

  She stepped up nice and close. She smelled of that perfume she always wore, of roses and oranges and a hint of some dark spice. He’d always liked her scent. But now, tonight, it seduced him, made his head spin. She pulled her hand back.

  Walker felt the loss of her touch as a blow, sharp and cruel.

  But then she tipped up her sweet mouth to him.

  It was the best offer he’d had in a very long time. And yet it felt all wrong. “I’m supposed to be looking out for you, not stealing kisses at bedtime.”

  She took a soft, slow breath. “Because you’re my bodyguard.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Didn’t I try to warn you that being my bodyguard was not a good idea?”

  Oranges. Spice. What would she taste like on his tongue? She really was killing him. “Uh, yeah. I believe that you did.”

  “You should have listened to me.”

  “Maybe so. Too late now, though.”

  * * *

  The Bravo Royales:

  When it comes to love, Bravos rule!

  Dear Reader,

  It’s that time of year again. Time to get the decorations down from the attic and put up the Christmas tree. Time for Christmas carols on the radio and bright, beautiful holiday displays in store windows. Time to celebrate the birth of the light of the world.

  In the small mountain town of Justice Creek, Colorado, there’s snow on the ground and a sharp bite to the winter air. And a few days before Christmas, there’s going to be a wedding.

  Aurora Bravo-Calabretti, youngest princess of Montedoro, loves Justice Creek. She has a lot of Bravo cousins there, including her favorite cousin, Clara Bravo. That wedding I just mentioned? It’s Clara’s. And Aurora, aka Rory, has agreed to be her favorite cousin’s maid of honor.

  As it turns out, Rory’s longtime good friend, mountain man Walker McKellan, will be the best man. And Rory’s mother, the sovereign princess of Montedoro, has gone behind Rory’s back and asked Walker to serve as her bodyguard for this two-week holiday visit.

  The truth is Rory’s always had a secret crush on her very good friend Walker. But Walker considers Rory way out of his league. He thinks he’s too old for her—and anyway, he’s given up on love.

  Still, being Rory’s bodyguard means they’re together ’round-the-clock. And before you know it, Rory’s not the only one hiding the deepest secrets of her yearning heart…

  Wishing you and yours all the joys of the season,

  Christine Rimmer

  A BRAVO CHRISTMAS WEDDING

  Christine Rimmer

  Books by Christine Rimmer

  Harlequin Special Edition

  ¶¶Resisting Mr. Tall, Dark & Texan #2125

  §A Bravo Homecoming #2150

  §The Return of Bowie Bravo #2168

  °°The Prince’s Secret Baby #2180

  ¤¤The Last Single Maverick #2197

  °°The Prince She Had to Marry #2221

  °°The Rancher’s Christmas Princess #2229

  °°Her Highness and the Bodyguard #2251

  ¤¤Marooned with the Maverick #2269

  °°How to Marry a Princess #2294

  °°Holiday Royale #2300

  °°The Prince’s Cinderella Bride #2329

  >Million-Dollar Maverick #2341

  °°The Earl’s Pregnant Bride #2360

  °°A Bravo Christmas Wedding #2372

  Silhouette Special Edition

  ∆The Millionaire She Married #1322

  ∆The M.D. She Had to Marry #1345

  The Tycoon’s Instant Daughter #1369

  ∆The Marriage Agreement #1412

  ∆The Marriage Conspiracy #1423

  **His Executive Sweetheart #1485

  **Mercury Rising #1496

  **Scrooge and the Single Girl #1509

  The Reluctant Princess #1537

  Prince and Future…Dad? #1556

  The Marriage Medallion #1567

  §Fifty Ways to Say I’m Pregnant #1615

  §Marrying Molly #1639

  §§Stranded with the Groom #1657

  §Lori’s Little Secret #1683

  §The Bravo Family Way #1741

  ☐The Reluctant Cinderella #1765

  §Married in Haste #1777

  §From Here to Paternity #1825

  ΩThe Man Who Had Everything #1837

  §A Bravo Christmas Reunion #1868

  §Valentine’s Secret Child #1879

  °In Bed with the Boss #1909

  §Having Tanner Bravo’s Baby #1927

  §The Stranger and Tessa Jones #1945

  §The Bravo Bachelor #1963

  §A Bravo’s Honor #1975

  §Christmas at Bravo Ridge #2012

  §Valentine Bride #2023

  §A Bride for Jericho Bravo #2029

  ¶McFarlane’s Perfect Bride #2053

  §Expecting the Boss’s Baby #2077

  §Donovan’s Child #2095

  §Marriage, Bravo Style! #2101

  Harlequin Books

  Special Edition Bonus Story: The Anniversary Party—Chapter Two

  Silhouette Books

  Fortune’s Children

  Wife Wanted

  *The Taming of Billy Jones

  ∆The Bravo Billionaire

  Montana Mavericks: Big Sky Brides

  “Suzanna”

  Lone Star Country Club

  Stroke of Fortune

  Lone Star Country Club: The Debutantes

  “Reinventing Mary”

  *The Jones Gang

  ∆Conveniently Yours

  **The Sons of Caitlin Bravo

  +Viking Brides

  §Bravo Family Ties

  §§Montana Mavericks: Gold Rush Grooms

  ☐Talk of the Neighborhood

  ΩMontana Mavericks: Striking It Rich

  °Back in Business

  ¶Montana Mavericks: Thunder Canyon Cowboys

  ¶¶Montana Mavericks: The Texans Are Coming!

  °°The Bravo Royales

  ¤¤Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys

  >Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!

  Other titles by this author available in ebook format.

  CHRISTINE RIMMER

  came to her profession the long way around. Before settling down to write about the magic of romance, she’d been everything from an actress to a salesclerk to
a waitress. Now that she’s finally found work that suits her perfectly, she insists she never had a problem keeping a job—she was merely gaining “life experience” for her future as a novelist. Christine is grateful not only for the joy she finds in writing, but for what waits when the day’s work is through: a man she loves who loves her right back, and the privilege of watching their children grow and change day to day. She lives with her family in Oregon. Visit Christine at www.christinerimmer.com.

  For my readers.

  I’m wishing you a beautiful,

  richly blessed holiday season.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Strings had been pulled.

  Aurora Bravo-Calabretti, Princess of Montedoro, knew this because Walker McKellan was waiting for her right there on the tarmac when the private jet her mother had insisted Rory use taxied in for a landing at the Denver airport.

  Irritation at the sight of him—and at her mother, too—had her chewing her lower lip. God forbid she should be allowed to get off a plane and walk all the way to customs without some big, strong man watching over her, making sure she got there safely.

  Tall and lean, wearing old jeans, battered boots and a heavy shearling coat, Walker had his arms folded across his broad chest, and he was leaning against his camo-green SUV. In the thin winter sunlight, he looked so American—a rancher fresh off the range, or maybe a mountain man taking a short break from wrestling grizzlies and taming bobcats. As frustrated as she was with the situation, Rory couldn’t resist whipping out her trusty Nikon D700 and snapping several shots of him through a passenger window.

  Walker was a great guy. Rory adored him. He’d been a very good friend to her over the seven-plus years she’d been visiting Colorado on a regular basis. People should not take advantage of their very good friends. Rory would never have done such a thing by choice.

  But her mother, who usually had the sense to mind her own business, had gone over to the dark side for no comprehensible reason and taken advantage of Walker for her. And Walker had let Rory’s mother do it.

  The more Rory thought about that, the angrier she became with both of them—with her mother, for roping Walker into being responsible for her. And with Walker, too, for not allowing Rory to back out of the unfair arrangement gracefully.

  She pulled on her coat, stuck her camera in her tote and headed for the exit, pausing to thank the flight steward and the pilots as she left.

  When she started down the airstairs, Walker straightened from the SUV and strode toward her. “My favorite princess. Lookin’ good.” Those blue eyes with the manly crinkles at the corners swept over her red peacoat, long sweater and thick winter leggings tucked into a nice, warm pair of Sorel boots. He reached for a hug.

  “Hey.” She went into his arms for maybe half a second before ducking free.

  His eyes narrowed briefly at her sullen greeting, but then he only asked, “Good trip?”

  “It was fine,” she said without even trying to sound as though she meant it. He gave her another swift, questioning glance. She ignored it. “There will be customs,” she said. “But it should be quick.”

  A half an hour later, her luggage had been checked and loaded into the back of the SUV. They set out for the small town of Justice Creek, where her Bravo cousins lived.

  As they sped down the interstate, he tried to get her talking. He teased her about the number of suitcases she’d brought and then about how he planned to put her to work cooking and cleaning out at his ranch, the Bar-N. She returned brief responses and stared out her side window at the high, flat land rolling off toward the distant gray humps of the mountains.

  Eventually he gave up, turned on the radio and hummed along in his slightly off-key baritone to country-western Christmas music.

  * * *

  Walker waited.

  Her sulky act wouldn’t last. Rory came at life full out, and nothing got her down for long.

  He let her sit there and stew until they turned off the main highway onto the state road, heading northwest. When she still refused to snap out of it, he switched off the radio. “Come on. It’s not all that bad.”

  She made a low, unhappy sound and slid him a grumpy glance. “Did you at least take the money she offered you?”

  “I turned the money down.”

  A gasp of outrage. “Now, that’s just wrong.”

  “She sent a big check anyway.”

  “Don’t you dare send it back.” Rory leveled a stern glance on him. “It’s bad enough that you have to babysit me. No way are you doing it for free.”

  “I like babysitting you.”

  A scoffing noise escaped her. “The way you say that? Doesn’t lift my spirits in the least. You know I hate it when you treat me like a baby.”

  “Whoa. Was I the one who called it babysitting?”

  She let out a grouchy little grunting sound and stared straight ahead.

  He kept after her. “What I mean is I like hanging with you.” When she only gave him more of the silent treatment, he added, “And it doesn’t seem right to take money just for keeping an eye on you.”

  “But I don’t need anyone keeping an eye on me. And what if some camper gets lost in the mountains?” He headed up the Justice Creek search-and-rescue team. “Or if there’s a forest fire?” He also volunteered with the fire department during emergencies. “What are you going to do then?”

  He shrugged. “Camping’s more of a summer activity. And forest fires are down in the winter, too. But if something happens, we’ll work it out.”

  Next, she tried threats. “I mean it, Walker. You put that check she sent you in the bank or I may never speak to you again.”

  Two could play that game. “Keep acting like this and I won’t care if you never speak to me again—and I have to ask. Is it my fault your mother insists that you have security?”

  “No, and I didn’t say it was.”

  “So why are you blaming me?”

  “Walker, I’m not blaming you.”

  “Then cut this crap the hell out.”

  “Great.” She threw up both hands. “Now you’re acting like you think you’re my big brother. The last thing I need is one of those. I already have four, thank you very much.”

  Enough. “Okay, Rory. I’ve about had it. Knock it off.”

  She pinched up her full mouth. “See? What did I tell you? ‘Knock it off.’” She faked a deep voice. “Just like a know-it-all, fatheaded, domineering big brother.”

  By then, she was really starting to get on his nerves. “Fine. I give up. Sulk all the way to the Bar-N if that’s your pleasure.”

  They subsided into mutually pissed-off silence. He didn’t even bother to turn on the radio and pretend that her bad attitude didn’t bug the hell out of him.

  It took ten minutes of both of them staring out the windshield, acting as if the other wasn’t there, before she couldn’t take it anymore. She swiped off her red wool beanie and scraped her fingers back through her long brown hair. “I mean, the whole point of my coming alone was that I get to look out for myself. I’m an adult, but my mother won’t stop thinking of me as the baby of the family. It’s not right.” She had the beanie in her lap and she was alternately twisting and smoothing it. “I really thought I was getting through to her, you know? She finally admitted
that maybe, just possibly, my having a bodyguard everywhere I go outside Montedoro was overkill. Think about it. How many of us need that kind of security? It has to stop somewhere. I have eight siblings ahead of me in line for the throne, not to mention all my nieces and nephews, who are also ahead of me. I want to go where I need to go for my work.” Rory was a talented photographer. “A normal life—it’s all I’m asking for. I just don’t need all that protecting. Not only is it unnecessary and a waste of money, it seriously cramps my style.”

  He suggested, “Look at it this way. It’s a step. You are here without a bodyguard.”

  More scoffing sounds. “Because you’re my bodyguard.”

  “We’ll be spending a lot of time together, anyway. Isn’t that what the best man and the maid of honor usually do?”

  She blew out a hard breath and slumped her shoulders. “You’re not going to cheer me up, Walker. Stop trying.”

  “Have it your way.”

  She said nothing. For about five minutes.

  Then she shook her head. “I don’t know...”

  So far, she’d jumped his ass every time he tried to cheer her up, so he considered not trying again. But then, why prolong a stupid fight any longer than necessary? “Okay. I’ll bite. You don’t know what?”

  “About Ryan and Clara getting married. I can’t believe it’s actually happening—and out of the blue this way. It’s weird, seriously weird.” His younger brother and her favorite Bravo cousin had surprised everyone just two weeks before with the news that they would tie the knot on the Saturday before Christmas. “I keep wondering what’s really going on with them, you know?”

  So, then. It looked as if she’d finished with the sulking. About time. He hid his grin of satisfaction. And then he thought about Clara and Ryan and he was frowning, too. “Yeah. Rye’s been pretty cagey about the whole thing.” Walker’s brother had been claiming he was in love with Clara since high school. And Rye had proposed more than once in the past nine or ten years. Clara kept turning him down, saying how she loved him and always would, but not in that way.