by Jill Sanders
“Go, I’ve got this. All that’s left is putting these on and setting the flowers.” He shrugged. “How hard could that be?”
“Okay.” She handed him a bag. “These go on the corners of the tables so the tablecloths don’t blow away.” She turned to go. “I’ll be back down as soon as I can to finish the last bit. The band should be here soon.”
“Are you sure this is just a party and not the actual wedding?” he joked, earning him a glare from her before she disappeared into the house.
For the next hour, he tried to figure out the tablecloth situation. The bag of plastic things she’d given him to help keep the tablecloths on the table ended up being a disaster, so he grabbed his tape gun and taped the things to the table instead. The flowers kept falling over and he was about to use his glue gun when Riley’s aunt and uncle showed up.
“What are you doing with that?” Lacey Stevens, the mayor of Pride, was the person in the Jordan clan who was most like Riley. She was short, and her dark hair was cut in a stylish arc around her face. Both Riley and Lacey had an air about them that screamed sex appeal.
He swallowed and moved his eyes to her husband, the town’s doctor.
“Better put the gun down, son,” Aaron said with a chuckle.
Lacey walked over and took it from him. “I’ll just finish this up. It appears you need a shower.” She leaned in and sniffed him. “Yes, I’d say a long soapy one.”
He groaned as he got a whiff of himself. “I’ve been moving tables and chairs all day,” he said in defense.
“Well, it’s only an hour until guests arrive. We can finish things up here.” She turned and looked at the house. “Where’s Riley?”
“She’s inside, getting changed,” he said. “I told her…”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed.
“Go.” Aaron stepped in. “You don’t want to argue with a Jordan.”
“I found that out early on,” he said under his breath as he turned and walked inside.
He toed off his shoes in the mudroom and thought of peeling off his sweaty clothes and shoving them into the washing machine but remembered there were guests in the house. Instead, he pulled off his shirt and socks and kept his jeans on, then headed up the stairs.
He found Riley stepping out of his bedroom, looking fresh and sexy in a body-hugging green dress that had his mouth watering.
“You look amazing,” he said, hearing his voice crack slightly.
“Thanks.” She smiled brightly at him. “You, uh, lost your shirt.”
He glanced down at his sweaty body. “Yeah, it was dirty.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Your aunt told me I stank.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Which aunt?”
“The mayor one,” he clarified, causing her to laugh.
“I’ll go…” She stopped and ran her eyes over him. “You look great with your shirt off. By the way.”
Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and he couldn’t stop the smile. He wanted to grab her and kiss her, but he was afraid he’d mess up her dress and hair.
“Thanks,” he said as his body swayed a little closer to hers. “I really want to kiss you right now,” he said softly.
Her eyes moved to his lips and he realized she must have just applied her lip gloss, because they were shiny and begging to be tasted.
“Really bad,” he added.
She swayed closer and leaned in. But he stopped her by stepping back. “I’ll soil your dress.”
“Then don’t touch it.” She stepped up on her toes and laid her lips over his.
He tucked his hands into his jean pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her, but the desire was there. Stronger than anything he’d ever felt before.
“Riley.” Her name was a groan. “Go on outside before I mess you up.”
She giggled and stepped around him. “Later,” he thought she said as she moved down the hallway.
Damn. He was in trouble. He stepped into his bathroom.
She’d made a slight mess out of the space, but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t a neat freak, and he found that seeing her things sitting on his counter made the place look more lived in.
He stopped and smelled a bottle that she’d left near a small make-up bag and smiled when her scent filled his nose.
God, whatever this was smelled like heaven. He looked down at the bottle and frowned when he couldn’t find a name on it.
Setting it back down, he flipped on his shower and pulled off his soiled jeans. As the water hit him, he tried to clear his mind of the look and smell of Riley, but several other bottles sat in his shower and, he just had to smell those as well.
By the time he walked downstairs, fully dressed in one of his new suits, he was determined to get as much of Riley’s scent tonight as possible.
Finding a large group of people already filling his space, he found Riley showing the kitchen crew around.
They had brought everything they needed for the dinner and most of it had already been prepared for the night.
“What can I do?” he asked, leaning on the counter and handing her a glass of wine that had been sitting on a tray with a bunch of other ones.
“Thanks.” She smiled. “You clean up pretty well.” She nodded to his tie.
“When an occasion calls for it.” He took a glass of his own. “Put me to work.” He nodded around.
“From here on out, the crew has it all.” She motioned to the group of people standing around the kitchen. “If you want, you can head outside and greet the guests” She wiggled her glass. “My brothers are on parking duty, my uncles are helping the DJ set up.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You don’t need me to carry any heavy things around?”
She giggled. “No.” Her arm rested on his and she smiled. “I’ve used your muscles enough for one day.”
He held in a smart retort about her not getting to enjoy them enough. Instead, he sipped his wine.
“Good stuff.” He raised his glass.
“Only the best for my cousin.” She sighed. “I can’t believe she’s getting married. First it was Sara, then Lilly and Matt. All of my cousins are getting married it seems like.”
He chuckled. “Don’t you have like thirty cousins?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, just…” She bit her lip and he could tell she was counting.
“Too many,” he added. “At least to know off the top of your head.”
“Don’t you have any cousins?” she asked.
“Nope, Dad was an only child.”
“What about your mother?” she asked.
He thought about it. “I guess I don’t know. Our mother sort of gave up everything when she married our father.”
“They aren’t invited, you know, to the wedding.” She whispered the last.
“Heaven’s no.” It burst from his chest. “I think Corey would have an embolism if he saw either of them. He wouldn’t want anything to ruin Lilly’s day.”
Riley nodded and then moved aside as people started shifting around them. “We’d better get out of their way.” She nodded towards the doors.
He took her elbow and steered them outside. Stepping out into the evening air, they looked down at the tent, which practically filled his small yard. The lights had it glowing.
“It’s a perfect night for this,” Riley said, leaning against the railing.
“Yes, I’ll have to have more parties here,” he joked. But she glanced over at him with a look in her eye.
“Why not? I bet you could rent this place out for—”
“Nope.” He chuckled. “Not going to happen. I like my privacy too much.”
Her shoulders sank. “True. I guess I’m used to Aunt Megan’s B and B environment. People coming and going all of the time.” She smiled. “Matt, Sara, and Suzie never had the chance to be lonely.”
“Of course not, there were three of them.” He laughed.
“Speaking of the devil.” Riley handed him her wineglass and walked over to Suzie. The girl was you
nger than Riley by about a year, if he remembered correctly, and was easily half a foot taller than her cousin.
When the two were done hugging, Riley turned to him. “Carter, you remember Suzie?”
“Susannah,” her cousin corrected. “Suzie to family.” She rolled her green eyes.
“Yes.” He shook her hand after handing Riley back her glass. “I’ve seen you a few times in Baked.”
“Yes, I’m so happy there’s a decent place to get a slice in Pride now.” Her eyes turned to the grounds of the house. “This is a wonderful place you have here.”
“Make yourself at home.” He motioned. “I think I saw your parents down on the lawn.” He nodded to where Megan and Todd Jordan stood talking with Matt and Blake.
“I’m surprised they haven’t taken a tour of the house yet,” Susannah joked. “We’ve all been dying to see what Blake has done to the old place.”
“Like I said”—he motioned with his glass—“make yourself at home.”
“Thanks.” Susannah’s green eyes turned back to him and ran down him slowly. Riley moved closer and put a hand on his arm.
“Not that at home,” Riley joked. “I’ve called dibs on this one,” she added with a chuckle.
Susannah laughed. “Lucky cousin.” Her green eyes ran over the crowd as she sighed. “Well, I suppose I’ll find someone someday.” She turned and left.
“I like her,” he added quickly.
“She’s been away to college too long.” Riley sighed. “I’m afraid the city life has… turned her.”
“She’s home now,” he added.
“Yes, if only we knew for how long,” Riley said with worry.
“Come, let’s go greet the other guests.” He reached down and took her hand as he nodded towards a few other people who were arriving. “Your cousin and my brother should be here soon.” He stopped. “How did you convince them to show up here without letting them know about the party?”
She smiled. “I told them we were having a double date at your place.”
“How are you going to explain all the cars in the driveway?” he asked as they started down the stairs.
“That’s why I had my brother pull them around to the side of the house in front of the garage. Besides, I asked that several people carpool.” She waved at her other cousin, Sara.
“Where are the kids tonight?” she asked.
“Babysitter,” Parker answered. “Brook Masters.”
“It’s funny, I used to babysit her, now she’s babysitting my kids,” Sara said with a sigh.
“It’s nice to get out once in a while,” Parker added. “But it’s funny. I’m already wishing the night was over so I can hold them again.”
Riley sighed. “You’re a good father.”
For the next fifteen minutes, people flooded into his backyard.
“They’re coming,” someone called out. “Everyone, get ready.”
People scrambled around, excited as they all crowded around the tent area.
“I’ll go…” he started, but Riley held his arm.
“I texted her to meet us out on the back patio to watch the sunset.” She smiled over at him. “See?” She nodded as the couple came around the corner of the house.
“Surprise!” everyone shouted at the same time.
He saw the shock on his brother’s face, but on Lilly’s only laughter.
“She knew.” Riley sighed. “Damn it, I can never hide anything from her.” She moved forward and took her cousin into her arms.
Corey reached up and shook his hand. “Brother.” He shook his head. “You’ve been busy.”
He chuckled. “Riley’s been busy. I just helped out a little.”
His brother laughed. “Yeah, this doesn’t look like a little.” He motioned to the backyard.
“You know how it goes.” He felt a little embarrassed at the look his brother was giving him.
Corey slapped him on the shoulder and leaned closer. “Yeah, I know how persuasive the Jordan women are.” He took Lilly’s hand in his. “My advice is to sit back and enjoy the wild ride.”
Chapter Eight
Riley’s feet were killing her two hours later. The three-inch heels made her almost as tall as all the other woman in the crowd, but she wasn’t used to standing for so long in them. She tried sitting as much as she could, but every time she got comfortable, she was pulled up to go talk with someone or to share a dance.
For the most part, Carter stuck by her side or his brother’s. She was surprised that, even though he knew everyone at the party, he wasn’t as outgoing as his brother, though not quite what she would call an introvert. Still, she didn’t mind spending most of her night standing next to him.
“How are you holding up?” he asked after a dance with her uncle.
“I’m fine.” She smiled.
“You don’t have to lie to me.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice. “Your feet are killing you.” He took her elbow and she allowed him to lift most of her weight from her feet.
She would have groaned with appreciation, but her parents were standing too close to them, and she was afraid they would hear.
“Why don’t you head inside for a while? Pull of those shoes and…”
“No.” She shook her head. “I made the mistake of taking off my heels halfway through Sara’s wedding party.” She did groan this time. “I couldn’t get my shoes back on since my feet had swelled so much.”
“You could put on different shoes. I doubt anyone would notice,” he suggested.
She had brought some summer sandals in case she wanted to take a walk on the beach. But glancing around at all the other guests, she felt it was her duty to hold steady. Then she glanced down at Lilly’s feet and noticed that her cousin was barefoot.
“Screw it.” She used his arm to steady herself and pulled off one shoe, then the other. “I’m going to take these things inside.” She turned to go, but he was smiling at her funny. “What?” she asked.
“I like you better this way.” He nodded to her bare feet.
“Shorter?” she suggested.
“You’re a perfect height.” He chuckled.
“I’m the height of a ten-year-old boy,” she said. As she started walking away, she heard him say, “With the body of a goddess.”
She smiled all the way inside the house. She stepped into the kitchen but figured that if she set her shoes there, someone would trip over them, so she carried them up the stairs. She was about to set them by the bag of things that she’d left in his bedroom when she heard a noise coming from the room at the end of the hallway.
Putting her shoes down, she slowly moved towards the door, which was slightly opened. She heard something hit the floor and jumped slightly at the sound.
She pushed the door open wider, but the darkness of the room had her squinting to see the dark figure. Her eyes began to adjust, but then a searing pain in the back of her head had her teetering and crying out just before everything went black.
“Damn it, Riley, open your eyes.”
Was that Carter? she thought groggily. Had she fallen asleep? Was the party over?
Party! She jerked her eyes open and cried out when a bright light flashed in front of her eyes.
“Ry, hold still.” It was her uncle Aaron talking to her in that smooth doctor’s voice.
“Uncle…” she started, but her mouth was full of cotton, or so it felt like.
“Someone get her some water.” Her mother’s voice was laced with panic.
“Make some room,” Aaron said softly. “I think it’s okay to move her now,” he said to someone.
She had closed her eyes against the light and when she felt strong arms pick her up, Carter’s scent floated around her. She rested her head gently on his shoulder.
“She’s still bleeding.” Her father’s voice broke in, and she opened her eyes quickly at the sound of worry in his tone.
“I’ll get a better look at the wound when she’s off the floor.”
; “I was on the floor?” she asked Carter.
“Yeah,” he said softly.
“I’m bleeding?” She didn’t know why she wanted to hear it from him but asked anyway.
“Yeah, it looks like you bumped your head on something.”
Memories flooded behind her eyes. “Someone hit me from behind,” she said, laying her head back on his shoulder and feeling her stomach roll. “I think I’m going to…”
A wastebasket was shoved in front of her. She held onto it like it was a lifeline. Breathing through her nose, she willed her body back into control as Carter laid her down on his bed.
“Someone hit you?” her uncle asked as he started looking at the back of her head.
“I… think so. I mean, someone was in the room.” She tried to move, but then cried out at the slight movement. “At the end of the hallway. I thought someone was looking around, and I figured I’d give them a tour or… help them if they were lost. I opened the door.” She winced when her uncle put a fresh piece of gauze over what felt like a baseball-sized bump just behind her left ear.
“Easy,” Aaron said softly.
“Someone hit me over the head.” Everyone in the room tensed.
“I’ll get Robert,” someone said, but she had closed her eyes with a new onslaught of pain.
“Someone as in… man or woman?” Carter asked.
“I…” She started to shake her head, but searing pain stopped her. “I don’t remember.”
“It doesn’t look like you’ll need stitches. It’s just a little cut.” Her uncle turned to her parents and sighed along for her father’s sake. “You know as well as I do that head wounds bleed like crazy.” He turned back towards her and replaced the gauze with a fresh one, dumping the old one in the bucket she still held.
“Dizzy?” he asked her.
“A little,” she admitted. But her stomach had settled since she wasn’t moving anymore. “I think it was the motion.”
Aaron nodded. “Let me check your eyes again.” He winced. “Sorry, kiddo, but you’ll have to look into the light.”
She nodded. “I’m ready.” She held onto Carter’s hand. He was sitting on the other side of the bed as her uncle flashed a penlight in her eyes.
