Wedding at Poker Flat

by Lexi Post

  Wade’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t.” He frowned. “When Jorge asked if I minded if he took half a day, I didn’t even think to ask why. He works hard and deserves to have extra time off if he needs it. What if he does like your mom?”

  “Well, hell.” What if? What kind of say did she have in the matter? It wasn’t that she didn’t wish her mom a better second chance at love, like she’d had. It was more a fear of what Jorge felt. “They only met today. I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

  “You’re right. I’ll talk to him and get a feel for what he’s thinking. He’s always respected you, so I’m sure he’s not trying to do any harm.”

  She nodded as she stood. “I better get back. I still have the month-end financials to review. Lacey is asking for new pillows for the casitas.”

  He didn’t let go of her hand. “Come here.” He tugged her over.

  Willingly, she bent down and gave him the kiss he wanted. When their lips parted, she whispered in his ear. “Thank you for this morning.”

  He grinned, but let her go as she pulled away. “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  She was sure if he’d had his hat he would have tilted it. “No, it was definitely my pleasure.” She laughed as she sauntered out, purposefully wiggling her butt like Adriana did, though to be fair, she didn’t really have the figure her friend did.

  “There’s more where that came from!”

  Wade’s yell as she descended the stairs made her smile. She paused. “Careful or I’ll be roping myself a cowboy.”

  The sound of his bare feet hitting the floor gave her all the warning she needed. Running to the door, she ducked outside and started the golf cart. If he caught her, she’d never get to review the financials.

  She’d just hit the gas pedal as a naked Wade emerged from the house. Laughing, she waved as she pushed the cart to full speed.

  The man had an uncanny knack of knowing just what she needed at just the right time. Slowing down as she crossed through the fork in the path, she finally pulled into the area in front of the main building.

  The sound of laughter came from the bar, the guests and Adriana clearly enjoying themselves. As tempting as it was to grab a soda and be sociable, she resisted the urge and headed straight into the now quiet building.

  Her cowboy boots sounded loud as she walked down the hall to her office. Actually, it was their office now and soon everything she’d built would be both Wade’s and hers. He’d offered to do a pre-nuptial agreement because his assets were substantially less, but everything she owned was tied up in Poker Flat Nudist Resort, while he had cash. As far as she was concerned that was even better.

  Now all they had to do was make it one more week and they would finally be legal. For most couples, the final week would usually be fun with family as they gathered and taking care of all the last-minute plans, but nothing ever went according to plan at Poker Flat.

  Chapter Five

  Thursday

  “I know you want to help, mother, but coming this weekend wouldn’t be helpful.” Wade strode toward the stable manager’s office, his phone to his ear. He wanted to talk to Jorge before he left on his morning trail ride.

  “How can an extra pair of hands not be helpful? Your dad could help you with that reproduction coach you were telling us about. You know your father is itching to see it. And I could help Kendra with the seating. That could be overwhelming for her with so much of our family attending.”

  He paused outside the building. “We’re counting on that help, but not until Monday.”

  “Wade, you obviously know very little about weddings. Three days before isn’t enough time to take care of all the details. In fact, I think Jean and Lowell should come. They had a beautiful wedding and would be so helpful.”

  He leaned against the building. If his mother thought his wedding would be like his sister’s high-class affair at the country club, she was going to be disappointed. “I told you, it’ll be a simple wedding. People can sit wherever they want and we don’t need more than a day to hook the horses to the coach and practice with it.”

  Jorge stepped out of the office and waved to him on his way to the barn.

  “Oh Wade, you’re such a man. You just don’t understand all the details. It’s obvious you need us. We’ll head out on Friday after your father finishes with the new patio.”

  He watched the stable manager head into the barn, probably to help Crystal saddle the horses. The pads Kendra had created for naked horseback riding could be tricky. He really needed to talk to the man. “No, Mom, don’t. We don’t have any place for you to stay. Besides, dad will be tired after a long day outside. Just—”

  “Oh, you’re right. Forget that. We’ll leave first thing Saturday morning. We should be there by early afternoon. Your sister and Lowell should be able to do that as well. You should see Tierney now. She’s getting so big. It’s settled then. We’ll all see you Saturday.”

  At his mother’s words, he forgot about Jorge. “No, wait. You can’t. We’ll still have guests here.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about us. We can be quiet. They won’t even know we’re there. Now I’ve got to run. I have a fitting for my gown in twenty minutes and it takes thirty to get there. See you soon. Love you.”

  The call ended, and he stared at his phone. How did that just happen? Was this how weddings always went? He didn’t remember his sister’s going this way. Then again, all he’d had to do is drink with his future brother-in-law at the stag party then put on a tux and show up for the wedding and eat at the reception.

  Kendra was not going to be happy about this. Had his mother completely forgotten Poker Flat was a nudist resort and the closest hotel was a half hour away? Shaking his head, he pushed away from the wall and started for his golf cart. About to get in, he paused as two other carts headed toward him. As the naked bodies of four guests became clear, he tensed. “Shit.”

  He remained where he was, hoping they would head toward the reproduction Old West Main Street for an early morning massage with Chris, but no such luck. As they headed toward the barn, he sighed and dropped into the golf cart driver seat. He was too late to talk to Jorge.

  Turning on the cart, he regrouped. He’d come back after the trail ride. He headed for the main building. Hopefully, Lacey could finagle something for his parents. If not, he’d just tell his mom she could book a room at a hotel.

  Yet even at the thought, he knew he couldn’t do that. His mom would be hurt. Why was she so anxious to come to a nudist resort? It didn’t gel with what he knew about his mom at all.

  As he approached the reception desk, Lacey, in her pale pink blouse and matching cowboy hat, smiled. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

  “Really?” Hopefully, that meant good news.

  “Yes. I’m receiving a few wedding gifts in the mail from those who can’t make it. Where would you like them? In your office or at your house?”

  Not bad as far as news was concerned. “At our house.”

  “That’s what I thought. Now was there something I could help you with?”

  He grimaced. “Yes. I just found out my parents and my oldest sister with her family will be arriving Saturday afternoon.”

  Lacey’s grin froze as her brown eyes widened. “Well, sugar, doesn’t that just throw a wrench into the cog.”

  He nodded, keeping in his chuckle at Lacey’s version of a curse as she immediately jumped on her computer. “This would be easier if the Ditzmans hadn’t returned.”

  He widened his eyes. “They came back?” He thought they’d be so upset at the resort because of the snake that they’d leave and tell all their nudist friends how dangerous a place it was.

  Lacey nodded distractedly as she typed. “Yes. I sent Chris to get them and by time they came back they were so charmed they decided to stay.”

  He grinned at that. Chris was extremely good at customer service.

  Lacey moved her gaze from her computer to him. “So ideally, your family will need two casitas
.”

  “Ideally, but even if you can manage one, we can bring in some cots and they can rough it for a night.”

  “Right. You do know Kendra wanted me booking the resort right through Sunday.”

  He did know. “If you can’t make it work, Kendra and I can give them our house. We could always bunk down here if we have to.”

  Lacey frowned and shook her head. “No, I can’t let that be the solution. Let me see what I can do.”

  He gave a quick bow. “I’d be mighty appreciative, ma’am.”

  She chuckled. “Please, that may work with the guests, but not with me. Now let me get to work on this.”

  He grinned and headed for the main doors.

  “Wade!”

  At Lacey’s yell, he stopped and looked back.

  “Don’t forget you have to pick up your tuxedo this afternoon.”

  “I won’t.” He continued outside, glancing at his watch. Perfect timing for picking up Natasha for their secret line dance lesson. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Kendra’s face when he and the guys danced for her. He may have two left feet learning how to waltz, but he’d found his niche with the line dancing.

  In no time he was ascending the ravine toward the three-sided garage. He’d reluctantly agreed to Lacey’s idea for him and Kendra to learn to waltz for their first dance, and that was only because Kendra looked so interested. He knew that at her first wedding, she had no idea how to dance and her groom had used that as an excuse to cut it short and work the room with his busty bride.

  Wade still couldn’t believe Kendra’s ex-husband had invited clients to their wedding. This one would be totally different. Only close friends, family, and staff would be there. They’d be married under the pavilion and enjoy a relaxed reception in the dining room. Kendra had met his immediate family already. He just hoped she didn’t become overwhelmed by having them all together.

  He stopped the cart in the shade of the packed garage and waited as the car coming down the dirt road came closer. It had actually been Chris’ idea for him to try line dancing. Chris had been to a friend’s wedding shortly after Arizona made same sex weddings legal and he’d participated in a similar surprise for one of the two grooms.

  Kendra would be shocked based on how badly he waltzed. Wade grinned. She had insisted on them not spending money on gifts for each other, so he was all in on this. For a woman with a nice bank account, she was very careful with money. Mostly likely from the way she grew up and the catastrophe that was her first marriage. Though her mention of a honeymoon had been a relief. She worked too damned hard, driven to make the resort successful.

  As the dance instructor squeezed her little car into the covered space, he inched the cart forward. “Good morning.”

  Natasha gave him a half-hearted smile, a far cry from her usual warm greeting. She was only about thirty herself but had danced professionally for several years and now taught on the side. From what he’d learned, she worked at some kind of call center fulltime.

  She walked to the cart with a large quilted shoulder bag where he knew from experience she carried her small speaker. As she sat, she avoided looking at him, focusing instead on settling her bag on her lap. That in itself was unusual.

  “Everything all right?”

  She nodded, but didn’t look at him.

  “So that’s a no.”

  At his statement, she snapped her head around. “I’m fine.”

  Well, shit. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. He was never good with tears. He’d never even seen his soon to be wife cry, and for once, he was thankful for her ability to mask her emotions, but Natasha was a dance instructor, not a former poker player.

  Starting the cart, he tried to leave it alone, but damn if he didn’t hate to see a woman in tears. “Man trouble?”

  “What? Oh no. I don’t have time for them.” She waved her hand as if his whole sex was far more work than they were worth. She just might have something there.

  “Trouble at work?” He had about three seconds before it was obvious he’d hit a bullseye with his second shot.

  Natasha nodded her head and sniffed, but didn’t say a word. Instead, she brought her fist to her lips and took deep breaths through her nose.

  Now he’d done it. He couldn’t leave well enough alone. Except it wasn’t well at all. “What’s up at work?”

  He focused on the last switch back before the bridge that straddled the small stream at the bottom of the ravine, but when his dance instructor hadn’t spoken, he glanced her way to see tears falling down her cheeks.

  Bringing the cart to a stop before the bridge, he faced her head on. “Tell me.”

  She sniffed. “It’s my problem. I’ll handle it.”

  “I have no doubt you will, but everyone needs a helping hand once in a while. I guess you could say that’s kind of the Poker Flat philosophy.”

  Her brow furrowed as she finally looked at him. “I thought this place was about being free from judgement.”

  He shrugged. “That, too, at least for the guests. But for those of us who live and work here, it’s something else.”

  Natasha cocked her head as if she tried to read his mind. Obviously deciding he was trustworthy, she gave him a short nod like she did when teaching them to line dance, though he didn’t get that affirmation very much in the waltz lessons.

  She stared him straight in the eye. “I was fired.” She let out a big breath as if it was a relief to tell someone.

  “Ouch. I don’t know how you can be fine after that.”

  She shrugged, but looked away. “I’ll live. I just have to figure things out and find a new job as soon as possible.”

  An idea started to percolate, but before he got ahead of himself, he needed more information. “If I’m prying, you don’t have to answer, but why were you fired? From what I’ve seen, you’re a very hard worker.” He grimaced. “And patient, too.” He couldn’t see the woman yelling at a caller or anything.

  She didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she clutched the bag on her lap harder. “It’s my own fault. I was late one too many times. They had been very understanding, but they said it wasn’t fair to the other employees.”

  Late? She was always right on time for their lessons. Something wasn’t adding up. “Why were you late?”

  She swallowed hard then looked at him, her eyes misty again. “It’s my mom. She’s in an Alzheimer’s facility. I go over there to have lunch with her. Sometimes when I start to leave, she freaks out and I have to stay to calm her. When that happens, I’m late for my shift.” She wiped the tears from her eyes with her finger, careful not to smudge her make-up. “Most of the time she doesn’t even know who I am, but when she does, she becomes petrified that I’m leaving her.”

  His heart constricted at her story. The poor woman. He wanted to help if he could. Poker Flat only hired people who needed a second chance. “If you find another job, how will you keep from being late again?”

  She sucked in her bottom lip as she thought about his question. “I guess I’ll have to work a night shift. I had hoped to avoid that so I could still teach on the side. My mother’s care is expensive.”

  That wouldn’t work for what he was thinking. Still, he’d talk to Kendra about it. “Speaking of teaching, I better get us up to the Saloon.”

  She gave him that short nod before looking forward again. “Yes. Dancing always clears my head. It will help me figure things out later.”

  He stepped on the peddle again and the golf cart rolled across the bridge and up the other side of the ravine, his mind churning as fast as the wheels were spinning. Natasha could be their new driver. He’d be happy to show her how to hook up Sage and Daisy to drive the wagon to the garage. Of course, if she did that she’d have to work early morning to evening when either Hunter or Mac went on shift. If she worked at Poker Flat, they could offer their guests line dance lessons, too.

  As the ideas flowed, he navigated the resort paths and pulled to a stop at the new Old West
Town.

  “How does the saloon smell?”

  He chuckled at Natasha’s sudden question. “Like bleach.”

  She smiled a real smile for the first time that morning as she stepped from the golf cart. “I’d rather that than the scent we had with your last waltz lesson.”

  He grimaced, moving toward the rolling door. As he inserted the key into the padlock, he sensed more than heard Hunter stroll toward the boardwalk. Unlatching the lock, he rolled the old barn door to the side and stepped inside, making sure no surprises awaited them.

  Once confident no critters or their messes were waiting for them, he held open the batwing door. “It’s safe to enter.”

  Natasha swept by him, depositing her bag on the bar.

  Hunter followed. “Hmmm, the smell of clean barracks.”

  He gave his security guard a wry grin. “I don’t know anything about that, but as good as it smells compared to yesterday, I won’t mind some of the scent dissipating. I feel like it’s taken up residence in my nose permanently.”

  Hunter nodded as if he was familiar with scrubbing down a room with bleach, but Wade didn’t ask.

  The sound of boots coming down the boardwalk alerted him to Chris’s entrance before he pushed the doors open. “Howdy, pardners.”

  Natasha gave him an eye roll before plugging in her speaker.

  Wade nodded at their masseuse. “New boots?”

  Chris tipped a new cowboy hat. “Yes, sir. I figured you all would be wearing them to the wedding, so I wanted to look the part. If we’re going to impress the boss, I mean bride, I think we should be as uniform as possible.”

  He swallowed a flippant remark at the thought behind Chris’s actions. “Thank you. I appreciate that as well as you joining in.” He looked at Hunter. “You, too. You didn’t have to jump on board with this crazy idea.”

  Hunter shrugged. “Not a big deal.”

  “Are you kidding? This was a great excuse to look the part.” Chris winked. “As soon as my new jeans come in, I know I’ll have all the guys checking me out.”