by Lexi Post
~~~~~
Monday
Wade strode down the Old West town, the happiest he’d been in days. Before the Ditzmans left on Saturday, they’d agreed it had been their fault that Mr. Ditzman was bit by the snake, and then the last Poker Flat guest left on Sunday.
Now his family could come out of hiding and they all could relax. That wasn’t to say his mother hadn’t ventured up to meet with Lacey the first day she arrived, but she’d hidden away in the staff room to confer with their wedding planner.
Even Kendra seemed a bit more relaxed once the final guest left and while she wasn’t paying much more attention to the wedding details, she did seem to be more focused on him. Having her focus was like hitting the jackpot, especially in bed. They’d actually been able to go to bed together last night, which had been enjoyable for them both.
He’d even sent Chris to pick up Natasha for their line dance practice. With no guests to feed, she was able to come in much later. Tomorrow would be the first time they’d all get to practice together. His best man, Dale, his older brother Luke, and his younger brother Tanner would arrive later in the day. He just hoped Kendra didn’t get up earlier than usual tomorrow and discover them all.
He unlocked the sliding barn door and strode into the saloon. Switching on the lights, he couldn’t help but think there had to be something they could do with the space. He’d talk to Kendra about it.
Stepping back out onto the boardwalk, he caught site of Jorge across the way leading Ace into the corral. The day had the feeling of a holiday. It was beyond odd not to have guests at Poker Flat. Since the day they opened the doors, the place had guests.
As if on cue, the dust from a golf cart broke the horizon of the fork and headed toward him. Natasha was right on time as usual. It was hard to imagine she’d been fired for being late. Chris, on the other hand, had been fired for a completely different reason.
Wade had no use for homophobes. It seemed that Chris’ roommate for now didn’t either. He found it odd that Kane hadn’t left for his own home by now, unless he really couldn’t drive yet.
The golf cart came closer and it became clear someone else was on it. What the hell. The resort was closed. He jogged down the two steps to the packed dirt to meet them. No sooner had Chris stopped the cart then a man in a white cowboy hat, jeans, blue checked shirt and cowboy boots jumped off the back. He was tall, dark-haired and way too familiar.
“I’m here. The party can start, now.”
Wade laughed. “Shit, Dale. I wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon. I thought you were working.”
As he hugged his long-time friend, excitement at the reality of his approaching wedding built. With his best man arriving, it suddenly felt real.
When they separated, Dale smirked. “I couldn’t wait. I’ve got a great second in command at the office, and with my phone attached to my hip, I figured, what the heck. Besides, I wanted to show you how much more dance practice you’d need to catch up to me.”
“Don’t count on it. I may be pathetic at the waltz, but I can boot scoot with the best of them.”
His friend laughed. “Good to hear it. I wouldn’t want to show up the groom.”
“Not happening my friend.”
Dale looked around. “Wow, this place has really grown.”
Again, that surge of pride filled his chest. “Kendra has done wonders, not to mention the excellent staff you’ve sent.”
“Excellent? Are you kidding? I send her the people I can’t get other clients to take.”
“Well, they’re thriving here.”
Dale shook his head. “I’ll never forget the day she came into my office and told me she only wanted workers who needed a second chance. I thought she was nuts. But it’s worked for her for the most part.”
Wade opened his arm toward the saloon and they walked up the steps. “It has. She’s only had to fire a few. Rachel, our former waitress, was the last and that was over six months ago.” He kept the Selma issue to himself. She’d been recruited directly by Kendra, so she didn’t affect Dale’s track record.
“Rachel? Oh yes, she was the one who had stolen cash from the register at her old job. Why was she fired from here? I thought your dining area didn’t operate on cash.”
“It doesn’t, but we do have a charge to the room system, and she was changing the tip amounts, often by ten dollars. It wasn’t until the third guest’s bill had to be adjusted that Lacey figured out what was happening. We have no idea how many guests didn’t even notice.”
Dale shook his head as he entered the saloon then stopped. “This looks great. Do you have wild west shows for the guests, too? I’ve seen one over in Cave Creek where they have trick riding, shoot outs with a fake bank robbery and an all-out bar fight.”
Wade chuckled. “No, we don’t. Breaking glass isn’t the best thing to have around nudists, if you know what I mean.”
Dale nodded in understanding as Natasha came over to start the practice.
Wade scrutinized Dale as Natasha put them through their paces. His best friend was as good as he said and their practice went well. When they were done, he stopped Chris as he started down the boardwalk. “Hey, how’s your house guest?”
The young man’s face lit up. “He’s doing great. He still can’t move around a lot yet, but he can see now. His eyes aren’t swollen anymore, but they look awful, all purple and yellow.”
“Does he need a ride back to his house?”
Chris shook his head. “No. Hunter went with me to pick up Kane’s car. I told Kane he can stay as long as he wants.” Chris looked away. “Besides, I bring him Natasha’s great meals and I made him breakfast yesterday. He’s content to recover at my place.”
He hoped Chris didn’t have a crush on the man. By his own admission, Kane wasn’t gay. “Okay. Keep me updated.”
“I will.”
As the masseuse stopped at the door to the Sheriff Office where he gave massages, Wade called out again. “Hey Chris, what are you doing? We have no guests today.”
Chris didn’t turn around. “I know. I just need to get a relaxation lotion for Kane. I’m hoping it will help the tight muscles around his broken ribs.”
Wade wanted to question him further, but Dale grabbed his arm.
“Come on. I left my suitcase up in my car. I need to get it and then I want the full tour.”
The inkling of unease about Kane dissipated as he focused on Dale. “I’ll be happy to. You haven’t been here since the resort was first built, right?”
“Actually, before that the barn hadn’t even been built. Your fiancé had a lot of problems negotiating the politics for permits for this place.”
He grimaced as they settled in his golf cart. “I know. Occasionally, we still get vandals, but mostly they’re young people sneaking out here on a dare. Hunter and Mac are excellent.”
Dale chuckled. “I’m glad to hear you say that. This was my last hope for Hunter and I knew when Mac walked in that the only place she’d stand a chance was here. What you two are doing here is creating a haven for misfits and I have to tell you, I’m definitely the beneficiary.”
Wade started them toward the dirt fork in the road. “I’m glad. I never thought returning that favor you did me back in college would have turned out so well. To tell you the truth I hadn’t been looking forward to working here. Now, I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”
“Not even on that ranch you’ve dreamed about all your life?”
He thought back to his simple dream of owning a horse ranch. His imagination could have never conjured a Poker Flat. His dream had definitely changed. “Let’s just say that I’ve come to the reality of what working and living at the same place is all about. Sure, I grew up on our ranch, but dad was in charge and that was family. That working ranch has morphed in my mind to a nice house in the middle of nowhere without even a garden to work on.”
Dale turned thoughtful as they crossed the stream. “I know what you mean. Owning my own business h
as been a struggle, but like here, it’s flourishing now. I’m sort of in that place of having accomplished my dream and now I don’t know where to go from here.”
He raised his right hand and wiggled his bare ring finger. “There’s always marriage.”
“Marriage. I don’t even have time to ask a woman out.”
He maneuvered around the last switchback before answering. “Sounds like we’re both in need of a vacation.”
Dale chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think this time we’ll be able to go together.”
He didn’t have a chance to answer because as they crested the ledge, he found cars pulling into the garage.
His friend patted him on the back as they pulled to a stop. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”
He stopped the golf cart. “Yes, a lot earlier than I expected. I better call Jorge and have him bring up the wagon.”
“See, we’re all excited for you. Any chance I can grab my stuff, take this cart and get checked-in before saying hello to everyone? My guess is you don’t need me for this initial family reunion.”
He watched as his family started piling out of the trucks and cars. “Yes. Go ahead.” He handed Dale the key. “Lacey will be waiting for you.”
“Great, I will see Miss Winters and settle in. Catch you later.”
“Don’t call her Miss Winters. It’s Mrs. Hatcher now, but she prefers Lacey.”
“Got it.” Dale ducked behind a truck and moved toward his car.
Wade stepped out of the cart and frowned. Well shit. He’d totally forgotten Dale used to have a crush on his little sister. Did he still have feelings for her?
“There’s the man who got smart and decided to marry even smarter.”
At his younger brother’s words, he strode forward. As he gave Tanner a hug, he winked at his girlfriend. Soon he was greeting his older brother Luke and his younger sister Raine.
Luke appeared more like himself then he had the last time Wade had seen him almost six months ago. Raine looked great. As full of life as usual. After ribbing her about not bringing a date because she always had a boyfriend or friend or whatever they called it at her age, he piled everyone into the wagon. He sat next to Jorge on the front bench so he could watch his siblings’ reactions to seeing Poker Flat for the first time. It was a moment he’d never be tired of experiencing.
Much like having Kendra in his life…forever.
Chapter Nine
Monday continued.
Kendra stood in the doorway drinking coffee as Lacey and her future mother-in-law discussed where to put the flower arrangements at the top of the aisle. She found the whole conversation boring yet the two were so excited, it was as if they were getting married.
Maybe there was something wrong with her. Shouldn’t she be excited about all these little details? It was her wedding after all. But every time they asked her opinion, the image of the wedding planner from her first wedding rose in her mind.
The woman had been at least twenty years her senior and impeccably dressed. When the planner asked her a question, if she asked, she made the correct answer obvious. The few times Kendra had expressed her opinion, Eugene had sided with the wedding planner, citing what their guests would like as their first priority.
She was older now and could have a say in every detail of the wedding, but it just didn’t seem that important. In a way, she wished she and Wade were already married. She was trying to ignore the whole wedding event, but it was a cloud over what should be the most important day of her life.
Maybe it was because she once believed that. Her first wedding had gone off beautifully, perfect. Everyone was happy, even herself. But after that, the marriage was demoralizing and the divorce painful. She didn’t want that to happen again. Maybe if she stayed out of the plans and the excitement, her marriage to Wade would be the opposite. In her head, she knew that was illogical, but the knot in her stomach as the day approached just got tighter and tighter.
Last night, she’d woken in the middle of the night and eaten a hamburger bun she found in the cabinet just to give her stomach a distraction.
“What do you think, Kendra?” Lacey looked at her expectantly.
“About which thing?”
Her future mother-in-law chuckled. “I know it’s a lot of details. We were wondering if you were okay if the bows at the end of the rows of chairs were different from the ones on the stage coach.”
She took a sip of coffee to hide her disinterest. “I think that’s fine.”
“I told you, Lacey. Kendra’s just daydreaming about my son and I can’t blame her.” As Wade’s mom went back to the pad of paper in front of her, Lacey gave her a quizzical look.
She gave a faint smile, nodded, then slipped away. She meandered down the hallway and toward the Great Room. It wasn’t just the wedding. With the resort closed, there wasn’t as much to do. She’d been working for weeks to be ready for it to reopen after the wedding, so now she felt rudderless.
Wade was busy with his family and friends. Her friends were her staff. It was odd that they were paying them to work, but they were also in the wedding. When did her life become only work?
The answer was obvious. The day she signed the divorce papers. Why was she still reacting to that? Why couldn’t she take control of her life without that baggage weighing her down?
She turned as the side door to the outside opened.
“There you are, Kennie. I ran into that handsome hunk of yours and he said I’d find you here. He said his mom has been here for a few days already.”
As her mom strode forward in a rainbow tee-shirt and yellow leggings, she grinned. “Yes, she’s here, but she was hiding out in her casita because she thought we ran a Buddhist resort, not a nudist resort.”
Her mom laughed loud, easily heard in the staff room, but she didn’t care. That’s who her mom was.
“That’s hilarious. See, I told you to explain it as a nudie resort. Then there’d be no doubt.” Her mom paused, and a devilish look entered her eyes. “Unless people mistook it for a booty resort, then they’d think it was a freakin’ whorehouse.” Again, her mom laughed loudly.
“You’ve been talking to Adrianna, haven’t you?”
Her mom grinned. “You bet. You can learn a lot from that hot chica. Did you know she’s had sex with—”
“I thought I heard people out here.” Mrs. Johnson stood across the room, a polite smile on her face.
Happy the woman interrupted before she heard things she didn’t want to know, Kendra motioned to her mom. “Mom, this is Wade’s mother, Karen Johnson.”
“Well, look at you, all pretty as a peach. How are you?” Her mom walked forward, her hand extended.
Wade’s mom didn’t seem to know what to do, so she shook hands.
“I was just telling Kennie what a hunk of a man your son is. Of course, my girl isn’t too shabby either.”
Karen looked at her then back at her mom.
“I know, the resemblance is uncanny isn’t it? It’s like we’re sisters.”
At her mother’s words, she bit her lip to keep from laughing as Wade’s mom struggled to keep her smile, but she finally cracked, a soft chuckle emanating from her. “Yes, it is. You must be very proud of what she’s created here.”
“You mean a first-class nudie resort? You bet. What was your name again?”
Mrs. Johnson’s brows rose before she gave a genuine smile. “My name is Karen.”
“I’m Donna.”
“Donna, would you like to help Lacey and I with a few details? We could use your input.”
Her mom looked over at her. “Hmmm, what a nice offer.”
She shrugged. “I’m leaving it all to Lacey, so whatever you want, go for it.”
Her mother made a fist and brought her elbow down to her waist. “Yes!” She turned to Karen. “Let’s see what we can do to make this wedding interesting.”
Kendra opened her mouth to rein her mother in, but then closed it as the two women walked off togeth
er. Maybe her mother’s additions would keep the wedding more real. Besides, she’d had no say in the last one. As the mother of the bride, she should have input.
At a loss for what to do, she decided it was time to find Wade. Maybe they could go riding…or something.
~~~~~
Monday night.
Swearing sounded on the other side of her office door warning her people were just outside. The door opened and Mac walked in with her grip on a man.
As he turned to face her, Kendra rose. “Fred? What the hell are you doing here?” He was the last person she’d expected to show up. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still short and pudgy, with a face like a dough boy and thick wavy brown hair that supposedly the ladies loved.
“Kendra. Finally. Someone who’s reasonable. Tell this giant I have a right to see my wife.”
Freak, wrong words to spew, Fred. She moved her gaze to Mac, whose eyes had darkened as they narrowed at Fred, the woman’s whole body stiff. “Mac, let him go and step back.”
Part of her wanted Mac to ignore her and give Fred the beating he’d deserved his whole life, but the other part of her didn’t want Mac to face the repercussions, so she kept her tone stern. “Mac.”
Finally, Mac released her hold and took two steps back, but her eyes didn’t leave Fred for an instant.
“Fred, how the hell did you get here? I know you’d never spend the money on a plane ticket and mom took your only car.”
“Yeah, that bitch stole my car.”
She glanced at Mac to make sure she didn’t move. She remained where she was, her focus lasered on Fred.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Fred blew her a kiss. “You sent me a plane ticket.”
The smell of alcohol on his breath was so normal that she almost didn’t notice it, but with his breath wafting over to her, she remembered it all too clearly. “No, I sent mom a plane ticket.”
He shrugged. “I have a very good friend who works for the airline. She was able to switch it to my name. Thank you, by the way, for inviting me to your wedding. Now if you don’t mind, I want to see my wife.”
