by Jaci Burton
Bash couldn't believe what he was seeing. Des, obviously drunk, was dancing with Chelsea. Both of them wore body-clinging dresses, though Bash only had eyes for Chelsea. She had her arms up over her head, which raised her dress up to her thighs. She had long, beautiful legs, and those stiletto heels she wore only made her legs look longer. She'd pulled her hair up tonight, but pieces of it fell across her face. She wore some feathery thing across her neck, but the feathers teased her cleavage. She had her eyes closed, her head thrown back, and she looked like she was in ecstasy.
He'd like to see that look on her face--when the two of them were alone.
Hell, he'd like to put that look on her face.
"Did you even notice Des in the picture, my man, or were you just looking at Chelsea?"
Bash frowned and handed the phone back to Logan. "Des is shit-faced. And of course I was looking at her. Hardly even noticed Chelsea."
"Uh-huh." Logan gave him a you're-full-of-shit look. "I was big into denial with Des. Didn't help."
"I'm not denying anything. Chelsea and I have nothing together."
"Which doesn't mean you're not into her."
He wasn't about to deny that, so he shrugged and poured Logan another shot, with a beer on the side. "You need to keep drinking."
Logan downed the shot and grabbed the beer, taking a sip. "You're avoiding."
"I'm not avoiding anything, but you're avoiding me kicking your ass in pool."
"Come on." Logan shook his head, and they moved to the pool table and shot a few games.
Though Bash noticed that whenever Logan wasn't up to shoot, he'd pull his phone out of his pocket. And he kept shaking his head and smiling.
Bash sure would like to know if there were any more pictures of Chelsea, though why he was interested, he had no idea. He was perfectly content hanging with all the guys, and Logan was having a great time.
Bash purposely kept his drinking to a minimum because he wanted to make sure to help Evan get all the guys home in one piece tonight--plus, this was his bar. He had a responsibility to everyone here.
There was plenty of food, there were sports on the TV, the guys were playing pool and drinking, and they were all having a good time. This was what Bash lived for--his bar and his friends.
So why the hell did his thoughts keep drifting to Chelsea? Her and her damn list.
He looked around the bar. Carter was engaged to Molly. Luke and Will were both married, Logan was about to get married.
Evan was single, and as far as he knew, Chelsea had never dated him before. Of course, Evan was a cop and he worked odd hours, so that was a strike against him.
There were Caleb and Jared McCormack, Logan and Luke's cousins. Both of them were single, though maybe a little younger than Chelsea. They both worked on the ranch and got up pretty early, but those were kind of regular hours. And they worked around animals all the time, so that was another thing on her list.
But they definitely weren't suit and tie types, and he didn't think either Caleb or Jared would like romantic getaways involving room service. Then again, he didn't know them well enough to find out.
And why the hell was he even thinking about Chelsea's damn list right now?
Her list was moronic. You didn't find the person you were meant to be with by making a list. It just ... happened.
Then again, he'd tumbled into a marriage with Cathy, and that had just happened. Look how that had turned out.
Maybe he should make a list.
No, he didn't need a damn list, because he wasn't looking for a woman.
Carter came over and slung an arm around him. "Logan wants to go to the ranch and see the girls."
Bash arched a brow. "He does, does he?"
"Okay. I talked him into it. Is he drunk yet? Are you drunk yet?" Carter squinted at him. From the looks of him, Carter had definitely had more than his share of shots and beers.
Bash grinned at him. "What's the matter, Carter? Missing your woman?"
"Maybe. I need to check on her. Make sure she's still there."
Bash knew for a fact those women weren't going anywhere tonight. "I'll check with Logan."
Carter patted his chest and veered off. Bash wandered over to where Logan leaned against the wall in front of the pool tables. He was studying his phone--again.
"More photos?"
Logan shook his head. "These women--my woman ..."
He let the sentence trail off, but dragged his fingers through his hair.
"Care to elaborate?"
Logan met his gaze, then laughed. "I think they're having a good time."
"Carter said you wanted to go to the ranch and check up on them."
"Oh, Carter said I wanted to, huh? I think Carter is drunk and wants to check on Molly."
"I think you're right."
"But yeah, we can head to the ranch. Let's mash up these parties and see what happens. If nothing else, everyone will have a place to crash tonight."
Bash grinned. "All right."
Chapter 10
It looked like a crime scene in Logan's house. Bodies were everywhere, draped over furniture and wandering around like zombies. Some were doing movements that resembled dancing, though Bash couldn't be sure that's what it was.
One of those zombies fell into Logan's arms. Fortunately, it was his fiancee, Des.
"Oops." She laughed, and Logan wrapped his arms around her to hold her upright.
"You're drunk, babe," Logan said.
She tipped her head back her eyes half closed. "And you're not?"
"Nope."
"We tried, Des," Bash said. "He's got an iron gut."
Des blinked, frowned, then laughed, throwing her arms around Logan's neck. "I might throw up on you."
Logan slid a grin in Bash's direction. "I'm putting her to bed."
"Good idea."
Logan hoisted Des up in his arms and disappeared up the stairs.
"I'm going to find my woman," Carter said, weaving into the mass of bodies.
Bash shook his head and made his way into the kitchen.
Martha was in there cleaning up. Ben came in behind him.
"How's it going?"
"Good," she said, wiping down the counter. "They made a mess, but had a great time. How about you?"
Ben kissed her cheek.
"We had a good time. About half the guys are blitzed."
Martha looked up at Ben. "Are you one of them?"
"Are you kidding? I can't keep up with these youngsters. It'd take me a week to recover."
Martha laughed. "I feel the same way. I had a couple of cocktails and danced. That was it for me."
"Food smells good," Bash said.
"You want some?" Martha asked.
"I might."
"Everything's in the fridge. You can warm it up yourself. I'm ready to go home and go to bed. Will you make sure all the girls are okay?"
"I will. You two head home."
Ben nodded. "I think we'll do that."
"Good night."
Ben and Martha headed out the door, so Bash waded into the living room. Carter had found Molly. The two of them were tangled up together on the sofa. Molly had wrapped a red feather boa around him and put her tiara on his head, and they were both out cold.
He'd figured Carter wouldn't last much longer.
Samantha and Megan were still dancing, though it was more like a slow weave to a fast song. Will and Jane were picking up, Emma and Luke were helping them, and Chelsea was nowhere to be found.
"We're going to gather up a few things and head out with Will and Jane," Luke said. "Will said he and Jane have to pick the kids up from her parents in the morning, and we have our dogs to deal with."
Bash nodded. "I'll make sure the rest of the ladies are tucked in."
Luke patted his arm. "Okay, buddy. Good night."
So much for the wild party. He made his way into the living room.
"Oh, hi, Bash," Samantha said. "Do you want a feather boa or a tiara?"
"Nope. You jess lemme know if you want some flowers in your hair, then." Samantha turned around and continued her dance.
"Will do." Maybe he'd have better luck with Megan. "Hey, Megan. Have you seen Chelsea?"
Megan pointed wildly in five directions, then rubbed her hand over her face. "Um. Sure. She's over in the fishing cabinet village ... thingy."
He nodded. Nope, no luck there, either. "Uh-huh. Thanks."
He started out of the room, then stopped, turned around, and waited, wanting to make sure Megan and Samantha didn't go anywhere.
They didn't. They both plopped down on the sofa after the song ended. He figured in about five minutes they'd be asleep.
He rechecked the kitchen, then went down the hall to the bathroom, which was empty. He checked the guest bedrooms upstairs, but those were empty as well.
Huh.
He went out back and found Chelsea curled up on one of the lounge chairs. Sound asleep.
"Jesus, it's freezing out here." It might be spring, but it was still cold at night, especially out here in the country. He kneeled down beside her. "Chelsea. Wake up."
She didn't even budge. He laid his hand on her arm to find it icy cold.
Shit.
He slid his arms underneath her and lifted her out of the chair. Her body curved into his and she wrapped an arm around him.
Instinct, probably. Whatever. He carried her inside and up the stairs to one of the empty guest bedrooms. He sat her on the edge of the bed long enough to draw back the covers, then he placed her on the bed, slipped off those ridiculous high heels she still had on, and pulled the covers over her.
She should warm up shortly. He was about to turn and walk out of the room when he heard her move.
"Bash?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm cold."
He came over to the side of the bed. "You're under the covers now. You'll be warm in a minute."
"Come lay down with me."
She was obviously drunk and had no idea what she was saying. "How about I get you an extra blanket?"
Instead, she raised up, wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, and brought her lips to his.
It wasn't in his nature to take advantage of a drunk woman. But her lips were cold and he could do something about warming her up. He pressed her to the bed and deepened the kiss, feeling her body respond in a way that made him go hard instantly.
Suddenly, the covers were gone, her dress was hiked up and he was sliding his hands over soft, silky thighs. Chelsea moaned his name across his lips and he knew damn well if he didn't get the hell out of that bedroom, he was going to regret this. And so would she.
He broke the kiss, unable to resist taking one last brush of his lips across hers. She tasted of alcohol and something sugary sweet. His dick was hard and throbbing and he was going to be thinking about that on the long drive back to town.
She laid her head back on the pillow, her eyes half-lidded as she smiled up at him. "It's because I'm drunk, isn't it?"
He brushed her hair away from her face. "Yeah."
"I'd still respect you in the morning, you know."
His lips curved. "But I wouldn't respect myself." He pulled the covers up and leaned in close to her. "Look, Chelsea. I want to make love to you. But I want you to be fully conscious and stone-cold sober and totally aware of what's going on between us. So you get some sleep tonight, and some other time we'll talk about this."
He heard her sigh as she rolled over on her side. "Okay. Night, Bash."
"Good night, Chelsea."
It took every ounce of restraint he possessed to walk out of that bedroom.
But he did, and after he closed the door, he leaned against it, needing a minute to get his body under control.
Self-respect. What a crock of shit that was.
Chapter 11
Once school let out Friday afternoon, Chelsea and Jane drove to the ranch. She'd packed the night before so they could head straight over after school let out, since they had a lot to do. Since Des had stayed on the ranch this past week, Chelsea had made arrangements for the manicurist to do manis and pedis on the ranch today, and the hair and makeup people would be flying in tonight to do their hair tomorrow, courtesy of Des.
She and Jane had talked all through lunch about the wedding preparations. Will was dropping the kids off with Jane's parents, so he'd be heading over later.
"I can't believe Des and Logan are getting married tomorrow " Jane said as they pulled through the ranch gates.
Chelsea nodded. "And so far it looks like no photographers are in sight. We've managed to scatter the arrivals of everyone enough that no one has gotten wind of the upcoming wedding."
"Let's hope all those photographers are still in Italy, sniffing around for possible leads on Des and Logan's whereabouts."
"I know. It was a brilliant idea on Des's part."
Chelsea pulled up and parked in front of the main house. She and Jane grabbed their things and went inside, where the normally quiet house was bustling with activity. She spotted Des in the kitchen with Martha and Tony, Colt's boyfriend, along with a couple of women she didn't recognize. One was older, and another was younger. Those had to be Des's mother and sister. Chelsea could definitely see the resemblance to Des.
"We're here," Chelsea said.
"Oh, great. This is my mother, Cynthia, and my sister, Penny," Des said, introducing her mother and sister to everyone.
"We're so happy you're here," Chelsea said.
"We're delighted to be here," Cynthia said. "And on such a happy occasion."
Penny put her arm around Des. "I never thought I'd see the day that some man would be willing to put up with my little sister for the rest of his life, yet it's actually happening."
Des bumped her sister's hip. "You're so funny. You're right, though."
"Hey," Chelsea said to Tony. "It's so great to see you."
Tony smiled and wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. "Good to see you, too." After he hugged her, he swept Jane up in a hug as well. "Hi, Jane."
"Where's Colt?"
"He's out riding with Logan, Des's dad and her brother, Teddy, and a few others right now. You know Colt. Any chance he has to get out on a horse."
"Of course. How's the movie business?"
"Great. I just finished cinematography on an amazing drama. I have a month off, then I'm starting a television series that'll keep me busy for about six months in Ireland and Scotland. I'm really looking forward to it."
"Oh, wow," Jane said. "That sounds spectacular."
"Yeah. Colt has a break coming up during my shoot, so he'll be able to fly over and spend some time there with me."
"Sounds romantic," Chelsea said, leaning into Tony. "I'm so happy things are going well for the two of you."
"Thanks. I'm happy it's all turning out so well for Colt. You know how worried he was about coming out. Turns out he didn't have to be. The scripts are still rolling in."
"There was nothing for him to be worried about," Chelsea said. "He's still a hot leading man. The movie he and Des filmed here? I was fanning myself over their kissing scenes."
Tony laughed. "Yeah. Those were great, weren't they?"
"The entire movie was great," Jane said. "I think I went through two boxes of popcorn during that movie. It filled the seats in the Hope movie theater for months. I think we all saw it at least three times."
"It's because I'm such an irresistible leading man," Colt said as he entered the room.
Chelsea went over and gave him a hug. "You are irresistible. And you're sweaty."
"I know. I had a great ride. It's such a fantastic day out there today. Perfect weather. Plus Des's dad and brother wanted to ride as well. I hear Des had a ride with Logan early this morning." Colt nudged Des. "He tells me you're getting good at it."
Des grinned. "Logan likes to challenge me with these early-morning rides. He thinks I can
't keep up with him. Where is he, by the way?" she asked Colt.
"He's showing your dad and Teddy around."
"Okay." Des turned to them. "I'm going to grab a quick shower because I know the nail salon folks will be here shortly. I'll be right back."
"I won't be getting nails done, sorry," Colt said with a wink.
"We'll give you a pass on that one," Jane said. "Is everyone else here?"
"Samantha and Megan are in the barn," Tony said. "With Molly and her mom."
"Okay," Chelsea said. "We'll head on over to see what's up."
"I'll call you when the ladies from the salon get here," Martha said.
Chelsea and Jane trekked across the gravel path toward the main barn, which was where the wedding ceremony was going to take place.
"I've been in the barn before. I can't imagine how they're going to transform it for the wedding," Jane said.
"Trust me. Des has this all planned out. If anyone can make it happen, she can. She brought in an awesome wedding planner who promised to turn the barn into an epic wedding site."
"And Logan didn't mind this, huh?"
Chelsea shook her head. "Logan wants Des to have the wedding of her dreams. I think he's happy they're getting married on the ranch."
They opened the barn doors and Chelsea forgot to breathe.
This wasn't the same barn she'd been in a week ago. The cement floor had a lush wood overlay. The wood beams above had been painted white, and stunning white silk fluttered beneath the beams. Lights were everywhere, and Chelsea couldn't believe it, but they'd hung the most stunning chandeliers she'd ever seen. She couldn't wait to see it all lit up tomorrow night. There were tables set up, decorated like Chelsea would expect to see at a Hollywood event, with white and coral linen tablecloths and breathtaking china.
She looked over at Jane, who was equally wide-eyed.
"Wow" was all Chelsea could manage.
"You were right," Jane said. "The transformation is amazing. And so elegant. You'd never know this was a barn."
They made their way to the back of the barn, where Samantha stood talking to Pepper, the wedding planner, whom Chelsea had met several months back when Des had started talking about wanting to do the event in the barn.
Back then, Chelsea had wondered if Des was out of her mind, but she told Pepper--and all of them--that she had a vision. Logan loved this land, and she had fallen in love with it as well. She didn't want a fancy Hollywood wedding or something out of the country. She wanted to get married on this land, with all of Logan's family and friends present. Des thought the barn was big enough to accommodate all their guests and could be converted to a reception area, with the ceremony taking place just outside.
