Cherished Embrace (Cherish Cowboys Book 3)

by Charlene Bright

  Chapter Four

  Brayden walked into Kelsey’s shop and looked around. She wasn’t there. It brought him back to his few times in a bridal store, where he’d gotten fitted for his tux for his wedding and then picked it up. He had felt like a fish out of water then and he felt the same as he walked into Kelsey’s shop. It was a reminder of what had gone wrong in his life.

  “Hello,” he called out.

  “Just a second,” a voice came from behind a wall.

  He looked around and waited, walking over toward the boots on display against a wall. Some were boots that a bride would wear and others were fun and fashionable—probably functional, he supposed. He couldn’t say for sure because he’d just turned in his wingtips for a pair of steel-toed work boots. He was hardly the expert.

  He walked up to the counter and set down the box that Mal had given him. Then he waited and looked around, not sure what to do.

  Kelsey came around the corner and said, “Sorry about the wait.” She had a smile on her face and it froze when she looked at him standing there. “Brayden, hi.”

  Suddenly he felt like he’d invaded her shop and it made him uncomfortable. “Mal asked me to help you with the bookkeeping for the fundraiser. She said to come over this morning at 10.” He was aware that he was starting to ramble, caught up in a moment that had startled him. It was partly because she was so beautiful and really drew him in and partly because he felt like a fool when he realized she hadn’t been expecting him. He should have made sure she was.

  “Yes, of course,” she said. “I knew you were coming. Sorry to look so dazed. I just got off an email with my mother, had me a bit distracted.”

  “Everything’s okay, I hope.”

  “Yes, my little sister’s getting married, so actually it’s good.”

  “I bet she knows a great bridal shop to go to,” he said with a laugh.

  She laughed too and said, “She does, but since she lives in New York City, I don’t think it would be that convenient to come out here to Cherish to find a gown.”

  “Probably not, but hey, maybe she’d find that she was really a country girl at heart,” he said.

  “She is completely fast-paced and seems to thrive on navigating her way through crowds, so it’s unlikely. But for me, going a bit more country hasn’t been too bad at all.”

  “Where did you used to live?” he asked.

  “Jackson Hole.”

  “That’s a beautiful area,” he said, “I ran the Jackson Hole Marathon once. Tough race, but beautiful scenery.”

  “So you’re a runner?” she asked. Of course, Kelsey thought it made perfect sense. Sometimes you could just tell by how someone was built what sort of sports they enjoyed. He was tall and lanky, yet muscular, making running a perfect fit.

  “I am. It’s relaxing and a good stress reliever,” he said.

  “You were an accountant, right?” she asked.

  “Still am, actually.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything. I was just thinking that running would probably be a nice stress release from that type of work—not to mention it would be nice to move around and not just sit behind a desk.”

  “You’ve got that right.” He smiled, recognizing that she seemed to be able to identify what peoples’ lives might be like quite easily. It must have been part of what made her a successful business woman.

  “Is it fun going to run now that you’re doing all that hard work all day?” she asked.

  “I’ll confess. I haven’t run once since I’ve been here. It hasn’t been quite a week yet, but I’m used to running every day. But enough about that, I’m not here to talk about my running. I’m here for the fundraiser and to figure out the bookkeeping to help you out.”

  “Indeed.” She tucked her hair behind her ear nervously and then realized that meant her scar on her hairline might be showing. She quickly moved her hair back. She couldn’t stand that scar and had always been paranoid about it. It had come from a car accident she had with her grandpa when she was a little girl. Her head had hit the dashboard and split open. She’d been fine, and her grandpa too, but after that, it always made him feel so bad that she’d developed the habit of hiding it. Now it was just part of the way she was.

  “Where should we do this?” Brayden asked.

  “Let’s set up in the break room,” she said. “I’ll be able to hear if anyone walks in. But mornings are usually pretty slow.”

  “Sounds good.” He picked up the box and followed her back to the small room, which was very comfortable looking. She’d taken care to decorate every part of her store so it was as welcoming and inviting as she was.

  Once they sat down, they began to pore over the documents and organize a good method to keep track of receipts and expenses, taking into account what the costs had been in previous years and what the budget was for that year. Time seemed to fly by quickly, and sadly it did. They worked well together and it had taken only thirty minutes to organize the entire thing.

  Darn, that’s the downside to efficiency, Brayden thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t have other work to do or wanted to avoid it, but it was nice talking with Kelsey, and although he was usually guarded—his filter turned on in conversations—he felt at ease with her, which was really nice.

  “I bet your clients adore you,” she said. “I’ve never loved math a whole lot, but you make it a bit more interesting. It all makes sense.”

  “That’s nice to say. I had entertained being a math teacher for a while, but went the CPA route instead.”

  “More money?” she asked.

  “No, but less downtime. When I thought of having summers off and either having to find another job or drive myself crazy, I knew that I wasn’t cut out for being a teacher. I like to stay busy all the time.”

  “To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.” Kelsey smiled at Brayden.

  “Did you just quote Buddha to me?” he asked.

  “I did,” she said. “I’ve always liked that quote. It stuck with me in a philosophy class I had to take in college.”

  “What’s your degree in?”

  “Fashion merchandising and marketing.”

  “That sounds like a New York City job to me.”

  “There’re actually opportunities in way more places than you’d realize. But I always knew that I wanted to open up a bridal shop, because I just loved it, and after some research, that major seemed like it would give me the most insight into operating a successful business. After all, I am my own buyer, manager, and marketing department.”

  “CPAs are horrible at marketing,” Brayden replied. He really did loathe it, knowing that people who needed numbers guys had to seek them out. How did you really make yourself distinct in that field? For him, he decided that he’d just be a nice, thorough, and honest guy and hope that was enough to gain some success. It had been, and his clients had been really disheartened by his departure for a hiatus. It had been a risky move, for sure, and a potentially costly one, but he’d felt so out of sync with his life that he’d been almost desperate to jumpstart it. So far, he’d been jumping—and throwing and tossing and digging and all sorts of other manually intensive things that reminded him he had more muscles than he’d ever realized.

  “Maybe we should be each other’s marketing and financial department,” Kelsey said, laughing softly.

  She was joking, he suspected, but he loved the thought of it. Everyone should do what they were best at.

  Finally, after some more casual conversation, the two had made their way back to the front counter of the shop. They exchanged numbers on their phones and Brayden was out of reasons to keep dawdling. It wasn’t even wise for him to do so, but something compelled him to. He wasn’t looking for anything in the romance department, but he sensed that Kelsey might like a friend to have some fun with just as much as he did. She had Olivia and Mal, of course, but it wasn’t always easy to be around people
in relationships, despite their best intentions and kind hearts.

  “So, we can either just connect when you get receipts in, or else just meet once a week and go over everything,” he said.

  “Well, it’s only two months until the fundraiser, so that’s not much time. Why don’t we coordinate as I get them in? If we can’t meet in person, we can certainly email,” she said. “Unless email isn’t convenient for you.”

  He had to deliberate his answer. Email was highly convenient, but very impersonal. “Well, the internet isn’t always the most reliable out here so why don’t we just try to meet. It’s okay if it has to be after-work hours, as that would probably be best for me too.”

  She smiled at him. She liked the thought of that too and was thankful for how considerate he was. “That’d be great.”

  There was a brief silence, both running out of things to say to the other.

  “Well, I guess I’d best get going,” Brayden said.

  “Thanks for your time. We got a lot done,” she said and then looked at the clock. Brayden had been there just over an hour, which wasn’t that long, but they really had accomplished a lot. And he was a nice guy, so relaxed and assured. It made her feel like she could open up about anything, if she wanted, and not shock him with it. Bore him, maybe. Then she smiled.

  He caught her smile. “What’s so funny? Quite the smile just spread across your face.”

  “Not much … just thinking about a particularly excitable bride that was in here the other day,” she said. It was a lie, but tough.

  He thought he must have been so dull that she was thinking about clients while he was standing there. It was definitely his cue to go.

  As he turned around, someone walked into the store. “Well, hi, Kelsey and Brayden. How are you two doing?”

  It was Olivia and she looked absolutely giddy.

  “Good,” Kelsey said, looking at her as though she might have lost her mind.

  “No complaints,” Brayden added.

  “So your meeting went well? Sorry I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t get away from the library,” she said.

  “I saw you come from the other direction, though, not the library.” Kelsey could not resist smiling for some reason. It was starting to become clear that Olivia, and probably Mal, had some type of ulterior motive about having Brayden handle the books for the fundraiser. They were clever, but not very discreet.

  “Oh, I walked past at first to say hi to someone,” Olivia said, but her eyes turned away.

  Kelsey and Brayden looked at each other and both smiled for a second and then blushed. It was as awkward as it was obvious, and neither of them operated on that “just grab what you want with all you got” type of mentality.

  Olivia turned her sights to Brayden. “Are you going to come out with us to Millberry Farm this afternoon to look at the venue?”

  “I hadn’t considered it,” he said.

  “Well, since you’re going to be playing such a big part in the organizing the event, it might be good to see it. You can drive out there with Mal, Kelsey, and me, okay?”

  “I’m supposed to do some things for Colton this afternoon,” he said. He didn’t want to be a party crasher any more than he wanted to be thrown into a situation where Mal and Olivia might make it really obvious that they were trying to get him and Kelsey to spend some time together. His neck was starting to prickle from the discomfort of the entire idea.

  “Colton won’t mind. I promise. And it won’t take that long. So, we’re all going to meet at Kitty’s at 1:45. Our appointment is at 2:00.”

  “It’s a waste of my time to say ‘no,’ isn’t it?” he asked.

  “You’re a fast learner, Brayden. Maybe you should teach that to Colton,” Olivia said, laughing merrily. “Well, you two, I’ve got to get going. Lots to do.”

  Olivia went back out the door and Brayden turned to Kelsey. “What just happened?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think we’d better be on the lookout for both Mal and Olivia from now on,” she said, laughing. She figured that if she made a joke about it he might not think she was involved in their shenanigans.

  “I think you’re right,” he said, and then left the store grateful that he was aware of what they were all up to and that Kelsey wasn’t a part of it. At least they were on the same page—that no matter what nonsense those ladies threw at them, they’d be level-headed about it. Clearly, Kelsey was no more interested in a relationship than he was. That was good, right?

  ***

  After a ride out to the farm where Kelsey and Brayden just happened to be put in the backseat of the pickup truck Mal was driving, they all got out and were greeted by a very eager and cheerful Darla.

  Kelsey was very impressed with the outside of the barn; it was picture perfect, really—bright red paint with no cracks or peels, white steeples, and weather vanes with the perfect patina on them.

  “This place is beautiful,” Olivia said. “You must have this place rented out a lot, Darla.”

  “We do okay, but what really makes us happiest is keeping this barn in the family. This land has been in my husband’s family for hundreds of years and his parents happened to get married here sixty-nine years ago. In fact, we’re having a seventieth anniversary party out here in five months.” She sighed as she looked around.

  “That’s beautiful,” Olivia said.

  When they walked into the barn, they were delighted to find that it was just as appealing on the inside as it was on the outside.

  “Nice,” Brayden commented. He looked at Kelsey. “What’s the theme again?”

  “Seventies theme this year,” she replied. “I’m trying to think of how we can incorporate it. Any ideas, ladies?” She looked to Mal, Olivia, and Darla.

  “I don’t know that we’d need much,” said Mal. “Even though it was the sixties, think Woodstock—bonfires and fields—real natural and not a lot else going on. Fun music. The Summer of Love.” With the last sentence, Mal looked at Olivia, who smiled.

  Brayden and Kelsey noted the obvious gesture and smiled at each other, finding it to be quite humorous. Darla looked at Mal and Olivia like they were silly, which made Brayden and Kelsey smile again. At least the entire town wasn’t in on what they were up to.

  “How much time do you need to coordinate us coming out to look at the place as we need to?” Kelsey asked.

  “Oh, if I know you’re coming, I can just leave the key hidden in the front. That’s not a problem. I don’t need to be here every time.”

  “Is there an event coming up here before the fundraiser?” Olivia asked.

  “Yes, the Stanwick/Madison wedding.”

  “Oh, Carrie Stanwick,” Kelsey said.

  “Yes,” Darla said. “Of course, she’d get her dress through you. Everyone’s so thrilled that you’re in town. Including all of us business owners. It’s great seeing how the community is growing with new people coming in, spicing things up a bit.”

  Kelsey looked at Darla, feeling a little bashful. She and “spicing things up” were not synonymous. “Well, Brayden’s the spice. He’s an accountant by trade,” Kelsey said. She turned to him and smiled.

  The look on Brayden’s face was priceless. She had more spirit than what most people probably realized, which was hilarious, actually. He continued to smile and remain silent and Darla looked to him. Silence, the action that makes legends, he thought.

  “Well, I’m invited to that wedding so I’ll check things out and send a few pictures,” Mal said. “Actually, Colton’s probably invited too. Carrie’s mother’s sister was our second grade teacher.”

  Olivia laughed. “I cannot get over how weird those connections sound. How something like that makes you qualify for the invite list, but hey, if he goes, I’m all for a fun wedding and a party.”

  “You’ll have to get on him about that,” Mal said. “Colton doesn’t like weddings, but we’ll get him to change his mind.”

  Now Olivia had her chance to roll her eyes at Mal. “J
ust hold your horses, Mallory Williamson.”

  “Quite literally,” she replied, looking at her watch. “We’ve got to go. I have lessons in just over a half hour. Gotta get ready.”

  With that, the four visitors to Millberry Farm were rounded up like a herd of cattle and driven back into town, where they were freed to each go their own way. Olivia went back at the library. Kelsey went back at her shop. Brayden was on his way over to Colton’s ranch. But while they continued to their destinations, Kelsey’s and Brayden’s minds both were elsewhere—on each other.

  Chapter Five

  Every week, Wade and Mal and Colton and Olivia took turns hosting dinner. It was always a fun, lively event with a few beers and lots of talk about business and whatever topic happened to come up that day. Now with Brayden in town, there were five there. No one seemed to mind … except Brayden.

  He found it very strange to be a part of such hospitality among couples. Back in Missoula, where he’d been living, couples rarely hung out with single people—at least not the ones that he’d known. If one of the couples broke up, they may at first plan gatherings with one of singles, but in the end, they always ended up going back to socializing with mostly other couples. That was human nature, apparently. It was strange, but at least he had an exit plan for this temporary situation—get his heart mended, find that joy for life that he used to embrace, and then get back to the world he knew best.

  “Brayden, what are your dinner outings like back in Missoula?” Olivia asked.

  “Not much different, I guess. I hadn’t been to one in a while, because it was busy season for taxes, but everyone has fun, laughs, and jokes around,” he said.

  Colton looked at Olivia. “You think human nature is that different in other areas?”

  “As the last one to relocate to this area—yes,” she said unapologetically. “When I first got here everyone was nice, but I always sensed it was because they were curious about the outsider. I wasn’t a rancher so did I really have a place here? That kind of thing, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

  “You were like a tornado coming in and threatening the landscape,” Colton said.