“What happened?” she asked before quickly adding, “If you don’t mind my asking.”
“I don’t mind. I’ll cut right to the sting. She left me at the altar, wanted to choose a more exciting path. Had a guy already lined up who would take her down it.”
“That’s awful,” she said. That story was much worse than hers and she instantly felt foolish for acting like she’d been scorned as badly as she had been.
“Yeah, it was. Hard to rebound from, but since I’ve been here on my little hiatus, things have gotten a lot better. I know I’m better off and I guess she is too.”
“Is she still with that guy?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“Do you ever think you want her back?”
“Never.” It was an easy answer. “I ignored the signs, but we weren’t really right for each other. We liked each other, loved each other too, I suppose. I was willing to sacrifice whatever I had in order for her to be happy.”
“She wanted you to do that?” Her voice reflected how she understood the pain that some emotions could bring out.
“I felt I had to. No one talked me into that, really, but me.”
“I’m kind of like that. Thinking that by sacrificing and always showing that I care, that I will receive that back. Not even to the same degree, really, but to some extent. You know?” She sighed, feeling better for having said that out loud to someone who might understand.
“I know exactly,” he said. “Sounds like we have a similar story.”
“Mine hurt, but didn’t sting in the same way yours probably did,” she said. “My best friend and my fiancé decided that they were meant to be together. We hadn’t even had a date set yet, which seems pretty good in hindsight.”
“That had to hurt just as much, though. At least I didn’t know the other guy.”
“We’d been best friends for a long time and even owned the bridal shop together. Needless to say, I parted ways to look for a new opportunity.”
“And you ended up in Cherish,” he said softly.
“Just like you.”
“I guess we know where broken hearts go,” he said, chuckling. “Sorry, I like humor. Takes the edge off.”
“I like your humor,” she said. “Anyway, now there are three people alone. They didn’t last either.”
“I have no idea what she’s up to now, because I really don’t feel compelled to be friends with her even.”
“Understandable. I don’t want to be either. I don’t wish anyone ill, but I am not eager to be reminded of all the things that went wrong, or how they made me feel. But now I’m feeling better than I have in a long while. It’s great.”
“Me too,” he said. He wanted to reach over and kiss her so badly, but it was just too much for him. If he was going to create a memory with her, it would be from a fun time they were having, not a recollection of a sad experience.
“Thanks for sharing your story with me,” she said. “It isn’t easy. I get that.”
“It’s pretty easy to talk with you, though. It felt kind of good to say it. I know that the silence about it has left kind of a mystery lingering over my head. Because only Wade knows and he hasn’t told anyone.”
“Only Mal and Olivia really know my story and they haven’t told anyone either. But apparently neither of us is as subtle as we would have thought. They’ve been trying to get us together ever since the day you rolled into town.”
“But I’ve had fun entertaining them. Better yet, though, I’ve met a genuine friend,” he said, “and for the record, I think your ex was crazy.”
Kelsey smiled. Those words were perfect. Brayden seemed so perfect to her, as well, and it wasn’t just because of all the compliments. He was a genuine guy and she was so attracted to that. She actually trusted her instincts, but trusting her heart … that would take some more work. Especially since he was a temporary guest in Cherish and probably not even looking for something new at that time.
“Well, if we had some beer we could toast to our futures and finding the right one,” she said.
“We can pretend.” He held up his fist as if holding a mug. She did the same and they bumped fists, smiling the entire time.
Then they got to work. She wanted to keep moving because if she was going to get so sore that she couldn’t walk, she had to make sure she was done with what she had to complete that day.
It was 10:55 when they finished everything, hauling the last bag of garbage out to the dumpster.
“Should we sneak out of here and pretend like some elves just came in and cleaned?” she said, her eyebrows rising up mischievously.
“Yeah, let’s do it. I’d love to have a camera in here to see their reactions, though,” he said.
“It would be good. So, let’s hurry. We’ll get a text soon, if nothing else.”
“How long have you guys been here? All night?” Olivia called out. She was standing at the doorway, looking in. “You’ve already done everything.”
“I was antsy so I thought I’d get a head start,” Kelsey explained.
“And you were antsy too, Brayden?” Olivia asked.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“I only see one car. Did you two come out here together?” She had such a delighted look on her face and didn’t seem to mind that she was none too coy about it, either.
“No, we didn’t come together, but we’re leaving together,” he said.
Kelsey looked at him and saw that playful look in his eyes. She smiled too. The game was back on. Show time.
“I’m in good hands with Brayden,” she said. “Well, I don’t know what else is left to do here so if you don’t mind, we’re going to get going. I’m going to buy him some lunch and thank him for all his help with the fundraiser.”
Now Brayden looked at Kelsey. She’d just thrown that out there, but he liked the thought of it, for sure.
“Shall we get going, Brayden?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied.
They walked right past Olivia. All three could not stop grinning. Anyone outside might have thought they were all crazy. Olivia was feeling like she’d accomplished the goal she and Mal had set out. Kelsey was feeling like she was on top of the world, not just from the intentional flirting, but from how Brayden was making her feel. And Brayden was enjoying letting go of his filter and slowly expressing to Kelsey things he was really feeling, but too afraid to say directly. Maybe she’d catch on that it wasn’t just a game for him. He didn’t think it was for her. It was kind of like they said: in every joke there is a bit of truth.
***
The pizza delivery guy knocked on Kelsey’s door and she answered it.
“You ordered a pizza, ma’am? Half Canadian bacon and pineapple, half supreme?”
“That’s it,” she said. She handed him the money and told him to keep the change. He walked away, yawning and stretching his arms up into the air. Apparently the delivery boy had had some fun the night before too. She wondered if he had been at the fundraiser.
“That smells good. I’m starving,” Brayden said.
She walked over to her small kitchen table and the two sat down and began eating, talking casually and recapping all the events of the night before once again. Their love of people watching had definitely brought them closer together, and the bond just kept growing. It was clear that both of them were more comfortable with each other and willing to open up. A true friendship was taking place, but it definitely felt like it was going to bloom into something more.
Chapter Nine
Everything had slowed down so much now that the fundraiser was over, and Kelsey felt the familiarity of her routine take over once again. It wasn’t that she minded it, but she did miss Brayden and there was no valid reason to see him as much as she had been. He was busy on the ranches, helping Colton and Wade, and when he’d send her a message once or twice a day, it was casual enough. He touched base, but didn’t encourage them to get together for anything. Of course, only four days h
ad passed. So from Monday evening for the final reconciliation of the fundraiser to that night, Friday, wasn’t all that long. But still … it seemed much longer to her.
The weatherman for the local station in Deer Run had been warning everyone about a storm system coming in, which had all the ranchers and farmers working overtime to prepare for it. You didn’t want livestock and horses in the fields if at all possible for larger storms. And if you had crops that were ready to harvest, you wanted to get as much done as you could to minimize the risk of damage to them.
Kelsey found it interesting to watch the way the town buzzed about the weather. It had become the focal point of most every conversation she heard, even with Olivia and Mal, which really surprised her. She thought, Weathermen are often wrong. What if they’re making a huge fuss over nothing? That would be good, of course, but it seemed crazy to get yourself so worked up on “what-ifs.” This was an ironic thought for Kelsey, as she’d always lived in the land of what-if. Brayden had helped her embrace the present, but the present was a bit duller without his quick wit and slight sarcasm around. He made her laugh, which was something she’d been experiencing far too little.
That Friday night, Kelsey was going to watch a movie and relax a bit. She’d finally recovered from how sore she was from her hike to the farm, and it felt good to be able to move without wincing in pain. Her face likely provided some comic relief to anyone who happened to witness her. She’d tried to stretch and walk every day, knowing that it should help, but it really hadn’t. That made her appreciate Brayden on a completely different level, a physical one, and it showed just how hard to earn and maintain a certain physique could be. He had done a great job!
As she walked past the library on her way home, Olivia ran out and said, “Kelsey, you want to come over for dinner tonight?”
“Not tonight. I’m exhausted and I have to get to the shop early for a fitting. Thanks, anyway.”
“Oh, Brayden will be so disappointed,” she said.
“Will he now? What about you?” She couldn’t resist.
“Don’t be silly. Of course me, but I was just saying, Brayden will be too.”
“Well, I hope you guys have a fun night. Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe,” Olivia said. Her eyebrows furrowed and Kelsey saw the look on her face and knew exactly what it meant—she was trying to solve a problem and somehow Olivia’s problem had become getting Brayden and Kelsey together. Kelsey would be lying if she wasn’t secretly hoping she was encouraging that. She could have gone out for dinner, she supposed, but her mind was already set and if Brayden wanted her there, wouldn’t he have asked?
***
Kelsey woke up to the sounds of branches flailing against the sides of her small cottage home, making a terrible noise. The wind sounded like a train and she panicked, thinking it might be a tornado. But no sirens were going off. Still, she had heard stories of broken sirens that didn’t work when they were needed.
She sprang out of bed and looked around. It was so black; even the few streetlights that were in Cherish were almost snubbed out by the darkness. The neighbor’s flag was flying straight out, snapping from the wind that belted against it.
Garbage cans were rolling down the streets like tumbleweed, and every house on the small block was turning on its lights, everyone trying to investigate. Kelsey wondered if all storms that came through Cherish were as intense as this one. There hadn’t really been one in the year since she’d moved there.
Then, as quickly as it had grown fierce, it subsided, leaving items where they shouldn’t be. Kelsey hoped that the outside of the house was okay, but she really wouldn’t be able to investigate it closely until the morning.
The action was over. Time to get back to sleep. She had to get up in five hours.
Once back in bed, she was more awake than she wanted to be and she knew that sleep was not going to come back to her. Then her phone rang. Again, she froze, because calls in the middle of the night were never good. When she looked at her home phone, she didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello,” she said.
“Kelsey, Kelsey Jackson?”
“Yes, this is she.”
“This is Sheriff Nivins. We wanted to let you know that the storm did some damage to your store. You may want to get down there quickly. Your front window is busted.”
“Thank you,” she said, realizing that she’d just hung up without saying anything else.
She ran into her bedroom, feeling anxiety. Hopefully the sheriff had exaggerated, but she didn’t know what to make of it. Get dressed. Get dressed. What to wear. What to wear. Her mind could not focus; somehow she finally managed to put on a pair of jeans, some boots, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Then she ran into her garage and opened the door, and was soon navigating her way down the streets to her store. She felt like she was playing a driving video game, avoiding garbage cans and other things that had landed in the middle of the roads. But when she pulled up by her shop, her heart sank. Right there, through her front window, was the sign for the hardware store across the street.
She ran out and unlocked the front door, which seemed silly because of the big hole in the front of her store. Then she just looked around. The sheriff came up and asked if he could send anyone to help her. “No,” she said, her voice like a robot.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Kelsey to realize that she did need help. Brayden, she thought. That was the only answer that made sense.
She picked up her phone and called, shaking her head at being the one to make a middle-of-the-night emergency call. He answered and she could tell he’d been sleeping.
“Kelsey, you okay?” he asked, his voice croaking slightly.
“The storm. It sent a sign flying through the front window of the store. I’m not sure what to do,” she said.
“I’ll be right there.” His voice was fully alert “I’ll bring some things with me.”
The two hung up and Kelsey began to slowly walk through the shards of glass, picking up a piece that had the “B” on it for “Brides”. She shrugged her shoulders and struggled not to cry as she set it back down. She began to pick up some boots, jewelry, and a few dresses from mannequins that had blown over.
Thankfully, the rain had subsided so no further damage could be done, but Kelsey knew that she would not be able to salvage everything the storm had touched. And while she had insurance, she had also picked out everything she carried in her store with love and specific intentions, visualizing the type of woman who may like to wear it and what their personality might be.
Unable to take it, she crumpled down on the floor, just by the checkout counter and put her head on her knees. The tears started and they wouldn’t stop.
“Kelsey,” Brayden said softly. He was kneeling down in front of her and he wrapped his arms right around her and hugged her tightly. “It’ll be okay. I’m here. We’ll figure it out.”
“So much is ruined,” she said through her sobs.
“But so much isn’t,” he countered. He wasn’t sure if his words were truly comforting, but they were from his heart. Hopefully she’d be able to tell that.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” he asked, confused. “What for?”
“For being a pile of emotional mush,” she said. She lifted her head up and found her lips just inches from his. He moved back, not wanting to crowd her personal space, although he wanted so badly to kiss her. Another bad time, though. Maybe someday he’d catch a break.
“Well, why don’t we get that window boarded up. I think it’s supposed to start raining again. After that, we can work on everything else. Okay?”
She nodded her head, then softly added, “Thanks for coming.” She wiped her hands over her eyes and tried to perk up.
“I’m glad I could,” he said. “You don’t have to be tough on my account, Kelsey.”
She smiled and looked at him with her glassy green-blue eyes, which looked like pools of mercury at that moment. “I have to b
e for my account, though.”
He greatly respected that, and he understood it. Of course she did. “Okay, let’s get going.”
As they were carefully trying to get the hardware store sign onto the sidewalk, the owners came up. They helped to take it and apologized, saying they figured there would be lots of sorting out to do. Then they offered their help, as nothing beyond the sign had happened to their store. In fact, no stores on the other side of the street had any real damage, and most of the stores and buildings on Kelsey’s side didn’t either. It had mainly just been her store.
“I guess that explains the good rent rate,” she said, trying to be lighthearted, but it wasn’t easy.
“Weather is crazy—unpredictable. I don’t suppose you’d been thinking about remodeling?” Brayden asked, smiling a bit and then squeezing her shoulder.
“Not until an hour ago,” she replied. Then the two got to work. It wasn’t easy putting up the plywood over the open gap that used to be a window. Kelsey wasn’t that strong and the wood was bulky. Thankfully some other people in town happened to be checking things out, and in the spirit that was truly the heart of Cherish, they all volunteered to help. She was so overwhelmed with gratitude that she wanted to cry again, but she couldn’t. There was a lot to do—starting with making sure that she could get the brides in for their early fittings. That was just three hours away and she didn’t want them to panic and run, should they see the store in shambles.
“Okay, where should we set everything?” Brayden asked, looking down at all the merchandise scattered around the floor, woven in with glass, bits of dirt, and debris that had found its way into the store.
“Let’s see,” she said, turning in a full circle to survey the scene. “Anything that’s definitely ruined can go in a pile over there.” She pointed to the left. “And anything that might be salvageable can go on the counter top so at least it stays a bit tidier.”
“Do bridal shops have hail sales?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” Kelsey asked, but she couldn’t help but smile, because she’d grown expectant for quirky, interesting things to come out of Brayden’s mouth.
Cherished Embrace (Cherish Cowboys Book 3) Page 8
