“No need. Trust me. There is some embarrassment associated with it and not from him—from me.”
“You’ve never done wrong. I don’t think anyone associates you and him. I mean, no one thinks you’re like him.” He puckered his lips. “All of this sounds bad.”
“I get it. All of his kids get it. We always wanted to be from your family. Aunt Glenda is the perfect mother and Uncle Everett is an upstanding man. My father is just lost.” She shrugged. “I guess that’s the best way to say it.”
“It’s good we all have each other. And you have your sisters and your brothers.”
Pearl looked around the room. “I do. I’m very lucky. I’m just glad Bethany has us too. I should count my blessings. I could have been left in this world to suffer alone, just as she had.”
“See. Everything turns out for the best.”
She changed the conversation from herself to Dane, asking him about living in Ohio. He stared ranting about the job he hated and the horrible apartment, but she wasn’t sure she heard a word.
Tyson stood across the room in the other corner with Lydia, who was talking a million words a minute, no doubt explaining the new wedding mecca to Susan’s sister. Pearl couldn’t hear it, but she could see her hands in the air and the smile on her face, probably talking business. However, she was sure that Tyson had no idea what she was saying. His eyes were fixed on Pearl and hers were fixed on him.
This was going to be the longest weekend of her life, she thought with a smile.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tyson was used to his family dynamics. His grandfather would dictate his expectations and the family would oblige. Of course, when Tyson thought family it meant his sister, his mother, and his grandfather. There had never been extended cousins, and now he knew why. But having a house full of relatives was beyond him—and he liked it.
The rehearsal dinner had started nearly three hours ago and yet no one had left. They were still talking, drinking, and eating.
He would have thought Susan would have kicked them out hours ago. Didn’t a bride need her beauty sleep? Obviously, it wasn’t a worry.
He finished his beer and walked to the kitchen to throw the bottle in the recycle bin. Perhaps it was fate that Pearl was the only other person in the kitchen.
“Quite a party huh?” She was grinning at him, and it warmed him.
“Yeah. I was thinking I should head home, though. I still have to get up and tend to business before getting all dolled up in that monkey suit.”
She laughed quietly. “I’m looking forward to seeing you in it.”
Tyson wanted to go to her and just wrap his arms around her. It was killing him to keep his distance.
Dane walked in taking the last pull of his beer. “Mom said to recycle this.”
Tyson pointed in the direction of the bin.
Dane dropped the bottle in with the others and gave a big exaggerated stretch. “I’m toast. I’m heading home.”
“I was thinking about doing the same,” Tyson admitted. “I’ll walk out with you.”
Dane moved to Pearl and gave her a hug. “See ya in the morning, cuz.”
She laughed and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. “It’s nice to have you home.”
“I sure do miss it,” he said as he headed out of the kitchen.
Tyson stood staring at her for another moment, but he didn’t dare cross the room toward her. “I’m heading back to my place—the barn,” he said. “I’ll see you later.” He gave her a wink and thought if she could read between heavily clouded lines, she’d catch his drift. If not, then it would become a literal term.
Pearl watched Tyson walk out of the room and heard him say his goodbyes. Did she dare interpret what he’d said as he’d be waiting for her? What if that wasn’t what he’d meant at all?
She took a deep breath and decided that it didn’t matter. They’d exchanged really likes. They had argued about jealousy and petty things. That cemented a relationship, didn’t it?
But as her cousins left, and her sisters departed, she found that only she and Susan’s mother were left to pick up after the party when Eric finally excused himself to check on the horses.
“You don’t have to help me with this. I can get it later,” Susan argued.
“Later is your wedding day and you can’t be worrying about this,” her mother told her.
“I don’t mind staying,” Pearl added. “I have nothing else to tend to.” She hoped she was convincing because it was killing her not just to run to Tyson’s place.
With the three of them, the job at hand only took a half hour. Soon she was kissing Susan goodbye and Susan’s mother was giving her a long, spiritual hug.
She headed out onto the dark road in the opposite direction from town—headed toward Tyson.
~*~
It had been more than an hour since Tyson had left the party. It seemed as though Pearl hadn’t gotten his message. Who would have blamed her? He’d been an ass to her, apologized, then tried to secretly tell her to stop by without using any such words.
He decided he’d better get to sleep. That wedding was at noon, which meant he had to be at the house by ten so they could take all sorts of pictures. There was still a lot of work to be done before he even showered and shaved the next morning. Eric might appreciate if his wedding pictures didn’t have his groomsmen with bloodshot eyes.
Tyson turned off his TV and unfolded his sleeper couch. Maybe a Murphy bed would be a better choice in time. Especially now that this was his primary residence.
Just as he’d arranged the pillows the way he liked them and pulled off his shirt, he heard the sound of tires on the road headed toward the barn.
He walked to the window and watched as the headlights grew closer.
His body began to pulse. Nothing would be more disappointing right now than if his sister was pulling up to his place.
But as the car came closer and parked next to his, relief washed over him. She’d understood his cryptic message, and she’d come to him.
Tyson opened the front door and leaned against the doorjamb as she parked her car and climbed from it. Even in the dark, he knew the outline of her body and in his mind could see her face clearly.
As she came into view, she smiled. “Was this what you meant by later?”
“You have no idea how much I hoped you’d figure that out.”
She sauntered toward him. “I’m not sure I should stay, though. It’s been made very clear I shouldn’t have been spending those intimate moments with you.”
“You’re right. She certainly has an opinion. But so do I,” he said, moving to her and swiftly pulling her into his arms. His mouth took hers as her hands went directly to his hair. He could feel her heart beat against his chest. No part of this wasn't consensual. Lydia was going to have to deal with it. Tyson was going to take Pearl—and he wanted to keep her too.
As it did every time the man touched her, Pearl’s head swam with his kisses. No man, ever, had made her feel the way he did when he was around her.
He pulled her through the door, closed it, and then pressed her up against it. His body was warm, and his weight against her lit up her core.
“This is your last chance to go home. If you stay, you’re not going to get much sleep,” he said nipping at her neck.
“I knew that driving over here,” she said breathlessly as he lifted the hem of her blouse and touched her skin. The very contact made her knees go weak.
Tyson lifted the blouse up over her head and discarded it to the floor. “I meant it when I said I really like you,” he grinned, but his eyes were dark.
“I meant it too. And now I think we both know what it really means.”
“Yeah,” he said hoisting her up to his hips as she wrapped her legs around him and her arms around his neck. “We’ll get to that. I’m not going to worry about you kissing other men now. I think we got that sorted out.”
“Indeed.”
“And we’ll worry about my
sister later,” he promised as he carried her to the fold out bed. “For tonight, it’s only you and me. We can talk future tomorrow.”
He laid her down beneath him and took her mouth with his again.
She wanted to read more into his promise of a future, but for tonight, she’d just let him make love to her over and over. After all, she really liked him.
~*~
Tyson’s breath was heavy on her neck as her alarm on her cell phone chimed. She reached for it and turned it off as he pulled her closer to him.
“Why is it when you sleep in my arms that damn phone wakes us up?”
She eased against him. “Because you and I are very busy people. But this time, it’s because I have to get to town and begin getting ready for a wedding. You do too.”
He groaned, then pressed his lips to the base of her neck. “Have to attend to the animals first. I guess I never was meant for sleeping in.”
She rolled in his arms to face him. “Sleep at my house tonight. Tomorrow I’ll help you with the animals.”
He opened one eye and squinted at her. “City girl coming to the ranch?”
“If it means spending time with you.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Good.” She kissed him quickly on the lips then rolled from the bed.
She gathered her clothes and dressed as Tyson watched her. Desire had her fighting off the urge to climb back in that bed with him.
“I’ll see you later in that well-fitted tux,” she said as she leaned in to kiss him goodbye.
“I may need to rethink that re-measurement opportunity.”
She nudged his nose with hers. “I’ll see you at the altar,” she joked, but his eyes only grew darker. “I’m just kidding.”
“Maybe give that some thought,” he said, but she didn’t respond. What did that mean? “Go. You’ll be late for your hair appointment, and your sister will be furious.”
She could only nod now as she pulled back and walked out of the barn.
The sun was rising, making a grand appearance on the horizon. It seemed fitting after a warm night.
Pearl climbed into her car, started the engine, and drove away with his words playing in his head. Maybe give that some thought.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tyson had rolled from the bed and made it to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth as if the cows and horses would care about his morning breath. He slipped on a pair of jeans and went to retrieve the shirt he’d worn the night before.
As he folded up the bed and pushed it back into the frame of the couch, he heard tires on gravel, a door close, and footsteps. The door opened, and he joked as he folded the blankets, “I thought we were in a hurry. I don’t think I have time for another…” he stopped as his sister walked through the door.
Her eyes were red and filled with tears. That much he could see in the dim light.
“Lydia, what’s wrong?” He moved to her, but she threw her hands up as if to stop him with some force.
“You are a damn liar! Promises to me mean nothing!”
He took a breath to ask her what she was going on about, but he stopped. Suddenly he knew why she was mad. “Lydia…”
“Don’t Lydia me. You promised me you wouldn’t act on your feelings for Pearl. You said you’d choose family. You said you’d choose me.”
“I know what I said.”
“And it meant nothing to you. My businesses are very important to me. You can’t just go around sleeping with my business partners especially when I asked you not to.”
Tyson scrubbed his hands over his face. “This is ridiculous. Let’s sit down and have some coffee and…”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not going to sit down and discuss this with you. I asked for one simple thing.”
“It wasn’t simple.”
“It should have been.” She turned and pulled open the door.
Tyson moved quickly and pulled her back in. “We’re grownups. We can discuss this as such.”
She yanked her arm from his hand. “Buy me out.”
“I didn’t want to buy in, remember?”
“You had all intentions of being with her the whole time, didn’t you?” She studied him. “You have been with her the whole time.”
“This doesn’t have to be a problem.”
The tears were back in her eyes, and they hurt more than her yelling at him. “You’re no better than Grandpa or our parents are you? Keeping secrets is a way of life for you. It’s no wonder none of you can be happy. You don’t understand what it means to be true to your word about anything.”
Then she turned, walked out of the barn, and slammed the door behind her. He let her go.
He’d been so wrapped up in himself all, this time, he never realized that the secrets his parents and his grandfather had kept had hurt her too.
Lydia was an honest person. All she’d asked for was honesty. He’d owed that to her from the beginning.
He heard her truck speed away. He shouldn’t have broken his promise after he’d made it. But when he said he really liked Pearl, he’d meant it. Maybe the words should have been different, but they were the ones he could use.
But Lydia—Lydia was all he had. She’d never failed him, and all he’d done was fail her.
Tyson searched for a shirt. He had work to do and then his brother’s wedding. This couldn’t have come at a worse time, he thought. They all respected Susan and Eric too much to ruin their wedding with their problems.
~*~
Making sure she early for her appointment, Pearl walked through the door of The Haven, checked in with the receptionist, and then poured herself a cup of coffee from the complimentary coffee station.
She looked at the shelves of fancy shampoos and nail polishes. Pearl was a sucker for a new nail lacquer. Just as she’d chosen a color she liked best, her sister appeared.
“I’m ready for you. I have Lydia right after you. Clare is doing her makeup. Joyce is working on Bethany right now.”
“Wonderful.” Pearl set down the bottle of polish she’d been admiring and followed her sister back to her station. As they passed Bethany she gave her a little wave. Oh, what she’d give to have beautiful, red hair like Bethany. Then it made her wonder. “What are you going to do with Lydia’s hair? It’s short.”
“We worked on curling it and putting some cute clips in it to match the rest of us.”
“Very creative,” she said as she sat down. “I’m lucky to get my hair to look good just to go to work. You do have a way of making people look fabulous.
Audrey smiled at her in the mirror. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
The last few times she’d been around her sister Audrey had been snippy. Perhaps there was a story there. She’d like to ask, but why ruin a perfectly good morning?
After all, she’d awakened in the arms of the man she loved and—she stopped thinking about it and gripped her hands tightly together under the cape her sister had just flung around her.
She most certainly wasn’t going there in her head. Love was a big commitment for her and for Tyson. They liked each other. That’s what they’d said. Really liked each other.
“Are you okay? You just went white. Can I get you some water?” Her sister asked, placing her hands on Pearl’s shoulders.
“No. Sorry. Guess I had something on my mind.”
“Okay. Don’t freak me out like that. Remember when I had that old lady die in my chair in cosmetology school? I don’t take it lightly when someone loses their color in my chair.”
Pearl forced a smile on her face and let her sister get to work with her masterpiece.
Forty-five minutes later, Audrey had made Pearl look like a princess. Curls were pinned in just the right places. Accents such as a small sprig of baby’s breath and a daisy adorned the masterpiece.
“All I need is a tiara,” she said admiring herself in the mirror.
Bethany joined them. Her beautiful red locks had been styled just as Pearl’s had.
&n
bsp; “I think I might cry,” Bethany said.
“Well do it now,” Audrey offered. “Clare is waiting to do your makeup, and that will certainly be too late.”
Bethany and Pearl walked to the other room where Clare was finishing up Lydia’s makeup.
“Oh, you look beautiful,” Pearl sighed as she looked at Lydia, but the compliment hadn’t brought any joy to Lydia’s face.
Clare finished the last of Lydia’s makeup. “All done. I think Audrey is ready for you.”
Lydia waited for Clare to remove the small cape from around her neck, then walked past both Pearl and Bethany without a word.
Bethany watched her walk away. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. Should we talk to her?” Pearl watched her disappear as she sat down in Clare’s chair.
Clare put the small cape around Pearl’s neck. “I asked her if she was okay, and she says she has a mess to clean up. That’s all she said. Doesn’t seem as though she’s too much for talking about it.”
Pearl nodded as Clare gathered her makeup tools.
She understood just wanting to handle things in her life. But she couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into her like that. Well, they were business partners. She would certainly talk to her when the moment was right.
By the time Clare had finished her makeup, Lydia had left the salon. She guessed that there hadn’t been too much to do to her hair.
Audrey had told Pearl that Lydia was just quiet today and that she shouldn’t read anything into it. She supposed she was right. They might be business partners, but she didn’t know Lydia all that well. She’d butt out until Lydia was ready to talk.
~*~
Why did women always have to run in bunches and why were they always late, Tyson wondered as he looked at his watch. He looked like an idiot standing outside the Walker’s house pacing in his tuxedo and shiny shoes. Susan had sent Glenda to make sure he was okay. Eric had happened by, dressed to the nines and looking mighty sharp as Tyson had told him.
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