Diamonds And Denim (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots)

by Danni Lee Nicholls

  Willow shook her head as anger pierced her like a hot needle. “The whole town,” she spit out. “When did my business become everyone else’s concern?”

  Ruby gave her a careful look. “It’s always been like that. You’re practically Sunrise Creek royalty. You know that.”

  Willow gave a shallow laugh. “Well, it’s a title I could forego, and I never asked for it.”

  “It’s kindly meant,” Ruby said. “Everyone here just wants what’s best for you.”

  “And it’s been decided that means Curtis,” Willow replied. “But here’s the thing, Ruby. There is no engagement, and there isn’t any wedding. Don’t you see? Curtis has never proposed.”

  Ruby sucked in her breath. “I know, Willow. It’s why I’ve been so frustrated for you. Everyone, including Curtis, seems to think he can come and go, leaving you here, and you’ll always be right where he put you.” She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Curtis. I think he’s a good man, but he’s been woefully neglectful when it comes to you.”

  Willow sat back and furrowed her brow. She needed to proceed slowly in her words so as not to race ahead of her own thoughts with a belief that had been gradually building. “Curtis has been in Texas for the last five and a half years, and our relationship is old, but I don’t know that it’s the kind of love that invites a wedding.” She looked down in her lap. “The other night, I thought he might ask. He didn’t, and I decided I need to start over with him and quit relying on our past to make my decision about the future.”

  “I think you’re wise to take a step back,” Ruby said.

  Willow settled under the warm throw. “So you see, it would be easy to blame Mick, and everyone here seems to be doing that, but this isn’t about Mick.” Speaking her deepest truths around Curtis began to thaw Willow’s feelings in a trickle of relief.

  Ruby reached over and placed her hand on Willow’s. “I know you’ll be able to figure this out, Willow. You’ve been through so much, and you deserve some happiness.”

  Tears came to Willow’s eyes.

  “Oh, Willow, dear. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m so sorry.”

  “No, it’s not you.” Willow’s voice was shaky. “It’s just that I really miss my mom right now. Since Curtis came home, I’ve been remembering how she was before she got sick. We had such a wonderful time, didn’t we, Ruby?”

  Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. “Yeah. My childhood was blessed by your mom, and I miss her terribly.”

  Willow put down her chocolate and gathered the throw around her. “In moments like this, I miss her even more. I have so much I want to ask her, and I can’t. I appreciate everyone’s offer to help, but my mother’s wisdom was unique.” Frustration overrode her sadness, and she clenched her fists. “I feel so … blind sometimes.” She stopped, not wanting to voice the other emotion that left her soul paralyzed and unsure of her next move. But it refused to be silenced. “And I’m scared.”

  Ruby furrowed her brow. “Of what? What are you afraid of?”

  Willow leaned forward. “Curtis is all I know. He’s all I’ve ever known. What if this doesn’t work out like everyone thinks it should?” Willow’s deepest fear rose up from the pit of her stomach, cutting off her air. She swallowed hard, but her anxiety mingled with despair. For years, she had hung on to every hope that she and Curtis would end up together. The light of that dream winked as if it were about to go out.

  Carefully, she tucked away that concern and assuaged her fear. She and Curtis would figure this out. He was home now, and maybe Mick’s appearance had made him see what he could lose if he wasn’t more attentive. He had said as much himself. She took a deep breath.

  Ruby squeezed Willow’s fingers. “I know I’m not your mother, and no one can take her place. And sometimes, I don’t know what to say that will be helpful. But I am always in your corner, Willow. I’ve seen how things are with Curtis, and I know you’ll make the right decision. I’ll help in any way I can.”

  Willow’s earlier anxious apprehension drained from her. Ruby was always on her side, even when no one else understood. She wasn’t alone. “I appreciate that. You’re my greatest comfort, Ruby.” She released Ruby’s hand and looked out onto the rainy afternoon. Laying aside her fear, she finally gave voice to her biggest question. “Ruby, what do you think would happen if I didn’t marry Curtis?”

  “You mean other than a top-notch small-town scandal? I’m not sure, Willow. What do you want to happen?”

  Willow picked up her mug of chocolate and took a sip. “I don’t know.” She shook her head as if to dispel her thoughts, her earlier fear gripping her once again. “I shouldn’t be talking like this. Curtis is really trying,” she said. “He’s spending a lot of time with Dad, and they’re getting things ready for winter. He’s working at his own place, too. I don’t know how he’s keeping up with his studies, but he tells me not to worry.” She smiled as a flicker of a recent memory warmed her by its firelight. “We dance.”

  Ruby gave her a look of surprise. “You dance? Where do you go?”

  “Right in my living room,” Willow said. “He turns music on from his phone, and we twirl around the furniture. I have to admit, I look forward to it. It’s a lot of fun.”

  “What does your dad think?”

  “Oh, he’s in bed by then.” Willow grew serious again. “But that’s something else I think about. Since Curtis has been home, Dad is doing better. He relies on Curtis, and Curtis takes a lot of the pressure from Dad. He’s happier and seems more at ease.”

  “I’m glad for all of that, Willow.” Ruby returned her hand to Willow’s palm and squeezed her fingers. “But don’t pin your decisions on your father. It’s not fair to anyone. You know too well that someday he won’t be here, and whatever decision you’ve made will be yours alone to live with. Don’t make this about your dad. Not only is it a bad idea; he wouldn’t want it.” She paused. “Your mom wouldn’t want it, either.”

  Willow tried to make light of Ruby’s words. “I thought you didn’t know what to say, but you’ve got plenty on your mind.”

  Ruby laughed. “I guess I lied.” Then she grew serious. “You can tease about this all you want, Willow, but you know what I’m saying is true.”

  Ruby’s words startled Willow. As she returned the press of Ruby’s fingers, she gave her friend a worried frown. If her best friend just swept away her main reason for wanting a promise from Curtis, what did she have left?

  Chapter 20

  The first thing Mick noticed about Seattle was the noise and the overwhelming smell of exhaust. Cars and buses belched out fumes that mingled with planes. All of it assaulted and overwhelmed his senses as he and Simone made their way to the shuttle that would take them to the rental car garage. Once they arrived, Simone signed the paperwork for the vehicle, and they hurried through the maze of cars to find theirs with their bags in tow. “It’s loud here,” Mick said.

  Simone furrowed her brow as she placed a newspaper over her hair. “It’s this rain that worries me.” She glanced up at the slate-colored sky. “Do you think it’s like this all the time?”

  Mick shrugged as he tried to take in the gritty airport. One month away from city life, and the surrounding concrete, glass, and metal felt as foreign to him as Sunrise Creek had on the night he’d been stranded on that lone country road.

  Simone took the driver’s side once they got into the car, and Mick folded himself into the passenger seat. “I was thinking we should stay downtown,” Simone said. She stuck the key into the ignition but didn’t turn it on. Instead, she looked at Mick. “They’ve got some nice hotels.”

  “Look, Simone,” Mick began. “I appreciate—”

  Simone waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it. My parents are very supportive of you and this move. They said we could use their credit card until we get settled.”

  “That’s the thing, Simone. We’re not going to get settled. I told you in Montana, we’re not a couple anymore. I
appreciate your efforts to bring me out here, and I’ll pay you back for the plane ticket. But we’re not staying together, and I can’t afford a downtown hotel. You can either drop me off at a motel along the freeway, or if you don’t want to use the gas, I can take the bus. But I don’t want to be beholden to your parents.”

  Simone looked down at her lap. “I’m sorry for what I did after you left,” she said quietly. “But can’t you just let it go? I admit I made a terrible mistake, so let’s just put it behind us and move on.”

  Mick was careful in his choice of words. “Paul is renting my condo, but I didn’t expect you and Paul to couple up five minutes after I left town. The betrayal has completely blindsided me. And after the mugging—”

  Simone became alarmed. “What mugging? What are you talking about?”

  Mick forced out his pent-up breath. “I was mugged, okay? A few weeks before I left the city. It’s one of the reasons I decided to leave New York.” He turned to face her. “My ID is floating out there along with my address, and you’re hosting parties at that same address with people I’ve never met. It may seem weird to say, but it felt as if I’d been violated all over again.”

  “I didn’t know about the mugging. Why didn’t you tell me?” Simone’s eyes reflected hurt and shock.

  “Maybe I wasn’t ready to talk about it.” But Mick knew that wasn’t entirely true as his mind raced to Willow and how comfortable he had been sharing his story with her. A vision of Willow and her blonde hair trailing in the Montanan autumn breeze rushed to his mind, cooling his senses and easing the headache building behind his eyes.

  He pushed at the recollection. He was in Seattle now. With Simone. He focused on her once again. “But don’t pretend it would’ve made a difference, because it really doesn’t matter either way. Was anything taken from my place?”

  Simone gave him a disbelieving look. “No!”

  “Are you sure?”

  Simone blinked, her tone becoming like flint. “Of course I’m sure.”

  Mick gave her a hard look. “You don’t sound all that sure. You sound defensive.”

  “You don’t have anything to take,” Simone countered. “Your most precious possession is stuck in your ears.”

  “And yours is stuck in your nose,” he said, referring to her diamond piercing of her right nostril. Mick opened the passenger’s side door. “I’m going to get my stuff and take the bus.”

  Simone laid a hand on his arm. “No. Don’t do that. I’ll take you wherever you want to go, and I’ll pick you up for whatever job interviews you’re able to round up. It’s the least I can do,” she said. “And maybe we can patch this thing up.”

  Mick hesitated. Did he have any interest in patching things up with Simone? He stepped back in the car and closed the door. “I appreciate the ride. Really, I do.”

  “I know.” She started the engine and maneuvered the car out of the parking lot. “Why don’t you tell me your plan?”

  Mick settled his feelings and focused on what needed to happen next. “I’m going to call the manager of Scales first thing in the morning and see if we can arrange a time to meet. Hopefully, they’ll have something open, so we’ll see.”

  “They’ll hire you,” Simone said.

  Mick shrugged. “I don’t know. They didn’t sound very encouraging when I called them from Montana.”

  Simone smiled as she turned the car onto the freeway. “But you’re not in Montana now. You’re here. I’m hoping to work at Scales, too, or someplace close by. It’d be nice if we could put New York behind us and establish ourselves here. Then you can sell that condo, and we’ll become Seattleites.”

  Mick took in the gray surroundings from the passenger’s side window. An image of Willow came to his mind, her cheeks kissed by the sun as a shy smile played on her lips when she handed him the reins to Michigan. The memory was a week old, and already fresh pain from that day took his breath away. A cherished memory was all it could ever be. Curtis would be home by now, and Willow’s life would move forward in its predicted pattern of the promise she shared with Curtis.

  Once Simone reached the freeway motel, she turned off the engine. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider? Truly, my folks won’t mind.”

  “Positive.”

  Simone shrugged. “Let me know what happens in the phone call. I’ll come pick you up for whatever job interviews you line up, so don’t worry about transportation.”

  Mick thought for a moment. He wished for different arrangements, but he truly was grateful for Simone’s help. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

  “Just call or text me with the time, and I’ll be here,” she said. “I’ll be looking too, so maybe we can go in as a team.”

  “We’ll see,” Mick said as he got out of the car. Simone popped the trunk and waited for him to get his bags before waving goodbye. Mick didn’t watch her leave.

  Chapter 21

  Mick seared the tuna for brief seconds in the sizzling hot pan before plating it with the fresh asparagus and site-made noodles. This was his third week at Scales, and he was happy for the job. It allowed him to move out of the dingy freeway motel. He’d spent the last of his money on a deposit to rent a small four-hundred-square-foot studio apartment on Bell Street.

  His new place was a far cry from his glamorous New York condo, but he didn’t mind the crummy Formica counters and electric range. With the availability of Seattle rental units at an all-time low, coupled with the exorbitant prices in the Belltown neighborhood, Mick was grateful to have a roof over his head that was within walking distance of work. His steady paycheck also allowed him to begin making payments to Simone for the airline ticket, and he planned on sending Willow her first check for storing the Jag.

  Mick was proud his newfound frugality, somehow making him feel connected to Willow and Sunrise Creek. No one there had very much in the way of material wealth, but they seemed to make up for that with their sense of community and family—two things he hadn’t known were missing in his life, things that no amount of money or material goods could replace.

  In New York, his sense of community had always come from his work. When things were humming in a restaurant, the staff formed a family of sorts, but after Paul and Simone’s betrayal, Mick was disillusioned with those he’d thought were friends.

  At Scales, his co-workers tried to include him in their after-hours carousing. Often, the staff would go out for drinks or try other restaurants in the area. Mick couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm for their invitations, and he always waved them off with a gracious but distant smile.

  His job was everything he could’ve hoped for, but his work still left him feeling flat. The familiarity of his surroundings, the sizzle of meat meeting flame, and stainless-steel countertops offered comfort, and he loved the busyness of his work. But when he least expected it, his thoughts would roam to the clean and small kitchen at the Double W with its outdoor brick oven and Shorty’s homemade sourdough bread and hash. The warmth of sitting around the dining room table enjoying the meal would glow in his mind, flooding his memory with the aroma of fresh-baked bread and the feeling of Willow’s fingers nestled against his palm in prayer. It took his breath away, no matter when the memory chose to show itself, and it would take him a minute to push it away and fully concentrate on the meal in his pan. The strategy worked most of the time.

  Simone didn’t live far. Her parents were subsidizing her sixth-floor condo on Queen Anne Avenue with a small peek at Puget Sound from the balcony and a nice view of downtown Seattle from the living room. Simone had been proud of her new place, and Mick was happy for her. Although she didn’t find work at Scales, she was able to find a hostess position at Sparky’s, a new up-and-coming restaurant named after the owner’s dog. Mick had laughed when Simone told him the story behind the name. It reminded him of Pilot, and a new ache formed in his chest. He missed everything about Willow, including her dog.

  After plating the tuna, Mick wiped his hands on his apron and moved away
from the heat of the stove. “I’m on break,” he said as he grabbed a plateful of fish, pasta, and vegetables and went to sit in the back of the kitchen. The sous chef gave Mick a nod and took his place at the stove.

  Once seated on a wooden crate, Mick dug into the lightly spiced fish and fresh noodles. He loved good food! He was so enthralled in his meal that he jumped when his phone rang. Simone was on the other end.

  She moved right to the purpose of her conversation without a greeting. “Listen, I know tomorrow is your day off,” she said. “I’m off at five, and a bunch of us from Sparky’s is heading over to Fire and Brew to check out their new appetizer line. Why don’t you come with us?”

  “Thanks, Simone, but I don’t think so.”

  “Why not? You’re off, right?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Simone’s voice took a hard edge. “I mean, I know I pulled a dirty trick and all, but it’s been weeks now.”

  Mick’s temper flared. “Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with you. I’ve got other plans, okay?”

  “What other plans?” Simone’s voice carried hurt before impatience laced her words. “Ever since I picked you up in Montana, you’ve been different. You used to love to go out and meet people while sloshing a few drinks around. Remember all the fun we used to have in New York? What happened to you in that little tiny town, anyway?”

  “I doubt you’d understand,” Mick said with a sigh. “To be honest, I don’t even know.”

  “Well, I hope you figure it out,” Simone spat out. “I’m not going to wait forever, you know.”

  Mick’s irritation flared like the tuna in his pan. “I told you not to wait at all.”

  “Don’t get irritable with me,” she said. “If you want to shut yourself up in that rathole of an apartment of yours, that’s fine. Call me when you come up for air.” She hung up on him.