by Jeannie Watt
“I see no way you could alter this dress and have any of it left.”
“Pretty much I would rip the sleeves off.”
“And the butt ruffle?”
“Definitely out.” Danielle set down a photo and met Lex’s gaze. “Who was at the door earlier?”
There was no sense hedging. “Grady.”
“I thought so. I recognized the sound of the truck. Did he tell you what he wanted?”
“To see you. Sorry if I overstepped by sending him on his way. I didn’t want to upset anyone.”
“No. I’m glad you did.” An unreadable look flickered across Danielle’s face, followed by a sigh. “I guess I need to see him before he hits the road again.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I did break up with him over the phone.” And she’d made the right choice, but that hadn’t kept her from feeling bad for weeks afterward. He’d chosen rodeo over her. Hard to forgive that, but Danielle was the forgiving sort. Far more so than Lex.
“You owe him nothing.”
“I know,” Danielle said simply.
There was a lot more Lex wanted to say on the subject, but why? When push came to shove, it wasn’t her business—even though she never wanted to see Danielle that unhappy again. Ever.
“I need to get home,” she said. “The menagerie will be hungry.” She stood and picked up her rhinestone-studded leather bag—one of the top sellers at their Western-themed store, Annie Get Your Gun. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
They met every Wednesday to discuss business, drink tea and share any gossip that Danielle picked up from her grandmother, who owned the building where their boutique was located. But all the gossip had already been passed along during the wedding dress summit, so the meeting would be all business tomorrow.
“Great. I’m looking forward to some nonwedding talk.”
“That works for me.” Lex gave the photos one last look, then met Danielle’s eyes. “Be strong.” She was talking about both wedding gowns and ex-fiancés.
“Always.”
Lex certainly hoped so.
Chapter Two
Lex tried not to worry about Danielle on the drive home, but the Owen Farm was halfway between her place and Danielle’s, so it was hard not to worry when she drove by and caught sight of Grady’s truck parked behind the wind-damaged barn. He’d been driving that same truck since high school—not that he’d been home to drive it even once during the past two years. It was as if after Danielle had given him his walking orders, he’d given up on Gavin, Montana, and the people there.
She pulled into her long driveway, smiled as the horses, knowing that they were about to be fed, cantered across the pasture. She loved her ranch, hated that she was now on it alone. But it wasn’t being alone that bothered her—it was the fact that her father was never coming back that ruined her. It’d been just her and her dad for so long that it was still hard to accept that he wasn’t there.
During the school year, when he’d been on the bull-riding circuit fighting bulls, doing his best to keep a half-ton animal from stomping the cowboy that had just ridden him, she’d often stayed with Danielle’s family. After Lex hit high school, she became the farm-sitter during the school year. When summer came, she’d traveled with her dad. By necessity, the father-daughter trips had become fewer and farther between after she’d gotten her first real job, but as luck would have it, she had been there for the final trip. The one when he’d died in the arena—not from a bull injury, but from a heart attack after saving a guy who’d been hung up in the rigging and beaten like a rag doll as the bull attempted to knock him free.
Even now, years later, the memory made her tear up—especially if it came at a time when she was worried about something else, such as, say, a close friend who was too nice for her own good. Lex blinked hard a few times before parking her truck next to her dad’s. She had two precious reminders of her father on the ranch that she refused to get rid of—his truck and his rank old horse, Snuff.
Three dogs bounded out from behind the house when she got out of the truck, two border collies and a rambunctious dusty brown terrier that’d shown up on the ranch and refused to leave. A small black-and-white cat trotted behind the dogs. Felicity was another orphan, found abandoned at the county dump before her eyes were open.
“Hey, gang,” Lex said as she closed the truck door. The dogs professed great joy at her return, while Felicity stood back, waiting for Lex to scoop her up on her way into the house. Once there, she shed her town clothes and climbed into a pair of well-worn jeans and a sweatshirt. She popped a John Deere ball cap on her head, grabbed her least offensive pair of gloves out of the basket by the door and headed back out the door to feed.
Somehow she had collected way too many animals after her father died, but she didn’t have the heart to let any of them go. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford to feed them. Her father had left her the ranch in excellent shape financially and he’d had life insurance, which she’d invested. Lex was pretty much set for life, as long as she managed the property in a sensible manner, and since she was all about sensible, that wasn’t a problem. She started across the gravel drive leading to the barn and was met halfway by two Mediterranean donkeys, which brayed at her, and a pygmy goat that bumped the back of her legs as she walked.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t totally sensible, but everyone had their foibles.
Followed by her entourage, Lex tossed hay, dumped grain, checked water troughs. The donkeys and goat abandoned her once they had their rations, but Felicity and the dogs—Pepper, Ginger and little brown Dave the Terror—stayed close to her throughout the daily routine. Once she got back to the house, she held the door open. The dogs raced in and Felicity turned and walked across the porch to a spot in the sun.
Lex understood. An independent woman could only take so much social interaction before welcoming time to herself. She was the same way, although lately the house seemed a little too lonely. It was the anniversary, she told herself as she changed back out of her feeding clothes and pulled a loose cotton dress over her head. Two years since she’d watched her father collapse onto the dirt of the arena, clutching his chest.
Last year she’d told herself that the pain would ease by the time the next anniversary rolled around, and it had, but not as much as she’d hoped. It hurt to be alone and it hurt to know she’d never again hear her father’s boots crossing the front porch as he returned from a trip.
In that regard, alone sucked.
* * *
GRADY WAS JUST putting the finishing touches on dinner when a car pulled into the drive. It wasn’t until it parked in front of the house instead of near the barn that he realized it wasn’t Annie and her girls returning from the big shopping trip in Bozeman. He didn’t recognize the car, but he definitely recognized the blond getting out of it. Danielle. Tall, cool, beautiful, just as he remembered her.
He pulled the dish towel off his shoulder and dropped it on the kitchen table on his way to the door, glad once again that his sister and nieces were late getting home.
Danielle smiled up at him as he opened the door, but it wasn’t the bright open smile he was used to. No. There was a definite touch of wariness in her expression, amplified by the taut way she held her body. Granted, two years had passed since he’d last seen her, but he was surprised at how unfamiliar she seemed, while his encounter with Lex had been like old times. Bad old times.
“Something smells good,” she said instead of hello.
“My famous pot roast.” He stepped back, silently inviting her into Annie’s cozy kitchen. She came inside, and he closed the door. Then for two or three silent seconds they simply stood, like two complete strangers that unexpectedly found themselves sharing a small space. Danielle cleared her throat and met his gaze.
“Lex said you came by today.”
He hadn’t expected that. He’d figured Lex would do her best to shield her friend from the evilness that was him and never mention his visit. “I did. She said you and your grandmas were busy talking wedding plans.”
She gave a slow nod. “That’s true.”
“Good guy?”
“The best.” She spoke with conviction. “I’m engaged. I’m happy.”
“And you don’t want me to mess things up.”
An expression of relief crossed her face as he said what was obviously on her mind. “In a nutshell, yes.”
Fair enough. When she’d broken up with him, over the phone, since he’d been in the middle of his season and she’d apparently taken all she could take, she sounded torn, as if she wasn’t entirely certain she was doing the right thing. But now...now she looked like a woman who knew her mind.
“I won’t mess up your life.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know if you’d come to see me—” her expression shifted to a tentative one “—with thoughts of us getting together again.”
“The thought might have crossed my mind.” It definitely had. He’d wondered more than once if they might now be in a place where they could reevaluate their relationship...maybe even pick it up again.
She gave him a suspicious look. “Might have?”
“Well, I hadn’t seen you in a while, but I thought about you a lot. I wondered...you know...” He gave a small shrug. “I wanted to see you one more time. To make sure.”
“And now?”
It was funny how standing here in this kitchen with Danielle, the flesh and blood Danielle, not the Danielle in his memories, made things so much clearer. He felt no strong urge to take her in his arms, hold her close, ask if it was too late. “I’m happy for you.”
Her expression cleared at the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you.” She reached out to gently touch his shoulder. “We were never meant to be, Grady.”
“What if I hadn’t ridden bulls?” A small part of him had to know if it had been the bulls.
“Ultimately...I don’t think it would have mattered.”
“I think you’re right.” He’d thought he loved her, but he hadn’t been able to sacrifice for her. “We had some good times.”
“We had some excellent times. You taught me a thing or two about taking risks.” Danielle smiled at him, the old smile he remembered so well. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’ll send you a wedding invitation.”
“I’d like that. Thanks.” He realized then that it felt totally right for him to be in the audience instead of at the altar on Danielle’s wedding day. He had an affection for her, deep respect for her, but he knew in his gut they didn’t belong together.
After she drove away, Grady went back to the gravy simmering on top of the stove and gave it a stir. Strange how things worked out. For two years he’d essentially stopped dating. He’d used Danielle as the standard by which he’d measured all women, and no one had measured up.
And now it seemed that his standard had been something he’d worked up in his head, not the woman he’d once thought he’d loved.
* * *
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN smelled of potpourri, spices and flowers, and Lex always inhaled deeply as she walked into the homey space she and Danielle had worked so hard to create after she’d lost her father and Danielle broke up with Grady. She loved this place.
On the far wall was a framed poster of Annie Oakley with her rifle, embellished with paint and glitter. The store itself was filled with quirky Western-themed decor items as well as personal accessories, books, jewelry, T-shirts and fun gift ideas. Most of the stuff they purchased outright, but they had consignment stock—antiques and small furniture items—as well as items that Danielle and Lex made themselves. Lex’s father had been a silversmith, and Lex used his tools to create funky metal jewelry accented with beads and gemstones. Danielle made one-of-a-kind collector’s quilts, and Kelly, their one employee, was a potter.
“Is that you, Lex?” Danielle’s voice came from the back room, where they kept extra stock as well as a refrigerator and electric teakettle.
“Yep. I got the scones.” She shook the white bag. The pleasant aroma of the cinnamon tea Danielle always made for their weekly business meetings wafted from the back room. She set the bag on the antique table they used for their conferences and sat down.
“Kelly won’t be here for the meeting,” Danielle said as she came out of the back room carrying a tray with the teapot and cups. She smiled tightly as she approached, the picture of stress, and Lex’s first thought was, What did Grady do now? She’d had a feeling that Danielle would contact him after she left, just to finish unfinished business. She kept her mouth shut, though, as Danielle set down the tray and opened the bag of scones to arrange them on a porcelain plate embellished with small cowboy boots. When she finished pouring the tea, she finally met Lex’s gaze.
“You look like you could use a shot of whiskey in your tea,” Lex said.
Danielle waved her hand dismissively. “I told my mom and grandmas that I was going to buy my own dress this morning. I hate disappointing any of them.”
Okay. At least it wasn’t Grady that was bothering her. And as for Danielle buying her own dress, it had to be done. That ’80s dress...
“I have a feeling,” Lex said, raising her cup, “that your mom might have disappointed her mom, who in turn disappointed Great-granny, since they all have their own dresses.”
“Good point.” Danielle frowned and then said, “Great point. Anyway, now I’m going to be gown shopping, and I was hoping you might be able to squeeze some time in to help me.”
“As long as it’s not Saturday morning, I’m at your disposal.”
“Big plans?”
“I promised Jared I’d bring quiet horses to the Kids’ Club riding lessons that start this weekend.” Her only cousin, a single dad, worked long hours in a machine shop during the week and then volunteered for the local recreation program on his weekends. “After all the help he gave me after Dad died, I figured it was the least I could do.”
“Are you helping with lessons?”
“Just providing mounts. Jared has high school kids helping with lessons.” Lex frowned at Danielle. “Where is Kelly?” Who was the kind of person who never missed work, never missed a meeting.
Danielle’s mouth flattened as she said, “Job interview.”
Lex set her cup back on the saucer. “No.”
“Afraid so. County courthouse. Primo benefits.”
“Wow.” They paid Kelly fairly well but weren’t in a position to offer anything better than bare-bones benefits. “What now?”
“She’ll know tomorrow if she gets the job and has promised to do everything she can to help us find someone.”
“I don’t think we can find someone like her.” Kelly made every customer feel special, even the crotchety ones like Mrs. Lacombe, who came to browse and complain about prices at least once a week.
“I know,” Danielle said wearily, “but we have to think about what’s best for Kelly.”
* * *
OF COURSE KELLY got the job. Danielle called later in the afternoon to break the news to Lex, who was just heading out to feed.
“I can help out at the store until we get someone.” Lex loved stocking the store and guiding the business decisions, but she wasn’t the warm and fuzzy people person that Kelly and Danielle were. She’d been in deep mourning for her father when she and Danielle started the business, and because of that, Danielle had taken charge of the day-to-day operations. She also pulled in a larger percentage of the proceeds. It worked well. Danielle had more income and Lex had the time she needed to focus on her farm.
“I have an idea,” Danielle said slowly. “What do you think of interviewing Annie Owen?”
“Annie Owe
n?” Lex barely kept herself from saying, Are you nuts? Instead she said, “Why Annie?”
“Her name is perfect. Annie?” Lex rolled her eyes and waited for the real reason. “We know her. She needs a full-time job. It would help her and it would help us.”
And also bring Grady, Annie’s brother, firmly back into Danielle’s sphere.
“But,” Danielle said, “if you have a problem with hiring her, I won’t call.”
Lex could almost hear her dad saying, Step back, as he often did when Lex felt the urge to fix matters that weren’t necessarily her concern. She liked Annie Owen, had nothing against her, except for her brother. And honestly, the only thing she had against him was that he’d been utterly selfish in regards to her friend.
Let things play out. Stop trying to save everyone.
Fine. She’d back off...but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t remain vigilant. She smiled at Danielle and gave a dismissive shrug. “If you’re good with it, I’m good with it.”
“If you’re concerned about me and Grady, don’t be. I went to see him.”
“I figured you would.”
“Yes. And I felt...nothing.” Danielle gave a small shrug. “I’d bet the store that Grady felt the same.”
“Well...that’s good news.” Very good news. No more worrying about her friend getting mixed up with a selfish bull rider.
“It is. And now there’s no reason not to hire Annie.”
Lex gave a slow nod. “I agree.”
“Great. I’ll see if she wants to meet us at the store tomorrow.”
* * *
“ARE YOU SURE about this?” Annie asked, casting Grady a concerned look as she wrapped a blue silk scarf loosely around her neck.
All of her looks seemed to be concerned lately. Stress had taken a toll on his sister. She didn’t smile as much as she used to, didn’t seem to feel as bulletproof. She was dressed for her interview in clothes that Grady recognized, and he hadn’t been home for two years, which made him wonder if he should have pressed harder for her to take the money he’d offered her. Annie had her pride, but there came a point where accepting monetary help was a matter of common sense. The house needed work, she needed some new clothes and there were her two young daughters to care for.
