Four Weddings & A Vendetta (Remington Ranch #5)

by SJ McCoy

  “Ha! The worthiest project of all. I want to start talking weddings. I thought Gina would be here with you.”

  “She’ll be back. She ran down the valley to see her dad.”

  “Oh, should I wait? How long do you think she’ll be?”

  Cassidy checked her watch. “Maybe half an hour, she’s been gone for a while already.”

  “Great. Should I run and get us some lunch from the coffee shop, then?”

  “Sure, you know what I like, and Gina’s had a thing for tuna melts lately. You could get her one of those. Then we can have a working lunch brainstorming wedding arrangements. What about Corinne, though? Shouldn’t we wait until she’s free?”

  “I talked to her this morning. She likes the idea of us getting started with at least some planning and I said we could have a girly night at my place sometime soon.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a few.”

  Summer let herself out and headed for the coffee shop and Cassidy picked up her phone.

  “Hey, princess,” Shane answered. “Is everything okay?”

  She laughed. “You realize you sound like Carter?”

  “I know, but I finally understand why he does it. I’m constantly worrying about everyone.”

  “Don’t, sweetheart. There’s no need. And besides, worrying never changes anything anyway. It never stops anything bad from happening.”

  “Yes, wise one. Thank you.” He did sound stressed and that wasn’t like him.

  “It’s really getting to you, isn’t it?”

  He sighed. “It is, but I have to tell you, I think we finally found what it is that hurts my ego.”

  She waited. She didn’t know what he meant, but she knew him well enough to know that she shouldn’t push him to help her understand. He was in the process of figuring it out for himself.

  “You still there?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you’re not going to give me any shit?” He laughed.

  “Typical! I try to be all understanding and let you talk and you’re just waiting for me to give you shit.” She laughed with him.

  “Sorry, I guess I’d just rather go for the laugh than poke at what I’m feeling. It’s ugly.”

  “What is?”

  “The fact that what bothers me most is that I’m just not tuned in to what’s going on with Guy. The others all have these spidey senses—Carter and Chance, in particular. They’re on high alert and they’re scheming up plots and plans to protect everyone and to seek revenge.” He sighed. “I feel like the happy dopey little brother looking around at everyone saying, what? Huh? I have no clue what he’s going to do, I have no clue what to do about him. And it makes me feel like shit.”

  “Aww, sweetheart…” Cassidy felt for him, but she didn’t know how to make him feel any better. It didn’t matter because apparently he hadn’t finished anyway.

  “What’s worse is that everyone else is stressing about what to do, and I’m stressing about the fact that I’m useless.”

  “You are not! Don’t give me that shit, Shane Remington. It’s like you always tell Carter; we’re all smart in different ways. You’re just not tuned in to bad things, just like Carter isn’t tuned into book smart things, and Beau isn’t tuned into emotional things. You’re a little ray of sunshine remember?”

  She was relieved to hear him chuckle.

  “Seriously, Shane. Don’t beat yourself up, please? I have no doubt that your unique insights are going to be needed at some point before this is over.”

  “You reckon?”

  “I do.”

  “Thanks, Cass. I guess I’m feeling like the baby brother again and I don’t like it. I want to be seen—and to see myself—as one of the strong, capable ones who takes care of business, you know?”

  “You know, I know. No one understands that better than I do. But you’ve got to be realistic about where your strengths lie, too. Rely on the others for what they bring to the table, and they’ll rely on you when the time comes.”

  “I love you.”

  She smiled. “And I love you. Now are we done with this little therapy session?”

  He laughed. “It sounds like it. Just when I thought you were softening up on me, you’re back to whooping my ass.”

  She laughed with him. “I can’t go too soft, I don’t want you getting all dependent on me. I like a real man.”

  “I’ll show you a real man later.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” Cassidy smiled to herself as she hung up. God, she loved that man. She’d been wary of getting involved with him at first. He was an outgoing, fun, good-looking guy, there was no doubt about that, but she’d been with guys like that before and they tended to have big, fragile egos. Shane wasn’t like that. He really was a little ray of sunshine, and when something pricked his ego, he wasn’t afraid to talk to her about it. Communication was their greatest strength and she loved that about their relationship.

  The doorbell buzzed, startling her. For a moment all the little hairs on the back of neck stood up. She was out front in the gallery so it meant someone had just come in the door to the office in the back. She looked around wildly and grabbed a big heavy paperweight, shaped like a bear, off the counter before making her way to the office door. She pushed it open slowly and carefully, then burst out laughing when she saw Gina in there hanging up her purse.

  “Hey! What did I do that’s so funny? Do I have a smudge on my nose or something?” Gina gave her a puzzled smile.

  “Sorry.” Cassidy came into the office and put the paperweight down. She pushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulders while her heart rate returned to normal. “You scared me shitless!”

  Gina laughed. “How?” She eyed the paperweight. “And you were about to bludgeon me to death with that thing?”

  “Not you. Guy bloody Preston! I heard the buzzer go and all my internal alarms went off. I just knew Guy, the big bad wolf, had come to get me. The fight or flight instinct kicked in, and you know I don’t flee!”

  Gina shook her head. “This is so crazy. He’s got us all spooked.”

  “He does. I didn’t think I was too worried, but my reaction just proved me wrong on that one.” She put her hand on her chest. “My heart rate still isn’t quite back down to normal. And the stupid thing is, I knew you’d be back any minute. I just told Summer you wouldn’t be long.”

  “Oh, did I miss her?”

  “She’ll be back. She went to get us all some lunch.”

  “She’s so sweet, and I’m starving.”

  “I told her to get you a tuna melt since you seem to have developed an addiction to them lately.”

  Gina shrugged. “Thanks.”

  The buzzer sounded again, this time signaling someone had come into the gallery. Gina picked up the paperweight with a smirk. “Do you think we need to take this?”

  Cassidy shook her head. “Don’t you dare tell anyone. I feel so stupid.”

  “I won’t; don’t worry. I’ll go see who it is while you pull yourself together.”

  “I’m fine now, it’s probably Summer.”

  The office door opened and Summer popped her head around. “Hey ladies, can I come in?”

  “Of course you can. You don’t need to be asked, silly. And besides, we can’t have lunch till you do.”

  Summer came in and started unpacking the bag she’d brought, laying out the sandwiches on the table.

  “Thanks,” said Gina. “This is great. I need to take my mind off everything that’s going on, and you can’t beat lunch with the girls to take your mind off things. What brings you up to town, Summer?”

  “Cassidy didn’t tell you?”

  “No, what’s up?” Gina looked at Cassidy.

  “I’m not the only one freaking out. Our little Summer needed to get out and take her mind off the big bad wolf, too.”

  Gina nodded. “It seems we all do.”

  “I wish Corinne was here,” said Cassidy. “She
probably needs a distraction more than any of us. She’s got little Ruby to worry about.”

  “Let’s decide now what night you all want to come over to our place,” said Summer. She looked at Gina. “I decided that the best way to ignore all the negative juju at the moment is to focus on something positive. And the most positive thing we all have going on is getting married—in less than a month if we can manage to pull it off. I thought we could have a powwow now and then get together again one night soon when Corinne can come, too.”

  Gina nodded. “Sounds great to me.”

  “But what?” Gina was uncomfortable about something, Cassidy could tell.

  She sighed. “We went over to Dave and Monique’s after you all left last night and Mason mentioned that you’d all like to get married the same day we do.” She gave them an apologetic smile. “Sorry, he just didn’t think.”

  “It’s not a problem is it?” Cassidy didn’t understand why it would be.

  “I just thought you—and the guys—might want to tell them yourselves.”

  “I think Carter did,” said Summer, “but it’s no biggie. Don’t worry. You know what he’s like. He lets anything roll off his back. He’ll just be so happy if we can pull it off. That’s what’s most important to me.”

  “Aww,” Cassidy grinned at her. “You two are just adorable.”

  Summer laughed. “And you and Shane aren’t?”

  Cassidy smiled, remembering her conversation with him earlier. “I love that asshole.”

  “And he loves you,” said Gina. “I knew the two of you were made for each other.”

  “I wouldn’t go gloating too much, Gina. You might have had me and Shane pegged, but it took you ten years to finally figure out that you and Mason were made for each other.”

  Gina shrugged. “We got there in the end. Anyways, what are the two of you thinking about weddings? I’m a simple kind of girl. I wasn’t planning on doing much of anything other than setting out a bunch of chairs behind the big house, inviting our friends and family over, and feeding them afterwards.”

  Cassidy gave her a stern look. “Well, you know that’s not going to happen now, don’t you?”

  Gina grinned. “I guess so, but don’t look at me for any other big ideas. That’s all I’ve got.”

  Cassidy shook her head. “You stick with me, my little bumpkin; you’ll be fine.”

  Summer looked worried. “No. We should fit in with what you want, Gina. It’s your big day, we want to join in—not hijack it.”

  Cassidy patted her arm. “Trust me, little one. Gina will be ecstatic with the end result. She just doesn’t know what she wants, because she doesn’t know what’s possible.” She grinned; she was warming to this idea. She’d never been the kind of girl to dream of a big wedding. If it were down to her, she and Shane would go off and get married on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. But it was about so much more than just herself. First and foremost, it was about her and Shane. Family was everything to him and so doing the one big wedding thing was a no-brainer. It was also about her friends, and their men—the rest of her family. She was going to do everything in her power to make sure it was special for every single one of them.

  Gina was watching her face. “The way you’re smiling has me worried. I don’t do froofy and I don’t enjoy extravagant.” She looked at Summer. “Can we get that on the record before we start?”

  Summer nodded. “I’m right there with you, and I think Corinne will be, too.” She looked at Cassidy. “It’s all about love and family, not grand gestures and huge catering bills.”

  “Like you can’t afford it!”

  “It’s not about whether we can, it’s whether we want to.” Summer’s voice cracked on the last few words and she was starting to look stressed again.

  “Settle down, sweetie,” said Cassidy. “I’m only playing with you. I’m the same way, and I do know what this means to the guys. It’s about them as much as it’s about us.”

  Gina laughed. “I wouldn’t go telling a bunch of Montana men that, especially not this bunch.”

  Cassidy nodded. “We don’t need to tell ’em, but we all know it’s true, and I think we should keep it in mind as we figure out how we want the day to go.” She met Gina’s eye and was serious for a moment. “And Summer’s right. This was originally supposed to be your big day; you should have the final yes or no on everything, okay?”

  “There’s no need for that…”

  “Yes, there is,” said Summer, “and if you don’t agree to it, then we’ll have to pick another day.”

  Cassidy raised an eyebrow at her and Gina laughed. “Okay, okay. I agree. But can you at least give me some idea what we’re talking about? What do the two of you want?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I haven’t come up with anything concrete yet. I’d been waiting to see if it was really going to happen first.” She smiled at Summer. “But I bet you have all kinds of sappy ideas you’re waiting to spring on us.”

  Summer smiled back. “A couple, maybe.” She turned to Gina. “You don’t have to take any of them seriously, but I’m going to spew all my silly ideas at you, just because I like to daydream. You can sift through them and see if there’s any you like.”

  “Come on, then,” said Cassidy, “out with them. And be warned, Gina, there’ll be some wild and wonderful ideas…” She held up a hand as Summer started to protest. “And there’ll be some real gems that we’ll want to run with.”

  Summer nodded. “Thank you. I may as well start with a silly fantasy one, just to get it off my chest.” Her cheeks tinged with pink, making Cassidy want to tease her. She held back though; she didn’t want to make her clam up. “It’s…” Summer shook her head. “It sounds silly now I’m about to say it out loud, but in my head, it’s perfect and romantic and it’s about the guys and their bond, and…”

  Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Just tell us already!”

  “Okay, okay. You know how usually the groom is there waiting at the altar and the bride shows up? Well, I keep thinking it would be awesome if all four of them show up together. If they all ride down from the ridge behind the house. You know, four big cowboys thundering in…and…” she stopped. “Is it too pathetic for words?”

  Gina shook her head. “No. I love it. What girl wouldn’t love that idea? And I’m pretty sure they’d like it, too.”

  Cassidy nodded. She knew Shane would.

  “What’s the problem, Cass? You’re nodding, but your face says no.”

  “I love the idea for them, but what about us? I don’t want to feel like the weak and weedy little woman, waiting for the man to show up. You know me, I want to make a grand entrance of my own.” She smiled at them. “And neither one of you can tell me that you don’t.”

  Summer nodded, and Gina looked thoughtful. After a few moments a smile spread across her face. “We could do the same?”

  Cassidy raised an eyebrow. “But if we let them ride in first, we won’t get to see it.”

  “So we all ride in at the same time.” Gina was warming to her idea. “They can come down from the ridge behind the big house, we can come up the trail from the cottage. We can meet them and all pair up in the meadow.”

  Summer’s eyes were sparkling. “It’s perfect! I love it.”

  Cassidy did too. She liked the idea of riding across the meadow to meet with Shane and then side by side down the aisle. “What about Corinne? How much riding has she done?”

  Gina smirked. “She’ll be fine. Chance has been teaching her, but Beau doesn’t know. She wanted to surprise him when he’s ready to ride again himself. She’ll be ready to go with him.”

  “Great! So, it’s decided then,” said Summer.

  Cassidy shook her head. “It’s an idea we all like, but we don’t decide anything until we’re all together.”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m getting a bit carried away aren’t I? So, how about you all come over to our place on Friday night? I’m sure the guys could have a night of their own, too.”

&n
bsp; “That works for me,” said Gina.

  “And me,” Cassidy agreed.

  Chapter Nine

  Corinne looked up from the reception desk where she was going through the roster for the housekeeping staff. She smiled when she saw Chance coming toward her.

  He smiled back and snatched his hat off his head.

  “You’re not in church, Chance. You can leave it on.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I just never feel at home in here. I feel like I need to be on my best behavior in front of the guests.”

  “You’ve got no worries there. You’re like this mystical figure to them, seeing you around is like getting a peak at the authentic Montana they came here to find.”

  Chance chuckled. “You always try to make people feel good, make them comfortable, don’t you? That’s a nice thing to say, but I’m not buying it.”

  There was no point trying to convince him that it was simply the truth. In the time she’d been here, she’d heard countless guests whispering about Chance the taciturn—not to mention gorgeous—real cowboy they saw around the place. But she knew nothing she said would make him feel comfortable. She liked Chance—a lot. But there was an edge to him. He never seemed comfortable indoors. He had this raw energy that couldn’t be contained within four walls. To her mind he was the quintessential Montana cowboy. She found it hard to believe that he hadn’t been born and bred here. He was originally from California, just like her.

  “Buy it or not, that’s just how it is. What brings you in here, anyway? Shane’s out in the barn if you want him.”

  “I came to see you. I wanted to tell you that Carter’s going to pick Ruby up from school today. He’s coming back down the valley at that time and I’ve got to ride up the top pasture checking fences.”

  “Thanks, Chance. You really don’t have to do this you know. You or Carter.” Since they’d talked about it at the cottage the other night, Carter had been taking Ruby to school in the mornings and Chance had been picking her up. They both claimed it was no trouble. Carter rode up to town in the morning and passed the school anyway, and Chance said that he went out around three o’clock every afternoon on errands. Corinne hadn’t known him to do that before, but he’d certainly made a habit of it this week.