His throat was dry as he pulled his truck into Amy’s driveway. The house was a white two-story with the green shutters, and even though Christmas had been over a month ago, colored lights still hung from the eaves and a dry, dead tree leaned against the side of the garage. The sight of the tree made him wonder if Mariah had been here for Christmas and it seemed strange that she had been in Snow Valley before they’d met. Somehow it felt that if she was here, he should have known about it, should have been pulled into her orbit the minute she arrived.
He climbed the concrete stairs and rang the bell. A minute later, the door was opened by Timothy, Amy’s younger brother. “Hey, Riker,” Timothy said, giving him a smile that glinted with braces. “They’re in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, bud,” Riker said. He didn’t know Amy’s family very well, but Timothy was a cute kid with his braces and freckles.
Amy, Jake, and Amy’s mom, Janice, were gathered at the kitchen table, which was covered with papers, magazines, bits of fabric, and a plate holding sliced banana bread. Riker’s eyes darted around the room and disappointment stabbed his gut when he saw Mariah wasn’t there. He forced himself to lighten up. She lived here, right? And she was the maid of honor; she’d show up.
“Have a seat.” Jake tipped his head toward an empty chair. “We’re ready to get started.”
Riker nodded and settled onto the hard kitchen chair. He helped himself to a slice of banana bread while Amy’s mom shuffled papers. “We’ve booked the Snow Mansion for the reception, and I paid the deposit today for Janet Hamilton at Flower Girl to do the flowers.”
“Snow Mansion?” Riker asked.
“The old yellow brick house on Seventh Street,” Amy said. “It was one of the first houses built here and was renovated last year to use as a reception center.”
Riker nodded. He didn’t remember ever seeing a yellow brick house on Seventh Street, but he hadn’t really been looking either.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and a moment later Mariah appeared in the doorway. As always, she looked like she’d stepped out of the past in a slim gray skirt and a turquoise blouse with huge, droopy sleeves. The blouse was tucked in at the waist, accentuating her curves and her hair was caught into a ponytail high on the back of her head and tied with a turquoise scarf. She carried a thick binder covered with a flowery print.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I was on the phone with Mom.” She gave him a smile that sent his heart racing as she took a chair by his side, bringing the smell of her spicy perfume.
“No problem,” Amy said. “We were talking about the flowers.”
Mariah nodded, her ponytail swinging. She flipped open her binder and sorted through it until she found what she was looking for. “White roses and blue hydrangeas, right?” she said.
“When we talked with Janet the other day, she wasn’t sure if she could get hydrangeas; she suggested blue thistles instead.” Amy flipped her tablet around to show them a picture of a blue thistle, its spiky petals circling a round head like the Statue of Liberty. “They’re pretty, I’m okay with that.”
“It’ll be a very different look than a hydrangea,” Mariah warned.
“I know,” Amy said. “But I kind of like it better. It seems more … country.”
Mariah nodded again and scribbled something in her binder. “The same for the centerpieces and cake, then?”
“Well, that’s something we need to discuss,” Amy began.
She kept talking, but Riker tuned it out. The cake could be made from sawdust and topped with sagebrush for all he cared. He sat back in his chair, watching Mariah and letting the scent of her perfume fill his senses. She nibbled on the end of her pen when she was deep in thought and when she bent to write something in her binder, her ponytail swept over her shoulder in a way that made him itch to run his fingers through it.
“And what about the ties?” She lifted her head and caught him staring at her. He was lost in the blue of her eyes and the air between them seemed to hiccup, almost like everything else was on hold to give them a chance to look at each other. “Riker?”
Oh, she was talking to him. “Ties?”
“You’re supposed to help Jake get the ties.”
“Wait. I have to get ties?” Jake broke in.
“Yes, we talked about this.” Amy nudged him with her shoulder. “You have to get ties for the groomsmen to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“So … can I order those online or what?” Jake asked.
“That can be tricky,” Mariah broke in hastily. “Blues are kind of hard to match, especially when you only see the color on a screen.”
“I’m sure there are a couple of tie specialty stores in Billings,” Amy’s mother suggested. “You could take fabric swatches from the girls’ dresses and go there to match them up.”
Jake gave his future mother-in-law an incredulous look and Riker knew exactly what he was thinking. An hour’s drive to Billings to a tie store, then they’d have to pull out fabric swatches like a couple of idiots and start matching them to ties?
“Can’t we get them at the tuxedo rental shop?” Riker asked.
“The dresses are all various shades of blue,” Mariah explained. “The tuxedo shop doesn’t have that much variety, I already asked.”
“Since Aunt Marcie is making the dresses, she’d probably be willing to make matching ties, wouldn’t she?” Amy suggested. From her tone, Riker sensed this was a crisis in the making.
But her mother shook her head. “Marcie is already stressed enough getting the dresses done, especially since we added another bridesmaid at the last minute.” She cast a slightly disparagingly look at Amy.
“What? I had to ask April,” Amy insisted. “I didn’t know she’d be here for the wedding; I thought she’d still be at school.” Her brow furrowed in thought. “Why don’t we ask Tracie?”
“Tracie?” Mariah asked.
Riker was pretty sure he knew who Amy was talking about. Tracie was a local seamstress and also worked as a clerk at Dove’s. They’d dated a few times when he’d first moved to town, but it didn’t take off. They were still friends though and from what he remembered, Tracie could probably use the money.
“Tracie Brandenberg,” he told Mariah. “She sews.”
“Right,” Amy said. “I’m sure she’d be willing to do it if we take her some fabric.” A frown appeared between her eyebrows. “I don’t have her number, but one of us could ask her the next time we’re in Dove’s.”
“I have it,” Riker said. He plucked his phone from the tabletop and pulled up Tracie’s number. The conversation went on around him while he sent her a quick text. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed with Tracie’s reply.
“She’ll do it,” he said, feeling slightly smug as he clicked the phone off and returned it to the table.
They stared at him blankly. “She’ll do what?” Amy asked.
Riker nodded his head toward his phone. “I just texted Tracie. She’ll make the ties. Problem solved.”
“Wow, that was fast,” Amy’s mother said with a gleam of admiration in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Riker’s sense of satisfaction evaporated when he glanced at Mariah.
She was chewing the end of her pen, her head ducked over her notes, and there was a rigidity about her that hadn’t been there a few minutes before. She’d been leaning in his direction, but now she’d straightened up and was most definitely pulling away from him.
The conversation went on around them as he slid his chair a bit closer to her. “Hey,” he whispered.
“What?” She whispered back, still not looking at him.
“I talked to Valton White about your permits.”
Her head whipped around. “Are you serious?”
“He looked it up and said the building isn’t a historical site, so you can do whatever you want.” He’d been waiting for this moment, purposefully drawing it out so he could savor the anticipation, the look in her eyes. Okay, it was a b
it self-congratulatory, but he knew how much it meant to her and it was exciting to help make her dreams come true.
But Mariah’s face fell. “That’s very kind of you and thank you for going to all the trouble. But I don’t think we have the budget for it after all.”
She turned her attention back to the meeting and his ego deflated like a leaky tire. Not that it was her fault, if they didn’t have the budget, they didn’t have the budget. But there was something else going on too. Her eyes were colder, without the sparkle. Even when he asked her a direct question about the men’s tuxedos, she answered him quickly and without emotion. He replayed the meeting so far and could find nothing that should have triggered such an abrupt change in her mood. By the time they ended, he was feeling surly with frustration and he left as soon as he could.
Chapter 8
Riker tossed another log on the fire and with a sigh of exhaustion. He’d been out most of the night clearing snow off the road from his house to the canyon, and then continuing on the main road for several miles in both directions. Ranchers were responsible for snow removal along any stretch of road bordered by their property and though Riker didn’t own property along the roads, he’d been taking the plowing in turns all winter, figuring it was the least he could do to help out, especially since some of the ranchers were getting on in years and the job wasn’t as easy for them as it used to be.
He closed the wood burning stove and got to his feet with a groan. Thank goodness Mr. Little had a John Deere tractor with the plow, his truck would have a hard time with drifts this size, even with the four-wheel drive. Still, the job was long and boring and by the time he’d finished he was exhausted. He’d been home only long enough for a nice hot shower and a bowl of cereal. The next order of business was a nap.
He was beginning to doze off on the couch when he was startled awake by a brisk knock at the front door. He groaned and went to open it.
Mariah stood on the porch, wearing jeans and her pink coat, accented by a pink and green scarf tucked in around the collar. Her hair was caught back from her face in a series of complicated curls and waves and her lips were bright pink. The coat didn’t look very warm, but at least she’d bought some decent snow boots.
Her eyes widened and he realized he wore only a pair of sweatpants that were hanging rather low on his hips. Suddenly self-conscious, he crossed his arms over his bare chest and glanced past her at the little blue car sitting in front of the cabin.
“I just finished plowing, please tell me you’re not stuck again?”
“I have snow tires,” she replied in a slightly high voice. “And I brought the ties.” She held up a black-and-white-striped gift bag.
He flashed her a quick grin, hoping he was part of the reason she was suddenly so flustered, and stepped back from the door. “Come in. Lemme go put on a shirt.”
He hurried to his room and pulled on a red T-shirt and a pair of socks. When he got back, she was perched primly on the edge of the couch, the striped bag on her lap.
“Sorry about that.” Riker ran both hands through his hair, trying to restore it to order. “I dozed off.”
“No problem.” She fumbled in the bag and pulled out a stack of ties in various shades of blue. “Tracie dropped these off this morning. You’ll need to make sure each groomsman gets the tie that matches the color of the dress of the bridesmaid he’s escorting.”
“I’ll just hand them out before the ceremony. Will that be okay?”
“I guess so.” Mariah fiddled with the ties, running her fingers along their sharply creased sides. “Amy wants everyone to have an Eldredge knot, though, and some of the guys might need to practice.”
“Okay, I’ll tell them, but no promises they’ll get it right,” he warned.
“Tell them to watch the tutorials on YouTube,” Mariah said. “I tried it last night and it just takes a little patience.”
They sat in silence for a moment while she stared at the flames behind the glass door of the wood-burning stove.
“How’s the store going?” he asked, taking note of the dark circles under her eyes and the weary slump to her shoulders.
“It’s okay,” Mariah said with a sigh. “I was up most of the night painting. Hopefully we can get it open in the next few days. It’s not perfect, but the important thing is to get it open.” She flashed him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry I was rude the other day. I had a lot on my mind and …” she let it hang for a minute then sighed. “You went to a lot of trouble to find out about the permits. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Riker said immediately. “But can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe I’m kind of a dunce about wedding stuff, but it seems like you’re doing an awful lot. Is that always how it is with a maid of honor?”
“Um, I guess?” Mariah said, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never been one before, but all the websites say there’s a lot to do.”
“What else are you in charge of?” Riker asked, feeling like he was getting off easy, despite the Eldredge knot.
Her eyes went vague with thought. “A couple of bridal showers, making sure the bridesmaid dresses are done and their hairstyles aren’t too wild, helping at the rehearsal and with cleanup after the reception, planning the bachelorette party, and helping Amy send thank you notes. Sometimes the maid of honor gives a speech at the reception, but I made her promise not to make me do that.”
Riker whistled under his breath.
“What about you? Are you giving a toast?” Mariah asked.
“Yeah, but it’s going to be short. Are you sure you can handle all that plus the store? It seems like a lot.”
“Well, you only get married once. Or at least, you hope you only get married once,” Mariah said. “I want to help make it special for her.”
“You will,” Riker said quickly. “You already are.”
“Thanks,” she gave him a small smile then stood up. “I’ll let you get back to your nap.”
But he was wide awake now, every nerve on fire, itching to touch her. “I’m good,” he said, trying to keep it casual. “What are your plans for today?”
“There’s always something to do at the store. Now that the walls are done, we can pull up the carpet. And Mrs. Davies gave me a box of books I need to go through. I’m not sure they’re all suitable for the store, but we’ll see.” She shook her head slightly “Sorry, that was probably TMI. What are you doing?”
He threw her a quick grin. “I’m going ice fishing. Wanna come?”
“I have so much to do,” she mused and for a minute she was afraid she’s say no. Then her eyes lit up. “It’d be nice to play hooky for a day.”
“So that’s a yes, you’ll come?”
His heart leapt when she nodded.
* * *
The sky was murky gray with the smell of snow in the air. Riker eyed the clouds, his breath puffing in the cold. Mariah was inside putting on one of his spare snowsuits while he loaded the gear onto the sled behind the snowmobile. Casperson Pond wasn’t far and if a storm came in they could be back here in no time.
He cranked the tie-down straps, securing the load to the sled, then went inside. “You ready?” he hollered.
The bathroom door opened and Mariah stepped out, completely dwarfed by the black snowsuit. The crotch hung almost to her knees and she’d rolled up the sleeves so much that the fabric stood out from both wrists in fat coils. The suit would have obscured her shape completely, except she’d taken the pink scarf from her coat and tied it around her waist to act like a belt. With the puffiness of the suit and the narrowness of her waist, she made the perfect hourglass.
He grinned. “Wow. I never knew snowsuits could be so sexy.”
“Don’t underestimate the power of Retro Barbie,” Mariah said with a wink. She glanced down at her stocking feet. “Though it’s a good thing I decided to buy actual snow boots. There’s no way I’d fit yours.” She waddled to the living room like an a
dorable penguin, where her white Northsides waited.
After she got the boots on, he handed her a pair of thick gloves and a knit hat, then led her through the kitchen and out the back door of the cabin, afraid he might need to shove an icicle down the back of his neck to cool off. He’d meant it, snowsuits weren’t supposed to be sexy. How did she do that?
“Don’t you need to lock up?” Mariah asked as he shut the door and started toward the snowmobile.
“Up here? Nah. Who’s going to break in? A bear?”
“Maybe?”
Riker pointed to the large glass window above the kitchen sink. “If a bear wants in, he’ll get in. One measly lock on the door isn’t going to make much difference.” He swung one leg over the seat of the snowmobile. “Make sure you hang on—I don’t want to have to dig you out of a snowbank.”
Mariah laughed and clambered on behind him, awkward in the snowsuit. She wrapped her arms around his waist and the feeling of her body pressing against his back sent his heart flipping.
Riker turned the key and pressed the starter and the engine roared to life. Mariah’s grip tightened around his waist as he pushed the accelerator and they leaped forward. He rounded the cabin and steered the snowmobile down the main road to where it forked, then took the left fork, driving deeper into the forest.
He’d made this trip many times before, but never with a retro Barbie in an oversized snowsuit pressed against his back. Did she realize what the snow would do to her carefully sculpted hair? He looked over his shoulder and caught her eye. “Doing okay?” he yelled over the sound of the engine.
“Yep,” she called back. “Can you go faster?”
Laughing, he hit the throttle and the snowmobile took off, sending waves of snow shooting out like wings on either side of the skis. Mariah squealed, sending shivers down his spine.
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 49
