He scoffed. "Of course he did." He should have known Reed would go running to Lucy before he had a chance to talk to her. It was the perfect opportunity to make Dylan out to be the villain while he played the hero. "It doesn't have anything to do with him. I came here to tell you the truth."
She rolled her eyes. "Sure you did. Reed was looking out for me. You're the one who snuck behind my back and had a meeting with his uncle."
Dylan's boots felt like they were made of stone.
"So what's the deal with you and J.T?" Lucy asked. "Is he actually considering you for the job? Are you interviewing for it?"
That shock that he'd be in the running—as if her rejection didn't hurt enough. "Like I said before, he approached me first. He said it will come down to the food at the wedding. He'll make his decision after the reception."
"So you and I are competing for the job now?"
"That's right."
She threw her hands in the air. "Great. First you come waltzing into the tasting and take the catering job from me, and now you have the nerve to pull a stunt like this. And you wonder why I never trusted that counterfeit good-guy thing you do with the thick drawl and the cocky smile. You've been working all of us—me, Nana, Paige, and J.T.—the entire time."
He glanced at the people starting to stare and leaned closer to her. "Look, I know you're mad." Madder than a wet hen. "But there's no reason to accuse me of a conspiracy here. I didn't fake anything or work anybody. J.T. presented me with an opportunity, and I would be a fool not to go for it."
"Fine, but spare me the false chivalry from here on out. We're competitors now, and I've let you beat me at my own game too many times." She stomped away, the crowd parting for her as he let her go.
#
The bell of the bridal store dinged as Lucy stepped inside. Two slender, headless mannequins stood in mermaid gowns in the middle of the rows of white dresses hanging from racks against the wall.
"Excuse me," a polite voice said behind her.
Lucy spun to find a woman as thin as the plastic statues standing between them. "I'm Margo. Are you here to find your wedding dress?" she asked with a soft southern drawl.
Lucy laughed, followed by an undignified snort. "Definitely not."
The woman smiled with more Texas charm than Lucy would have in her whole life.
She cleared her throat. "My name is Lucy Pickett, and I'm looking for someone. I believe Heather Tornsten is having her dress fitting today. Paige, the wedding planner, said I could find them here."
The woman nodded and turned around. "She's in the fittings department with the seamstress. Follow me this way, please."
Lucy managed not to knock her faceless friends down as she hurried to catch up to Margo.
She led her to a room with thick curtains hanging in front of changing rooms. A taupe low-back couch sat in the center of the room facing the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Paige was perched beside Nana on the sofa. "Heather, I really think you should consider a tiara with your veil."
"Nana," she said from behind one of the curtains. "I really don't think a tiara goes with my dress."
Nana, wearing another designer track suit, took a crown encrusted with crystals and pearls and stuck it on top of her wild curls. "Then, can I get one to wear with mine?"
Margo cleared her throat. "Lucy Pickett is here to see you."
Paige and Nana's faces turned to her, both mouths open in surprise.
Paige stood. "What are you doing here? When you asked what we were working on, you didn't mention you'd be stopping by."
Before Lucy could answer, Heather stepped out from behind the curtain.
The sophisticated one-shoulder dress hugged her figure, and a flourish of tulle flared out from the dropped waist.
Lucy, Paige, Nana and Margo gasped at the sight of her.
The fabric draped and gathered in all the right places, and the sparse crystals on the bodice gave it just enough sparkle.
Lucy had never been the girl who bought wedding magazines or dreamed of her wedding day, but a pang of loneliness shot through her.
Nana, still wearing the tiara, stood with her hands over her mouth, looking like she'd just won the Miss America pageant. "Sweetheart, you look just as darling in that dress as the day you first tried it on."
"It's stunning," Paige said.
"Let me get a look at that." Nana pulled Heather's arms out to her sides, examining the delicate white dress. "You look breathtaking. Just breathtaking."
Lucy nodded. "You look beautiful."
Heather cocked her head. "Lucy, I didn't know you'd be here."
Suddenly feeling out of place, she swallowed her doubt—about being here and about what she wanted to say to Nana and Heather. "I know you're busy with the planning. Paige told me about your fitting, and I thought this might be a convenient time."
Nana walked toward a small room of veils and headpieces. "Paige, why don't you come help me pick out something sparkly?"
Heather turned to face the mirror, smoothing out the bodice with her hands. "It has been pretty crazy these past few weeks. What do we need to talk about?"
Guilt pricked at her, and she forced it away. Obviously Dylan's conscience hadn't stopped him from going to J.T.'s office and pulling her dream job out from under her. "I wanted to discuss the catering, and...Dylan." This was the only way she knew to protect her career—and her heart. "I think that having us both cater was wonderful in theory, but we're struggling to come up with a menu to fit such an elegant wedding. I'm afraid adding Dylan has just made things too complicated."
A woman with a tape measure draped around her neck and pins in her mouth knelt beside Heather and began tugging at the dress.
Heather's forehead wrinkled. "You want us to fire Dylan?"
"Fire is a harsh word. It's just that you, Paige, and Nana have worked so hard to make everything perfect. I want your food to be perfect too. A dress that beautiful deserves a beautiful reception."
She looked back to the mirror. "What about Wyatt? He really wants some of the food he likes to eat."
Lucy stepped around the seamstress, who was crouched on the floor pinning the hem of the dress. "Wyatt loves you. He'll understand how important this is to you."
Lines of worry appeared on Heather's face, and her eyes began to well up with tears.
"I didn't mean to upset you," Lucy said, but it was clear by the look on her face that this wasn't about the food anymore. "Is everything okay?"
Heather glanced back to the doorway Nana and Paige had gone through. "It's not your fault. I'm trying to put on a good face for Nana today, but all I can think of is Wyatt. He's probably on the back of some big bull as we speak."
Lucy shook her head. "That would be hard."
"On one hand, I want him to give up the bull riding. On the other, I don't want to make Wyatt sacrifice something he really wants. What if he is miserable without it and resents me for it?" Heather sniffed. "I want him to marry me for all the right reasons. I love him, but I don't know how I can learn to live with this big ball of fear I carry because of him. If I lost him, I..."
Not knowing what to say, Lucy hurried over to a box of tissues beside the sofa where Nana had been sitting.
Heather took one but only wadded it in a little ball in her hand. "I'm only dumping this on you because Paige told me about your dad."
Lucy hadn't talked to anyone about her father in years. Now, here she was being forced to face it. She'd never imagined talking to someone like Heather about it, certainly not among all these fancy dresses with the seamstress still pinning the hem at Heather's feet. "That was a long time ago."
Her red eyes pleaded with Lucy. "I need to know what you would do in my position."
Lucy searched for a simple answer for so many complex emotions. "I...I guess I'd have to say I could never marry a bull rider, but if you love him—"
"Let's make it even tighter," Nana said, hustling back into the room with an armful of what looked like beauty pageant crowns
. "We want it to look like she was sewn into it."
Paige followed behind her carrying a much more understated hair band.
The seamstress, seemingly oblivious to their conversation, stood and pulled the dress tighter around the waist and Heather sucked in a sharp gasp of air.
"Too much?" the seamstress asked through the pins.
Nana's gaze bounced back and forth between Lucy and Heather. "What did I miss?"
Lucy stepped between then. "We were just talking about the direction of the food."
"Lucy thinks that Dylan shouldn't cater the reception," Heather said from behind her.
"Hogwash," Nana said.
Hogwash? Lucy tried to ignore the questioning looks from Paige. "It's just that I want the food to be perfect, and combining the two styles is proving to be a challenge."
Nana took her hand. "You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure out how to make it work."
Chapter Thirteen
Reed opened the passenger door of his sports car and held a hand out to Lucy. "Are you ready for this?"
She smiled and nodded like she should, but the answer was simple. She was most certainly not ready to face Dylan, Nana, and her parents, all on the same night. Hopefully, she could avoid them for most of the event. Nana and her parents would know everyone and have plenty of people to schmooze, and she didn't care what Dylan did, as long as he kept his distance from her.
She wobbled on her heels as Reed helped her from the low seat. She wasn't sure which was more challenging, climbing up into Dylan's big truck when they drove to Oklahoma or trying to look graceful while getting out of Reed's tiny two-seater. Smoothing the silky fabric of her navy dress, she wondered how she'd ever let Paige talk her into wearing it. The halter top hugged her curves. She didn't want Reed to get the wrong idea. Sure. It seemed like he'd changed, but could it last? Hopefully, tonight would give her some clarity.
"You look great by the way," he said as the valet zoomed off in the car behind them.
"That's very sweet of you to say, and I appreciate you coming with me tonight. I know a fundraiser for small-breed dogs isn't your cup of tea."
"Are you kidding? I was excited you invited me."
She stared up at the wide stairway to the front door, imagining her heel slipping out from under her and causing her to tumble down backward. She hesitated before taking the first step.
Reed offered her his arm.
Grateful, she hung onto him.
When they were halfway up the stairs, the carved wood doors of the club opened. Her shoes wobbled underneath her at the sight of Dylan in a suit and boots.
Reed covered her hand with his. "Whoa. Are you okay?"
She gave a stilted laugh. "I'm fine."
Dylan held the door open for them as they made their way up. "Lucy Pickett and Reed Shaw. I should have known you two crazy kids would arrive together."
The sight of him sent heat rushing into her cheeks. "Dylan."
His hand still cupped over hers, Reed stiffened. "Already headed home? The dinner hasn't even begun."
"Nah. Nana asked me to carry a couple of auction items in from her car. Just doing what I can to help."
Lucy did her best not to roll her eyes. "Always the gentleman," she said. "Let's find our table, Reed."
They stepped inside, but she could still feel Dylan's gaze on her from the doorway.
"It's Table 22," Dylan called out. "Also known as the 'Pekingese' table."
Lucy stopped, let go of Reed's arm, and turned around. "How do you know where we'll be sitting?"
He gave a lazy grin. "I saw your name cards. Nana put us at the same table."
Reed snorted. "You've got to be kidding me," he said under his breath.
Dylan pointed at them. "I'll see you two inside."
As Lucy returned to her place on his arm, Reed cursed under his breath. "I honestly can't understand why my uncle would even consider that hack for his restaurant."
Lucy shook her head. "Let's try to enjoy our night anyway."
The ballroom was already filled with people mingling around round tables with over-the-top centerpieces of roses and lilies adorned with collars, leashes, and dog toys sticking out from the blooms and leaves. Very Nana-esque.
Reed led her to a table that was set with a plum-colored table cloth and gold-trimmed china. "At least he's all the way across from us. Maybe we can pretend he's not here."
Unfortunately, she'd already learned that ignoring Dylan was pretty much impossible. "Maybe." She set her clutch, another loaner from Paige, on the table. A dinner with Reed and Dylan together. Could this night get any worse?
"Hey, Lucy," Reed said, his brow wrinkled. "Looks like your mom and stepdad will be sitting over here by Dylan.
Her pulse sped as she raced around the table to see for herself. Almost forgetting about the painful shoes, she clutched the back of the chair to keep from falling. Written in calligraphy was Dylan Lawson's name right next to Beth Morgan.
No. No. No. She groaned.
"What's wrong? They don't get along?"
She shook her head. "It's not that. I mean, they haven't seen each other since Dylan and I were fourteen. It's a long story." She shouldn't have mentioned it. Now she'd be obligated to lay out the whole complicated tale for Reed.
Instead his gaze moved behind her.
"What is it?" she asked.
He straightened his tie. "A potential client just walked in. He'd be a great contact for me. I'm going to say hello."
Lucy painted on a smile, trying not to be irritated. Reed ditching her for someone more important only reminded her why they'd broken up. "I'll be here."
Dylan returned to the ballroom with a huge cardboard box, smiling and nodding at people as he made his way through the crowd. She forced herself to look away, annoyed that her gaze always seemed to find him in a crowd.
"Lucy, Dear," Nana called from across the room. She wore a purple and gold dress that matched the decor of the room, and Penelope wore a gold lamé dog collar. Nana put a hand on Lucy's elbow and pushed her away from the table. "Could you help Dylan get those auction items set up on the tables? We didn't expect to have so many last-minute donations."
Lucy opened her mouth to object, but Nana disappeared before she could get out of it. She glanced at Reed, who was now sitting at the bar, talking to a group of men.
She sighed and made her way to Dylan at the other end of the room. He looked up and cocked his head in surprise. "What are you doing over here?"
"Nana instructed me to come help you, and for some reason, that woman always manages to get her way."
Dylan laughed. "Reminds me of someone else I know. Maybe Nana should run for Congress. She'd whip this country into shape in no time." He handed her a blue velvet bracelet box from the donations. "Can you fill out a silent auction form for this?"
She flipped the lid open to find a diamond and platinum tennis bracelet. "Wow. Nana has gone all out with this fundraiser."
Dylan thumbed through a stack of envelopes he'd taken from the cardboard box. "No kidding. Vacations, golf lessons with a professional golfer, spa days." He held one up. "Here's one for cooking lessons. What do you think? Should we bid on it?"
She didn't laugh, still too angry with him.
He cleared his throat. "So where's your date?"
She didn't look up from the piece of paper she was filling out, embarrassed she'd already been abandoned. "Reed's at the bar. How about you? You didn't bring anyone?"
"I do just fine on my own. I actually prefer it this way."
They were both silent for a moment. "I saw that you're going to be sitting beside my mom tonight," Lucy said.
Dylan slid the empty cardboard box under the table. "I noticed that. It'll be nice to catch up with her."
She fidgeted with the pen. "Listen, could you avoid talking about my father? It's a sensitive subject."
"You don't give me enough credit, Lucy. Bringing up your father's accident wasn't on my list of ice breakers."<
br />
Her face finally turned to him. "Then maybe you could avoid talking about the ranch or pretty much anything in our past."
"That's quite a list."
Debating on how much to say, she straightened a basket of wine and glasses on the table. "The thing is, she doesn't know the whole story. Not the way you and I know it, anyway. We never really talked about it."
His eyes narrowed. "What part exactly?"
She let out a deep breath. "She doesn't know I gave my dad that flier about the rodeo or that I knew where he'd gone." A guilt she was accustomed to carrying crept through her. She'd been the one who told her father about the rodeo, even after her mother had begged him to give up the rodeo life. Lucy had been so eager to win his approval, to feel a connection to him, that she'd even lied to her mother to cover for him. "My mom doesn't need any more reasons to think of me as a failure. If she knew I was to blame for him going to that rodeo..."
Dylan put his hand on her arm, and all the emotions she'd kept hidden away for years threatened to escape.
"You were fourteen," he said, his tone serious. "There is no way you could have known what would happen." He stood in front of her, bending his knees to force her to look in his eyes. "You're not to blame for your father's accident. Not in any way."
Lucy stood there in the comfort of his touch before crashing back down to the party full of people and the reality that he couldn't be trusted. She'd accepted that the guilt she carried would be part of her life forever. She shifted, stepping out of his reach. "I appreciate that. I really do, but..."
When she let her words trail off, he shook his head. "Don't you think you eventually need to deal with this? Get it out in the open. Maybe get some closure."
Closure? Shouldn't ignoring it for over a decade be enough closure for everyone? Picking up and moving on—wasn't that closure? "It's not that easy."
Her mom and Kenneth stepped through the door, smiling and laughing with another couple. No way she was going to let him ruin her mother's tenuous happiness. Maybe her family wasn't like his. Maybe he could have a big heart-to-heart like that with his father and sister, but it didn't work that way in her family. The last thing she needed was for Dylan to drag her painful family secrets out in the open, especially now that she was on the verge of proving herself to her family.
Kiss the Cowboy Page 11
