Thinking about clothing was only a distraction. His future happiness was at stake and he couldn’t blow it.
Way to put the pressure on yourself, Ferris.
He told himself even if he couldn’t convince Hailey of his veracity and sincerity tonight, he wouldn’t give up. Eventually, he would make her see she could trust him.
Winn strolled into the church with several last-minute stragglers and found a seat in the back row.
When the bride entered, he stood with the rest of the guests and scanned the crowd for Hailey. Though he knew she was here—likely sitting with Cassidy—he hadn’t been able to spot them. Winn tried looking for unusual shades of hair, not knowing what Cassidy would have chosen for today’s festivities, but didn’t see any out-of-the-ordinary colors.
* * *
Staying behind to make sure Karla’s face was picture-perfect, Hailey watched with pride as her friend started down the aisle toward her waiting groom.
She waited until Karla was all the way down the aisle and standing beside Justin before searching for a seat.
Cassidy had promised to save a place beside her, but the church was so packed, Hailey was certain that hadn’t been possible. She scanned the last few pews in case there was a spot open.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Winn.
She was certain she hadn’t said his name aloud, but he turned and his eyes locked with hers.
No. She couldn’t handle this. Not now.
For a second, she stood there, her feet heavy and unmoving, as if rooted in concrete. After giving three solid knocks against her ribs, her heart launched into an unsteady rhythm that made her light-headed.
Hailey whirled and began to run, rushing through a side door and into the bright sunshine. She couldn’t speak with him. Not now. Any future conversations between them needed to be adult and rational. Right now her emotions were too close to the surface.
She slipped around the corner of the church and rested her back against the building, her breath coming in fast puffs. Shutting her eyes against the glare of the sun, she focused on slowing her breathing and her thoughts.
“Hailey.” A warm hand closed around her arm.
Resisting the impulse to jerk away—which would have been childish—Hailey opened her eyes with a resigned sigh.
“Are you okay?” A frown furrowed Winn’s brow.
“Just peachy. Why wouldn’t I be?” she heard herself say. If using the word peachy in a sentence wasn’t horrible enough, her voice broke on the last word.
To his credit, Winn pretended not to notice either occurrence, though the lines edging his eyes deepened.
“Come with me. Let’s sit for a minute.” He gestured with his head toward a heavily lacquered deacon’s bench sitting beneath a large oak.
“I should get back to the ceremony,” Hailey said vaguely.
“I doubt they’ll miss either of us.” He flashed a grin then sobered. “A few minutes of your time. Please.”
Perhaps it was the please. Hailey couldn’t be sure. Her brain was operating on some sort of auxiliary power.
She crossed the lawn in her blue silk dress, her heels digging into the soft earth, Winn silent beside her.
He didn’t attempt to take her arm or touch her. That was good, she told herself. She needed to stay strong.
He waited for her to take a seat then settled beside her. “About last night—”
“Tell me something.” Hailey swiveled, her gaze pinning him. Though running into him unexpectedly meant she was forced to wing it, she refused to let Winn control the conversation. “Why didn’t you let me know you’d invited Cam’s grandparents to Jackson Hole?”
“I’m so used to handling things on my own that I plunged ahead. No. That’s not correct. If the move backfired, I wanted the onus to be on me.”
“Not because I encouraged you.”
“It was my decision,” he repeated, his gaze steady. “Only mine.”
They both knew she had been the one to first suggest then encourage the contact. Yet Winn appeared determined to take total responsibility for the outcome.
“Okay,” she said. “Understood.”
And Hailey did understand. He’d been trying to protect her.
Winn reached out, then appeared to think better of it and pressed his palms against his thighs instead. “I owe you another apology.”
Recalling the rest of Josh’s words brought a weary heaviness back to Hailey’s heart.
“It was wrong to be jealous of you and Liam. It’s just that you used to date him and...” Winn paused and shook his head, as if finding his thoughts jumbled and in need of clearing. “It’s my hang-up and I put it on you. I’m sorry. You’re not Vanessa. You’re honest and I know I can trust you.”
She tried to hold them back, truly she did, but despite her best efforts, two fat tears slipped down her cheeks.
Wuss, she chastised herself. You have all these questions and, instead of asking them, you’re going to sit here and cry?
Hailey swiped at the tears. Having an adult conversation meant being honest. Tears were a sign of honest emotions. Her words needed to be equally forthright.
“Josh said you and your dad had a con going. That you were using me to get to Tripp.”
Winn reached out and took her hand, resisting her attempts to pull away. “Why would I need to use you to get access to your brother? He’s a public official with an open-door policy. And if you believe Tripp would vote based on a personal relationship, you don’t know him as well as I thought you did.”
For the first time Hailey could see the differences between Josh’s and Winn’s situations. Josh had wanted to secure a position in Tripp’s office. Winn didn’t need her to get close to Tripp. She experienced a tiny surge of hope. Then she remembered something else Josh had said. “Would you have a better chance of gaining custody of Cam if you were married?”
“Probably, but since I’m not married, it isn’t a factor.” Winn’s gaze searched her face. “That’s the truth, Hailey.”
“But Josh—”
“Josh is a lying weasel.” Winn spat the words. “If I could replay this morning, I’d punch him in the mouth rather than the eye.”
“You hit him?”
“He had it coming.” Winn’s jaw jutted out, daring her to disagree.
Hailey smiled. “Is it wrong that I’m glad you hit him?”
“I sure don’t regret it,” he admitted. “Other than my hitting him did a number on my knuckles.”
“Let me see.” She lifted his hand then kissed the bruised, swollen flesh. “I’m sorry, Winn. I shouldn’t have jumped so quickly to the wrong conclusions. Being so worried about someone using me is my hang-up. And I put it on you.”
“We’re quite the pair.”
Hailey’s laugh was rueful. “Yeah, quite the pair.”
“Perfectly matched.” Winn caressed her face with the back of his hand. “I love you, Hailey Randall.”
“I love you, Winston Ferris.” Her heart was in her throat, making her voice thick with emotion. “And I love Cam. I want us to be a family. All three of us.”
Winn pulled her close as the bells began to peel and the bride and groom, along with their wedding party and guests, spilled from the church. He smiled. “That’ll be us someday.”
“Happy and in love?” Hailey kissed him full on the mouth. “We’re already there.”
Chapter Eighteen
“He won’t ask me to marry him, Cass.” Hailey blew out an exasperated breath, twirling one way and then the other in her friend’s brightly colored salon chair.
Cassidy had been ringing up the last customer when Hailey arrived. The closed sign was now on the door and would remain there through tomorrow, the Fourth of July.
Jackson Hole citizens loved their holidays and Independence Day was no exception. For twenty-four hours the area was one big party, with activities for kids of all ages ending with a huge fireworks display over Snow King.
For weeks Hailey had looked forward to the holiday, imagining all the fun she’d have spending it with Winn and Cam. Now it looked as if it would be just her and Winn.
Winn was at the airport right now picking up Larry and Jan Robinette, who would spend the next three days reconnecting with their grandson. She’d wanted to ride along. Not only because she was curious and eager to meet them but to support Winn. Though he hid his concern well from Cam, Hailey could see he was tense and worried about the visit.
“I thought you’d be hanging with Winn and grands tonight.” Cassidy punctuated the comment by dumping a dustpan full of hair into the trash can.
“I wanted to,” Hailey spun the chair to the right, then stopped and flung the chair in the other direction. “But Winn wouldn’t budge. He absolutely refuses to do anything that might look like he’s using me to gain leverage in a custody battle.”
“Since when does Winn Ferris care what anyone thinks?”
“Exactly.” Hailey grit her teeth and spun the chair hard.
She looked up in surprise when it came to an abrupt halt.
“Stop with the spinning.” Cassidy put a hand to her mass of blond hair tipped with royal blue. “You’re making me dizzy. And more than a little crazy.”
“You’re always crazy.” Hailey grinned up at her friend. “That’s what I like about you.”
“It’s one of my most endearing qualities.” Cassidy untied the leopard smock she’d worn over her purple tunic and black knit pants and whipped it off.
“You know what I like about you, chickadee.” Cassidy dropped into the hot-pink salon chair next to Hailey’s canary-yellow one, her vivid blue eyes surprisingly serious. “You’ve got spunk.”
Hailey shook her head. Right now she felt more like a wimp than a warrior. “I’m not particularly...spunky.”
Cassidy brought a long gold-tipped nail to her lips and continued as if Hailey hadn’t spoken. “You remind me a lot of Sparky, the neighbor’s terrier when I was growing up.”
“What kind of terrier?” Hailey brightened. “A cute little Yorkie?”
“Rat terrier.”
Hailey wrinkled her nose, not sure whether to laugh or be offended. “A rat terrier?”
“Don’t make that face,” Cassidy chided. “They’re all heart and they don’t back down.”
“That’s not me, Cass. I do back down.”
Cassidy frowned. “That doesn’t sound like my little rat terrier.”
Hailey blew out an exasperated breath. “I wanted to be there to meet Cam’s grandparents, but I let Winn make the decision.”
“Why?” Cassidy didn’t sound condemning of her or Winn, only curious.
“It’s so darn important for him to show me he’s not using me. He wants everyone in Jackson Hole to know I’m not a pawn in one of his schemes. I think he’s supersensitive about that since our...disagreement last weekend.”
“Winn Ferris. Supersensitive.” A thoughtful look crossed Cassidy’s face before she shook her head. “Not possible.”
“Stop.” With a laugh, Hailey reach out and swiped at her. “You’re talking about the man I love.”
And, dear God, how she loved him. Totally. Completely. With every fiber of her being. She loved him with a depth that would have been scary if it hadn’t been so wonderful. The new level of trust between them had made it possible for her to let go of her fears and fully open her heart to him.
“I want to be Winn’s wife, Cass. I want his face to be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see when I wake up each morning. I want to be there for him day after day, year after year. I want to be Cam’s mom. I want the three of us to be a family.”
“Sounds like you know what you want, chickadee.”
“I do.” Hailey threw up her hands in frustration. “But Winn won’t propose.”
“There’s one thing I remember best about Sparky.” Cassidy’s hot-pink lips lifted as she met Hailey’s gaze. “If that dog saw something he wanted, nothing stopped him from getting it.”
* * *
Independence Day turned out to be picture-perfect with temperatures in the low eighties and a sunny, cloudless sky. But what made it wonderful for Winn Ferris was that he was with the woman he loved.
Strolling with Hailey through Alpine Field, one hand holding hers, the other wrapped around a picnic basket, filled Winn with a contentment he’d never thought to find in this lifetime. The only thing that would make it more perfect was for Cam to be with them and for Hailey to be his wife.
Cole had said the past didn’t determine the future. While that was true, his history of exploiting situations for his own gain had come to roost in the present. Winn vowed when he and Hailey started their married life together, no one would doubt his intentions were honorable and his love was true.
Still, he longed to put a ring on her finger, to publicly declare his love for her and his commitment to their future.
Hailey came to a halt in front of a massive bur oak. With a trunk diameter of at least eight feet, it soared toward the heavens. She smiled with satisfaction. “We have the best spot in the whole field.”
This morning, while Cam had been chowing down on pancakes with his grandparents at the Jaycee Pancake Feed downtown, he and Hailey had participated in a land rush to stake their claim on this particular spot. The four stakes they’d laid out at nine were still there. The ribbons and flags they’d been issued in their surveyor’s kit now fluttered in the light breeze.
The presymphony entertainment had just begun with a popular band belting out rock tunes. The Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra wouldn’t take the stage until six.
Still, the field buzzed with energy from the enthusiastic crowd. Local vendors had set up tents, providing food and beverages as well as games and activities.
Hailey spread the blue plaid blanket she’d carried draped over one arm on the ground, while Winn waited, holding a picnic basket filled with food and drink. Once she was satisfied with the placement, Hailey settled on the blanket and patted the spot beside her.
Winn took his place under the tree next to her. He glanced up at the leafy canopy shading them from the afternoon sun. “You were right. This is a perfect spot.”
“If you get too close to the stage, it’s loud and difficult to talk.” Hailey smiled up at him, looking like an enchanting sprite with her hair pulled back in a flouncy tail. “It’s a little farther to the concession stands from here, but we have our food and that fabulous bottle of wine. Plus, the tree makes it super easy for anyone to find us. So if Cam gets lonely—”
“He won’t.” Winn tried to sound cheerful. “Every time he sees Larry and Jan, he’s excited. He’s practically out the door before he remembers to say goodbye to me.”
Cam had been glued to his grandparents’ sides since he’d first seen them. At the airport, his son had run to their open arms, then, after lots of hugs and kisses, had tugged Larry and Jan back to him. Winn could tell they weren’t too happy to hear Cam calling him Daddy.
To their credit, they didn’t correct him and he could tell they were trying to be civil. He also had done his best to keep things pleasant.
Last night they’d had dinner together at Perfect Pizza. Winn had found himself wishing again for Hailey. She’d not only have charmed and put Larry and Jan at ease, she’d have steadied him.
“He loves you.”
Winn blinked and focused on Hailey. She looked as sweet and delectable as an ice-cream sundae in her pink shorts and white top. But he’d learned there was a thread of steel behind the fluff. An intelligent woman who embraced the fun side of lif
e but who had an inner strength to deal with whatever life would throw at her in the years ahead. Throw at them, he amended.
He couldn’t wait to make her his wife. And he already knew she’d be a wonderful mother to Cam and to any other children they might have....
“I love you,” he said suddenly, fiercely.
She lifted a hand, cupped his cheek and stared into his eyes. “I love you, too.”
Just hearing the words brought a sweet relief to his heart and had the tension in his shoulders easing.
“We’ll be together, forever,” he promised. Placing his arms around her, he pulled her to him. His lips were on hers when his phone rang.
“Ignore it,” she murmured.
“Can’t.” He sat back. “I gave my number to Larry and Jan in case of emergency.”
Hailey kept her gaze on him as he pulled the phone from his pocket. Despite the heat of the day, a shiver went through her when his expression tensed.
“We’re by the large oak,” he said. “It’s impossible to miss.”
She expected him to hang up, but he continued to listen.
“It’s no bother. This has been a lot for a little boy to handle.” His expression softened and his voice sounded kind. “It’ll give us a chance to become better acquainted. See you in five.”
Worry formed a knot in Hailey’s belly. “What happened?”
“Cam started crying, saying he wants me.”
Though this should have been a moment of triumph for Winn, Hailey saw only concern for Cam in the worry furrowing his brow.
“They tried to soothe him but he insisted on seeing me. Apparently he’s worried I left him.”
Hailey took his hand, brought it to her lips for a kiss. “He’s just a little boy who gets worried and scared.”
“Hailey.” Cam’s voice rang out a second before he flung himself at her. “I didn’t know you were here.” He glanced around, his tear-streaked face bright and alert. “Is Bandit with you?”
She shook her head. “He’s at home.”
Cam turned back to his grandparents. “Bandit is a dog. He’s Hailey’s, but he likes me, too. I can show you all the tricks he can do.”
Ready, Set, I Do! (Rx for Love) Page 19
