Something Blue, page 3
She said the choice was completely up to them, but the look on her face said she had a very strong opinion and knew exactly what they should do.
“I think you should get married back here,” Sawyer blurted.
All three of them stopped walking, drawing him up short.
He had no idea why he’d played devil’s advocate. Maybe it was Beth’s assuredness that made him want to engage. Her confidence calling him to match wits. He couldn’t care less if they had the ceremony up front, out back, or side to side, but he couldn’t resist debating even a pointless point with Beth and her freckles.
“If everyone else uses the front, why not be different? Right?”
“You make an interesting point,” she said. “But it really depends on what the couple wants.”
“What do you think?” He asked his brother, praying he’d take his side and make the tour a little more interesting.
“Um. Both are nice, I guess. I’d be fine either way. What do you think, Shelby?”
Shelby looked to Beth. “I think…the front?”
“You’ll be happier with how it looks.”
“Okay, the front.” Shelby nodded, her relief plain.
“Then you can do the reception around back,” Beth added.
Shelby clasped her hands together like a little kid who just found out she was getting ice cream. “Yes! This is going to be so perfect.”
“What if it rains?” Sawyer asked.
They all stared at him, bordering on horrified.
“Do you really think it might rain?” Shelby pleaded.
“No, of course it won’t rain.” Beth cut her eyes at Sawyer.
Was she a meteorologist now too?
“And, on the way off chance it even sprinkles, we can move things inside like that.” Beth snapped her fingers.
That got the group moving again, and they’d returned to the front of the house when he found he couldn’t help but poke at the perfect plans again.
“Do you set up for a whole wedding inside, too, just in case? Is that how you can move locations like that?” He snapped his fingers too.
He was goading her. Why was he doing it, though? He couldn’t possibly care less about how you moved a wedding inside.
Beth’s green eyes flashed again.
Oh yeah, that was why.
“We have our ways,” she said.
“Garrett!” Shelby exclaimed. “Oh my gosh. This would be perfect for our wedding portrait. Come see.” She all but ran to the gazebo, pulling him along.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Beth turned to Sawyer. “I apologize if I’m off base here, but I get the feeling you’d rather they didn’t get married at Orchard Inn.” Brow scrunched, her little nose wrinkled up, and she only got cuter.
It was his turn to stare. “What?”
“Shelby and Garrett told me about his family home. Your home, Silva Ranch, and I don’t blame you for wanting to have the wedding there. I’d want my sisters getting married at home too.”
Huh? The last thing he wanted was to host a wedding at the ranch. Talk about a nightmare.
“And I know your family is paying for part of the event and, as such, you have a very big say in what does and doesn’t happen with the wedding.”
Why did it always come back around to money?
“However, since the bride and groom are certain they want to be married here at Orchard Inn, and I know we all want to make them happy, I’m sure there’s a way we can compromise.”
“Okay?” He didn’t know where she was going with all this, but he enjoyed watching her go.
“There are events that take place before weddings. The ranch could host one.”
Uh-oh. Abort, abort. He did not want a bunch of people all over his place, hobnobbing and jacking their jaws, all up in his business.
“We could also incorporate some of Silva Ranch into the wedding day itself. Make it the best of both worlds. Tell me what you’d like to see happen.”
“I want my brother to be happy.” That was the God’s honest truth.
“I will guarantee that he and Shelby will be beyond happy with their wedding.”
“But,” he quickly added, “I don’t need to have any kind of party at my place. I’d like to include our ranch somehow, but it really doesn’t have to be to that degree. I’ll give it some thought.” Being more involved meant staying at his brother’s flank during all this, but surely that could be accomplished without hosting people at the ranch.
Being more involved also meant doing more with Beth.
“Great. So, we’re good now?”
“We’re good.”
“Good news, guys.” Beth immediately turned from their conversation. “Sawyer is not only on board, but he’s going to help bring a bit of Silva Ranch to the event to represent both families coming together.”
“How?” Shelby asked.
“We might host an event at the ranch and then bring some of the ranch to the wedding. You can leave the details to me.”
“Us,” Sawyer added. “Leave it to us. And we don’t have to have an event at—”
“That’s a great idea.” Garrett gave him a huge smile. “We could do our couples shower at the ranch. Thank you.” He looked as happy as he had when he’d told Sawyer about the engagement.
“You…are welcome.” What else could he say? His brother’s excitement didn’t leave room for him to say no.
But one party was enough.
“And I was thinking, what if all of the other events like…” Sawyer looked to Beth.
“The groom’s dinner?”
“Like the groom’s dinner. What if we had that here? At Orchard Inn? As well.”
Beth’s eyes widened, the first time she’d looked caught off-kilter since they met. “Really? That would be awesome. I mean, yes, we can arrange something, I’m sure.”
“Yay!” Shelby clapped again before squeezing Sawyer like a teddy bear. “See, Garrett? I told you it would be okay.” She looked at Sawyer. “He was so worried about what you’d think and say about all this. I told him you’d be happy for us, but you know how he is.”
Yes, Sawyer certainly did.
Chapter 3
Tell me again why we had to come all the way out to Johnson City on a Saturday to meet Shelby’s man?” Aurora twisted her hair up into a knot and pinned it as they made their way down the sidewalk.
“He’s not her man. He’s her fiancé.”
Cece lagged half a block behind them, gazing into the window of a consignment shop. “We’re also not even half an hour from home,” she called out.
Beth stopped and turned to her sisters. “Huddle up.”
Aurora let her head fall back with a level of drama any teenager would envy. “Not a family huddle.”
“Yes, a family huddle. Come on.” Beth waited until Cece joined them. “Shelby wants us to get to know Garrett better and talk wedding stuff. I think she’s a little self-conscious that they’re getting married so soon. By Texas standards, anyway. Plus, this gets us out of the inn for a bit. Enjoy the break. Planning this wedding is both a marathon and a sprint.”
“Go, team!” Aurora stuck out her hand, palm down, and grinned.
Cece gave her hand a good-natured slap. “Some fun never hurt, and Johnson City has a new fabric shop I’ve been following on Instagram. Now I can go check it out in person, and if they have a nice taffeta, I’m making that dress I showed you.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll behave and enjoy the day. But tell me again why Garrett’s brother is going to be here, if it’s all just wedding talk and getting to know Garrett?”
“Because…” Beth struggled with the explanation.
She was equal parts eager and reluctant to spend time around Sawyer Silva. He wasn’t without his charm, and undeniably good-looking. Big brown eyes, toothy smile, and dimples that managed to make him look more manly than cute.
But beyond all that, she sensed reasons beyond brotherly support and regular interest as his motivation.
She’d expected Shelby’s mother and a mother-in-law to have the opinions and input she must contend with. Not some six-foot-three cowboy.
Then she’d remembered the Silva history from years back. Both parents had passed, decades ago.
Garrett Silva didn’t have a mom and dad. He had an older brother. One who was clearly a force to be reckoned with, and she didn’t need that in her life right now.
“Because why?” Aurora looked at Beth like she’d lost her mind.
“Because he wants to be, I guess. And he’s involved in the wedding.”
“How?”
“He’s paying for part of it and wants to help. And Garrett wants him involved. And the bride and groom get what they want.”
“Jeez. Don’t bite my head off about it.”
“Sorry. I just…I wasn’t expecting a brother-in-law to be involved. I really want this to go well. We need this to go well.”
“We know,” Cece assured her. “And it will. Right?” She looked at Aurora.
“Right.” Aurora squeezed Beth’s hand—this time the gesture was in earnest. “Quit worrying, sis. We’ve got this.”
They walked a few more blocks and turned onto Main Street, into the heart of the festival. The midday festival crowd was light enough that it took Beth only a few minutes to spot Shelby.
In a huge, floppy white sun hat, white shorts, and pale pink top, she glowed, already looking like a bride.
The men standing near her stood out too.
Not just the groom. No, no. The other man.
“Is that Garrett’s brother?” Cece asked.
Miles of jean-clad legs, a short-sleeved shirt that showed off thick arms and the curve of his biceps, his dark hair standing out above the crowd line.
Aurora made a noise by sucking her teeth. “No, I believe that is what folks call a tall drink of water.”
“Aurora,” Beth admonished.
“Please. You either didn’t notice or just failed to mention he’s hot.”
Cece shook her head. “They’re both hot. I can’t imagine dating someone like that.”
“Why?”
“Out of my league much?”
“They are not.” Aurora shook her head. “You’re out of your mind. Any guy would be lucky to have you and the sooner you get that through your head, the better off you’ll be.”
Beth shushed them both as they got closer to the others.
“Hey!” Shelby waved as soon as she saw them and greeted them all with a hug. “I’m so glad you-all could come.”
Introductions were made to her sisters, and Sawyer greeted Beth with a smile.
Beth fidgeted, waiting for the niceties to be over.
Or maybe it was Aurora’s staring at her that made her fidget. Her sister had always been bolder, and even if she thought she was being discreet, she was not.
Finally, the group began wandering down the center of Main Street.
“It’s good to see you again.” Sawyer matched her stride and looked her way with another smile. His eyes lightened in the afternoon sun, a chocolate brown that took her in.
“You too.”
“How have you been?”
“Fine.”
She wanted to roll her eyes at herself. Normally she was the master of small talk and networking, but today she kept clamming up.
Had to be the heat.
Booths lined both sides, selling every kind of food item from apple turnovers to zucchini bread, homemade crafted items, even some art. A band played on one of the side streets, the music drifting in and out.
“Busy, I bet,” Sawyer said, and he bumped against her as they maneuvered around another group of people.
“Sorry about that.” The palm of his hand was warm against her elbow.
She nodded, her entire conversational repertoire gone.
After another half a block of walking in silence, Aurora fell back.
“Hey, sis. Check this out.” She tugged Beth aside to look at ceramics, but once they got in the booth, her sister just stared at her.
“What?”
“Sawyer keeps trying to talk to you and you’re being weird.”
“I know, but you keep staring at me.”
“Because you’re being weird.”
Beth huffed a sigh.
“When a nice man wants to talk with you, you talk back. I thought we’d gone over this. Did you forget everything while I was gone?”
A more prolific dater than Beth ever thought about being, Aurora had insisted on advising her since they were teenagers.
For the most part, it was hopeless. And pointless.
Beth was good at networking and business and reaching her goals. Flirting, demurring, and having any luck with guys went beyond her expertise.
“I think he might be interested in you,” her sister insisted.
“He’s just being nice.”
“You sound like Cece. You are not that naïve.”
Beth wasn’t that naïve. But Sawyer wasn’t there for her. He was the groom’s brother. A vitally important groom.
“I get the feeling he has a lot of…opinions about this wedding, okay? And the Silvas are bankrolling half of it.”
“Oh.”
“Exactly. There’s too much riding on this for me to worry about whether or not some guy likes me. Especially when the guy is the groom’s whole family rolled into one person.”
Aurora pursed her lips, deep in thought. “I guess I see your point. Sucks, though. You deserve to have fun, too, you know?”
Sawyer, with his bright smile and warm gaze, was the kind of fun Beth didn’t need right now. His insistence on being chatty and personable only muddled things even more.
No. She was there to plan a successful wedding for her best friend and have Orchard Inn rise from the ashes. She’d hang back and keep some distance from Sawyer.
“There you two are!” Shelby popped into the booth with them. “We were wondering where y’all went.”
Beth picked up one of the statues closest to her. “Just looking at some of these.”
Shelby glanced down at what was in her hands. “I didn’t know you collected clowns.”
Beth looked at the bulbous-nosed clown staring back at her. “Oh god!” She set it down quickly. “It’s for a gift. But I think I’ll go in another direction. Shall we?” She turned to leave the booth.
“Wait.” Shelby waved her and Aurora over to the side, out of the way of other shoppers. “I’m glad I have you both here, alone. I wanted to talk to you about the couples shower. Garrett has almost convinced Sawyer to have it at the ranch.”
“Convinced him?” Beth asked. “I thought he wanted to have the party there.” Why else would he have been such a naysayer while touring Orchard Inn?
“Honestly? I can’t ever tell what Sawyer wants or is thinking. But it does seem like the shower is a go there. However, we still need it catered.” Shelby smiled at Aurora.
“Me?” Aurora all but blushed.
“Of course, you. That is if you’re available. It’ll be next Saturday. I wouldn’t want anyone else. Please say yes.”
“Yes, I’d love to. Do they have a kitchen I can use at the ranch or—”
“There’s one in Sawyer’s house. I’m sure he won’t mind. I think. I’ll let Garrett handle that.”
“This is great.” Beth glanced at her sister.
More exposure for Aurora, and the inn. A way to prove they could cater without trying to kill anyone. And, if the shower went well, prospective business for the future.
“And listen, thank you so much for coming out here with us today. I know it’s a haul, but it’s such a pretty day. And I know y’all will like Garrett once you get to know him. I don’t want you to think he’s some stranger I’m rushing to marry.”
Beth stopped Shelby mid-fret. “We do like him.”
“And no one thinks you’re rushing to get married,” Aurora added.
Shelby obviously didn’t buy it. “Maybe you two don’t think it. I know what people are saying about us getting married so soon and—”
“I don’t know what they’re saying, and I don’t care. Neither should you.”
“Shelby. There you are. Look what I found.” Garrett appeared out of nowhere offering Shelby a fistful of pink gerbera daisies.
It was impeccable timing and the perfect way to stop Shelby’s spiral.
“Oh, baby. They’re beautiful!” Shelby popped him a kiss and held the flowers close, Garrett beaming like he’d won over the homecoming queen.
Which, to be fair, he had.
“I saw one of those dog bakery booths are here too. Thought maybe Dodger would like some treats.”
“He’d love some.” Shelby turned to Beth. “Dodger is his terrier, and he’s adorable.”
“And he loves Shelby,” Garrett added. “Which is saying something, because that dog doesn’t love just anybody.”
They all left the booth and started down Main Street again. Eventually, Beth found herself right back next to Sawyer. This time she intently avoided glancing at her sister.
Don’t be weird, she told herself, Aurora’s words ringing in her ears.
“Have you ever been to this Founder’s Day festival before?” she asked him, making a point to sound casual.
“Never. You?”
“Once, when we were little. But it was much smaller back then.” See? She wasn’t being weird. Sawyer was just a guy, related to the groom. There was no attraction here with either of them.
Nothing to see here, folks.
“Oh. I’ll be back in a minute.” Shelby dropped back from the group and disappeared.
As they kept walking, Beth kept her gaze off Sawyer.
They meandered down the street until they all stopped to look at an artist’s eye-catching paintings.
And Sawyer touched her again.
This time it was just the tap of his fingers on her shoulder to draw her attention. “Look, it looks like your place.”
Beth turned to find what he’d pointed out.
The artist had done an orchard row in vibrant acrylics, the depth so real Beth imagined she could step right in and pluck a peach from one of the trees. “Wow.”
“You like it?”
“I love it. It looks like…” She let her sentence drift, anxiety kicking in over Orchard Inn and what she stood to lose.
