Chapter 12
Declan’s plans to take Sydney by storm were messed up the very next day when Petra’s brother Zach gave him a shout and asked for help dealing with a horse issue for Red Boot ranch.
The trip took the two of them out of town for five nights on the long haul to Winnipeg to pick up horses Zach’s dad had received in some sort of odd research trade.
They stopped four hours out of Heart Falls on the way home to grab a final meal before completing the trip. Drizzling rain had followed them all the way across the prairies, and it was nice to finally sit down with a hot coffee and watch the shitty weather instead of white knuckling through it.
“Thanks for being a good sport about the horse run.” Zach leaned back in the booth and pushed his empty breakfast plate away. “It’s not been the nicest trip ever.”
“You just drive to the conditions,” Declan said easily. “Run it by me again—how did your dad end up with the horses?”
Zach snorted. “He’s an inventor, remember?
Somebody owed him information and decided to donate his entire research project in the hopes Dad would take over and finish.
Only, that’s not that kind of researcher my dad is.
The horses are in good shape in spite of whatever nonsense their previous owner was putting them through. ”
Now it made more sense. “Okay. Yeah, I couldn’t figure out how your dad was using horses, let alone getting them into his laboratory.”
It was midafternoon by the time they got back to Heart Falls, and nearly supper when they’d finished unloading the horses into the barn, all of them cared for with Cody Gabrielle’s help.
“You guys cut it close,” Cody cautioned as they closed the final gate.
Declan thought for a minute, but nothing came to mind. “For what?”
“Shit. Tonight is Chance’s bachelor party,” Zach said with a quick glance at his watch. “Half an hour and I’m good.”
“I’ll need a little longer,” Declan admitted.
Cody gave him a warning glance. “Don’t even think about heading back to High Water and ghosting on the rest of the night. Your brothers already said that they would be here.”
“Tell them to bring you some clean clothes, and you can shower here at the bunkhouse,” Zach suggested. He offered his usual enthusiastic grin. “It’s not like we have to impress anybody. As far as I know, our agenda is steaks and beer and some good old-fashioned teasing of the groom-to-be.”
In under an hour, Declan found himself seated in a comfortable chair with a beer in hand and a mouthwatering scent teasing him from the nearby grill.
“We missed you,” Jake offered, settling into the chair at his side.
“No, we didn’t,” Aidan rebutted. “It’s not as if Declan’s the noisy one I have to ignore most of the time.”
Declan quietly grinned into his beer and kept his mouth shut.
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m the noisy type?” Jake demanded.
“Just telling you the next time you and Tansy are fooling around in the hayloft, we need to set up some kind of warning system. Like a sock on a doorknob, because there are some things I just don’t need to hear.” Aiden winked at Declan where Jake couldn’t see.
Instead of getting cranky, their middle brother’s expression bloomed into a wide smile. The happiest smile Declan had seen him wear in a long time. “I’d apologize, but I’d be absolutely lying,” Jake said.
“Ass.”
“Jerk.”
A deep rumble of laughter bubbled up and Declan didn’t even try to stop it. He met both of his brothers’ eyes in turn. “I’m really happy for you both.”
He wasn’t bitter. Not even close. But damn if their good luck didn’t stir up the want in his own chest a little more clearly.
Aiden raised his glass, but Jake examined Declan more seriously for a moment. “You know we want good things for you as well, right?”
Declan pretended not to understand. “I’ve got a great steak and a drink and I’m pretty damn comfy. Thanks, anyway.”
His brother opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Cody rising to his feet and announcing a toast to the demise of his brother’s imminent solo status.
“He’s the best type of brother,” Cody began.
“One I would’ve picked myself, but I didn’t have to because someone else in my family was smart enough to make that choice.
” Cody glanced around, smiling at the friends there.
“So we have to first say thanks to our mom and dad for being smart enough to put us together as a family.”
Chance nodded his head and raised his glass.
“To your mom and me Da. Best possible folks a man could choose.” His eyes danced with merriment as he took over being host. “And raise your glass to the Fields family, who are brave enough to welcome not only one but two of the Gabrielle men into their fold.”
Overhead, lightning shot across the sky in a ragged flash and a blast of thunder drowned out the ensuing cheer. The roiling black clouds moved eerily as the wind picked up, and everybody grabbed their chairs and headed into the big ranch house.
Safely inside, some people were setting up with card tables and a group headed downstairs to a rec room with a pool table and foosball tables for more active entertainment.
They were a great group of guys, but after a week of being out of town, Declan was itching for something different. It’d been too long since he’d seen Sydney, and enough was enough.
He leaned in and spoke quietly to Jake. “What are the girls up to tonight?”
“Bridal shower for Rose,” Jake informed him. “At Ivy Stone’s place on the edge of town.” His lips twitched with amusement. “You plan to crash it?”
Tempting, but no. “There’s a couple things I need to do while the ladies are occupied,” Declan offered smoothly, not mentioning that it was things he needed to do at Sydney’s house. She’d be occupied tonight, and that was all he needed to know.
Jake raised a brow but didn’t say anything. At least not until he put down the deck of cards in his hand and followed Declan to the door, waiting quietly while Declan pulled on his coat and hat.
Declan raised a brow at his brother. “Need something?”
“Just to catch you up.” Jake’s amusement vanished and in place was his serious brother from the police force.
“Sydney did a couple of house calls this week that made her nervous. She called me to follow along as backup. Nothing bad happened, but that’s when I found out you’ve been tracking Sydney for a while now—with her permission. ”
“So?”
Jake breathed out slowly. “So, when a woman who is nearly as bossy and controlling as you asks you to keep an eye on her, I think you need to acknowledge she might be asking for more than just someone at her six.”
“You’re not telling me anything I haven’t thought of,” Declan said. “But straight from the horse’s mouth, she said what we’re doing is enough.”
“Which I get, but it doesn’t line up,” Jake insisted. “I’m not telling you to think something’s there when she’s told you no. I’m saying something seems off.”
“I hear you,” Declan agreed. “And if I need Tansy and Petra to offer me support, I’ll ask.”
His brother smiled. “That’s all I wanted to hear. We’ve got your back, bro. Whatever you need, whatever the pace—we’ve got your back.”
Which was exactly what he expected, and as Declan made his way through the storm to Sydney’s house, he felt a whole lot more hopeful than he had any right.
Didn’t matter how keen he was to mix up their relationship. If she said no again, he’d listen.
But first, she was going to listen to him. He was going to make it crystal clear exactly what he had to offer and then hope like hell it was enough.
“I can’t believe you’re making me play this game.” Rose all but glared at Tansy. “You’re the baker—
“And clearly the candlestick maker, too,” Fern added with a snicker. “Or something like that. You suck at this game.”
“Laugh it up, sweetheart.” Rose eyed their youngest sister with mock annoyance. “Someday soon you too will plan a wedding, and we’re saving up all our badness to torment you.”
“Not going to happen,” Fern offered with a grin. “Cody and I plan to shack up happily for the rest of our lives, no ceremony needed.”
At Sydney’s side, Petra leaned in closer. “I wonder if I should inform Fern I overheard Cody talking about buying her a ring…”
“You heard that or hacked their emails?” Sydney eyed her friend. “You’re scary at times. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Not my fault if people decide to talk about stuff I don’t need to know when I’m right there.
In the Red Boot ranch tack room, behind a half closed door,” Petra admitted, looking a smidge guilty.
“In my defense, I was trying to overhear some clues as to what to get my brother for his birthday this year.”
Sydney wasn’t falling for it. “It’s August. Your brother’s birthday isn’t until December.”
“I like to plan ahead,” Petra insisted.
Laughter bubbled up from the middle of the room where the game had continued.
The amazing turn out for the bridal shower filled the house to bursting, but the crowd was expected, considering Rose had lived in town since she was thirteen.
There were teachers from the school, and the new cook from Buns and Roses.
Edison had been invited to both parties, but had instantly chosen the bridal shower over the bachelor party.
A nice collection of generations were represented, with Rose and Tansy’s mother in attendance along with their Grandmother Sonora and other older ladies. They were the ones who’d organized the classic bridal shower games like the one currently tormenting Rose.
The tray in front of her held a dozen different bowls filled with white substances. Rose was trying in vain to identify them.
“You have the salt correct, and inexplicably the rice flour, but nothing else.” Her mother shook her head. “I thought after all these years of helping out at Buns and Roses you would’ve learned some cooking basics.”