Chapter 13
Rafe
The Wedding
I was in awe of how quickly a party could be put together. Rory’s argument was that ninety-percent of a big event was the venue and the food. Since we had the venue sorted, all we needed to think about was the food and the guest list.
The way she worded the invitations differed depending on who she was inviting.
On the one hand, she discovered who the investors in the resort were, and sent them a “welcome to our lovely town” invitation telling them about the inaugural crush event and how Vierra Ranch was the sponsor.
Then she invited potential buyers for the land.
Property developers and resort conglomerates.
All of whom were definitely interested in making a profit, but did not mess with anything illegal.
She had a file on almost every person who had RSVP’d. Including local business owners. She was leaving nothing to chance as she planned. She still fed the animals each and every morning, they still followed her and those yellow boots as she walked around the ranch.
With colder weather settling in, she spent more time indoors.
Technically, the cabin was still her home.
She went back each morning to shower and change, and whatever else she needed to make sure she remained independent.
But I sure as fuck hoped her independence was not determined by where she lived.
When the sun went down each day, she was in my bed, and when it rose she drank coffee at my table.
She hadn’t officially moved in but the lines got blurrier each day.
And yet, I had never seen the ruby red longsleeve dress she wore to Cal and Allie’s wedding.
The dress had a high neckline and lightly skimmed over all those curves.
Her hair was down in softer waves than she normally wore.
She also wore more make-up. I enjoyed how low maintenance she was most of the time, but I had to admit, City cleaned up well.
I stood beside Cal, as his best man, and Susie, Allie’s sister, was the maid of honor.
The only other people in attendance were Allie’s mom and brother, and his woman, Alabama.
As well as Cal’s farm hands and their partners.
Allie had vowed she would do it all over again for their tenth anniversary with a wedding dress and a massive reception.
For now, they wanted to be married and get the winery off the ground.
The ceremony was quick and as the couple repeated their vows, I couldn’t help but smile at Rory. The vision of her standing next to me as we exchanged vows came out of nowhere. She was a game changer for me.
My eyes caught hers and I winked at her, causing the prettiest blush to tint her cheeks. God she was beautiful. I was so enthralled, I completely missed the part where I needed to hand over the rings.
“Pay attention brother.” Calvin shook his head as he waited for me to hand over the gold bands. “Your turn will happen soon enough.”
I didn’t argue with him. And for the first time since I got the original notice about the water, Something lightened in my chest. I nodded at Calvin, who had agreed to the crush idea without hesitation.
And then I looked over at the woman who was making it all happen, and I knew what the warmth in my chest was.
It was more than hope, it was fucking everything.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Sterling.” The Justice of the Peace turned to Calvin. “You may kiss the bride.”
Calvin pulled Allie toward him and held her face in both his hands before planting a kiss on her lips. A kiss that definitely involved tongue and went on long enough for Abe to clear his throat and glare at my friend.
“There is nothing you can do now.” Cal smiled at Abe. “She is all mine.”
A rumble of chuckles went through the room, even Mrs. Powers smiled at the exchange between Abe and Cal.
And in true Sterling fashion, we all came back to the Ranch and got back to work. With the crush event happening in two days, we still had a lot to do.
We needed all hands on deck and I could kiss Mrs. Powers for wanting to help. “I think I should stay a day or two to help. Rory mentioned more help with the catering. I could stay on the couch if you two honeymooners don’t mind.”
Rory frowned and sighed. “Mrs. Powers. You don’t need to stay on the couch. You can use the Ridge Cabin, it is on this side of the property line, but it is closer to Cal and Allie’s cabin. And as long as one of them drives you everywhere, you will be safe.”
Allie’s mouth dropped, Calvin’s brows raised. It wasn’t as if Rory and I were a secret, we just hadn’t told anyone.
Cal folded his arms, his eyes darting between me and Rory. “So, you’re not sneaking around anymore?”
“We were never sneaking around.” I didn’t mean to sound as defensive as I did. “We just wanted to keep our private lives to ourselves.”
“Well, I appreciate the two of you outing yourselves for me.” Mrs. Powers smiled as she walked toward Cal’s truck. “Let’s get me settled in for a few days.”
And that was how I got my woman to move in with me. Thank you very much to my best friend’s mother-in-law.
It didn’t take us long to clear the rest of Rory’s stuff from the cabin. She was back outside directing men and making notes before long. Her hair was tied into a bun with a pen, and she had changed those uncomfortable shoes for her yellow boots.
Surely, that was not supposed to be sexy.
Red dress, formal enough for office work, with a messy bun and rain boots was not exactly the stuff male fantasies were made of.
Yet, the idea of shoving up the dress, and driving into her while she wore those boots had my cock jerking.
I twisted, trying to discreetly adjust myself.
There was no way I could sport an erection in front of my men.
Over the next few hours, both my kitchen and Cal’s were used for cooking. Even the oven in the cabin had been put to use as pies were baked in advance and other meal prep happened.
It was as I was placing the tables in the pattern Rory had dictated when the shiny black SUV came driving up the gravel road toward the barns. With the tent up and the furniture being moved around, there was no mistaking the ranch was preparing for the party.
Vance Steiner climbed out of the driver's side.
He stood and waited at the car as if waiting for me to join him.
For a moment, I considered whether I wanted to join him or not.
It would certainly be more private going to him.
But really, what did I have to hide? If the event was not a success, I would lose anyway.
I had work to do. The fucker could get his fancy shoes dirty and walk to me.
It was obvious I was right about the shoes as the man took tentative steps as he walked toward me. In all the time I had been communicating with the asshole, we had never actually met. I had no doubt he had a full dossier on me and Rory had shown me his corporate picture.
The man was… Rory had described him as bland.
Forgettable. A few inches shorter than me, with a hairline which had just started receding at the sides.
Glasses, cream shirt, gray dress pants. The only thing that had a bit of character was the cartoon character tie.
Then again, even that was unremarkable for a father of two.
“Vierra.”
“Steiner.”
“I hear you’re throwing good money away at a party.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood close enough to the tent to be sheltered from the wind. “Do you think that’s wise?”
I pulled my gloves from my hands and looked over at him. “Fortunately for both of us, what I do with my land and my money is none of your business.”
“It won’t be your land for long.” His smirk curled up and I could tell he wanted to tell me more.
I didn’t have the same temptation. Instead, I smiled at him. “Maybe. Maybe that was why I invited a bunch of property investors and key players in the hospitality industry. Maybe, I recognize that I need to sell. But not to you.”
I had no intention of selling. Ever, if I could help it. But it was fun to watch the blood drain from his face as he realized I still had options. Even under pressure, I didn’t have to sell to him.
“You’re wasting your time.” He started back toward his car. “No one will be interested in this land.”
I might have believed him if he had been able to meet my eye, or his voice hadn’t taken on that high pitch at the end. The man was nervous. And he didn’t even know how much we knew.
“We will be feeding them Vierra Beef, and who knows maybe we’ll bottle the water and hand it out as a party favor. You should’ve got on the bandwagon and got in on integrating into the town.”
His eye twitched and I could tell I was getting to him. “Argent is not in the habit of giving out freebies. That’s not how we make money.”
I smiled and shoved my hands back into my gloves, choosing to ignore the asshole. The tables needed tending and making Rory happy was a better use of my time than trading barbs with Vance Fucking Steiner.
Only once the black SUV had left the property did Rory venture outside. “Should I be concerned that Vance Steiner made you smile?”
“He got fucking worried when I said, if I need to sell I’d have options that don’t include him.” I placed my arm over her shoulder. “It was the most satisfying thing ever.”
“Oh, really?” She batted her eyes and her lips curled into the smallest smirk. “Then I am not doing my job properly.”
I turned her into me. “Baby, what you do for me is more than satisfying.”
She looked around, her gaze scanning across the clearing. “Where are all the men?”
“You know, despite the party, I still have a ranch to run.” I kissed her forehead and moved my arm back to her shoulder. “They’re out moving the cows.”
She rolled her lips and looked at me through hooded eyes. “All the guys?”
“Yes. All of them.” Once again I pulled her close, letting her feel what that look did for me. “Baby, what are you thinking? Because I have to tell you, that look—”
She rubbed herself against me. “We haven’t done it in any of the barns.”
Rock-fucking-hard.
“Because, I don’t share.” Even as I spoke, I took her hand. “The thought of anyone seeing you like that would make me murderous.”
She followed me without any resistance. “But there is no one around now.”
“Precisely.” I led her toward the equipment barn closer to the house. Once inside, I pushed the door closed and looked at her. “Now, turn around. Put your hands on the bench.”