Chapter 13 Lane
Oh, no,Lane thought. She’s not really going to start detailing wedding plans here and now.
“An outdoor wedding would be perfect if it was late spring or early fall. It wouldn’t be too hot or too cold. We could set up tents and more people could be invited. I just know that everyone is going to want to see Lane finally tie the knot,” Caroline said excitedly.
Rubbing his forehead and wincing, he thought, Oh, but she is. Every tiny detail that anyone could ever think of.
“We’ll have to think of the perfect theme for the wedding,” Caroline said.
“We could do a ranching theme, and everyone can wear overalls,” Taylor whispered to Lane.
He nearly coughed as he took a drink.
Caroline didn’t seem to notice. “Fairies and fairyland is a great theme. So is an underwater theme. I know, a midnight sky, even in the middle of the day would be perfect.”
Lane looked at Taylor’s face. She had plastered a smile on her face. Every once in a while, she blinked, nodded, or would say “Uh-huh.” Lane knew that she was starting to get overwhelmed by every single detail that his mother came up with. Even if their engagement were real and they were going to get married, Taylor wouldn’t want it to be an elaborate affair with a lot of people. She would probably just want something that included close friends and family only.
Because I have seven brothers and a sister, that meant that there would already be a lot of people present,Lane thought, shaking his head.
His mother was talking about whether a tiara or wreath would be better and what kind of veil would be appropriate.
Did she even take a breath?Lane asked himself.
He shot his father a grateful look when Gene suggested that Caroline eat before dinner was over. Lane knew that his mother would never talk with her mouth full, so she would stop talking about it for a little bit.
Lane was relieved when the DJ took his spot and started making announcements. His mother would be too busy socializing with guests to follow Taylor around making more plans.
The first dance was announced, and Lane swept Taylor onto the dance floor.
“Whew,” Taylor said. “It was all I could do to not put in my two cents. If this had been the real thing and not a charade, I would have. Then, your mother would have fainted dead away on the floor, and you would have been disowned. You think that I was kidding about having everyone show up in bib overalls, work boots, and baseball caps, which is what real ranchers and farmers wear these days.”
Lane laughed. “She would have found a way to make it work. Your overalls would have been diamond studded and your work boots would have been gold.”
Taylor groaned. “If this were real, we would just go to the courthouse and get married by a magistrate. Short, simple, and to the point. You could send her a text message when it’s over.”
“She’d murder us both.”
They lapsed into silence as Lane guided Taylor around the dance floor. Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm with each other. He felt a flame of desire build up inside of him and he wondered what it would be like if they made love.
He was amazed when Taylor was able to dance a jig with him and then turn around and waltzed.
“For a ranch girl, you have some moves,” Lane said.
“I love the movement to it. There is poetry in dancing. I took lessons and learned a little about a lot of different types of dances. I never got around to tap dancing, clogging, or ballet though.”
“I would love to see you start clogging right here in the middle of everyone,” Lane said.
“You know I can never pass up a challenge, so if I would, I could,” Taylor replied. “But now, I need to use the little girl’s room.”
She headed off to the restroom and Lane made his way to the cash bar and ordered a whiskey.
“Hi, Lane.”
He didn’t have to turn around to see that it was Rachel standing behind him.
“Rachel.”
“You are a terrific dancer. I think you’re the best one here,” Rachel said. “Will you dance with me?”
“No,” Lane said.
He was shocked when Rachel pulled his head down and pressed her lips against his. At first, he was frozen. She released him before he could push her away.
“That was nice, Lane.” She winked at him and walked away.
Involuntarily, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. It was all he could do to not yell, “Yuck.”
Taylor walked up as Rachel smirked at her and faded into the crowd.
“You saw that, didn’t you?” Lane asked.
“I did,” Taylor replied, her eyebrows raised and her lips slightly pursed.
“I’m sorry. That was very disrespectful to you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. First of all, I’m willing to bet that she instigated it. I know Rachel’s kind and I know what kind of man you are,” Taylor said. “She is the kind of person who would do just about anything to get a reaction out of people. You are a man of honor who would never kiss another woman if he was engaged.”
Lane nodded.
“Second, we aren’t in any kind of committed relationship. We are seeing each other,” Taylor said.
“That is something we need to talk about later,” Lane said. “But since we’re still the center of attention, why don’t we give everyone something to tut-tut over.”
He pulled her close, lowered his head, and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment, they stood alone in the world as they were wrapped up in a cocoon of want and need. Taylor had touched something deep inside of him that was primal.
Lane lifted his head. In a husky voice, he said, “I think that we’ve been here long enough to satisfy the societal protocols. I think we can slip away.”
They headed downstairs and caught a cab to take them back to the mansion, leaving the limos for everyone else. When they were finally in Lane’s old room, he yawned widely.
“You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. I’m used to going to bed early,” Lane said.
Taylor nodded. “No argument from me. Can you unzip me?”
She headed into the bathroom to change.
Lane quickly took off the tux and changed into sweats and a T-shirt. He called out, “I’ll just sleep in the chair again.”
He really wanted to change his mind when Taylor came out of the bathroom wearing a T-shirt and panties. Lane looked away and sang the song, “The Wheels on the Bus Go ’Round and ’Round a few times to take his mind off of how enticing she looked.
Both of them fall asleep rather quickly. Even though the recliner wasn’t as comfortable as he had claimed, he slept hard, completely exhausted from the last couple of days interacting with so many people.
Lane was startled awake the next morning by someone knocking on the bedroom door. He hurriedly hopped out of the chair and threw the blanket and pillow onto the bed.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Lane asked, his voice panicked when he saw the tears streaming down her face.
“Your grandfather died in his sleep last night,” Caroline said, wiping her eyes.
Lane’s heart fell to the ground. His grandfather had been his idol. He had built the ranch from the ground up until it became the empire that it is today.
He pulled his mother into a tight hug and said, “We’ll get dressed and be down shortly.”
Lane sat on the bed for a minute in complete shock. His grandfather had been in great spirits the night before and managed to dance with almost all of the pretty women at the party at least once.
Taylor scooted up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his back. She knew that no words could take away the sharp pain that was tearing apart his heart, so she merely held him. Her presence made him feel as though he wasn’t alone in his grief.
“We’d better get dressed and get downstairs,” Lane said. He kissed her hands and then stood up.
Everyone was standing around with the same stricken look in their eyes. Willow was weeping. Colton had his arms around his baby sister, trying to comfort her. Gene’s eyes were red. Gene was the eldest son and the two of them had been best friends since Gene was tall enough to drive a tractor.
Taylor held tightly to Lane’s hand, letting him know that she was there for him.
“What happened?” Lane asked.
“Your grandfather had been suffering from heart problems for a while now. He didn’t want anyone to know because as he said, ‘I don’t want anyone fawning over me or acting like I’m dying,’” Caroline explained. “You all should know that your grandfather adored you. The fact that he got to see you all together one last time meant the world to him. It’s important that you carry that love with you forever.”
“He’ll only truly be gone when we stop talking about him, thinking about him, and when he is forgotten,” Gene said. “But I know I’ll miss Dad a lot.”
Lane felt his heart break in half. Taylor felt him start to shake. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him, as a huge part of his world was ripped away from him.