Chapter Six
They bundled up and stepped out into a winter wonderland.
At least a foot of snow had fallen overnight, and the early morning sunrise bathed their surroundings in pink light.
Someone, Owen suspected it was Ivan, had already plowed the driveways and accesses to outbuildings.
Their beautiful setting drove the worry from Owen’s mind as they headed toward the large ranch house.
“Looks like cotton candy on the roofs instead of snow,” he remarked.
Tyler laughed. “Reminds me of playing Candy Land as a kid.”
Owen glanced over in time to catch a wistful expression on Tyler’s face. “What’s that?”
Tyler met his gaze with a raised brow. “You never played the board game as a kid?”
Owen had told Tyler a little about his childhood but not much.
A family who played kid-friendly board games was a foreign concept to him.
His first stepdad taught him how to play poker before Owen learned the alphabet.
The one after that taught him how to barter their precious food stamps for cigarettes and beer.
He didn’t want to get into any of that just then, so Owen simply said, “Nope.”
“My sisters were obsessed with it.” The wistful smile returned to Tyler’s face again.
He hadn’t visited Texas in nearly two years, and Owen wondered if he was missing his family.
“I pretended to be annoyed every time they dragged the box out, but I secretly loved it. Not as much as Chutes and Ladders, though. I clobbered my brothers and sisters at that game.”
Owen loved hearing stories about the Booth family and would have probed for more information if they hadn’t reached Cash’s house.
Someone had already shoveled the steps and porch and treated the surfaces to melt the icy layer underneath.
Owen and Tyler stomped off the snow on the outdoor rug, then let themselves inside the house.
They removed their boots and set them on the mats by the door with everyone else’s before hanging their winter gear on the pegs.
Voices and laughter drifted down the hallway from the large dining room where the crew had gathered for breakfast. Owen closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Coffee, bacon, maple syrup, and a variety of warm spices tantalized his senses and made his mouth water.
“Smells like pumpkin,” Tyler said.
Harry was the pumpkin spice queen, and Owen loved to see all the ways she introduced it into their meals. He sniffed again. “French toast?”
“Or pancakes.”
“We could pop into the kitchen to see if she needs help,” Owen suggested.
Tyler shuddered hard. “I’d rather surprise a rattlesnake.” He nudged Owen and offered a playful grin. The crew knew better than to enter her domain until she was ready for them to help carry food to the dining room. “Besides, you’re just trying to delay the teasing you’re convinced will happen.”
Owen rolled his eyes. “I’m just hoping Harry needs a taste tester.”
Tyler grabbed his shirtsleeve and tugged him toward the dining room.
It did not surprise Owen that Tyler was on to him, but he didn’t want the others to pick up on his discomfort.
That would only add fuel to whatever fire they were planning.
Owen knew he deserved whatever the hell was coming his way, but he didn’t want to make it too easy for them.
Tyler dropped his sleeve right before they stepped into the room.
They were the last to arrive and drew the attention of every person there.
Conversations stopped midsentence, and heads swiveled in their direction.
A quick scan of the room revealed a few quirked brows and smug grins, but no one settled up their bets.
Owen had harassed everyone without mercy except for Keegan, so it was hard to predict which one of them would throw the first jab. He held his breath while waiting for the blow to land, but everyone resumed their conversations instead of taking a shot at him.
“Told you.” Tyler headed to the coffeepot on the buffet while Owen continued to watch the crew. Then he backtracked, leaned in close, and added, “I want to be the only one to leave you breathless. Inhale, please.”
And so he did. Owen followed Tyler to the coffeepot and waited for him to pour first. He’d only managed a few sips of the brew he’d made before Tyler had come out of the bathroom earlier.
It was a good damn thing he hadn’t been drinking the hot liquid when Tyler whisked the towel off his hips.
He probably would’ve burned something vital.
Owen felt eyes on them as they filled their mugs and doctored the coffee, but he didn’t catch anyone openly staring when he turned back around.
The dread in his stomach lessened and was all but forgotten when Harry breezed into the room with a platter holding a mountain of French toast.
“You guys know what to do,” Harry said as she set her bounty on the buffet.
The crew fled the dining room and headed to the kitchen like a swarm of killer bees.
They each grabbed the nearest platter, pot, bowl, or carafe and returned to the dining room to set up the buffet the way Harry preferred.
Then, they formed a single line and filled their plates before getting settled at the long table.
Tyler’s leg knocked against his like it had during nearly every meal they shared, but instead of the usual hasty apology, Ty maintained the connection, proving how much their dynamic had shifted overnight.
A jolt of electricity zipped through Owen’s body like someone had hooked a jumper cable to his balls.
He dropped his fork and nearly knocked his coffee over.
A few snickers echoed around the table, and he caught Rory elbowing Ivan across from them.
Let them have their well-deserved laughs and poke fun at him as he paid his pound of flesh.
“Now that we’re all here,” Cash said, “I should probably explain about the group message I sent.” He smiled over at Nick and reached for his hand. “We’re getting married.”
Excitement erupted in the room. Food was forgotten as everyone took turns congratulating Cash and Nick, even Harry, who hated it when something or someone upstaged her cooking.
“Thank you so much,” Cash said once everyone settled down and returned to their seats. “There’s more.”
“This is starting to sound like an infomercial,” Rueben said.
Cash laughed and shook his head. “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I want to invite you to our wedding…in two weeks.”
A stunned silence washed over the room as everyone stared at Cash and Nick.
Harry was the first to speak. “Two weeks?” she asked indignantly.
“You expect me to prepare a wedding for you that fast?” Then, she scowled like she’d just considered something.
“You do plan to get married on the ranch, don’t you?
” Her furrowed brow and narrowed gaze dared Cash to say anything other than yes.
Rory hummed the iconic music to “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” while Harry and Cash stared at one another like gunslingers.
Owen volleyed his gaze between the newly engaged couple.
Nick relaxed back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and wore an I-told-you-so expression.
Cash sat taller and exuded the force of will that fueled his rags-to-riches story.
Owen admired him so damn much because he and Cash had similar starts in life—born into abject poverty with disadvantages at every turn.
Both high school dropouts, Cash had tried to race his way out of the poorhouse on a track, while Owen squared off with poverty in the ring and tried to pound it into dust. But that was where the similarities ended.
Cash had earned his GED in jail and started his secondary education after coming to work on the ranch he now owned.
Owen stubbornly resisted the subject of getting his GED anytime someone brought it up.
Reading might be fundamental, but it was pure torture for him.
There was no way he’d voluntarily put himself through that hell again.
Not for anyone. But then Tyler placed his hand on his knee, and Owen amended his thinking. Okay, maybe he’d do it for one person.
“Yes,” Cash said, dragging Owen’s attention back to the discussion.
“I wouldn’t dream of getting married without my family.
Nick and I don’t want anything formal or complicated,” Cash continued.
“We need an ordained officiant and all of you there to witness our vows. That’s it.
” He looked at Rory and said, “This is just for us. I don’t want any part of the wedding to go on our Redemption Ridge YouTube Channel. ”
Rory had used his public relations and social media prowess to thwart the hateful bastard who’d used his personal vendetta against Cash to fund Salvation Anew to make trouble for the ranch and wreak havoc on the local community.
The webisodes caught on like wildfire and turned Rory’s small endeavor into a pretty big phenomenon, with the proceeds going to local charities Cash established.
Ro was always looking for fresh content, but the boss was drawing a line in the sand.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Rory told Cash.
“You’ll need good food and a cake,” Harry said, pulling focus back to her.
“We can order pizza from a carryout and a cake from the grocery store for all I care,” Cash replied.
“Speak for yourself,” Nick said. “We don’t need lobster and prime rib, but I think we can do a little better than carryout.”
“Sounds like a perfect excuse to fire up the smoker,” Dylan said, rubbing his hands together. “Nothing celebrates happily ever after like barbecue.”
Harry smiled adoringly at her boyfriend. “Rory and I could easily handle the sides.”
“Don’t wear out my brother too much,” Nick said. “He’ll need to stay sharp as my best man.”