Chapter 2 #4
“Yeah, I suppose that is true,” he said. “And I know a thing or two about a reputation being embedded in your name.”
She wasn’t imagining that. There was a bite behind those words.
It had taken her until right now to realize that Walker Grayson didn’t like her.
He was smiling, he was making conversation, he had taken every change request that she made about the wedding with what had felt like good humor, but she realized right then as they were making structured conversation that he actually hated her.
The subtext in all of his words had to do with their last names.
He was a Grayson, and his mother’s reputation had been ground into dust before Walker had been out of diapers.
Addison’s mother had been a pariah too, but her father had been able to cover the reputation of his children by being an innocent victim.
For some reason, the town had seen Anita Grayson as being responsible for her condition. Had seen her as responsible for being a single mother, and hadn’t looked into who the men were.
Or where they were being derelict in their responsibilities.
There had been rumors— all her life anyway— about who Walker, Cody, and Lila’s father was. And when they had inherited the Painted Ridge Ranch (formerly Triple R) the question had been answered.
But he had never faced any scrutiny for having his kids out of wedlock, or abandoning their mother and not putting money toward their future, or anything of the kind.
Largely because, of course, no one had been one hundred percent certain of the identity of their father, but also just because…
men did seem to get away with everything.
It felt complicated now, because Walker was nothing if not gorgeous and male.
Which meant, in many ways, he would be able to wield more power in a room than she would.
But she had her name, and she had a reputation, just as he did.
Both of their reputations based on their parents in the strangest, most unfair way. His, ironically, on his mother.
While her mother’s reputation served as a buffer for her. A bumper, a guide rail that kept her from going off course.
She had to walk a balance beam, but Walker had been running a campaign from the gutter all his life.
She understood exactly what he meant.
“So knocking on doors and things like that?”
“Yes,” Anna said.
“And social media,” Denisha added.
Addison winced. She had a feeling that Walker would be incredibly dismissive of that. But also, she had a feeling that Walker would do great on social media, so he really shouldn’t be dismissive.
“Oh, do you do those little dances?”
His tone was light, and not remotely sardonic, but she knew now, she knew that there was hostility brimming under every syllable.
“No, not a big dancer, actually. Mainly, I spend a lot of time showing off the town. And of course, I’ll be doing that after our stay here.”
“Well, that is appreciated.”
There. He couldn’t be rude about that. Not when she was helping his business out.
It was Lydia, who was single, who jumped into the conversation then, and did more than a little of what Addison would call flirting.
Which wasn’t inappropriate, she supposed, but was offputting nonetheless, at least to Addison.
Maybe because now she knew that Walker hated her.
That certainly cast a shadow over everything.
The ride, however, was beautiful. She couldn’t fault that. And on the surface, she couldn’t fault Walker’s manners.
It was just a feeling that she had, that underneath his words was throbbing hostility, and she would never be able to explain that to anybody who had known him for all the years that she had.
For anyone who didn’t know their history.
When they arrived at the top of the hill, everything was set out for them, and there was an entire staff waiting to serve them dinner.
The table had a pristine white cloth, and the chairs were covered in the same material.
There was a canopy over the top of everything, providing shade, since the sun was still high in the sky even at dinner time.
They were served champagne, and the most beautiful appetizers, and perfectly cooked steak.
All of her worries about Walker melted away. The dinner was just between her and her friends.
Nolan, their guide, who had been quiet for the whole ride, and Walker, who had not been, melted off to the side.
It gave her room to breathe. Room to think. Room to even be excited about her future.
Because maybe it wasn’t the most romantic story in the world, but it was her story. And that was a good thing.
It was her story, and she was happy that she was getting married. The wedding was going to be perfect, and that was the sign, the omen that she had been waiting for.
They finished their meal, and then mounted their horses to ride back down, and she felt relaxed and happy, and Walker didn’t try to make conversation with her and her friends this time, so they just chatted about everything.
Wedding shoes and hair and dresses and the destination honeymoon that she and Alan had planned.
She was solidly looking forward to the Caribbean cruise they had booked with a special club level cabin that was going to give them a private dining option and their own butler.
When they arrived at the bottom of the trail, Nolan guided them to where they should park their horses, almost like cars.
And he instructed them that they would take care of the rest once they dismounted.
She settled her horse into his space, and suddenly, she realized Walker was beside her, off his horse.
He extended his hand, and she had the strangest flashback to a moment that she couldn’t even fully grasp.
She gave him her hand, and lightning shot through her body.
It was like she was back thirteen years ago at high school graduation all of a sudden.
When her feet touched the ground, she felt like they didn’t.
And he was far too close.
He inclined his head, just for a moment, and her breath left her body.
“Congratulations.”
Then he pulled away from her and left her standing there stunned.
For the second time.