Chapter 13
Catherine
“No boots today?” I asked as Hayes held the kitchen door open for me. We rounded the corner of the house and headed to the shady area where I had parked between Hallie’s minivan and Hayes’s SUV.
“I need to look like a Wilder today,” Hayes said, then smirked. “Even though I saw the way you were staring at my ass when I went down to the stables in jeans early this morning.”
“I’ve never known anyone able to weaponize cowboy boots and denim the way you do.” I brushed my hair over my shoulder. “It’s unfair.”
Hayes froze mid-stride and looked at me. “Payback, sweetheart. Your ass in those painted-on denim shorts the other day was unfair to me.”
And with that, he kept walking.
“This feels weird,” I said, fisting my car keys. The bite of pain from the rough edge against my skin was an effective distraction from the heat creeping its way across my cheeks.
“Why does it feel weird?” he asked with another quick glance my way.
I shrugged. “Going into town together.”
“You go into town with Hallie all the time.”
“Yeah, but that’s different,” I countered as I shoved the key into the lock. The car door screeched when I yanked it open.
Hayes cleared his throat.
I glanced over my shoulder and found him staring at me from the behemoth shadow of his SUV. “What?”
“Let’s take my car.”
I rolled my eyes. “My car’s just fine. Besides, I haven’t driven in forever because I’ve been riding with Hallie.”
Hayes crossed his arms. “Have you stopped to think about why that is?”
“You two just don’t like cars with character,” I snipped.
“I like making it into town in one piece. Duct tape around your headlights is not ‘character.’ It’s a safety hazard.”
“I can go into town myself, you know,” I said as I leaned on the open car door. It let out a heaving groan, and I eased off it…just in case. “You could have just told me your ring size like I asked. I said I would take care of it.”
“I don’t know my ring size,” Hayes countered as he rounded his SUV and opened the passenger door. “Get in.”
I crossed my arms. “Or what?”
“Or I will throw you in,” Hayes said without skipping a beat. “Your choice.”
“Hayes,” I groaned as he closed in on me.
Hayes didn’t trap me against the car with his arms. He did it with his presence. “My SUV has the highest safety rating and best crash-test results of anything that has gone on the market in the last decade. I should drive.”
Each one of my arguments faded as the weight of exactly why he drove the kind of vehicle that he did began to settle around us.
With a featherlight touch he cupped my cheek. “You are the most important person in my life. I need to keep you safe.”
Our eyes locked. There was so much unnecessary pain and loss tucked inside his gaze.
Most important person in my life…
I knew what he meant. He needed me to stay alive long enough to get married. But something deep inside me wanted it to mean something more. And that was a dangerous temptation that needed to be ignored.
I nodded, closed my car door, and quietly climbed into the SUV.
“Buckle up,” Hayes said as he shut the door and jumped behind the wheel.
I took a deep breath and looked around at the swanky interior. “So, this is what all the hype about the new car smell is about.”
Hayes chuckled, and the tension of the moment began to ease.
“You do remember that I said I was running other errands in town, right?” I asked. “I’ve gotta swing by Savannah’s shop, and I was going to go to the—”
“We can go wherever you want,” Hayes said as he pulled through the gleaming gates. Mason had spent the morning shining up the rose pattern that was welded into the metal so that it sparkled for the wedding.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you have work?”
“I moved some things around,” he said. “I feel bad about you getting stuck with all the wedding planning. I need to do my part.”
I rested my elbow on the center console and stared at him. “You just want to pay for the rings, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he said without a hint of shame.
I made a dramatic performance of sighing. “Fine. You can pay.”
His smirk was victorious. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”
“Just getting you ready for a long and miserable marriage, dear future husband,” I offered nonchalantly as I inspected my nails.
Hayes laughed long and loud. I loved when he laughed like that. He didn’t do it nearly enough.
He draped his arm across the console, long fingers grazing my thigh. “I can’t imagine being miserable with you.” He immediately recoiled and pulled his hand away. “I mean…if this was real.”
“I know what you meant,” I said as I nudged him with my elbow. “But just so you know, one day you’re going to have to ride in my car, and you’re going to love it.”
“I’ll ride in your car if you get a different car,” he said as the SUV tires bumped and bobbed.
“Maybe I will. You know, since being your wife pays so well. Can you buy a car with a credit card?”
“You can with mine.”
Yeah. He was rich rich.
“So, what’s the dream?” Hayes asked.
“What dream?”
“Your dream car. What would it be?”
“Who says I’m not driving my dream car?” I countered. “Maybe I like having a car where I don’t feel guilty over getting french fry salt on the steering wheel or tossing straw wrappers onto the floorboard.”
Hayes arched an eyebrow.
“Fine. A 1965 Mustang convertible in candy apple red.”
“That’s very specific.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? I love a classic.”
That piqued his interest. “You want the most impractical car for living in a mountain town where it snows?”
“Dream cars aren’t supposed to be practical. They’re supposed to be sexy and fun.” We eased through the single stoplight that welcomed us into Honey Hollow. I craned around, trying to see out his window. “Darn it.”
Hayes frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“The Moo Brew isn’t parked by Ranch Dressing today.”
“You had coffee at the house right before we left.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I know, I know,” Hayes grumbled. “It tastes better if someone else makes it.” He parked along the street. “I’m learning.”
“Someday, you’ll make an excellent husband for a very lucky lady,” I said as I patted his arm, then unbuckled. “But today you have to get a ring so you can be mine.”
Hayes was at my door, opening it before I could even reach for the handle. The hem of my dress fluttered in the breeze as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.
It was as if all of Honey Hollow came to a screeching halt. Heads poked out of storefronts. Car windows lowered and eyes peered out.
Sure, Hayes’s monstrosity of a vehicle was out of place, but that’s not what they were staring at.
Hayes noticed immediately and stiffened, angling his body to protectively sandwich me between the SUV and him. “What’s going on?” he mumbled, peering over the hood like a lookout.
“They’re just staring,” I said with a huff. Maybe he wasn’t used to small-town rubberneckers. People in the city usually minded their business. Small-town folks minded theirs and everyone else’s.
“I can see that. Why?”
“Because I’m usually here by myself or with Hallie.” I lowered my voice. “This is the first time we are here…together.”
Realization dawned on him. “Oh.” It was as if a plan formed in his mind. Suddenly, he went from my Hayes to Hayes Wilder. He slid his hand onto the small of my back, leading me away from the curb as he switched places with me so he was walking on the side of the street.
I had dressed up today but opted for sandals instead of heels. The moment we stepped into Honey Hollow’s only jewelry store, I wished I was in stilettos.
Heels high, head higher. My mother’s pageant mantra echoed in my mind.
I should have been standing tall, but one look at all the wide eyes staring back at us, and I wanted to dissolve into a sidewalk crack.
Why am I so nervous?
Hayes’s hand left my back. I missed it immediately, then nearly stumbled on the entryway when his hand slid into mine. He laced our fingers together and squeezed. I glanced up and met his eyes. His soft nod was all the reassurance I needed. I exhaled and put on a smile.
“Well, hello, you two,” an older lady cooed with a clap of her hands.
She rocked a tall beehive of silver hair and cat-eye glasses on a pearl chain.
“I’ve been waiting for y’all to come by.
I tell you what—I know about every engagement in Honey Hollow before it happens, but this one took me by surprise.
” She winked at Hayes. “When I heard that you two were gettin’ hitched, I guessed that you used a family heirloom and didn’t need a ring from little ol’ me.
” Before I could get a word in edgewise, she reached for my hand to get a good look at the engagement ring.
The lady—who had yet to actually introduce herself—gasped and clutched her pearls.
“My stars. It’s as beautiful as the last time I saw it, though it has been quite a minute since I’ve had the honor. ”
Hayes cocked his head. “You’ve seen this ring before?”
“Sure have. Many times, actually. Your grandmother used to bring it to me once a month to be cleaned. Though, the very last time she brought it to me to be cleaned was because she was about to give it to your daddy so he could propose to your momma—rest their souls.”
“It sounds like this ring has been in good hands,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll see you often if you still clean jewelry.”
“Of course! Of course! I know you, but since you don’t know me, my name’s Mary Lou. Don’t be a stranger. You just come on in whenever you need it cleaned, polished, or touched up.”
“We actually need two more rings today,” Hayes said. “Wedding bands.”
“Right this way,” Mary Lou said without skipping a beat. “Now, rumor has it, the wedding’s right around the corner, so you’re lucky that we can size and customize in house.”
“Just something simple,” I said.
Mary Lou looked like she had been shot. “Simple?!” she gasped. “No, no, no, dear. You need something complementary. Something that can sit beside that gorgeous rock on your finger and hold its own for all eternity.”