Page 16 of May I Kiss the Bride
Rey’s throat felt like he’d swallowed a cup of dirt. “Uh … I didn’t know you’d overheard that conversation.”
“Oh, I did.”
Rey might have laughed, but the last thing he needed was Elsie latching her sights onto Viola Delany. Out of all the women in all of Wyoming, she’d be the last one he’d ever court. Not because he didn’t agree with Barb—Viola was a pretty lady and very smart … and other things like intriguing, easy to talk to, prim and proper, yet caring, even when she was being bossy …
But Viola Delany belonged in another place. San Francisco. Her checkered cotton dresses and flour-dusted aprons didn’t fool him. The woman had dreams, and she should follow them. Even if it went against her parents’ wishes.
“Miss Delany is a fine woman,” Rey said, because he had to say something to get Elsie’s mind turned around. “She’s only here for the summer though, to help out her aunt. She has a whole other life in San Francisco, and I’m afraid that even if I did ask her to dance, it wouldn’t make her like me.”
“She doesn’t like you?”
All right, so he was mixing up all his words. “She likes me as anyone in town might like the sheriff who helps out. But shedoesn’t like me like a woman likes a man she might consider, uh, marrying.”
He felt his daughter’s penetrating gaze on him. “Did you ask her if she likes you?”
He looked down at her. “Hey, I thought you were eight. Not seventeen.”
Elsie’s cheeks dimpled—just like her mother’s had. “You’re funny, Papa.”
Nudging her, he said, “I’ll dance with a lady who is from town. You pick. Just don’t choose someone who’s going to disappear in a couple of months.”
“All right, Papa.”
So, it was that simple. Rey should be relieved, but he was far from relieved. He was thinking about Viola Delany at the barn dance. She’d be asked dozens of times, he was sure. All those men lined up at the bakery each day would be vying for her attention. She might not even notice him.
He tried to think of the other women in town. There were a couple of dozen women in their twenties and thirties, unmarried, or widowed … women his daughter could choose from. But none of them he was looking forward to seeing.
They joined other wagons and carts on the road leading to the Riley barn. It was the newest one in town, so it had been unofficially elected for the dance. Light spilled from the wide-open double doors, and it sounded like Old Jennings was already fiddlin’ up a storm.
“There’s Lucy and her brother!” Elsie suddenly said, pointing toward the family who was walking into the barn. “Can I go in with them?”
“Of course.” Rey’s heart stung a little. They hadn’t even stopped their cart, yet Elsie was already wanting to spend the time with her friends. Not that he blamed her. She’d been gone for three weeks, and he’d become boring old dad.
And it wasn’t like he was going to remind her that she’d been intent on matching him with a dance partner. No, he’d be happy if she clean forgot that part of their conversation.
“Hello, Sheriff!” Jana Hixon called out just as they climbed out of their cart. Jana was a woman in her sixties who rode horses more than she walked. Her swagger tonight was hidden by a wide-hemmed skirt that she probably only broke out once a year.
“Jana, a fine evening to you.”
“Good to see you up and about,” Jana continued as they walked toward the barn doors. Elsie skipped on ahead and joined her friends without even a glance back at him. “All healed up?”
“All healed up.”
“Oh goodness.” Jana stopped in her tracks. “What a spread. I’ll be by the pie table if anyone needs me.”
Rey looked over at the long tables set up on the far side of the barn. Tradition held that families brought their favorite pie, and everyone could try various kinds. Beth Cannon always brought a dozen or so from her bakery. She’d made it a habit of presiding over the pie table and serving up slices.
He scanned for signs of Beth but didn’t see her. Another woman seemed to be arranging the pies this year. A blonde woman whom Rey recognized, even though her back was to him. His pulse did a strange sort of leap just knowing that Viola Delany had come to the barn dance after all.
He wasn’t the only man who’d noticed her, of course. In fact, one was approaching her now.
Wallace.
Rey didn’t know if he should be concerned or not. Certainly Wallace had learned his lesson from being kicked out of the bakery. To Rey’s knowledge, the man hadn’t been back since. So what was going through Wallace’s mind now?
Rey began to thread his way to the other side of the barn, greeting others as he moved. Elsie was busy chattering and running around with her friends. When he was about halfway across the space, Wallace reached Viola, and she turned to face him.
Her smile was bright, but Rey didn’t miss the way she gripped her hands tightly in front of her. Wallace said something, and Viola pointed to the rows of pies. Wallace stepped closer, sweeping off his hat. Viola stepped back. Wallace said something, and Viola shook her head. Then she moved around the table, putting the pies between her and Wallace.
