Page 45 of A Cowboy's Trust
“I’ll peek in on our guest, then I should head home,” Sydney said after the door closed on the wintry night.
“Take a look, but why don’t you stay?” Petra suggested. “The three of us haven’t had a chance to catch up in a while.”
In the background, Jinx, Aiden, and Jake had begun cleanup.
Tansy gestured to the leftovers. “I need to take care of those, but after, I would love some girl time.”
Which is how, half an hour later, they ended up in the living room, the fire crackling in the airtight stove. Petra rearranged the chairs to create a more intimate gathering for the three of them with a love seat and a single overstuffed recliner.
Aiden held a whispered conversation with Petra that ended with him nabbing both Jake and Jinx. “We’re headed to my apartment. Jinx is going to let me beat her at three handed crib.”
To which the teenager rolled her eyes. “Old-fashioned games are okay, but next time you guys have to play Wyrmspan.”
Jake twisted toward Tansy and mouthed the word back at her, confusion on his face.
Amusement kicked into high gear. Tansy had played the boardgame with the girls a few times. She was totally joining that game to witness Jake calculating the odds of which was better—hatching eggs or deploying dragons.
But for now, she wrapped the fuzzy blanket around her shoulders a little tighter and stared into the flames. A little moment of peace after a whole lot of chaos.
Beside her, Petra patted her knee softly. “It’ll be okay.”
Tansy met her gaze, raising a brow.
Her friend smiled. “You let out an enormous sigh, and I get it. Right when I think I’ve got High Water lined up neatly, we get thrown another loop.”
“Life would be boring if nothing ever changed,” Sydney said pragmatically.
“I could take a little boring,” Tansy offered, thinking of Jake’s eye.
Her comment was greeted instantly by Sydney blowing a raspberry at her. “Bullshit, nonsense, and once more,pfffft.” Sydney wiggled her toes toward the fire, her legs draped over the arm of the chair she was curled up in. “I wish the loops being thrown at us didn’t involve abused kids, but at least we’re here to offer them a chance.”
Tansy caught herself taking another deep breath. Yeah. That was pretty much what she had hoped for when she signed on at High Water.
Time for a change of topic. She met Sydney’s gaze. “We need to interrogate Petra. That or teach her how calendars work. As in time marches forward, there’s no time like the present, yada, yada.”
“She still not decided on a wedding date?” Sydney hummed intently.
“I’m starting to get worried. Maybe this is a sign that the wedding is not going to happen.”
Unexpectedly, instead of laughing at their teasing, Petra made a face.
Beside her, Tansy jerked upright. “Wait. I was joking. I know damn well there’s nothing wrong in Petra-Aiden-landia. You two are so disgustingly in love, it’s obnoxious kissy-faces and woo-woo germs everywhere, all the time.”
“We don’t have a problem,” Petra said slowly. Her gaze danced between Sydney and Tansy. “It’s kind of the whole High Water thing.”
Tansy considered what they’d just been talking about and rapidly came to a few conclusions. “You’re worried that if you plan something, we might have ranch hands suddenly arrive, or a need to keep things secret…” Tansy paused.
Petra made another face. “Or Aiden might end up with a black eye that’s hard to explain.”
Well, shit. Something Tansy hadn’t even thought of, but obviously possible, all things considered.
“That does make planning awkward,” Sydney agreed. “Especially with the size of your family.”
Petra sagged in her corner of the loveseat, misery on her face. “Holding the wedding at Red Boot ranch would make perfect sense since my brother’s place is a wedding venue. That would deal with some of the issues like accommodation for my family and the rest of it. My parents know what we’re doing here, and Zach and Julia. But…”
“But that means an extra four siblings and their spouses and their kids, and doesn’t deal with the possible interruption of people arriving.” Tansy’s mind jumped from idea to idea, trying to come up with a solution.
Sydney cleared her throat. “First thing to ask is, do youwantthe big family wedding, or is it simply expected?”
