Page 47 of A Cowboy's Trust
“Odd?” Tansy repeated.
Petra snickered. “I was going to say heartwarming and homey.”
Tansy put a cup of coffee in front of Jake. He leaned toward her as she settled in the chair beside him. “I don’t know. Odd worked for me.”
A snort of laughter escaped Tansy. “I have all the food organized for Thursday.”
Declan raised a hand. “I’ve arranged for the mailing boxes, so the wedding cakes will go out with priority post Friday morning.”
Petra took a deep breath, twisting in her seat to catch hold of Aidan’s hand. “We’re really doing this?”
The adoration on his face was front and center as he pressed his forehead to hers. “We’re really doing this.”
They stared at each other so intensely it was almost too much to take in. Jake dragged his gaze away and spotted Tansy, smiling from ear to ear as she watched with approval.
The girls had started the weddingright nowtrain, but Aiden had been more than willing to jump on board. Which meant both Jake and Declan had as well, because anything that made their brother this happy was not to be ignored.
The biggest issue behind Aiden and Petra getting hitched had turned out to be the need to keep secrets, which was complicated by Petra’s big family. After a whole lot of brainstorming that had involved dangerously strong margaritas, the girls had come up with what Jake thought was a brilliant solution.
If they couldn’t have some of the family there, they wouldn’t have any of them. Aiden and Petra would exchange their vows privately, location currently a supersecret. They planned to video the entire thing then send out a link so that family could enjoy afterward.
At some point down the road, they would have a family celebration with the Sorenson side, probably during their next Christmas in Hawaii getaway. The Skye family and all the Heart Falls friends would celebrate during a party this coming summer.
The only part of not gathering together that had caused Petra regret—the inability to have family photos—had been solved by Tansy’s brainwave. It was a little unusual, and made everybody laugh when they heard it. As unique and spontaneous as Tansy herself, Jake thought.
“What did everybody think about thewedding photos in a boxyou asked for?” Kevin asked as he and Brett rose to gather the breakfast dishes and pop them into the dishwasher.
“My oldest siblings sent me back eyeroll emoji,” Petra informed them. “The niblings are all thrilled. Brother-in-law number three wanted to ensure he had the exact right box dimensions and aperture settings I’d need.”
“So, pretty much situation normal?” Tansy offered.
“Pretty much. My dad did inform me that if I had thought of it sooner, he would’ve made sure to order all of us identical Amazon packages so that we would have the same cardboard box to work with.”
A knock sounded on the door, followed immediately by Sydney letting herself in. “Morning, High Water. Is there still coffee in the pot?”
Tansy got ready to leap to her feet, but Jake laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got it. Morning, Sydney. Our guest should be joining us in a minute if you want to see him.”
“Oh, I suppose. I actually came here to interrogate Kevin.” Sydney hung her coat and made her way across the room, stopping beside where Kevin and Brett were prepping to hand wash and dry the pots from breakfast. “What’s this I hear about you making a play for my nurse?”
Kevin looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “Edison is an interesting young man who shares a lot of common interests with me.”
Jake passed Sydney her coffee then eyed their psychologist. “Is this who you had the date with a while ago?”
“A while ago, and a few days ago, and a day ago,” Sydney teased. “I had to come and tell you that I’ve been getting a constant earful of the wonderfulness of Kevin.”
The faintest flush hit Kevin’s cheeks. “Always nice to be appreciated.”
“It is.” Sydney leaned toward him, hands pressed to the countertop. “Don’t you go breaking his heart.”
“Sydney, stay out of Kevin’s dating life,” Petra scolded.
“It’s not his dating life I’m worried about. It’s if they break up and then Edison finds it impossible to stay in a small town with constant reminders of what could have been, and suddenly I have to train another nurse to be able to handle the way I like things to work.”
“Ahhh. That makes more sense,” Declan offered, deliberately not looking at Sydney. “Heaven forbid anything interrupt your work.”
Sydney made a face at him even as she paced toward the table.
She turned to Jake, pulling something out of her pocket. “By the way, this is yours. It got sent to your name, General Delivery, Heart Falls, which I had no idea was still a thing. I was at the post office and Marcy asked if I could give it to you.”
