Page 68 of The Wedding Ranch
Chapter Nineteen
Ryder sat in his lawn chair under the horse trailer awning enjoying a cup of coffee while checking messages. He wasn’t normally one to spend a lot of time on his phone. The way he saw it, phones were for phone calls. The only reason he had a fancy one was because his old flip phone finally stopped working and he’d been forced to get something new.
He had hoped he might hear from Lorri though.
A little lisa butterfly skittered across his shoulder. Maybe it was the same little lisa that Lorri had been delighting over the other day. Her spontaneous delight of the simplest things resonated with him.
He pictured Lorri riding the creek trail on Dottie. The way her hair moved in the light breeze, her skin kissed by the sun. No one would have believed she’d never ridden before. He remembered her squeal when he’d splashed her, and the reckless laughter that followed. It made him laugh now.
She’d talked to a ladybug, and when she walked through thetall grass back toward the old mill house, her fingertips sweeping the green growth as high as her waist, he’d caught his breath.
“One last look,” she’d said, taking off before he could answer. “One last goodbye.”
“I’ll bring you back,” he’d promised. “It’s not really goodbye.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Ryder.”
And he’d found comfort in that.Don’t threaten me with a good time.
It had been a good day. Seeing these all-so-familiar things through her eyes, fresh and new, brought new respect to the good fortune under which he lived his life.
It had been a long time since he’d spent time in the company of a woman. There’d been a few dates over the years since Valerie died, but they’d been awkward. And not of his doings. Friends invited him over for dinner only to find they had also invitedthe perfect girl. They meant well. He tried to remember that, but he didn’t appreciate it much.
He’d had the same thought every time that happened.
I already met the perfect girl. Married her and vowed my life to her.
What made his friends think he needed a second best?
Grief was a funny thing. Just when he thought he was making progress, someone would push him and he’d clamp onto the past again even tighter than before. Giving up that empty spot where his heart used to feel happiness felt too much like letting go of all the good memories.
He missed Valerie and Ronnie Dwayne every day. It was fine by him if he relived those good memories every last day of his life.
If he died an old man only clinging to the memories he had with them—his wedding day. The birth of his son. Sunday dinners. All of Ronnie Dwayne’s firsts. Every goodnight kiss—if that’s all he died with, he’d have so much more than many people would ever experience in their lives. He was thankful for that.
Lorri was different. She wasn’t a divorcée looking for a replacement, or a single mother hoping for a new dad for her kids. She was just another person, like him, hardworking, honest, and playful. Beautiful in a girl-next-door kind of way, her confidence intrigued him. The way Lorri enthused over the small things that made this town special delighted him as much as the first vine-ripe tomato of summer. He couldn’t wait to show her more of Dalton Mill, and there was nothing more to it than that. No pressure. No expectations.
He hadn’t asked many questions. Hadn’t even wanted to, but today he found himself wondering about her. Where she grew up. Her favorite foods. She’d mentioned she didn’t cook. Did she eat takeout or those little frozen cardboard-box dinners? What was her career like? He knew she’d created the logo for The Wedding Ranch, but how does someone fall into that kind of job?
Ryder’s phone rang—disappointment fell over him as he saw that it was only Ross.
“What’s up, Ross? Is everything okay at the venue?”
“We have a slight hiccup. I could use your help if you have time.” Ross blew out a breath. “Sorry for the last-minute ask, but Cody loaned out his rental car to one of his friends, and that’s how he and Kasey were going to move from the ceremony to the reception. Do you think you could bring the horseand carriage down to take them back to the tent after the vows? I can come up with something else if you can’t. I get it, but—”
“Not doing anything but staying out of the way today as promised. I’m happy to help, Ross.”
“Great. You’re the best. They’ll be surprised, and I think they’ll really like it.”
“What do I need to wear? I didn’t bring much down here with me.”
“Doesn’t matter. Jeans and a black T-shirt would do. As long as you’re wearing your cowboy hat, it’ll be fine. I know you’ve got that.”
“Got my pants on, don’t I?”
“Yes, sir. Yeah, nothing fancy. The horse and carriage are fancy enough. All eyes will be on the bride and groom anyways.”
“I’m on it.” His mind was already thinking about what he’d need to do to pull it together in a hurry.
