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“Adelia, this is my mom, Ida, and my sister, Rhonda.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Ida said.
“I’m a huge fan of your films,” Rhonda gushed.
“Thanks.”
Gus didn’t miss the look of annoyance in Merritt’s eye, and he liked that she was jealous.
“Genny, your hair looks so cute,” Rhonda told her sister. “Will you do mine later?”
“Sure.”
The doorbell rang then, and Genevieve went to answer it.
“Thea, you made it.” Genevieve ushered her inside. “Everyone, this is Thea Powell, the wedding coordinator. She’s the boss from now on, so you boys listen to her instructions very carefully.”
Thea laughed. “I have a few helpers with me too, and the supply trailers will be arriving shortly. We are going to transform your barn into the glamorous rustic wedding of your dreams.”
Genevieve clapped her hands together with pure glee.
Everyone grabbed their coats and headed out to the barn with Thea, who began doling out instructions.
Gus watched his brother and Genevieve, standing together just inside the barn. He had his arms around her lower back and her head was resting against his chest. She looked up at him with so much love in her eyes that it made Gus’s heart ache. Sebastian gently tugged one of her braids before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Gus wanted that. He wanted what they had.
His gaze turned to Merritt, who stood across the room with his sister and Adelia. She was also watching the happy couple with a little smile on her face, and then she looked around the room until she saw him. Her eyes darted away the moment they made contact with his, but he didn’t look away. He kept his eyes on her until she felt his stare and looked his way again.
Something was happening between them. Something he feared would ruin everything.
TWENTY-SEVEN
When Merritt first heard that the wedding would take place in the horse barn, she wasn’t sure what to expect. But her breath rushed straight out of her lungs as soon as she stepped inside the immaculate building. It was clear that whoever had built this barn took the utmost care with its design. The roof was high with rafters and lofts above. The horse stalls had sturdy wooden doors with ornate black handles and hinges, and black lantern-style lights hung beside each, illuminating the wide, lengthy aisle that led to a sizable room at the end. Everything was in pristine condition, and their horses were darn lucky to have such a nice place to live.
With Thea in charge, the place quickly transformed into exactly what she’d said—the rustic wedding of Genevieve’s dreams. Thousands upon thousands of twinkly lights were hung from the rafters. Chairs were brought into the room and a small stage was constructed for the ceremony. Tables and wooden benches were arranged along the length of the horse stall aisle, making one long dining table, with a little round table to one end for the bride and groom. Once the flowers and place settings were brought in on the wedding day, it was going to look truly incredible.
They worked throughout the day, finally stopping when a catering van arrived in the evening, bringing them BBQ from a restaurant in town. It was the best pulled pork Merritt had ever tasted.
Someone turned on the sound system that had been set up for the ceremony and started playing country music. The song “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” came on, and Sebastian’s laughter filled the room.
“Hey, honey, it’s our song,” he cried.
Genevieve cracked up laughing as he ran over and picked her up, spinning her around.
“Is this your first dance song?” Adelia asked teasingly.
“It’s an inside joke,” Genevieve explained when he put her down.
Genevieve and Rhonda took to the dance floor then and started teaching some line dancing moves. They looked like twins with their long blonde hair braided the same way and cowboy hats on their heads, but Rhonda was taller and less curvy than Genevieve.
Merritt’s eyes searched the room for Gus to see if he was watching Rhonda, and she was relieved to find that he was not. Stupid jealousy.
“Come on!” Skylar grabbed hold of her hands. “Let’s dance!”
Skylar dragged Merritt out there with her, and they were soon stomping, kicking, clapping, and twirling like they’d been doing it forever. It was a welcome finish to a hard day’s work.
The music turned slower, and everyone coupled up for a dance.