Page 4 of Aisle Be The Groom (Bristlecone Springs #1)

OZZIE

I loved my new boots! Never would I have thought to find a pretty, sturdy, yet fashionable pair of boots in such an unassuming store. I was far from rich, but I mostly purchased my clothes at malls. Crafted from a rich, tawny leather with intricate stitching of curves and sharp angles on the shafts, the boots were too cute to say no to.

I stood from the padded bench where I’d sat to put the boots on and walked through the store. The boots made a soft creaking noise with each step. I stopped in front of the mirror. They looked so good on my feet.

“These are a brilliant choice,” Hank said. “The material’s durable, which makes it perfect for the ranch, and it’s stylish enough for you to pair with jeans for a night of dancing.”

My face heated. “I don’t suppose I’ll be doing much dancing.”

“Why not? There’s square dancing in the town often. If you ask, I’m sure Gray will take you.”

But I wasn’t Gray’s fiancé. His son was supposed to take me.

“I don’t know how to square dance, but who knows, I may come just to watch.”

“Well, if you ever want to learn, Gray is the square dancer champion. He only stopped entering the yearly contest to give someone else the chance to win.”

“Really?”

Hank beamed. The way he talked about Gray was like he was bragging about a child’s accomplishments.

“I wasn’t kidding that you’re marrying into one of the best families. It’s such a pity…” He shook his head. “Maybe you can get that city-slicker to visit more often. That would make Gray happy. He’s brought so much business to Bristlecone and supports the local charity too. He deserves to be happy.”

“I will try my best.”

He nodded. “I knew by looking at you that you were a good kid. Now let’s get these boots all boxed up for you.”

I followed him to the cash register, where he placed the boots inside a brown box. I took out my wallet. Despite what Gray had said, I couldn’t allow him to purchase a pair of boots for me. He was already doing so much.

“How much are they?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll invoice Gray later.”

“He’s already helping with the wedding.” Like all of it. “I don’t mind paying for the boots.”

“If you insist.”

As he told me the price, my mouth nearly fell open, but I’d already initiated the purchase, so there was no turning back. My wallet squealed in protest, but I handed over my credit card. I’d never spent two hundred dollars on footwear before. They’d better last for years.

Carrying the box, I walked out of the store. Gray and two other men were loading the back of the truck. Gray picked up an enormous burlap bag, making his muscles bulge, threw it over his shoulder, and tossed it into the bed. He wiped his brow and glanced up. Our eyes held, and heat flushed through me.

He said something to one of the men, which resulted in a nod. Gray strode toward me, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he shot me a warm smile. No wonder Carter was so devastatingly handsome. His father must have been a ladies’ man back in the day. Hell, if he wasn’t married, women would be throwing their panties at him even now. Maybe they did, given his unusual relationship with his wife. I couldn’t imagine being married to such a fine man and living so far away from him.

A man Gray’s size made cuddling fun. Carter and I never cuddled. He made comments about my size he considered funny. He thought I was already too sensitive, so I never mentioned how much I hated those jokes, which made me even more self-conscious about my body.

“You found something?” Gray asked.

“I did, thank you. I should have thought more about my choice of clothing when I packed.”

“If you need anything, just let me know.” He extended his hand. “I’ll put this in the truck for you, and we can walk over to the diner and pick up something to eat on the way back to the ranch. I’m starving, and I bet you’d like a bite to eat too.”

I handed him the box, and his fingers brushed mine, sending an electric jolt through me that made my heart flutter. I released the box quickly and pulled my hand behind my back.

When Gray had stowed my purchase in the truck and returned to my side, my jumpy pulse was back to normal. “The diner’s this way.” We walked along an old-fashioned boardwalk, the worn wood groaning under our weight. The town had an old-world charm I had only seen in movies. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny of it.

“We’ll have to cross the street.” Gray placed his hand on the small of my back. Again. Had it been any other man, I would have thought he was flirting with me, but he did it so effortlessly I knew that touching was his natural way of helping others. He seemed to think nothing of the casual way he used his hands to guide me wherever he wanted. His words would have been fine, but each gentle prod from him slowly built up a yearning inside me. A yearning to be touched like this all the time. But Carter wasn’t keen on touching me other than when we were having sex.

I frowned. How strange to have figured out his father’s character traits in less than a day, but I’d been with Carter for almost two years and was still trying to understand him.

“You don’t like the diner.”

“Huh?” I blinked.

“You’re frowning. I know it’s a simple diner, but the food’s good. Promise.”

“Oh no. It’s not the diner. I was just… thinking.”

His gray eyes held a lot of questions, but he nodded as he opened another door for me. Why hadn’t Carter taken after his father? He was cold like his mother.

Guilt pricked my conscience. I’d been comparing Carter to his father since Gray picked me up. It wasn’t fair to him. For all I knew, Gray was pretending to be this nice to me. Besides, they were two different people with their own personalities and quirks. Gray must have his shortcomings. I just didn’t know them yet.

The Mom and Pop diner was as quaint as it seemed on the outside, with its checkered tablecloths, chrome-trimmed bar stools, and a jukebox in the corner. The nostalgic notes of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” gave the place a cozy vibe.

“Do you want to eat in or get it to go?” Gray asked.

I wanted to stay but remembered all the goods Gray had loaded in the back of his truck. Three weeks was enough time for me to get to know the diner and the whole town better. Exhaustion from our trip seeped into my limbs too. If I didn’t find a bed soon, I would crash. With or without that bed.

“We can get something to go.”

“That sounds good.”

We walked to the bar, and I studied the menu board affixed on the wall.

“Hey, Gray,” a woman with strawberry blond hair threaded through with silver said. “You not eating in today?”

“Not today, Dolly. Drove all the way from Denver, and we got a truckload of goods.”

“We?” The woman shoved her glasses down on her nose and peered at me. “He doesn’t look like too much of a ranch hand.”

Gray chuckled. “He’s not supposed to. He’s about to be my spanking-new son-in-law.”

“Matty is getting married?”

“No, Carter.”

“I see.” She beamed the whitest teeth I’d ever seen at me. “Welcome to Bristlecone Springs. I’m Dolly Mae, but just Dolly will do. You need someone to cater that wedding of yours, and I’m your gal.”

“Uh.” I was too stunned to give a proper reply. In the city, people didn’t make small talk in shops or restaurants. And definitely not something so personal.

“Dolly Mae, don’t put him on the spot,” Gray said. “He’s had a long trip. Let him at least taste your cooking before he decides on his wedding plans.”

“That makes sense.”

She convinced me to have some of everything on the menu. Gray, finding the whole thing humorous, laughed and paid like it was nothing.

“How are we supposed to eat all that?” I whispered to him.

“You can’t? When you work on a ranch, son, you put away a lot of food in one sitting to last through the day.”

“I guess.” Working on a ranch had to be hard work. I was so self-conscious about what I ate, especially around others, that the idea of wolfing down all we’d ordered felt foreign.

“They shouldn’t be long putting everything together. Let’s sit. They’ll bring it out.”

Gray pulled out a chair at a nearby table. “Thank you,” I said quietly and sat.

“Gray! Yoo-hoo!”

A woman wound her way through the tables toward us. Her high heels seemed extravagant for the low-key town but went well with her neon-pink dress and big hairdo. She clutched a little black purse in her hand as if it held all her secrets to getting by in this town wearing such an outfit.

Gray groaned. “Every single time I come to town,” he muttered, but his smile didn’t betray a thought when the woman stopped at our table. He got to his feet and accepted the air kisses he seemed to know were coming. “Hi, Miss Jessamine. Don’t you look pretty today?”

She preened, coiffing her hair with her hand. “Gray, you flirt.” She tugged at his shirt. “Why if you were divorced…” She batted her eyelashes. “I wanted to ensure you got the tickets to this weekend’s theater production of Annie Get Your Gun . It promises to be delightful, and as the main sponsor for the local theater, you simply must come.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Miss Jessamine,” Gray said. “In fact, why don’t you give me two extra tickets? I may bring guests.”

For the first time, the woman seemed to notice me. She looked familiar, but how would I have met her before? “Oh dear, I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.”

“This is my son’s fiancé, Ozzie,” Gray said. “Ozzie, Miss Jessamine is our town’s theater master. Her production makes use of local talent and even draws in people from nearby towns and cities.”

“That’s impressive.” I stood and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

“You simply must come too, my dear.” She handed Gray the three tickets he’d requested. “And maybe you and I can have a nightcap after the show has ended?” She’d ignored me once more and had her attention fixed solely on Gray, who glanced at me, his expression full of desperation. But how was I supposed to help him?

“Daddy, look, it’s Gray!” someone shouted.

A stunning blond guy with a slender figure steered the large man on his arm in our direction. He wore a tan suede fringe jacket over a crop top that showed off his flat stomach. His jeans shorts were cut so high I dreaded him turning around. He’d paired his outfit with cowboy boots that were even fancier than mine. He looked out of place in a town like this, but the whole picture was beautiful, and I might have stared a tad too long.

He grinned. “Hello!” He sounded so vibrant and happy. “Gray, who’s your friend?”

“Opie, don’t be rude,” the man who didn’t look at all like his father said. “Gray’s talking to Miss Jessamine.”

“Actually, we’re just about done,” Gray said. “We got tickets for the show this weekend. Are you coming?”

“Of course,” Opie said. “Last year’s show was a hoot. I wouldn’t miss it this year for the world.”

Miss Jessamine seemed reluctant as she opened her purse and took out two tickets. She gave them to Opie and smiled. “We would love to have you. The more, the merrier. Well, tootles. I should get going. Lots of preparation to do for opening night.”

She was barely out the door when Gray let out a deep sigh. I chuckled. Did that sort of thing happen to him a lot? Why not? If he wasn’t married… and straight… and my fiancé’s father… I gasped. Where the hell did that thought come from?

“Opie, I could kiss you,” Gray said. “You saved me.”

“See, Daddy?” Opie beamed at the older man. “You shouldn’t scold me when I’m doing something nice.”

“It’s you!” I cried, staring at Opie’s companion. How had I missed the familiar face? “You’re the one who rescued me last Christmas. Lawson, right?”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Lawson said. “How have you been? This is my husband, Opie. Opie, this is Gray’s son-in-law…”

His husband? I hadn’t expected that. Opie seemed close to my age. There had to be at least ten years between them, but they looked happy. And he called his husband Daddy?

“Ozzie,” Gray said when I took too long to answer. “And the wedding hasn’t happened yet.”

Before I could fathom what Gray meant, Opie threw his arms around me in a hug. “Hi, Ozzie! Let’s be friends.”

I’d never made friends this way before. “Umm, sure.”

He released me with a grin. “Great. We’re having lunch. Why don’t you and Gray join us?”

“Actually, Opie, we’re getting our food to go, and here it is right now.”

Dolly Mae came up to our table, bringing two large paper bags with handles. “I may have added a little extra, a little something to welcome you to Bristlecone Springs. And who knows? Maybe I’ll see you again to discuss the wedding.”

Chuckling, Gray took the bags from her. “No pressure, Dolly Mae. Thank you.”

Opie pouted. “You’re leaving already? But we just became friends.”

“Have Law bring you over sometime, Opie, and you can spend more time with Ozzie. But for god’s sake, leave the hen this time.”

Hen? What was that all about? I waved at Law and Opie, then followed Gray out of the restaurant.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “Hope we didn’t overwhelm you.”

“Not at all. It was… different, but not in a bad way.”

“You sure?” He flashed me a grin that made my heart skip a beat. “Because you’ve barely been in town for half an hour, and you’ve already had one person hankering to cater for your wedding, one house call coming up, and an outing. If it’s too much, I can always make an excuse for you.”

“No, I’m looking forward to everything.”

And to my surprise, I was.