Page 45 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

The preacher looked horrified, and the groom, Jake, was so pissed it was a wonder steam didn’t billow out from his ears as my son laid it all on the line, confessing his lifelong feelings to his best friend in one breath, while begging her to choose him in the next.

It shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone that Penny pulled out of her fiancé’s hold and rushed up the aisle, only stopping long enough to link hands with my son before they both took off running .

Daisy clasped both hands over her chest like it was the most romantic scene she’d ever witnessed while mayhem ensued. The jilted groom ran after the pair of lovebirds as Wade and Caroline shouted their daughter’s name.

But the roar of the heavy-duty pickup engine out front, combined with the sharp crunch of gravel under speeding tires, made it clear they were all too willing to stir up the drama with zero interest in dealing with the fallout their actions would cause.

Caroline put an arm around Jake’s shoulders, guiding him into the house while Wade trudged back to where all the guests stood as they looked around uncomfortably, unsure of what to do next.

My best friend’s gaze landed on me, and I inwardly groaned. With Tripp gone, I was on the hook for that little charade.

Tugging on the back of my neck, I shifted on my feet when he stopped before me. “Listen, Wade—”

He shook his head. “Took him damn long enough.”

My eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“If I’d have known all he needed to light a fire under his ass was to think he was gonna lose her to another man, I’d have taken a page out of one of those books the ladies like to read and brought in a guy to pretend he was gonna marry her ages ago.”

“Sounds like a good idea in theory, but those fake dating situations have a tendency to turn real.” My neck twisted to find that Mac had joined our conversation.

Wade blinked at my son-in-law. “What would you know about that?”

From the corner of my eye, I caught Aspen elbowing her husband’s side.

Mac realized his mistake and began to backtrack.

“I don’t have personal experience, of course, but I happen to know a guy .

. .” A grin stretched across his face. “Happily married. Over the moon about a baby on the way.” His palm came to rest over my daughter’s rounded belly.

Great job trying to convince anyone it isn’t you, bud.

My best friend hummed. “Well, anyway. I’m just glad they finally figured it out. She would’ve never been happy with him .” He tilted his head toward the house.

I blew out a heavy breath, gesturing toward the abandoned wedding setup. “What do we do about all of this?”

Smirking, Wade suggested, “Call it a write-off in the name of love?”

A grunt came from the back of my throat. “Let me know what your accountant has to say about that.”

He bumped me with his shoulder. “Come on, can you drop the grumpy asshole routine for one day? We should be celebrating!”

I arched an eyebrow. “Celebrating what? That our kids left us to clean up their mess?”

“Eh.” The word was said with a shrug. “We can repurpose all this stuff for when those two tie the knot.” Wade smirked. “Can’t imagine they’ll wanna push it off. Wasted enough time already if you ask me.”

I hadn’t meant the physical mess.

The funny thing about running from your problems was that they were always right there waiting for you upon your return.

Tripp and Penny were determined to learn that lesson the hard way.

The name that flashed on the Caller ID had me clenching my cell in a white-knuckled grip .

For nearly twenty-four hours after the little runaway bride act, we hadn’t heard a damn word from Tripp or Penny, though not for lack of trying. It turned out Penny had left everything behind in her mad dash to escape her groom, and my son refused to answer when I called.

Now more than ever, I regretted not upgrading the package on the company trucks—one of which was used as their getaway vehicle—to include location tracking.

I had half a mind to let it ring out, let him see how it felt to be denied access to communication, until Daisy walked into the room and asked, “Is that them?”

The hope underlined with concern in her voice was enough to have me sliding my finger across the screen and bringing it to my ear, barking, “Where the hell have you been?”

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Colorado.”

That news stunned me into silence for a moment.

Head in my hand, I dared to ask, “Why?”

“Dad . . .”

My patience was long gone, so I snapped, “Spit it out.”

“We, um—” His swallow was audible, and dread settled in my gut. “We kinda got married.”

“You did what?!” Without conscious thought, I was on my feet, and Daisy rushed to my side.

“What?” she whisper-shouted, her grip on my forearm tightening. “What did they do?”

I shrugged her off, pacing the kitchen while my son remained silent, unable or unwilling to explain.

“Tripp,” I said his name with a low note of warning.

“Don’t expect me to apologize for it,” he huffed in frustration. “Because I’m not sorry.”

I barely resisted rolling my eyes. “’Course you’re not.”

“And that’s not all,” he continued.

“Can’t wait to hear the rest,” I muttered.

“I’m keepin’ Penny on the road with me.”

That pulled a bitter laugh from my chest. “Well, aren’t you a big man now, doing the telling instead of asking?”

“I’ve been grown for a long time now,” he snapped before adding under his breath, “Not that you’ve bothered to notice.”

“You act like a child, and you can bet your ass I’ll treat you like one, so don’t get smart with me, boy.”

A low growl sounded in my ear. “Listen. I didn’t call for a lecture.”

I snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“Just do me a favor and let Wade and Caroline know she’s safe. If you feel compelled, you can share with them that she’s mine—legally, and in every other way that matters—but I’d prefer that information go no further than her folks. At least until we make it back.”

“And when exactly do you think that will be?” I pressed.

Tripp let out a non-committal hum. “Could be end of the season, could be sooner. Gonna play it by ear.”

“I’ll be sure to sit here waiting with bated breath.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.

“Whatever,” he said on a heavy exhale before the line went dead without so much as a goodbye.

“Can’t believe that little shit hung up on me.” I shook my head in disbelief, staring at my phone, the screen having gone dark with the call ended.

Daisy failed to hold back her laughter beside me. “Now I know for sure it was Tripp. ”

“He goes out of his way to take the hard road, time and time again. And I’m sitting over here stumped, trying to figure out why.”

My wife eased the phone out of my hand, setting it down on the table, before she tugged me into the living room and urged me to sit on the couch. I dropped onto the cushions heavily with a groan. Joining me, she curled into my side, her head coming to rest on my shoulder.

“All right, why don’t you tell me what he did this time that’s got you all twisted up,” Daisy coaxed gently.

In her mind, our son could do no wrong, so my frustration with him was always seen as an overreaction. And I had a feeling today’s drama would be no exception.

Clearing my throat, I shared Tripp’s big news. “He and Penny went and got themselves hitched.”

She reared back before smacking my arm. “Don’t tease me like that, Jett.”

Ha! If only I were.

I dragged a hand over my stubble. “While it is unbelievable—considering she was set to marry another man only yesterday—I don’t see any reason why Tripp would lie about something like this.”

Daisy’s mouth dropped open as her eyes grew wide. “Tripp— our Tripp—and Penny Atkins are married? For real?”

“Suppose she’s Penny Sullivan now,” I muttered in confirmation.

She cocked her head at my annoyance. “And you’re not happy about this because . . .”

I leveled her with a glare. “Really? You have to ask?”

“Yeah, I think I do, considering they’ve been in love their entire lives. We always prayed—well, we hoped—it would come to this.”

Throwing my arms in the air, I shouted, “How the hell is he going to manage taking care of a wife when he can barely take care of himself? ”

My wife cupped a hand beside her ear. “Do you hear that? It’s the pot calling the kettle black.

” I grumbled in annoyance, but she kept going, pointing out my hypocrisy in detail.

“If memory serves, you were far younger than he is now and not in any position, financially or otherwise, to care for a wife when we got married, but that didn’t stop us. ”

“You’re proving my point, Daze. It took years to set aside my selfish ways, and even when I did, we struggled for a really long time, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Her blue eyes softened. “Of course I haven’t forgotten. But they’re in a completely different place than we were.”

“What place is that? The one where I sign both of their paychecks?”

Daisy cringed when I hit the nail on the head. But she recovered quickly, arching an eyebrow in challenge. “Thinking of cutting them off?” Scoffing, she added, “That would be one hell of a wedding gift.”

My head dropped back, and a barely restrained cry of frustration worked its way up my throat.

“He’s got me bent over a barrel, and I’m pretty sure he knows it.

I need him—this family needs him—to take over the ranch, or all my hard work will have been for nothing.

The idea of being forced to sell—abandoning what I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building and displacing those who call this place home—turns my stomach.

” I pressed a palm to my churning gut so she’d know I wasn’t lying.

Her hand came down on my arm. “I can’t imagine a single scenario in which Tripp doesn’t take over this ranch.

This place might’ve been your last resort, but for him, taking ownership is what he’s spent his whole life working toward.

It’s not just something that will fall to him by default; it’s something he actually wants. ”