“You can count on it,” Bethany said, turning and dashing off in her gown and cowboy boots.
She had to admit the country theme was pretty sweet and she got a lot of pictures.
Most of the guests were leaving now, the bride and the groom seeing them off.
Though the Ridgeways didn’t get paid for the wedding planner services, she was still getting her feet wet with the weddings that had already been planned.
She went to the kitchen and got the rest of the cookies and cake the servers had boxed up and brought them out to put by the gift table so they weren’t forgotten. Clay was cleaning up behind the bar, as technically the wedding was done.
It was eight and dark out, but they’d clean up so they wouldn’t have to come back in the morning.
While the gifts were being loaded, she took the linens off the tables and folded them. She’d return them tomorrow or Monday after school.
She was humming to herself as she worked. The place was empty but for her and Clay.
“Tired?” he asked when he came by her side.
“Very.”
It’d been a long week.
She got through Wednesday night with Clay in bed with her. Thursday by herself, she thought it’d be hard, but it wasn’t. Last night and tonight she was staying here.
It was as if a load was lifted off her shoulders.
Everything could go back to the way it was.
She could focus on the man in front of her she knew stole her heart.
Maybe it was watching the new bride and groom so in love with each other and what had happened a few days ago dig into her brain that she shouldn’t hold in her feelings any longer.
Who knew what could happen in life? She was a prime example of it.
“I’ll go check the bathrooms,” he said.
“I already did,” she said. “They are empty and I pulled the trash out.”
“Then we should be done,” he said. “The cleaners are coming in the morning.”
“Aren’t you glad I convinced you to do that?”
“Yes,” he said. She stood in front of him with her lips puckered.
“Now we can go home and shower and collapse into bed. I think everything is catching up with me.”
“A shower is the first order of business,” he said.
He flipped the lights, set the alarms and they went to his truck, then drove to his ranch.
When they got to his place, he unlocked the doors. He didn’t even have a key. She’d thought about wanting to come and surprise him but couldn’t even do that without him knowing.
Oh well. It’d been a nice romantic thought. Maybe someday.
She had clothes in a drawer here. She was nervous about doing that, but he’d offered, so why not take him up on it and just leave some articles for the weekend?
“I’m going to jump in first,” she said.
“Yeah, go ahead,” he said. “I need to check on a few things out back.”
