Now we were on our way to this damn rehearsal dinner, and everything I’d been avoiding all week would come to a screeching halt right in front of my face.
“Whatever you do, play nice,” Colt said, eyeing me closely. “I rarely get on Ellie’s bad side, but when I do, it’s a scary place to be,” he said, giving me a fair warning.
“Noted,” I replied, mentally rehearsing what I would say when I saw Cassie.
But there was no more time for planning, because a few seconds later, Colt turned into the gravel driveway of the old white chapel where he and Ellie would share their vows tomorrow.
The chapel sat at the base of the Montana mountains, with a wide stretch of open prairie spilling out behind it. Strings of Edison bulbs draped across the front gave it a soft golden glow as the sun sank behind the mountain peaks.
Inside, stained-glass windows cast colored light across the rafters and onto tables already dressed in crisp white linens. At the far end, a tall wooden cross stood beneath the arched ceiling—the centerpiece of it all. I never planned on getting married. But if I did, this was the place to do it.
As if God himself were playing a cruel trick, there she was—Cassie Blake—standing directly beneath the cross.
She wore an emerald silk dress, the neckline dipping just low enough to tease a hint of her cleavage. The same cleavage I’d once had the honor of seeing before I ruined everything.
The second her eyes found mine, she turned away, the deep cut of the dress baring the toned lines of her back. Her auburn curls were swept into an updo, leaving her ivory shoulders exposed, freckles scattered like constellations across her skin—another thing I loved about her. Another thing I never got the chance to tell her.
The clank of a dinner spoon against a wine glass snapped me out of staring at what I could never have.
Ellie stood at the head of the table, smiling softly at everyone around it.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. You don’t know how much it means to Colt and me that you’re here. I know everyone’s hungry, so please find your name card, and we’ll get this dinner started.”
The table looked like something out of a magazine spread—way beyond anything I’d ever sat down at. McKinley family dinners were a mismatched collection of thrifted china and random cups that had somehow survived the years. But here? Each place setting had two forks, two sparkling crystal glasses lined up like soldiers, and other utensils I couldn’t even name. Why in the world would anyone need more than one fork? And two glasses? Just pour my tea into one and call it good.
I found my name card easily, quickly taking a seat. The sooner we got this dinner started, the sooner it would be over and I wouldn’t have to sit in the same room as the pissed-off redhead who would probably sell her coffee shop if it meant paying the Mafia to put a hit out on me.
I looked at the name cards on either side of my chair. Colt was on my left, my dad on my right. Easy enough. No Cassie Blake in sight. No awkward small talk. No Mafia hits either—yet.
More people started filing in, finding their seats. When the waiter leaned in to take my drink order, a flash of auburn hair snagged my attention. I glanced up just in time to see Cassie sliding into the chair directly across from me.Perfect.Of all the empty chairs in this place, this was where Ellie decided to seat us—directly across from one another.
My eyes darted to Colt, silently throwing him a what-the-hell look. With all the people here at this dinner, they couldn’t have made sure I wasn’t sitting directly across from Cassie? One simple adjustment could’ve spared my life, because it was only a matter of time before she’d fling her extravagant butter knife past my ribcage and straight through my heart, putting me out of my misery once and for all.
“Don’t look so happy to be here,” my dad whispered as he sat down next to me.
“I am happy to be here.”
“Could’ve fooled me, boy,” he said with a laugh. “A smile would help. Take a break from that frown you always wear. You’re gonna start getting wrinkles.”
“I already have wrinkles, Dad. They’re from years of working in the sun on the ranch, not from frowning.”
“Wrinkles show wisdom in my opinion—for most people, at least,” he laughed.
“Well, I could use some wisdom right now. I got myself in a hole, and I can’t find a way out,” I said in a low voice, hoping Cassie wouldn’t overhear me talking about the mess I’d made.
“Does it involve Cassie?”
I straightened up, surprised he’d guessed it right on the first try. “Who told you?”
“No one. I saw the way she looked at you when you walked in — like she wanted you to drop dead. I’m just putting pieces together. Your mom and I have lasted this long because I learned from the very beginning how to read her body language and act accordingly.”
“Oh, I can read Cassie’s body language perfectly. She wants me dead.” I gave him a pointed look.
“Good luck,” he said, enjoying this moment way too much.
“You got any words of wisdom you could pass on to me, old man?” I asked in a hushed tone, still trying to make sure Cassie couldn’t hear us.
“Sure, I do. Tell her you’re sorry for whatever dumb shit you did—and mean it. And when she doesn’t accept your apology the first time, don’t be afraid to say it again until she finally believes you,” she said quietly.
