Brett sighed. “Are you flirting with me, Hannah Williams?”
“I’m trying to,” she whispered. “But I’m a bit rusty.”
“Don’t worry. We can practice on each other.”
That sounded like a wonderful idea to Hannah. She leaned forward and kissed the side of Brett’s face that wasn’t battered and bruised.
The curtain swung open and Pat, Claire, and Mary-Beth came into the cubicle.
“Thank goodness,” Mary-Beth said with a deep sigh. “I thought you’d never kiss each other.”
Hannah grinned at Brett’s sister.
Mary-Beth’s eyes widened. “You mean you’ve already kissed?”
“You’re my sister,” Brett said. “And a sister doesn’t need to know everything about her brother’s life—especially when that little sister is going to Vancouver.”
Mary-Beth’s smile vanished. “There has been a small change to my plans.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Liam and I broke up. I’m not moving.”
Hannah wrapped her arm around Mary-Beth’s shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s probably for the best. But I won’t be able to spend time with you when you’re at the university.”
“There’s been a small change to Hannah’s plans, too.” Brett started to smile, then groaned. “Don’t ever cut your lip.”
Mary-Beth looked at Hannah and then her brother. “What’s changed?”
“I’m not going to Vancouver, either,” Hannah said. “I want to stay here with Brett.”
Claire gave her a hug. “Yeah. I get to spend more time with you.”
“And I’ll have my favorite nurse visiting me,” Pat said proudly.
Hannah smiled at the people who had changed her life. She would work something out with Claire, find some kind of balance between their event staging company and her painting. But for now, spending more time with Brett was her number one priority.
Two months later
Tomorrow, Daniel O’Sullivan would be marrying Holly Miller in a three-story barn overlooking Emerald Lake. Hannah and Claire had been planning the wedding for months and, thankfully, the weather was perfect for what they had in mind.
Brett didn’t know how they were going to decorate an entire barn in one day, but everyone else was sure it could be done. Even with the whole bridal party giving them a hand, it would be a big job.
He walked into the barn and frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. In fact, it’s downright dangerous.”
Hannah dangled a carrot in front of an alpaca’s nose. “Impulse is a perfect gentleman. He hasn’t spat at me once.”
“That could be because Impulse is a female and she’s addicted to carrots.”
She peeked at the underside of the animals belly. “Oops.”
Brett leaned against the rail surrounding Impulse’s stall. Claire had just told him that Hannah was trying to coax the alpaca out of the barn. “Why don’t you stand behind her and shoo her into the horse trailer?”
“Because you can’t shoo these lovely animals. They have delicate personalities.”
Holly, Hannah’s friend and the bride-to-be, walked into the barn. She stood beside Brett and grinned. “I don’t think delicate is the right word. Impulse is cute but crazy.”
Hannah turned away from the stubborn animal. “Why do you have them if you think they’re crazy?”
“A friend of Daniel’s helps at the animal rescue center. She needed someone to look after two alpacas, and Daniel had some spare barn space. Impulse and Sparkles came to visit and never left.”
