It seemed like it took an eternity for her to come back. Waiting felt like it took an hour, but in reality, it was about fifteen minutes.
And then there she was. She was dressed in a dressier sweater and some slacks with her hair pulled half-up in a clip. The sweater was golden honey brown, and it shimmered. Her pants, a darker brown, hugging her curves in a way that was distracting to Sam. She looked unbelievably beautiful, and Sam did his best not to make it obvious that he was staring at her.
She made her way over to the spot where a large group of people was standing around. Sam was close enough to hear her. "I'm going to head over to the building a few minutes early just to check everything out," she announced, mostly to her mom, but to everyone in the immediate vicinity. She spoke a little louder when she said, "I think Sam was going to ride with me over there. Does anyone else want to go to the building early? I'm heading over in the Gator."
Sam held his breath when she said that. He didn't want her to ask the group, and he hoped and prayed that no one would agree.
"When are the rest of us going?" Cameron asked like she was considering it. "I am glad they're doing it in the old building. I miss it."
"We'll head over in twenty," Jen said.
"Yeah, we might as well wait here since our bride's not here yet," Henry's dad said.
"Is everything ready over there?" Cameron asked, looking around like she was still considering going early.
"Oh, yeah, it's all set up for the ceremony," Jen assured her, nodding.
There was deliberation by a couple of other people, and they all felt bad about not helping Ty by going early. Sam wanted her to insist that she didn’t need help, but they all eventually relented and decided to head over with the rest of the family.
And within a few minutes, he was alone with Ty, riding as the passenger in an ATV. There was a windshield, but it was open air, and it was cold out, thank goodness. Being next to her made hot blood course through his body. It was a short trip, though, and it wasn't as cold as he expected for December in Montana.
They glanced at each other as the cold air hit them on the way over.
"Henry said he and your sister are riding horses over here," Sam said.
She smiled at him and nodded. "They are. I picked out my sister's dress, and it's comfortable and warm. Anyway, they'll be fine, they have love to keep them warm," she added. She glanced at him with a smile. Sam was looking at her, but he didn't let on what he was feeling. His expression was unreadable.
"I also came here to talk to Ash," Sam said, being casual.
"I heard you guys say something about that at dinner," Ty said. "Is he auditioning for a role?"
"Yeah, I think he'll get it. He and I would be co-stars. I have that new job starting at the end of March, and the casting director is having trouble with a role. He's got to be a singer-guitar player with a certain look, and I knew Ash would be perfect."
All of this was true, but the fact was, Sam had already talked to Ash about the role before he ever came on this trip. He only mentioned it so Ty didn't think he was just there for her.
Chapter 17
Ty
Sam Allison was at my sister's wedding, and seeing him was surreal. My whole day had been surreal. I felt like a different person with a different perspective today, and it made me feel like I was in a dreamlike state to encounter Sam after such an already life-altering day.
I wanted to tell him that I had just had a conversation about him in the car on the way over here. I wanted to say that I had referred to him as the one who got away. I was so dazed and introspective that I almost said those things absentmindedly.
Thank goodness I didn't, because it seemed the whole point of Sam coming to the wedding was to talk to Ash about being in a movie. He had told me as much as we headed to the building. My feelings were all over the map, and I was glad I had the distraction of entering the building and taking in all the decorations.
The kitchen area where we filmed the egg scene was visible from the door, and my eyes instantly went that way. It was situated on the side wall, where the reception food was. There were so many other decorations, and it was all beautiful, but I was so nostalgic for that little kitchen area that I instantly made my way in that direction.
"Doesn't it look beautiful in here?" I asked as I crossed the room. I did a twirl in the open space on my way over because I was happy that it was so pretty for my sister.
Sam followed me. I glanced over my shoulder as I went toward that side wall, and I saw him coming my way. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, and I waited until I turned away from him before I smiled and bit my bottom lip.
"It's so nice," he said, answering me.
"This is just too adorable," I said, seeing that Jen Sutter had incorporated the old kitchen into the décor and vibe of the wedding. She had chairs casually spread throughout and trays with desserts and finger foods set out on the countertops. "Isn't it so cute and cozy in here?" I said, coming to stand near the famous stove. "I love it in here. I'm so happy it's adorable for my sister. She was not looking forward to a wedding."
"Oh, no," he said, like it was dreadful.
"No, that's what's so great about this. She'll be so pumped that all these decisions were made for her. And she'll be happy to get it over with. Not that it's getting it over with. She's just the type of person who would rather skip ahead and be married then worry about the act of a wedding."
