A Winter Wedding

She nibbled uncertainly on her lower lip. “No, a blocked number wouldn’t be believable.”

“Then we’d have to go over to the office. I have an extra line that wouldn’t give the name of my company on caller ID.”

She appeared more hopeful. “Would you mind?”

It wasn’t really his place to get involved. Also, it was snowing pretty hard. He could hear the wind railing against the house. But he had a four-wheel drive, they wouldn’t have far to go and the storm didn’t seem to be nearly as bad as forecasted, certainly no worse than several they’d had in recent years.

Besides, he could feel her uncertainty. Maybe Derrick Meade wasn’t cheating. Maybe they could relieve her anxiety so she could focus on writing those songs she’d mentioned. She seemed to be down on her luck, but not in the same way Noelle always was. Lourdes had seen a lot of success. She might be someone for whom a little help would make a big difference. “I wouldn’t mind, but—” he checked his watch “—it’s nearly nine in Nashville. Won’t it seem strange to get a business call that late?”

“Not from a harried reporter trying to hit a deadline.”

“Okay,” he said. “Come on.”

4

After Kyle waved her into the seat across from his desk and picked up the phone, Lourdes could only wring her hands. Was she about to find out if all the anxiety and concern she’d been feeling had a basis in reality?

“What’s his number?” he asked.

He could look it up on his cell, but there was no need when she knew it by heart.

She rattled off the digits as she shook snow off her coat. Then she held her breath as he dialed. On the drive over, she’d educated him so he’d sound like a believable country magazine reporter, but she had no idea how he’d handle himself once he had Derrick on the phone.

“Hello?”

Derrick must’ve answered! Lourdes felt her stomach twist into knots.

Clearing his throat, Kyle stood. “Mr. Meade? This is Graham...Gibb with Country Weekly.” He threw her a quizzical look that told her he’d gapped on the name she’d given him and had to improvise. Fortunately, he’d remembered the magazine correctly. That would’ve been a lot tougher to fake, since Derrick knew all the magazines that mattered in their industry. “I understand you manage Crystal Holtree...Yes, I’ve heard that song. It’s amazing. I apologize for calling so late, but I’m up against a deadline and was wondering if she might be available for a quick interview...Mmm-hmm...Right. What I’d originally planned for this issue fell apart, so I thought I’d change it up and write a piece on an emerging artist...Okay...Sure.”

He covered the phone. “He’s giving me her number,” he mouthed. “What should I do?”

“Hang up,” she whispered.

“Won’t he get suspicious?”

“He won’t guess it’s me. I’ve never done anything like this before.” She’d never felt she had to, not until Crystal entered their lives...

Flicking his wet hair out of his face, he removed his hand from the receiver. “Sorry for the interruption. My wife’s telling me that my editor’s been trying to reach me. She’s already backfilled the interview with someone else, so I apologize for the false alarm. I’ll keep Ms. Holtree in mind for future articles, though...Yes, I agree. She’s talented. I’ll see what I can do in the next few months.”

He hung up. Then he sank into his chair. “I’m not sure that was completely believable.”

Lourdes couldn’t be sure, either. She’d been straining the bounds of credulity when she’d had Kyle call so late. Crystal was generating sufficient interest that it wasn’t inconceivable, but it was Lourdes’s emotions that were driving her these days—not logic. That was why she’d had to pull away from Nashville. She needed to get her priorities straight, put recent setbacks in perspective. “You handled it well.”

“But we didn’t learn anything. Maybe she was there, and he’s just too smart to give himself away.”

“Did he even try to suggest me for the interview? Or for another one later?”

“No. He might’ve if we’d talked longer.”

“He would’ve a year ago, no matter what.”

Kyle drummed his fingers on the desk. “Maybe he couldn’t.”

“You think she’s there?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You sensed a hesitancy or something that makes you wonder.”

He grimaced as if he didn’t want to admit that, but she could tell it was true.

She dropped her head in her hand. “Shit.”

Before he could respond, the office phone rang.

He glanced over at her. “It’s the Ooma line I just used, and I shouldn’t be getting any calls this time of night.”

Her heart began to pound. “What happens if you don’t answer?”

“It rolls over to the regular lines and eventually goes to voice mail for First Step Solar.”

“Grab it,” she cried, but he must’ve come to the same conclusion, because he was already reaching for the handset.

“Graham Gibb.”

Lourdes held her breath. If Kyle’s caller happened to be looking for solar panels, he or she would be quite confused. But, in the next second, it became apparent that Derrick was calling back, just as they’d feared.

“Great,” Kyle said. “That’s convenient...” He squeezed his forehead with one hand as if he regretted getting mixed up in her little ruse—or was worried about the fallout. “Of course I’d like to speak to her...Sure...Put her on...”

Derrick must’ve transferred the phone to Crystal, because, for the next several minutes, Lourdes had to sit there and listen to Kyle feign interest in Crystal’s burgeoning music career. When he could do so without seeming too dismissive, he cut in to say he had to go if he was going to finish his article tonight, that it had been a pleasure speaking to her and he’d get back to her if he ever had the opportunity to give her some press.

When he hung up, he rubbed a hand over his mouth. “So what do you make of that?”

“She called back awfully fast.”

“Derrick said she just stopped by to drop something off after we hung up.”

Lourdes felt sick to her stomach. She wished she could believe it was the coincidence Derrick claimed, but her intuition wouldn’t allow it. “What could Crystal need to drop off that she couldn’t email?”

Kyle shook his head.

“What did she say?” Lourdes asked.

“That she wanted to reach out and let me know she’d be happy to speak to me whenever. We could even have lunch. That sort of thing.”

“Was it convincing?”

He didn’t seem too keen on committing himself.

“Kyle? Did you get the impression Derrick was pretending she’d suddenly shown up?”

“That’s a tough question,” he hedged.

She blew on her hands, which hadn’t warmed up since their journey through the storm. “Because you think they’re having an affair.”

“Because I don’t really know!”

“God, I hate this,” she said. “I hate feeling as if I’m being taken for a fool. And I hate feeling I can’t trust the man I love.”

“Has he ever cheated on you before?”

“Not that I know of. But he’s never been so preoccupied and distant, either. Never been so swept away with someone else.” He also had a history that included an extramarital affair with an intern, well before he met her, but Lourdes didn’t volunteer that information. She’d chosen to believe he’d just messed up, that he regretted it—but she understood that others might not give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was merely enamored with Crystal’s potential, as he claimed. “It doesn’t help that she’s younger, prettier and more talented than I am,” she grumbled.

Kyle looked shocked. “She might be younger, and I’m no judge of singing talent, so I can’t weigh in there. But she couldn’t be any more beautiful.”

It was a nice compliment. One that sounded sincere.

Maybe if Lourdes hadn’t been so distraught, she could’ve appreciated it.

* * *

Kyle stared at the ceiling for at least an hour after he went to bed. He felt bad for Lourdes. Clearly, she was stumbling through that unique hell reserved for partners of the unfaithful. Can he change? Will he change? Should I give him the opportunity to change? Does he really love me—or does he love her? Kyle had discussed those questions with her at great length over the past three hours. While the snow continued to fall outside, they’d shared a bottle of pinot noir and Lourdes had told him that even though coming to Whiskey Creek had been her idea—she’d seen it as a way to withdraw from public life so she could “reset”—Derrick had promised to come with her. He’d said they’d use whatever time she didn’t spend writing to rebuild their relationship, since they’d been having so much difficulty getting along. So even if Derrick hadn’t been lying about Crystal tonight, he’d put Lourdes off and that led Kyle to believe he probably was too caught up with his new client. Hearing from Crystal so soon after calling Derrick was certainly suspect, despite Derrick’s explanation—since that explanation was flimsy at best.

Lourdes seemed like a nice person who didn’t deserve the turmoil she was going through. But whether or not Derrick was cheating wasn’t the only thing on Kyle’s mind. Discussing her problems had forced him to face that his own life needed an overhaul. The woman he loved—had always loved—was married to his stepbrother, which created an awkward challenge whenever he saw them (and he saw them often). To make matters worse, he had an ex-wife who wouldn’t let go, who claimed she still loved him, even though, from what he remembered, she’d hated being married as much as he had. And almost all his friends were not only in committed relationships but having children, too. They’d moved on and he hadn’t. He felt lonely and shiftless whenever he wasn’t completely immersed in his work. So he worked longer and longer hours, which made it even harder to meet someone.

He was approaching forty. If he was going to marry and have kids, he needed to do it soon. But he hadn’t met a woman who could replace Olivia—and he was beginning to fear he never would.

His phone buzzed. Leaning up on one elbow, he squinted to see who’d texted him. It was Riley Stinson, the most recent of his close friends to find a mate.

You still up?

Kyle had missed a call from Riley earlier. He hadn’t gotten back to him, so although he was exhausted, he shoved himself into a sitting position.

I am. Sorry I missed your call today. Got a tenant for the farmhouse. Been handling that. What’s up?

Kyle wasn’t sure why he’d asked what was up. He knew what was up with Riley. After months spent trying to atone for their difficult history, Riley had finally talked Phoenix Fuller into marrying him. They’d set the date for December 30 and were planning a big wedding. It was all Riley could talk about. And, if Kyle was being honest, that made him a lot less eager to take Riley’s calls. Now that Riley was settling down, Kyle would be the only single member of their group, except for Baxter—and, as Noelle had pointed out, his relationship with Baxter wouldn’t be very conducive to meeting women.

Instead of texting back, Riley called. “Hey, you rented the farmhouse, huh?”

Kyle could hear the wind buffeting the trees against the house, but the worst of the storm seemed to be over. “I did,” he said as he dropped onto his pillows.

“To who?”

The words “Someone from Nashville” were on the tip of his tongue. That was what he planned to tell most people. But Riley was one of his best friends. He could trust Riley with his life. “Lourdes Bennett.”

“Lourdes who?”

“Bennett. She’s a country-western singer—sings ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Stone Cold Lover.’”

“That Lourdes Bennett? Are you kidding me?”

“No, but don’t tell anyone she’s in town. She’s trying to keep a low profile.”

“I won’t tell a soul. But if Lourdes wanted to move here, why wouldn’t she buy her own place? She’s got to have the money.”

“This is just a short-term thing, until she finishes writing the songs for her next album.”

“Don’t most major artists buy songs from songwriters?”

“I’m sure some do, but I guess she prefers to come up with her own material.” He heard the toilet flush down the hall. Lourdes was still up—which didn’t surprise him. Derrick had called as they poured the last of that bottle of wine. She’d probably just finished talking to him. “Did you need something when you tried to reach me earlier?” he asked Riley.

“Mostly I wanted to check in, see what you’ve been up to. Seems like we’ve both been so busy with work we hardly talk anymore.”

It wasn’t because of work. It was because Riley’s private life was doing what it should and Kyle’s wasn’t. But he didn’t comment on that. No one enjoyed hearing other people complain about something they couldn’t have. “We’ll see each other tomorrow morning at Black Gold, won’t we?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. So will Phoenix. But besides checking in, I was hoping to talk to you about the wedding.”

The wedding. Of course. Olivia was planning it, so Kyle heard about it even from her. “You’re down to what...four weeks? That’s crazy.”

“It’s coming up fast, which is why I’m in sort of a hurry.”

“To...”

“I was wondering if you’d marry us.”

Kyle nearly dropped his phone. Riley’s teenage son would be best man. He hadn’t expected to do anything other than standing in Riley’s line, along with the rest of the guys in their group of friends. “You mean...perform the ceremony?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Doesn’t that require a preacher?”

“Apparently not. I was remodeling a kitchen the other day when the guy who hired me said he’d performed his daughter’s wedding. He told me all he had to do was sign up online.”

“Where?”

“I’m sure it’ll come up if you look for it on Google. If you can’t find it, give me a call and I’ll ask him.”

“And Phoenix...she’s okay with having me play that role?”

“You know how Phoenix feels about you. She was thrilled when I suggested it.”

“But your parents will expect you to use their minister, won’t they?”

“This isn’t their wedding. I plan to make sure it’s everything Phoenix wants.”

Kyle smiled even though Riley couldn’t see it. “You really love that girl,” he said, and he could understand why. He’d taken a special liking to Phoenix, too—wished he’d written to her while she was in prison so he could’ve offered some emotional support. What she’d been through was terrible—to be convicted of something she didn’t do. Yet she’d stood tall and weathered those tough years completely on her own.

“She’s the one for me,” Riley said. “I can’t explain why she’s different from all the other women I’ve dated, but she is.”

“I’m happy for you.” He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. He was happy for Brandon and Olivia and their perfect marriage. He was happy for Riley and Phoenix, happy that they were finally getting together—something that would’ve happened years ago if life was fair. He was happy for Callie and Levi, too, who were expecting their first baby, and Eve and Lincoln, who’d had their first child a few months ago. Everyone had something to celebrate.

If Noelle could find another love interest, maybe he’d have something to celebrate...

“So you’ll do it?” Riley asked.

He tried to imagine standing at the altar with Riley and Phoenix and felt ill equipped, but how could he say no to one of his best friends? “I can honestly say that performing a marriage is something I never pictured myself doing. But sure. Thanks for asking me.”

“Glad you’re willing. And you have my promise that I’ll do anything you ask me to when you get married.”

“Are you expecting that to happen soon?” he joked.

“You never know, man. You could be married right now if you weren’t so damn picky.”

His father told him basically the same thing. But in his mind, he wasn’t being picky, he was being careful. He’d rather be a confirmed bachelor for the rest of his life than make another mistake. The last one had been a pain in his ass for six years.

He thought of Noelle calling about her water heater, and the money for her boob job and for her utility bill. She was still a pain in his ass. He should never have married her—but he had the sneaking suspicion that if he hadn’t, she would’ve gone ahead and had the baby, forging an even stronger bond. His mistake had been letting her seduce him in the first place. It all went back to one drunken, foolish night when she’d claimed to be on the pill...

“I’m fine the way I am,” he insisted.

“Noelle put the fear of God into you. And I can see why. She’s freakin’ psycho. We knew she was trouble before you married her, and if she hadn’t been pregnant, you wouldn’t have done it. Nothing like that will happen again.”

Anything could happen. That was why he was being more vigilant. “I was an idiot to let her trap me.”

“She’s an extreme example. Forget about her.”

If only he could. If only she’d allow it...

“What about the girl you brought to Ted’s Halloween party this year—Danni Decker?” Riley asked. “She seemed cool.”

“For one thing, she lives in the Bay Area. For another, she has a high-powered investment job.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“We’re too similar. She’d never give up her job to move here. And I wouldn’t move there. So why would I pursue a relationship with her, when it’s bound to end with both of us miserable? Besides, she doesn’t want children, and that’s a deal breaker for me.”

“You’re looking for a homemaker?”

“Not necessarily a homemaker—but a woman who’s willing to be a mother. Most of all, I want someone who’s satisfied with who I am, what I do and where I live.” No way was he ever going to be happy with a wife who constantly nagged him to leave Whiskey Creek. He’d already been down that road.

“I guess that’s not asking too much, but...you’ve got to get over Olivia first, Kyle.”

This was the second time in a day that someone had called him on his true feelings for Olivia. But Noelle taunted him whenever she could. Ironically, she claimed it was his feelings for Olivia that had broken up their marriage, but she’d known he had feelings for Olivia when she approached him at the bar. He’d dated Olivia for two years before she put their relationship on pause and moved to Sacramento to pursue her wedding planning business.

“I’ve been over Olivia for ages,” he said, but he’d been claiming that ever since she’d married Brandon.

Riley didn’t respond.

“You still there?” Kyle asked.

“I am. I’m just... Never mind.”

Riley was skeptical. He knew nothing had changed, but Kyle couldn’t admit that, not without doing his brother a disservice. He wanted to be over Olivia; he just wished he could get his damn heart to cooperate. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I don’t need a woman.”

“I still wish you could find someone. Marriage doesn’t have to be what you had with Noelle.”

Problem was...he had yet to meet any viable alternatives. Most of the women his age were already in relationships, like Olivia and even Lourdes. Or they were entrenched in a career somewhere else. Or there wasn’t any spark.

“Who would’ve thought Phoenix and I would wind up together?” Riley said. “You’ll find someone—the person you’re meant to be with.”

Not as long as the woman he was meant to be with was married to his stepbrother. “Like I said, it’s fine even if I don’t.”

“I’m exhausted. I’ve got to go. I’ll tell Phoenix and Olivia you’ll perform the ceremony. They’ll both be glad to hear it.”

“I’ll do the research tomorrow, right after coffee at Black Gold.”

“Sounds good. I appreciate it.”

Kyle started to hang up, but Riley stopped him. “Kyle?”

“Yeah?”

“Before I go, can I ask you something?”

He sighed. “Does it have to do with Olivia? Because I’m pretty much done with that subject.”

“I just want to know why you invited her and Brandon to join us for coffee. I’ve always wondered. I think everyone has.”

“What can I say? He’s my brother.” There was no escape. And it was his fault things were the way they were. Why shouldn’t Brandon be included? He’d done nothing wrong.

“It can’t be easy to see them so often.”

“Noelle’s the one who makes my life hard,” he joked, hoping to lighten up the conversation.

“Is she still pushing to get back together?”

Kyle thought of her offer to provide him with sex and grimaced. “She still calls me far too often.”

“Maybe she’ll move. She’s been talking about going to New York or some other big city for years.”

“Sometimes I’m tempted to give her the money so we can both be happy. I’m thinking London would be nice.”

Riley chuckled. “Except she’d only come back as soon as her pockets were empty.”

“That’s why I don’t actually do it,” he said. “Have a great night.”

“See you in the morning.”

Kyle disconnected, plugged his phone in to charge and tried, once again, to get some sleep. But he could hear muffled sounds that led him to believe Lourdes was in another heated conversation with Derrick. He didn’t envy her the upset or the arguments—or the doubt and suspicion that were eating her up.

Obviously, love didn’t work for everyone.

Maybe he really was better off alone...

5

“Oh, my gosh! You have Lourdes Bennett staying at the farmhouse?”

Kyle blinked in surprise. He’d just walked into Black Gold Coffee to meet his friends, twelve of whom were crowded around their usual tables in the back corner, when he was confronted by this question. It’d come from Callie Vanetta-Pendleton, the woman he’d suggested Lourdes stay with, but he didn’t look at Callie. He shifted his gaze to Riley. “You told them? What happened to ‘don’t tell anyone—she’s trying to keep a low profile’? And ‘this is Riley, the friend I can trust with my life’?”

Riley flinched. “I don’t recall that bit about trusting me with your life.”

Dylan and Cheyenne were there with their one-year-old. So were Addy and Noah and their little girl, Emily, who was slightly older than Dylan and Chey’s boy. Eve had shown up without her husband and baby, since she ran the B and B her parents owned in town, even though they now lived in Placerville. Ted and Sophia, Callie’s husband, Levi, Riley and his fiancée, Phoenix, rounded out the group—along with Brandon and Olivia, of course. As always, Kyle was hyperaware of their presence, as well as whether or not he’d be sitting close to them. He figured, since he couldn’t put Olivia behind him, he’d be conscious of details like that forever. “Maybe not, but that’s what I was thinking.”

A sheepish expression appeared on Riley’s face. “Sorry ’bout that. But if it’d been something important, something more than an interesting development that didn’t affect you much either way, I wouldn’t have breathed a word. And these guys are the only ones I’ve told. You can trust them as much as you can trust me, right?”

“Now I’m hoping I can trust them more!” Taking great care not to focus on Olivia, Kyle pulled out a chair and slid it to the left so that once he sat down, their knees wouldn’t touch.

Callie had gone silent the moment she realized she’d gotten Riley in trouble. But at this, she leaned forward. “Your secret is safe with me, with all of us. I’m just excited. I’m a huge fan of Lourdes Bennett’s. Do you suppose she’ll ever come into town? Maybe I can arrange to bump into her.”

“I’m sure she’ll have to buy groceries at some point,” he told her. “But she really wants to go unnoticed, Callie, so be careful about approaching her.”

“Why is she here?”

It was Olivia who’d asked this question, so he had to look at her, but he did his best to seem impassive. With her wide blue eyes and honey-blond hair, he still found her one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen. “She’s sort of having a difficult time. I don’t think she’d want me to say much more than that.”