Picture Perfect Wedding (15 page)

This might just be sex but he was the most amazing and considerate lover she’d ever known, and she happily obliged.

* * *

Nicole pulled the car up outside the market and turned to Max who was sitting in the backseat. “I’ll just be a few minutes and—”

“Aw, Mom,” Max whined. “Why do we have to stop?”

“Because, I’m buying a coffee like I do every morning, only usually you’re already at camp.” She stomped on the flash of guilt that flared in her chest. Today was her and Max’s day off together and yet she didn’t want to give up her chance of seeing Tony.

It was pathetic really but she’d come to look forward to their morning ritual of buying coffee. She was addicted to the buzz of receiving his
hello
smile, which made her feel as if it was a smile just for her despite the fact they were always surrounded by several other coffee addicts. They seemed to always stand across from each other in the casual circle of people as the daily conversations discussing town concerns took place. This informal group was where many of the formal agenda items for the town meetings were born.

She was intimate with the feeling of being alone in a crowd but his smile always made her feel like the two of them existed separately from the group. She also knew she was imagining all of it and that this was a ridiculous schoolgirl crush which could go nowhere. However, knowing all of that wasn’t enough to stop her from stopping by each morning.

Max unbuckled his seat belt. “I want a hot chocolate.”

He was off and out of the car, running into the grocery store before she could open her mouth to reply.

Grabbing her purse, she followed and by the time the automatic doors had opened for her, John was greeting her with, “Good morning, Nicole. I hear it’s a day of fun for you and Max. Coffee coming right up
.
”

“Thanks, John.”

As the hissing sound of steam blasting through milk filled the coffee-cart area, she glanced around looking for Max who had a tendency to run straight to the candy section of the store and stare at it longingly. She commenced walking.

“Mom! I’m here!”

She turned to see Max sitting high on Tony’s shoulders, his feet dangling against the fireman’s broad chest. He looked so happy, she had to blink.

Tony winked at her, a wide smile on his face. “Apparently hot chocolate is on the menu.”

She smiled weakly, her body totally confused as maternal love collided with the feelings she always got when she saw Tony. Today it was all gift-wrapped in guilt. “I guess that’s only fair given my coffee addiction.”

His eyes, already so dark, seemed to deepen. “Neither of us can stand in judgment then.”

The words wrapped around her making her pulse jump. This was why she came for coffee. This was why she couldn’t miss a morning.

You need a twelve-step program.

“One latte, one espresso and one hot chocolate,” John called out the combined order.

Tony set Max down and pulled out his wallet. “I’m paying for them, John.”

A slight frown creased the grocer’s forehead and he gave Nicole a questioning glance before silently accepting Tony’s money. Leaving the fireman’s coffee on the counter, John picked up the hot chocolate and Nicole’s latte, and handed them directly to her. “You and Max enjoy your picnic. It will good for the both of you to spend some time together.”

Mother guilt flared. “I spend a lot of time with him, John.”

“It’s not a criticism, dear. You’re a great mom. You and Bradley were a wonderful team.”

Tony silently reached around her, picked up his coffee and walked over to the sugar stand.

No we weren’t a great team
,
John.
But blurting that out in the middle of the coffee club wasn’t the time or place. She’d learned there was never a time or a place. Stepping back from the cart, she felt her frustration building at the way John inserted Bradley into many of their conversations. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the way he looked out for her and Max but just lately she was feeling increasingly stifled by her past.

She joined Max, who was now standing next to Tony at the sugar stand busily telling him they were going to the lake for a cookout and a hike. Before she handed him the hot chocolate, she checked the temperature.

“That sounds like fun, champ.” Tony stirred his coffee. “What are you going to cook?”

Max gave him an incredulous look. “Brats of course.”

Tony looked over Max’s head to Nicole as if her son was speaking a different language. “Brats?”

“German sausages cooked in beer. They’re a Wisconsin state dish.” She could feel John’s eyes on them and the accompanying waves of disapproval. Something inside her snapped. “Tony, Max and I would love for you to join us if you have time.”

Max jumped up and down, tugging on Tony’s arm. “Please, Tony. I’ve got a football, only Mom’s not very good at throwing it.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Thanks a lot, buddy.”

“It’s just the truth, Mom.”

Sometimes she yearned for the simple concrete world of eight-year-olds rather than the complicated one of adulthood.

A thoughtful expression crossed Tony’s face. “I have a few things on this morning but I could certainly join you by three. Is that too late?”

Nicole had planned on making the cookout lunch but as she caught John straining to hear their conversation she decided to shift her day around to accommodate this change. “Three would be just fine. We’ll meet you at the fire house and go from there.” She grabbed Max’s hand, gave a curt nod to John and stalked out of the store.

* * *

“I think Max has got some mountain goat in him,” Tony said, watching the little boy jump from boulder to boulder with light-footed ease while he and Nicole carefully picked their way down from the cliff-top path, back toward the lake.

Nicole laughed. “I know, right? He whines when we walk along the flat but whenever we hit rocks he’s off like a shot.”

They’d been hiking for an hour and Tony couldn’t remember enjoying himself this much in a very long time. Nicole’s invitation to join her and Max had been a bolt from the blue, but as his
nonna
always said,
there was no point arguing with the unexpected
, especially good unexpected. He wanted to shout out to the world how great this all was.

Going slowly and testing the waters with Nicole was driving him quietly around the bend but he knew rushing her would only backfire on him. Hell, he wasn’t even certain she was ready to move on from her grief but the signs were optimistically solid. First she’d told him her coffee routine and now the hike. Nothing ambiguous about either of those two things. Both meant she wanted to spend time with him and when he added to that how relaxed she was compared with the other times he’d met her, it was all good.

The tension that usually surrounded her had vanished and their conversation ranged all over from music and books, to touching briefly on local politics, discussions about his job and, of course, the wedding business. All of it flowed easily, punctuated with laughter and numerous interruptions by Max and his contagious enthusiasm for the outing.

Tony rested his hand on the granite before jumping down a boulder that was larger than the length of his stride. He offered his hand to steady Nicole’s jump. “Do you hike often?”

She hesitated for a moment and then accepted his help, her hand sliding easily into his. “Not that often. During the summer I try and do an activity of Max’s choice with him once a week. It invariably requires negotiation.”

“My sisters are experts at that with their kids. Let me guess. You suggested the hike instead of video games?”

She jumped, landing awkwardly in front of him, her breasts brushing his chest and her scent raining down on him. Her startled gaze reminded him of a doe in headlights and all he wanted to do was pull her in closer, tell her she was safe and kiss her until she was leaning against him needing his support.

“Mom! Tony! Hurry up!” Max’s voice floated up to them.

“Sorry.” Nicole immediately dropped his hand and scrambled backward as if his touch was burning her. “Max chose the hike. He did it with his dad a couple of times.”

Her eyes, which had sparkled for the past hour, now filled with shadows and the memorial presence of her husband. The dead solider had inserted himself firmly between them, reestablishing unspoken boundaries.

“I can see why Max would want to repeat the fun things he did with him.”
Why you’d want to.
His gut burned from a mess of emotions, none of which he wanted to acknowledge.

Jealous of a dead war hero?
Not cool
,
man.

They’d reached the point where the rugged cliff walk joined the flatter lake path and the edge of the picnic ground was visible in the distance. He could see Max lugging the tabletop grill onto the picnic table. “I think Max is hungry.”

“I’m starving.” Nicole laughed, rubbing her belly.

His gaze drifted to the healthy feminine roundness that her hiking shirt hinted at and he immediately imagined his mouth against her skin. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and he moved his gaze to her face. “It’s always good to work up an appetite.”

Something flared in her eyes and then she dropped her gaze, her hands fluttering over her shorts as if she was brushing away invisible dirt. When she looked at him again, her expression was schooled into neutral. “Thanks for coming today, Tony. Max really likes you a lot and although I try and do guy things with him, like he told you, I suck at throwing a football.”

Her words barreled into him, knocking him sideways as the reason he’d been invited along today glowed with crystal clarity. The invitation wasn’t so Nicole could spend more time with him. She didn’t need that because she was still in love with her dead husband. No, she’d invited him along because her fatherless son needed a male role model. A mentor.

The sting of disappointment whipped along his veins. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Max. Hell, he loved kids and he really enjoyed spending time with the little guy, but that wasn’t all that he wanted.

“No problem. He’s a good kid.” He hated the gruffness that snuck into his voice—the tone hinting at his feelings for her.

She frowned. “I’m sorry, that sounded really rude. Of course I’m enjoying our friendship too.”

Shit.
She’d invoked the
let’s be friends
rule. The three words every guy feared and loathed the most because being put in the friend zone was like being benched before the play had even started. Any chance of getting into the game now was virtually nonexistent. She’d drawn the friend line into the sand of their relationship.

He forced a smile. “I guess I better go do the guy thing then and help him grill.”

“Oh dear.” Mock horror danced across her cheeks. “If that means charcoal-black, burned brats maybe I better cook.”

Her dancing eyes and flirty tone—at such stark odds with what she’d said about being friends—hit him in the chest, utterly discombobulating him. For a brief and hopeful second he wondered if he’d misheard, but he knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with his hearing. What he did know was that trying to be friends with Nicole was impossible.

Chapter Twelve

Luke came into the house from the morning’s milking to the aroma of bacon, eggs, pancakes, syrup and coffee. On one level he knew it was wrong that his mother was cooking for him on her vacation, but there was no doubt that when his stomach was filled with a big breakfast, he coped with the long summer days so much better. Not that he couldn’t fry eggs himself, it was just that time was tight and he usually grabbed coffee and toast because it was quick.

“You’re lucky there’s still food left.” His mother handed him a fully loaded plate and a steaming mug of coffee.

“Thanks for this.” He took his place at the table and flicked open the napkin.

“You’re welcome. Did you get held up?” His mother poured herself a coffee and took a seat across from him.

“Hmm.” He sipped his own drink, not wanting to confess to the fact he’d stayed in the dairy longer than was absolutely necessary so he could avoid sitting down to breakfast with his father. It was hard enough milking alongside his disapproving silences and his not-so-silent contempt, without extending that into meal times. At least his mother wouldn’t be commenting on why he got in so late last night because the crazy hours farmers kept in summer was the perfect cover for the fact he’d been with Erin until 2:00 a.m. Part of him had wanted to stay until dawn but he’d needed to check on a cow and after that, his own bed had been a lost closer.

“You getting up early to cook and Dad getting up even earlier to milk has to be the oddest vacation the two of you have ever taken.”

She wrapped her capable hands around her mug and smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. We did that farm vacation when we visited you in Australia, remember? Your dad milked on five different farms and his eyes still light up when he talks about it. Then there was the French cheese tour that the Wisconsin cheese board ran.”

He mopped up the yolk of his egg with his toast. “I don’t remember you doing that.”

“It was when you were all small and your grandparents were still living on the farm.”

He couldn’t remember much about his grandparents as they’d both died a long time ago in a car accident when their car had skidded on black ice. “Why France and why cheese?”

She sucked in her lips as if the memory wasn’t happy. “It was a time when milk prices were particularly low and I think your father was looking for something new and he thought making cheese might be it.”

He couldn’t imagine his father as a cheese maker. “What happened?”

She shrugged, her expression guarded. “Who knows with farming? It was around the time his parents died and I guess milk prices went up.” She drained her coffee. “Can you cope without your dad for a day or two? If I can drag him away from the farm, we’re going down to Janesville to visit with Auntie Gwen.”

He slid his cutlery together neatly on the plate. “Mom, I’ve been running the farm without him for a year.”

“Of course you have, dear, but summer’s a busy time for you and I’m worried you’re not getting any time off.”

His mother had the work ethic of an ant so her concern on this surprised him. “Mom, you and Dad didn’t have any time off in years. Our family vacations were mostly camping at the lake so Dad could continue to milk.”

“I know that and it wasn’t perfect either, but the world’s a very different place now and your father had me to come home to at the end of the day. I just wonder if you being here on your own without any down time is good for you.”

Again, her words burrowed in uncomfortably like a tick and he moved to throw off the feeling. “Mom, we had this conversation before you left for Arizona and we really don’t need to have it again. Getting married is not something I’m interested in.”

Her pale blue gaze pinned him. “Why?”

He swallowed a sigh. “Because like you said, it’s a different world now and settling for one person isn’t the only option.”

She stiffened as if he’d just sworn at her. “Neither your father or I settled, thank you very much. There’s more to life than casual sex.”

He choked on his incoming breath as her words whipped him and images of Erin blared in his brain. When had his mother become such a straight-shooter?

She rolled her eyes at his coughing. “You think your mother doesn’t know about sex. Good grief, Luke, I’ve lived on a farm all my life. I also know the date and day you bought your first packet of condoms from Ackerman’s market and although I disapproved that you were having sex at sixteen, I approved of your responsibility. I don’t want to know about the number of women since but I can see it isn’t making you happy.”

His shock at the fact she’d known all this time that he’d lost his virginity at sixteen finally got pierced by anger and he grabbed it with both hands. “I’m an adult, Mom. I don’t need your blessing for how I live my life. It suits me and I’m doing just fine.”

Sadness filled her face and she shook her head slowly. “I don’t understand how you and Keri could grow up in the same household and turn out so different. She’s happily married and settled but you—” she sighed as if she was bone weary, “—you have the oddest concept of what a mature relationship is all about.”

He refused to have his mother turn his life into an object of pity and he quickly diverted the conversation away from him. “While we’re analyzing my life, let’s not forget Wade.”

She glared at him. “Don’t you dare turn this around onto your brother. Given the chance, he wants nothing more than to settle down.”

Luke threw up his hands. “He needs to leave Whitetail to do that.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Really, Mom? Is it? He’s Whitetail’s only resident gay guy. How is he going to meet anyone if he doesn’t leave town? The sale of the beach acres would give him that option.”

Martha shot to her feet. “You heard Wade tell you that he doesn’t want to take that option but I think you do.” Her voice cracked. “I really don’t understand you anymore, Luke.”

He wasn’t sure he understood himself either. The eddies of discontent which had stilled somewhat started to stir again and he found himself wondering if Erin was on the farm right this minute.

* * *

Erin found Wade in the office of the B and B. She loved the cozy and welcoming feel of the old house, which Wade had told her was the original farmhouse. With its teal shutters and white gingerbread fretwork around the gables and porch, it reminded her of the last house her family had lived in before they’d lost it. She hoped the memories pounded into the stairs and walls of this house were a lot happier.

She knocked on the open door and peered around the architrave. “Hi, Wade, have you got a minute?”

He looked up from the computer—one of the few modern pieces of equipment in the room—and rubbed a deep V which had formed at the bridge of his nose. “Oh dear. The best and most reliable cleaner I’ve ever had is telling me she’s leaving?”

“No, not at all. I’m good for weekday cleaning for three weeks at least, but we might have to juggle things over the next two weekends, which are filled with weddings.” She face-palmed herself. “I guess you’re full too?”

He nodded. “We are, but my sister’s going to be here so it will all work out. Believe me, you taking care of the midweek work is really helping.”

“Great.” She swung the conversation around to why she was really here. “I’ve got a problem and I could do with your advice.”

He stood up and waved her onto the Queen Anne club chair before crossing to a side table. It was set with teacups, a fine china, rose-covered teapot and an antique cake stand. Her mouth started watering at the idea of tasting one or more of the many tiny cakes and slices.

Wade, a self-confessed Anglophile, gestured to the pot. “I’ve just served afternoon tea to the B and B guests. Would you like some?”

“I’d love some, thank you.” Visiting Wade was like stepping back in time and she sank into the old leather chair, the history of a thousand stories and conversations welcoming her.

He passed her a napkin and a plate of cakes before pouring her tea. When he’d made sure she had everything she needed, he sat down at his wide, walnut desk, propped his chin in his hands and said, “Tell me.”

“The bride who’s having her photos taken in the sunflower field now wants to get married there too.”

Wade’s eyes lit up. “That’s fantastic news. This could be the start of the farm and the B and B being another venue for weddings. The bridal party could get dressed in the house and using your photos I could add a whole page to the website.” He clicked on the mouse and peered at his screen. “What weekend is that again?”

“The fifteenth.”

He clapped his hands and grinned at her, his excitement palpable. “I got a cancellation on the honeymoon suite yesterday from a couple who’d wanted it for their anniversary. Some things are meant to be.”

She put down her cup and saucer with a rattle, worried he was getting way ahead of himself. “Wade, I don’t know if you’re aware but when I originally asked Luke to give permission for the photos he said no.”

Wade’s lips thinned and she thought she heard him mutter
that figures
but she must have misheard because the night she’d met them both in the parlor, the brothers seemed to share a genuine camaraderie.

She blew out a breath. “So, I was thinking, seeing as the wedding could involve the B and B, you could be the one to ask him?”

He shook his head. “No.”

No?
“But he’s more likely to say yes to you than to me.”

He sighed. “You know the adage about family and money. Since my parents arrived, some family stuff’s happened and right now I’m the last person to ask him.” He tapped his chin. “Actually, I’m not certain we even need his permission.”

A tremor of unease ratcheted up her spine. “But it’s his farm.”

“No, it’s the family’s farm.” A steely glint appeared in Wade’s usually friendly eyes. “Luke’s running it at the moment but that could change.”

Really?
She bit into a delicious chocolate cake filled with decadent hazelnut cream and remembered the night he was drunk was the same night his parents had arrived.

I
was hoping to forget the farm.
She realized yet again how little she knew about Luke. They had sex but they never really talked.

One thing she did know was he could be as stubborn as a mule and given Wade’s intransigent look maybe that was a familial trait. If Wade bypassed talking to Luke she could see them losing the field completely and with it losing her shot at the Memmy. She shivered at the thought.

It wasn’t her job to fix the problem between the two brothers but she didn’t like the thought of this wedding driving an even bigger wedge between them. She knew all about families, money and the fallout. Her need to keep everyone happy had her mind spinning, looking for solutions.

Wade tapped a pen against a legal pad. “How did you get Luke to change his mind last time?”

“I didn’t. It was Nicole.”

“Ah.”

“Ah?” Obviously there was some significance attached to that which she had no clue about. “Does Nicole have magic powers?”

“No, but her husband, who was born and raised in Whitetail, died last year in Afghanistan, serving our country. I think all of us feel guilty about it so we generally do whatever she asks.”

So Nicole was Luke’s Achilles’ heel. Could it work again?

“I’ve got an idea.” She sat forward excitedly. “Given we both think Luke will say no to us, we need to talk to Nicole. If she can get Luke to agree then I’ll tell Connie she must use Nicole as the wedding planner and your B and B as her bridal party’s dressing rooms along with pre-wedding drinks and canapés. Everybody wins.”

Everybody except Luke.

She blocked out the rogue thought. Business was business and it wasn’t like she was being devious. Nicole, as the wedding planner, had the right to ask Luke and he had the right to say no. But she was pretty sure he wouldn’t.

Wade beamed at her. “Clever girl. We need to talk to Nicole right away.”

* * *

Tony had deliberately missed stopping by the grocery store for coffee the past few mornings. Instead, he’d made his own at home, poured it into a traveler cup and had driven directly to the station. Life was busy with training sessions for his mainly volunteer force. He was whipping them into a slick firefighting machine as well as liaising with the Department of Natural Resources about fire permits. Three times his team had been called out to attend brush fires lit by vacationers who had no clue that a hot, windy day was the worst time to light a fire.

He’d spent this morning doing some door knocking and general fire education among the vacationers who owned their properties and he was now on his way back into town. As soon as he got back, he was going directly to the real estate agent’s office. Ellery Johnston did most of the holiday rentals and Tony wanted fire-education pamphlets inserted into the display folders in each cottage, along with the more vacation-specific brochures on where to rent a Jet Ski and Whitetail Market and Video’s home delivery service. Vacationers needed to know the risks and respect the heavily wooded environment.

He slowed for an intersection on the minor county road and was surprised to see a sign saying Del’s Diner. It was a run-down-looking establishment, tucked away on a quiet road but the parking lot was full. It was way past lunch so he decided to stop by and see if they could do a decent BLT. It would make a nice change from Sven’s Swedish Smörgåsbord.

As he opened the door, a wall of noise rolled out to meet him. The place was packed, and a huge guy dressed top-to-toe in white called out from behind the counter, “What’s it gonna be?”

Tony grinned. This reminded him of Jersey. “What’s the choice?”

“Burger, burger or burger.” A beefy hand waved toward the menu. “They all come with butter.”

Of course they did. With butter and cheese, because now he lived in the dairy state. “I’ll have a double cheeseburger with everything on and a coffee.”

“Good choice. Find a seat and we’ll find you,” the guy replied, turning back to the grill and whacking two burgers down.

Tony scanned the crowd looking for a busboy working on a table which might indicate a free seat. A flash of blond hair caught his eye and he paused, automatically looking for Nicole only to realize the head belonged to a guy and the color was more gold than her ash-white. Hell, he had it bad. Whitetail was full of Swedish descendants and blond hair was as common here as black hair was in Jersey. He started to move down the narrow line between tables.