Page 49 of The Cowboy Who Worked Late
Dawson and his family would be dining at Caroline’s house tonight. He was bringing Brandon, Duke, and Arizona, and their four kids would come, of course, as would Wade and Abby. Two families coming together for one final meal before they were all officially joined.
Caroline had such a vision of what her wedding would be like, with the crows hopping down the aisle ahead Dawson, and Judy leading the hens after the wedding party had marched their way to the altar.
Dawson had included his friends and family members in the wedding party, but Caroline hadn’t asked any friends to be in the wedding party except those that were married to Dawson’s cowboy friends. Only her family would walk in the wedding party.
Judy would follow with the hens. Then the crows, if they could be properly enticed with the right shiny things. Dawson would walk down the aisle with Ruffin at his side, and then Caroline and her daddy would come last. She could justseeitplaying out, with gorgeous rays of sunshine tickling the tent that they could hopefully put up in the morning—if the wind wasn’t too strong.
Though Caroline owned the house, Mama moved into the kitchen and whipped out her recipe cards. She handed the funeral potatoes to Belle, the artichoke dip to Caroline, the walking taco dip to Abby, reserving the spiced apple tarts for herself.
“This is a tight space,” she said, and Caroline almost bristled at the near criticism of her house. “But I believe we can do this.” She looked at Caroline and Abby with pursed lips. “You two don’t need to be in here for a few minutes. You can do your dips at the table and then move out. Belle and I have more work to do, and we’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Sounds good, Mama,” Caroline said, because she didn’t want to argue. She was happy to have her sisters and parents here.
“What are Danny and Daddy doing?” Belle asked.
She cut a glance over to Caroline that looked a little furtive, something secretive. Caroline watched her, on high alert now. “They’re doing something at the house.”
“Something at the house?” Belle asked, echoing Caroline’s thoughts. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Mama said, clearly flustered. She turned away from everyone and started washing her hands at the sink. “Daddy said they had to go up to the ranch today to help Dawson with something at the house.”
“The house is brand new,” Caroline said. “What could they possibly have to help Dawson with at the house?”
Not only that, but everybody in the family had already taken a tour of Rhinehart Ranch, as well as the new house that Dawson had paid Bishop and Montana Glover to build. It was a beautifulhouse with five bedrooms, a home office, high-end finishes, and big, clear windows so that Caroline could see the world beyond.
“I don’t know,” Mama said. “That’s what they told me, and that’s where they are. Frankly, they’re out of our hair, so it doesn’t matter what they’re doing.”
Oh, it mattered to Caroline, but she decided not to push it. She met Belle’s eyes; Belle had plenty of questions there. Caroline simply shook her head oh-so-slightly, and resignation entered Belle’s expression.
“All right,” Belle said. “But we need some yard work done here at the house too. They’re not going to leave without helping me with that, are they?”
“It’s on their agenda,” Mama said somewhat crossly. “Now let’s get going. Abby, come help peel these potatoes before you start that dip.”
Abby dutifully moved into the kitchen, though she was nearly forty years old and certainly didn’t need to be bossed around by Mama. Caroline gave her a smile and squeezed her forearm as she went by.
“Thank you for coming, Abby.”
“Of course. Brett’s got the kids in town at a movie, and they’ll be back later.” She looked over to Belle. “They can help with the yard work too.” Belle said something else about that, and Caroline collected her bowl of ingredients and left them to talk.
“I’ll work out on the picnic table,” Caroline said as she moved toward the back door. “Then I’ll be out of the way for a while.” She stepped outside. The wind wasn’t warm, though the sun had come out for this moment, and she set down her bowl and ran her hands up and down her forearms, finally cradling them around her elbows.
Danny had brought out the folding tables, but he hadn’t set them up. Caroline started to count in her head how many peoplewould be at dinner tonight. Ten from the Rhineharts. Eleven from her family.
“Twenty-one people,” she murmured, “Almost a fifty-fifty split between Rhineharts and Thompsons.”
It was a beautiful thing trying to merge two families, two lives, and Caroline really hoped that she could do it this time. All at once, she knew she could. It took both partners to be committed, and Dawson was her perfect match, her One True Love. He was kind and understanding, and she was willing to change. She couldn’t wait to start her new life as a Rhinehart and a permanent resident of Three Rivers.
But as the sunlight flickered away, as clouds moved in, Caroline looked up to the sky and prayed one more time, “Please, God, I just need thirty minutes.”
Chapter Sixteen
Dawson Rhinehart didn’t like all the bodies in his barn office. It was barely big enough for him to sit at his desk, step over to his whiteboard, move his sticky notes around, and house a filing cabinet. Today, everything had been put away. Dawson’s whiteboard didn’t hold any sticky notes. His ledgers, notebooks, and computers were all closed and stowed away. For today, he was getting married, and by tonight, he and Caroline would be on the first leg of their road-trip-honeymoon.
He’d be gone for the next eight days, and a lightning bolt of anxiety flashed through him. “My tie’s too tight,” he grumbled, and Duke turned toward him.
Brandon had also come into the barn office, and Daddy was expected to arrived at any moment. Four grown men in the barn office, and Dawson felt like he was about to suffocate.
“Your tie is fine.” Duke put two fingers under the collar. “Look how much room you’ve got. It’s fine.” His eyes met Dawson’s, and he said, “It’s okay to be nervous, but don’t miss out on today.”
