by Amy Vastine
Blake rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together. “And your sister supports you one hundred percent. She would never ask you to choose her over Conner. She will smile and tell you that she is happy for you. I’m just asking you not to assume that it’s easy for her to do that.”
“I won’t. I will try to be more aware of how I come across to her.”
Blake stood up. That was all he needed to hear. “Thank you.”
Lily got to her feet to follow him to the door. “I should thank you. You’re always looking out for her.”
He grabbed Clancy’s leash and attached it to his collar. “She’s my best friend.”
“And you’re hers. You should probably remember to take your own advice, though.”
“Oh?”
Lily opened the door, keeping her hand on the doorknob. “I think she’s just as sad about you getting married as she is about me moving away.”
“Nothing is going to change between us because I get married. It’s not the same as you moving here.”
“Ha!” She leaned against the doorjamb. “Things have to change. You might think they won’t, but they will. They have to if you want to have a successful marriage to someone who isn’t Amanda.”
“Nadia understands that Amanda and I have a special relationship. You’re wrong.” He needed Lily to be wrong because he needed Amanda in his life.
“Nadia hasn’t ever expressed feeling a little jealous of Amanda? A little worried about how close you are?”
“Not really,” he lied.
“Interesting.” She sounded skeptical. “Everyone you have ever dated ends up taking issue with how close you are to Amanda. Nadia will, too—it’s human nature. You’ll put her needs before Amanda’s because you’ll want to be the best husband you can be. It’s inevitable that my sister is going to be the one with the broken heart, because if you get married and want to stay married, you won’t choose her.”
Blake shook his head. She did not know what she was talking about. She didn’t know Nadia and she was severely underestimating him. Blake was more than able to care for a wife and family and have a best friend. It wasn’t going to be that hard.
“Amanda and Nadia are going to be friends. As close as family. Just like me and Amanda.”
“I hope so. If that would make Amanda happy, I would want that for her. All I’m saying is...before you remind me to consider Amanda’s feelings, maybe you should consider how you make her feel.”
Clancy lost his patience waiting in front of an open door and tried to pull Blake with him. Blake could only manage a curt nod, finding it hard to acknowledge the possible truth of what Lily had said.
He left her cabin and headed back to his. Amanda was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee. “Can we go into town for some breakfast?” she asked. “I don’t want to see any Blackwells first thing this morning.”
“Yeah, whatever you want. I’ll ask Lily if we can take her car.” He let go of Clancy, who made a beeline for Amanda. That dog loved her more than anything in the world. Blake knew the feeling. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had on her plaid pajama pants and one of his college T-shirts. She had slowly stolen all of his San Diego State shirts over the years, claiming she was only borrowing them. “You gonna go like that?”
She stood up and spun around. “What? Are you saying this doesn’t look like breakfast-in-town attire?”
He laughed. “In San Diego, no. In Falcon Creek? Why the heck not?”
She shook her head and snickered right back. Handing him her coffee cup, she made her way to her room. “Because I’m not wearing a bra. Duh.”
Blake pretended that he hadn’t heard that. Friends didn’t think about friends not wearing a bra.
* * *
“I’LL HAVE A bear claw, and I need one of those raised doughnuts with the vanilla frosting and sprinkles.” The Maple Bear Bakery was a quaint little shop in downtown Falcon Creek. There were a couple of café tables inside and a huge display case filled with deliciousness. Blake wanted to eat one of everything.
“And for your lovely lady?” the woman behind the counter asked.
Amanda and Blake were no strangers to having strangers assume they were a couple. It usually didn’t faze them, but after his conversation with Lily this morning, it made him feel more awkward than normal.
“I am thinking I need that chocolate cake doughnut and one of those blueberry glazed,” Amanda told her.
“I’m going to warn you now,” the woman said. “Once you eat one of our chocolate cake doughnuts, you will never want to eat any other doughnut again. They’re so addictive that people call them Chocolate Junkies.”
Amanda gave Blake the what-the-heck-is-she-talking-about look while the woman was busy grabbing doughnuts. “I will make sure to eat the blueberry one first.”
“Okay, trade the vanilla one for one of those Chocolate Junkies,” Blake said. He turned to Amanda. “I mean, I need to try it for myself, and we know you won’t let me have a bite of yours.”
The only thing Blake was a junkie for was that smile on Amanda’s face. “No, I will not,” she said. “Good call.”
The woman behind the counter placed the four doughnuts in the bag. “There’s only one more Chocolate Junkie left. I’ll throw it in for free since I have a feeling you two have no idea what you’re getting yourselves into,” she said with a wink.
“That’s so kind of you,” Amanda replied. “I also need a coffee with cream and sugar.” Amanda grabbed some napkins and reached in her purse for her wallet.
“I got this, Harrison. You can buy me lunch later.”
She put her money away, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind. She took a seat and waited patiently for her breakfast. It was moments like these that made Blake the happiest. When it was the two of them, relaxing, enjoying good food and not trying to solve the world’s problems.
“We should play some volleyball today and then have Tyler show us the spot by the pond that Dorothy mentioned yesterday,” Blake suggested. He wanted to keep today light and fun. That meant limiting how many Blackwells they ran into and not focusing on anyone’s wedding, especially his since Lily was so sure that his impending nuptials were making Amanda sad.
She was not listening because she had made a fatal mistake. Instead of taking a bite of her blueberry doughnut, she had bitten into the chocolate cake one. She closed her eyes and savored every moment it was in her mouth.
“She wasn’t wrong. Doughnuts have been ruined for me forever. This is... There are no words for how yummy this is. It’s the best thing I have ever eaten.” She took another bite and moaned loud enough for the man at the counter to glance in their direction.
“Chocolate Junkie,” Blake explained.
The guy nodded as if he knew all about the power of those doughnuts.
Blake wasn’t going to be so foolish, and he started with his bear claw. It was good, which made him wonder how amazing the doughnut could be. Amanda skipped her blueberry altogether and went right for that third chocolate doughnut.
“Hey, now. You only get to eat half of that. Cut it right now before you get carried away.”
“I will pay you one hundred dollars to let me eat this whole thing,” she said with chocolate frosting on the corner of her mouth. She was a literal junkie after one. Blake had to know what they tasted like.
He snatched up his chocolate cake doughnut and took an enormous bite out of it. The fudginess of the frosting mixed with the soft, tender cake was pure magic. There was no way she was getting that whole doughnut.
He shook his head and she looked like she was about to cry. “Come on. Two hundred,” she begged.
Money was not going to change his mind. He shook his head again and grabbed her wrist before she took a bite. “Cut it in half, Harrison.”
“I will give you sixty percent of the company
,” she said.
He shook his head again. She tried to take a bite, leaving him with no other option. He bit out of the other side at the same time. Both of them were so eager that they had frosting smeared all over their top lips. She looked ridiculous with her chocolate mustache. He must have as well because Amanda cracked up.
“Okay, okay, I’ll cut it.”
He let go of her wrist but watched her closely. She stood up and walked backward toward the counter with the napkins and plastic cutlery so she could keep an eye on that doughnut. Blake sat on his hands to prove he was trustworthy. If she didn’t hurry, however, he had no qualms about eating off the table without picking it up. If Clancy could eat that way, why couldn’t he?
She returned with a plastic knife and carefully found the exact center of the doughnut. He stopped her twice to make sure both sides were even. He nodded when he was content that they would both get an even amount.
“We need to come here every day until we leave,” she said when she finished. She gave her belly a rub.
Blake reached over and wiped the glob of fudge from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Their eyes locked and there was that look again. She mesmerized him more than these doughnuts ever could. One of the reasons he was so sure he’d never not be there for her was because he couldn’t be without her.
“Does that mean we’re going to stay a little longer? I know your sister wants your help picking out a cake and probably a dress. We know how much you love cake and dresses. The only thing that would make it perfect was if Lily needed your help picking out a rescue dog. Then all your favorites would be covered.”
“You think she still needs me?”
“She’ll always need you for love and support. That’s what families are for, right?” Just like he would.
Amanda’s gaze fell to the table and she fidgeted with the napkin in her hands. “We can stay a little longer. At least until Nadia calls and begs you to come back home.”
Nadia. Blake didn’t want to upset her, but what if Amanda wasn’t ready to go back and Nadia begged him to come home? Could he convince her he needed more time without making her think he was choosing Amanda’s needs over hers? There had to be a way for him to keep both of them happy. He would find a way.
“Don’t worry about Nadia.” As soon as her name came out his mouth, his phone rang and her picture appeared on his screen. “Hey, good morning. Aren’t you at work already?”
“I am, but I don’t have to be in court until ten today. How are you?”
Blake smiled at Amanda and motioned to give him a minute. He got up from the table and stepped outside. “I’m good. How are you?”
“I miss you. Have you booked a flight home yet?”
He paced back and forth along the sidewalk in front of the bakery. “We haven’t picked a day yet. I’m thinking sometime next week. It all depends on what Lily needs Amanda’s help with.”
“You said there were amazing wedding planners there at the ranch. What does she need Amanda to do?”
“Well, she values Amanda’s opinion above everyone else’s. You know how sisters can be.” Nadia wasn’t very close to her sister, but maybe there was a little bit of her that could relate.
“O-kay. Well, I miss you. I feel like you’ve been gone for weeks and it’s only been a couple days.”
Blake glanced up when he heard the bells above the bakery door ring. Amanda stood on the tiny stoop, holding the bag of doughnuts and a carrier with their coffees.
“I promise we won’t be gone forever. I miss the ocean breeze and my surfboard. And you, of course.” He cringed at how that must have sounded.
“Hmm, glad I rank up there with your surfboard.” Her tone confirmed it sounded terrible.
“You are what I miss the most. I was saving the best for last.”
“What’s on the agenda for today? No more horseback riding for you?”
“No more horseback riding. We were going to play some sand volleyball, maybe check out some more of the property. Tonight, we’re going to this bar to do some ax throwing.”
“Ax throwing? What will you be throwing them at?”
“Targets on the wall, I hope. I’ll be sure to send you some pictures.”
Amanda joined him on the sidewalk and shuffled things around, placing the doughnut bag on top of the coffee. She held out her hand. Keys? she mouthed.
Blake dug in his pocket and got her the car keys. She started for Lily’s SUV and he followed.
“Okay, well, have fun. Not too much fun. I mean, I want you to still miss me like crazy.”
“I do. Don’t worry—I’m missing you. I wish you were here so you could see how nice this place is.”
“Amanda could always fly back to San Diego on her own if you wanted to leave before she did, right?”
He stopped dead in his tracks. It was like someone was testing him. “She probably could, but she’s counting on me to be here for her.”
“It’s just a thought. If I can’t take it any longer, you would leave her there and come home to me, wouldn’t you?”
Blake’s heart beat faster and his mouth went dry. He didn’t want to lie, but Lily’s words were screaming at him in his head. Everyone you have ever dated ends up taking issue with how close you are to Amanda. Nadia will, too—it’s human nature. You’ll put her needs before Amanda’s... Why did she have to be right?
“I’d do whatever was best,” he replied, hoping that she didn’t realize he hadn’t really answered her question.
“Making your fiancée happy is always what’s best, sweetheart. You know that. I have to go. Duty calls. Love you,” she said before hanging up. He didn’t have time to return the farewell.
Blake climbed in the car and avoided looking at Amanda. He pulled on his seat belt and clicked it in place.
“Everything okay back home?” she asked.
“Everything’s fine. Nadia says hi. She hopes you’re enjoying your time with your sister.” Suddenly the lies just kept coming. “She really wishes you two will be close like that someday.”
“Sounded like she was telling you to fly home without me,” Amanda said, starting the car.
“I would never do that. She knows that,” he said. Lily’s words played in his head on a loop. My sister is going to be the one with the broken heart, because if you get married and want to stay married, you won’t choose her. He would, he wanted to scream back. He would.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“HAVE YOU EVER thrown an ax before?”
Amanda had never even held an ax before, let alone thrown one. “I have not,” she replied. “But I am assuming it can’t be too hard if they let people in a bar throw them.”
Conner chuckled. “Good point. Although, if you have been enjoying yourself at the bar too long, they will not let you come over here and throw any of these.”
Amanda had given up trying to find something wrong with Conner. He was a decent human. She couldn’t find a reason to hate him, so she was going to try to like him and hate the fact that her sister would not be coming back to California. After listening to Blake on the phone with Nadia this morning, she wasn’t sure she wanted to rush back to San Diego, either.
“So I heard we have a couple first-timers!” Chad was their throwing instructor. He was there to make sure they knew what they were doing and to lead them in some games.
“We’re waiting on two more people,” Lily said.
“We are?” Amanda thought it was just the four of them tonight. Which Blackwell was Lily going to force them to hang out with tonight?
“We invited Conner’s friend Logan and Logan’s brother, Evan, to join us. It’s more fun when the teams are a little bigger.”
Amanda glanced at Blake, who seemed just as surprised as she was. She wondered if Conner felt like he needed backup. Tonight she needed to put him at ease. She wasn’t here to
quiz them about their engagement anymore. It was clear that what they had was different from what she had expected, and Lily was clear that Conner was it for her.
All around the bar were flat-screen televisions with country music videos playing on a constant loop. People gathered in small groups in the bar while other people congregated near the throwing lanes. Amanda couldn’t decide if Battle Axes was a bar where guests could do ax throwing or an ax-throwing place with a bar.
“So what did you guys do all day?” Conner asked Amanda.
“We spent some time in downtown. Came back to the ranch and played some volleyball. We thought about finding that pond Dorothy was talking about last night, but we got sidelined at the petting zoo. Have you seen the bunnies they have in there?” Amanda wasn’t sure how the petting zoo hadn’t been their very first stop when they arrived on the ranch. It was an animal lover’s dream.
“The bunnies were cute, but you know I’m smuggling that baby goat out when we head home,” Blake said, joining the conversation.
“Scotty? He did fall in love with you.”
“Kids love me. The human and goat kind. What can I say?”
It wasn’t hard to do. Everyone fell in love with Blake. Two cowboys came strolling in and Conner’s face lit up. He waved them over and shook hands with each of them.
“Y’all made it. We were about to get started.”
Lily hugged the one introduced to Amanda and Blake as Logan Hill. The Hill brothers got themselves a drink at the bar and were ready to throw. Chad was back in charge. He had them divide into two teams. Lily suggested they do California versus Montana. Lily would go against Conner, Amanda was paired against Logan, and Blake took on Evan.
“All right, the first game we’re going to play is the numbers game. As you can see on the bull’s-eye, the different rings are worth different points. And up here—” Chad pointed to the two blue dots at the top in the corners “—are the kill shots. These are worth the most points. Even more than a bull’s-eye.”