by Lexi Post
Despite his better judgement, he stepped between the two. “Selma. What’s going on?”
At the sight of him, she took a breath. “Ese hombre puta. Él es una mierda de mierda. That man-whore. He’s a cock-sucking piece of shit. He needs to be stripped down and flayed with hot irons and that still wouldn’t be enough of what he deserves. Voy a golpearlo sin sentido y le cortaré la lengua del diablo!” To punctuate her statement, she reached over to the stainless-steel cutting table and grabbed a large knife.
Shit. He didn’t know that much Spanish, but he knew enough to figure out Selma was pissed at Jorge for something and planned to do him bodily harm. Not taking his eyes off their cook, he turned his head. “Jorge. I suggest you leave. Now.”’
“Si, I’ve been trying. Gracias.”
As Jorge moved toward the doorway, Selma’s focus switched. She turned to follow, but Wade blocked her way. “No. You need to calm down.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She gestured toward Jorge. “Él está lamiendo su coño when he knows my heart is set on him. Then he flaunts her in my face in my kitchen. I’m going to cut off his dick and stuff it down his throat!”
At the sound of Jorge’s boots walking across the dining room floor, Wade relaxed a little. It was time for the charm that always worked well with her. “Now Selma. If Jorge is such scum, why do you waste your breath on him? You’re a beautiful woman. You could have any man you want.”
The woman spit on the floor, which wasn’t a good sign. She was proud of her clean kitchen and right now it looked like a battleground between the dented pots and the broken glassware. Kendra was going to be furious.
“He was mine until she showed up. What she doing here? He spend all his time with her. I make her pay. No puta is going to take my man.”
“My mother is not a whore.”
The cold sound of Kendra’s voice behind him had him stepping aside. She looked as furious as he’d guessed, and he wouldn’t stand between her and her employee. Selma had been a madam in Nevada who lost her place and Kendra had offered her a job at Poker Flat, but friendship only extended so far and how to handle the situation was her call. He’d just stay nearby to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
Selma had stopped ranting at Kendra’s announcement. From the look of the older woman’s face, she was struggling with her options. Come on Selma. Back down. Apologize.
She did neither. She turned her back on them and waved her hand. “Get out of my kitchen.”
“This is my kitchen. I allow you to work in it.”
Wade braced as Selma turned around slowly, not oblivious to the pan and knife still in the older woman’s hands. He wanted to caution Kendra, but she was well aware of Selma’s temper.
“What?”
“I said. This is my kitchen and I allow you to work in it. But you’ve obviously forgotten that.”
Selma’s brows lowered and her resemblance to that bull from his past had him shifting his weight, ready to protect Kendra.
Selma turned to the left and threw the pan and knife toward the wall where Jorge had been, the knife sticking solid as the pan clattered to the floor. “Fine. You can have your fucking kitchen.” Without another word, she ripped off her apron and stormed past Kendra and out into the dining room.
They stood frozen, listening to the loud footsteps of their cook stomping out.
Letting Kendra handle that without stepping in was one of the hardest things he’d done. His whole body felt like a rattler ready to strike, but whose head had just been cut off.
Kendra let out her breath. “That was stupid.” She looked at him. “Are you sure you want to marry such a stupid woman?”
He covered the three steps that separated them, his heart, still pounding at the danger she could have been in, twisted at her comment. “You’re not stupid. You did the right thing.” He wanted her to be confident in her decision. She’d made so many about the resort up until now and she’s done well.
“Now what are we going to do?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “What we always do. We figure it out.”
Her shoulders slumped and she gave him a grimace. “Lacey won’t be happy.”
“I’m sure with four business days still left, Lacey can work her magic and get someone to cater the wedding. Our bigger concern will be dinner tonight.”
Her brow puckered. “How far away is the closest pizza place?”
He wrapped her stiff form in his arms. She was tense and would need time, but just touching her helped him relax and think. “You had to go and say pizza. Now I have a craving.”
She shook her head against his shoulder and he was positive she rolled her eyes even if he couldn’t see it. That alone was a good sign.
“Excuse me. I just wanted to make sure you two were okay.”
Kendra broke away and faced Natasha. “Yes. We survived.” She looked around the room. “Though I’m not sure our kitchen did.”
Natasha’s eyes widened as she scanned the room. “It will take some doing to get this cleaned up in time for dinner.”
“Since we no longer have a cook, I don’t think that’s going to be the issue.” Kendra pulled out a stool at the end of the prep table and sat. “Unless you know someone who can cook chicken enchiladas in the next…” she looked at her watch, “three hours, I’m thinking it’s going to be carry-out pizza.”
Natasha opened her mouth then closed it.
Wade’s gut prompted him. “Did you have an idea? We’re wide open to them at the moment.”
Natasha looked at her own watch then at the kitchen again. “If someone could help me clean this mess up, I could make the enchiladas, if you’d like.”
“What about your interview?” Kendra recovered faster than he did.
Natasha shrugged. “I think you need the help more than I need the interview. I’ll call and see if I can reschedule. That is, if you’d like me to make the dinner and if you could pay me.”
Kendra looked at him.
He raised his brow. They shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
She turned back and gave Natasha a genuine smile. “We can do that. Thank you. I will send Jorge in to help clean up since it appears he was part of the problem. Wade, if you can man the stables, we could have Crystal come over and help, too. Then you can break it to her that she’s back on waitressing duty.”
He chuckled. “Break it to her? I think she secretly prefers it. And without Selma to contend with, we may not get her back into the barn.”
Kendra rose from the stool. “This just brings home how many more people I need to hire. I’m going to my office. I need to call Dale and crunch some numbers.”
He opened one side of the batwing doors and followed his fiancée out into the dining room. Now that he had a chance to look, it was a significant mess. He didn’t envy Crystal and Jorge. “I’ll find Lacey and see if she was able to smooth this over with the guests.”
“Thank you.”
As they exited the dining room, they found both Lacey and Donna waiting for them. That made finding Lacey a whole lot easier.
“Mom? I thought you were going back to your casita to rest.”
“Rest? There’s no time for that. I just changed. I wanted to have easy clothes to take off for trying on a gown. You said we had to leave by three, right?”
“Right.” Kendra looked at her watch again. “I didn’t realize it was so late already. Let me grab my keys.”
By her tone of voice, it was obvious to him, and from the worried look on Lacey’s face, that Kendra had completely forgotten her final fitting appointment. That begged the question. Would she remember their wedding?
Chapter Seven
Friday continued.
Kendra stood still as the assistant fixed the short veil on top of her head. At the brush of it against her bare shoulders, she frowned. “Where’s the bolero jacket?”
“Oh, we had to make some adjustments on it. I’ll bring it out to you. I’m sure your mother is anxious to see you
.”
“She’s not the only one.” Kendra grumbled under her breath. There was no mirror in the dressing area. She’d have to go out in the semi-private room where other women were being fitted in order to see what she looked like.
She’d ordered the jacket specially made for a reason. Otherwise her large bustline would be the focus of attention at this wedding, too. At least this time, she could pick out her own dress.
Stepping down from the small platform the shop assistant had her stand on, she almost tripped. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn heels. Being a professional poker player certainly hadn’t required it, nor did running Poker Flat. It had to be Cole and Lacey’s wedding, but she’d had Wade’s arm to help her.
“Be careful. You must hold your dress up when taking stairs. Will there be steps into the church?” The assistant’s frown of concern seemed a bit over the top.
“No. We’re getting married outside, but the steps up into the stage coach are very high.” She grinned at the astonished look on the woman’s face before sashaying down the hall toward what she considered the public display room. She really wanted that jacket.
“You don’t have champagne? I thought all these fancy bridal shops have champagne.” Her mother’s voice carried down the hall, making her cringe.
“I’m sorry ma’am. We don’t serve it here because we don’t want any accidental spills on the brides’ gowns. If you like, we have some coffee in the staff room. I can bring you back there.”
She turned the corner just in time to see her mother wave the man off. “Never mind. We’ll just have to go out and have a drink when we’re done here.”
The man nodded politely then looked up as he caught sight of her. A large grin spread across his face. She put her finger to her lips since she approached the little platform from behind her mother.
The man gave a quick wink and turned away.
Her dress was strapless with dainty appliques covering the bust and waist area, tapering down to a point on her butt. Other appliques were set sporadically along the skirt of the dress. It fit very tight at the top to keep her breasts in place and followed her figure to about her knees where it flared out then stopped at the floor.
As she passed the couch where her mother sat, she took as deep a breath as she could, bracing herself for what she’d look like in the mirror. Lifting the dress, she climbed the two steps to the platform before the three-sided mirror.
She stared at the woman in the reflection, her own nervous blue eyes looking back at her a moment before she dared to study the dress on her body. She looked like a sophisticated woman.
It was so opposite of who she was that she shifted her weight to her right hip. What would Wade think? What did she think? As she continued to stare, the silence in the room finally registered. She moved her gaze past herself in the reflection to find everyone looking at her. The man who had offered her mother coffee was the only one smiling. Was he laughing at her?
“God, Kennie. You’re beautiful.” Her mother’s words were just above a whisper, which was so unlike her.
Kendra shifted her gaze to her mom, who had risen and was looking at her with tears in her eyes. For the first time since she was a little girl, she gazed at her mom in gratitude, feeling her support no matter what others might think. “Thanks, mom.”
As if her words had broken a spell, others in room added their compliments. At first, she thought they were just being nice, but a few of the young brides actually looked jealous. Jealous? She was in her earlier thirties, had a huge bust, wide cheekbones, a wide mouth, and no hips.
She revised that thought as her gaze fell on her jutted-out hip. She looked around for the assistant and found her standing behind the couch. “Is the jacket ready?”
“Jacket?” Her mother’s loud voice caused a few irritated looks.
She kept her voice lower, hoping her mother would take the hint. “Yes. I had them make a bolero. It’s nice.”
Her mother strode forward and stepped between her and the mirror. “What do you need a jacket for?”
“To cover this up.” She waved her hand toward her bust. “I don’t want to be on display. That’s too much like what Eugene did.”
Her mother’s brow furrowed. “That idiot had the taste of a monkey drunk on cheap gin. This gown isn’t even close to that one. That one had a neckline so low we could see your belly button, for Christ’s sake!”
This time everyone turned.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself not to shush her mother. She’d learned as a teenager, that only made things worse. Instead, she lowered her voice even more. “I know, but this makes my bust look like I’m a porn star or something.”
“A porn star?” Her mother’s reaction was too loud to ignore and a few of the people started grumbling.
The man who had offered her mother coffee walked over. “Is something wrong with the dress, ladies?”
Her mother pointed at her. “No, the dress is great, but there’s something wrong with her. She thinks she looks like a porn star because of her God given bustline and wants to wear a jacket to cover it up.”
“I see.”
Kendra doubted very much that the man could see anything, but to his credit, he looked interested.
“Please, turn around full circle.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Why?”
“I want to see the dress from every angle so I can give you both an impartial, and may I say, expert opinion.”
Her mother looked as doubtful as she felt. “Expert? Who are you that you’re such an expert?”
“I am the owner of this establishment. I chose every gown in here.”
Her mother recovered quickly. “Well, you did a good job on this one. Though I can’t say the same for that frilly thing that girl is wearing.” Her mother pointed to a young woman who had on a pink bridesmaid’s dress which had so many ruffles she looked like a stick of cotton candy.
The young woman across the room grimaced. “I wish you’d been here when the bride picked this out.”
Her mother gave the woman a sympathetic frown. “You poor thing.”
“Eh-hem.” The owner brought their attention back to him. “As for that, I have to order what is requested to keep the brides happy. And speaking of happy brides, would you please turn around, miss, so I can give you my honest opinion?”
Rather than argue the point, she began to turn. The man probably did know something about wedding gowns if he owned the shop. And she’d thought him just a salesperson.
Lacey had seemed to know a bit about dresses, too. Kendra didn’t even remember which dress Lacey had convinced her was the best for her bridesmaids. Did that make her an uncaring bride?
When she finally faced them again the man was nodding. “Yes, you have the exact shape I was thinking of when I ordered this gown. It’s reminiscent of the 1930’s sophisticated nighttime galas. You’re stunning in it as is. To wear a bolero over it would make it look off balance and dare I say, odd.”
Her mother smiled smugly. “See. I told you. You don’t want to look odd, do you?”
She studied herself in the mirror again. Wade said he loved her body even more than she did. She would never argue that point. His constant adoration of her and all her slightly deformed parts, be it her leg or her bust, had made her feel more comfortable…around him.
As a teenager she’d hidden her breasts until she’d met Eugene who told her they’d make them successful. Her entire, extensive wardrobe had been low cut neck lines to show off her assets, as he called them. They had certainly helped him sign clients and add “assets” to his own portfolio until he decided he needed a woman from wealth like himself.
Wade wasn’t using her. He was sincere in wanting her to be comfortable with her body. Like he said, she only had one and he loved it just as it was. Simply thinking about him had her tension easing.
He would be proud of her if she wore the dress without a jacket. So everyone would see exactly how big she was
in some places and small in others. They were all people she knew and if they were coming to her wedding that meant they must like her a little. Besides, her wedding was for her and Wade.
“I’ll take it without the bolero.”
Excellent.” The owner bowed and stepped away.
“That’s my girl. I just know your cowboy is going to love unzipping that back zipper to unwrap you like a lollipop he can’t wait to lick.”
A woman on the other side of the room, gasped, but the girl in the cotton candy dress grinned. “You roped a cowboy? Good for you.” Giving the thumbs up, she turned and headed for one of the dressing rooms.
Kendra smiled at her mom. “Okay. I’m done, now it’s your turn.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. “Not here. You said there was a department store nearby.”
She lifted her dress and walked down the stairs. “That’s true. But I want only the best for my mom.” She nodded toward the assistant. “Please show her any dress she likes.”
As the assistant led her mother off, she caught the eye of the owner who gave her an approving nod. Her cynical self told her he just wanted the sale, but her strung tight emotional self decided he was proud of her for making her mom feel special. Giving him a quick nod, she headed for the dressing room. Since she sent off the assistant with her mom, she hoped she could reach the back zipper to take the dress off. If not, they may be in the shop for a long time.
~~~~~
Saturday
“Wade, come over here.”
Lacey waved to him as he crossed the Great Room. The day was going far better than he’d anticipated. Natasha had volunteered to continue working as their cook until Dale could find them someone as long as she could take time off during the day to have lunch with her mother. Selma hadn’t come near the main building all day, and the band had called Lacey to confirm the time for Thursday.
He stepped up to the counter. “What can I help you with?”
Lacey, looking very country in her peach checked shirt, white jeans, and white straw cowboy hat, smiled triumphantly. “Look what I found.” She set her laptop on the counter so he could see.