“Well, auto dealerships have hail sales for vehicles after hail storms. I thought maybe brides and boot lovers could have the same thing,” he said, shrugging his shoulders unapologetically.
“I’m not sure if there’s ever been one before, but there’s likely to be one now. It can literally be a blow-out sale.”
Brayden began to laugh. “I like that. Catchy title.”
“See, marketing me. Bookkeeping you.” She looked at him and couldn’t believe her good fortune to have such a kind and helpful person with her. Not only did he help to secure the store, but he also helped to calm her down. She was in a bit of denial, she was sure of it, but his presence brought her the comfort that might carry her through the chaos of the situation. Life was certainly an unplanned adventure more often than not.
By the time they were done, Kelsey had only one hour left until her first fitting would be showing up. She debated whether she should go home and freshen up or just remain at the store as she was. Brayden was looking at her; he’d walked down to the gas station to pick up six glazed donuts and two cups of coffee. “The breakfast of champions,” he said, raising his donut and then dunking it into his coffee.
“I never would have taken you for a dunker,” she said.
“You’re not a dunker?”
She shook her head.
“Just when you think you know someone. Boom. You find out something like that. I’ll never think the same of you again.” Then he burst out laughing, but it was followed by a yawn.
“You can get home and get some rest if you need to. Who knows what damage you may find on the properties once the sun comes up,” she said.
“They’ll be fine and if you’ll have me, I’ll stay here,” he said. He was worried about Kelsey and really understood how emotionally draining something like this could be. Until he knew she was busy with other people, he wanted to remain there so he could support her in any way he could. He mused at how he wouldn’t have even been able to help put up plywood over the broken window just six weeks ago, but since he’d been in Cherish, he’d honed his manual labor skills. He saw the puzzle in them, as much as he did in numbers—which had been one of the reasons he’d always loved them. And it felt good to help someone in need.
Despite the sugar and caffeine, the two grew quieter, and yawns escaped from both their lips. Kelsey was glad Brayden wanted to stay and wasn’t going to bring it up again. He was glad that she liked having him there because he just needed to make sure she was good. Sometimes people didn’t act the way they were feeling—something that they both had admitted to each other.
“Hello,” a voice called out from the front of the shop.
Brayden lifted his head up first. It had been down on the break table of Kelsey’s small back room. Hers was still down. They’d fallen asleep.
“Kelsey,” he said softly. “Someone’s here. I think it’s your fitting.”
“What? Oh,” she said, her voice sounding panicked.
He smiled, as she had a slight bit of drool formed at the right corner of her lip. Who would have ever thought something like that could be adorable? Only with Kelsey, only with Kelsey.
“I’ll be right out,” she called.
She jumped up and walked over to a small mirror to look at herself. “I am a mess.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand,” he said. “I think you look beautiful.”
She turned to him and blushed, her lips slightly parted to say something, but nothing came out.
“Should I get going?” he asked. “I can stay if you need me to.”
“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll call you later, though, okay?”
“Sounds good,” he said.
He walked out of the break room and was met with four sets of curious eyes and big grins. “Just helping with the storm cleanup. Kelsey will be set for you ladies in just a moment,” he said. He felt like he was getting busted for doing something bad. The only problem is that he hadn’t done anything at all—not a darn thing! Not that he hadn’t wanted to.
When he walked out of the shop, he saw Mal and Olivia standing on the sidewalk. “Hey,” they called out, smiling at him and waving him over.
“Good morning,” he said. He felt his neck growing warm, the one thing that always happened to him when he felt embarrassed.
“How’s Kelsey doing?” Mal asked.
“She’s okay. She has a fitting right now, but she was pretty shaken up last night. Rightfully so.”
“Thanks for stepping in to help her,” she said. “That store means so much to her. Is there a lot of damage?”
“Enough, but I’m hardly qualified to assess boots, buckles, and bridal dresses.” His voice was thoughtful and in the moment, but in his mind, he kept thinking about how he’d found Kelsey so broken down when he’d gotten to the store. It made him feel sick to his stomach and overly protective of her.
“Well, we’ll go visit her later,” Olivia said.
“Any damage to your property or the library?” he asked.
“No, for some reason, Kelsey was in the main line of fire,” she said.
“Yeah, we noticed that,” he said.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Brayden,” Mal began, “someone called the house for you late last night. You were already asleep and they said it wasn’t urgent to bother you. I put the message on your nightstand.”
“Do you know who it was?” He had no idea who would have called that number.
“I can’t remember, sorry,” Mal said. “I’ve been a bit out of it lately.”
“That’s right, mamacita,” Olivia said, patting Mal’s belly.
“You’re not going to do that the entire time I’m pregnant, are you?”
“Maybe,” Olivia said. “It’s one of those things that is kind of irresistible to do.”
“Well, you try to resist,” Mal said. “Or when it’s your turn, I’m going to talk to that baby in your belly every time I see it and tell it to be just like its Aunt Mal. That’ll send Colton through the roof.”
“Yes, I bet it would. And one Mal is enough for me to keep up with.” Olivia turned to Mal’s stomach. “Sorry, baby, you won’t be feeling my pat until you’re in my arms.”
Brayden watched the exchange. Thinking about being a family man was something he’d never really done—yet. But there he was, listening to the ladies talk, and allowing his mind to go there. “Well, I’ll see you all later. I’m heading home.”
“Wade’s in the back forty,” Mal said.
“Okay, I’ll look for him there.”
As Brayden drove back home, he thought about how nice it had been to be able to offer assistance and to be needed. It felt good, and while he would never wish any hardship on Kelsey, he selfishly felt slightly thankful that he’d been given the chance to show her how he could step up to the plate for her when necessary—that he was that kind of man.
Chapter Ten
Kelsey, Mal, and Olivia had taken the opportunity to enjoy a girls’ day in Deer Run. They were going to look for baby things, get a few supplies to help Kelsey prepare for her “blow-out” sale, and Olivia wanted to look for a few antique card holders that she could use for a project at the historical society.
“Card holders, not hoping for much there,” Mal said. “This is Deer Run, not Helena or Bozeman.”
“You just never know,” Olivia said, not caring that she was getting teased. “I didn’t expect to find Colton when I came to Cherish, not to mention my grandmother’s ring, either. But I did.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Kelsey said.
“That’s right,” Olivia said, nodding her head at Mal. “And look at Kelsey, she certainly wasn’t expecting to find Brayden and Brayden wasn’t expecting to find her either.”
“Stop. Back up. How did I get pulled into this?” Kelsey asked.
“You two are not fooling anybody. Sure, at first you may have been all coy and thinking you were playing games on us, but I know you’re not. It’s legit and
you two are darling together. Even if you won’t admit it.”
Kelsey’s jaw dropped. She didn’t know what to say. She looked to Mal, who simply offered, “It’s true.”
“How did you know we were playing you all?” Kelsey asked.
“A little fly on the wall,” Mal said.
“Is that fly named ‘Mal is an eavesdropper’?” Kelsey asked.
“Well, I overheard Brayden and Wade talking. Didn’t mean to, but I did. I called out and entered the room afterwards, like any respectable woman would do.”
“Listen to you, talking all southern belle,” Kelsey said. “I can only imagine their faces when you barged in.”
Mal giggled.
“Oh boy, what happened?” Olivia asked.
“Brayden jumped and knocked over a bottle of beer. I’ve never seen him get as red as he did when he did that,” Mal replied.
“You are such a troublemaker,” Kelsey said. “But anyway, Brayden and I are just friends. Nothing more.”
“Well, that’s not what folks around town are saying,” Mal said. “They told Cindy—”
“Your friend at the hospital?” Kelsey interrupted.
“Yes, but never mind that. She is still one step ahead of me. Has access to more people. Anyway, Cindy said everyone’s saying that they hope you find a good man and that Brayden would be a good man to have around Cherish. And you two spending an entire night in your store and all …” Her voice trailed off. She wanted Kelsey to be curious and it had worked.
“Really? There was a storm. He helped me board up a window and clean up my store.”
“And then didn’t leave. Just saying, everyone took note that he stayed in there all night with you,” Mal said.
“That’s true. Everyone’s talking about it,” Olivia added.
“That’s crazy,” Kelsey said. She wanted to be shocked, but other thoughts were running through her mind. First, it was kind of cool that everyone thought they would be a good couple. Second, it was a bit embarrassing that her love life—which was actually a lack thereof—was a topic of gossip. Such was the way of the small town.
“Call it crazy, but you two are so good for each other,” Olivia said. “You both have stories. I don’t know his, but I know yours. You deserve someone who is good, kind, funny, and loyal.”
“That sounded like you were describing a dog,” Kelsey said.
“That sounded like Brayden,” Olivia replied. “And those are good qualities. You know it so don’t try to act like you don’t.”
Kelsey wanted to laugh and take a step back. Something had Olivia fired up and Kelsey suspected that she and Brayden were the two she was taking it out on. “So, I think this is actually about you. What’s going on?”
Mal tilted her head. “Good point, Kelsey.”
“Hey,” Olivia said, crossing her arms. “Okay, fine. I’d like to get married out at the ranch next spring, but Colton wants to get married someplace else.”
“You mean like eloping?” Mal asked.
“Yes, exactly,” she said.
“That sounds like him. He doesn’t like being in the spotlight,” Mal said.
“There has to be a compromise in there somewhere,” Kelsey said.
“I suppose, but he’s just so stubborn,” Olivia said.
“And so are you,” Mal said.
“And so are you,” Kelsey said to Mal.
“No one is more stubborn than you and Brayden. You two are in denial. You may act all subtle and sweet, but you two are more stubborn than just about anyone I’ve ever met.”
Kelsey couldn’t disagree, but something about Mal’s statement drew her curiosity. “How would you know that about Brayden, exactly?”
Mal smiled.
“It’s Mal’s court of law,” Olivia said. Then she burst out into laughter. “Lordy, we are quite the threesome, aren’t we?”
“Three and a half-some,” Mal said, patting her belly.
“But seriously, this is more than just Mal and me, Kelsey. You two would be fantastic together. It’s almost like you were both put here for a reason. And that reason is to meet each other. Even Colton and Wade see it.”
Kelsey blushed. “That’s crazy. Besides, Brayden doesn’t want to stay in Cherish. He hasn’t even mentioned such a thing.”
Mal’s shoulders rose up in the air. “Well, not yet, but if he had the inspiration …”
“Please tell me you guys haven’t been bombarding Brayden with this,” Kelsey said, desperation apparent in her voice. “He’s going to think I’m crazy.”
“No, he thinks we are crazy. You’re the sane one in all this,” Mal replied.
“Well, I think I’ve had enough of this subject,” Kelsey said. Internally, she felt happy, hoping they might be onto something.
***
The outing with Mal and Olivia had been fun, if not educational. They were open books, which Kelsey admired. But that just wasn’t her; she preferred to keep some things unsaid.
She was busy at the shop, monitoring the installation of the new window. Her agent had been wonderful and very proactive and she was grateful for that. She’d even received the reimbursement for the damaged goods and was told that it was okay to sell them, so long as she fully disclosed their condition. That would be easy to do, because the entire town knew that she’d been hit hard by that storm. It still made her marvel at how the weatherman had been so spot on about it. There was nothing that she could have done. It wasn’t like Montana was hurricane territory where people had shutters for their stores and homes.
She began to prepare for the “blow-out” sale. She displayed the boots prominently—ten pairs of size-7. After the boots came the dresses and she sighed. One of her favorite wedding gowns had fallen victim. It had a slight water stain that made it qualify for the sale. A bride with the right perspective would be able to get a great dress at a fraction of the price. That made her happy. And anything that didn’t go would be donated to charities, in hopes they could use the merchandise for something.
Kelsey was humming along, thinking about all she had to do before the sale, when something caught her eye in her newly installed window. The first person she saw pass by it was Brayden. He hadn’t even looked her way, though. He was running, and the brief glimpse she had of his face made her lips curve into a smile. He looked absolutely lost in his running world and very content. She wondered what he was thinking about.
Kelsey had been driving herself crazy as she replayed all the things that Mal and Olivia had said to her. They’d been such kind words, but they had been serious about them.
And as had become standard, after the reflections of what they said came the fun memories that she and Brayden had experienced. They’d grown close, but no boundaries had been crossed and no words of any “future” had been spoken. But the questions, those had no answers, which was so frustrating. How could someone have a long-distance relationship? It didn’t seem possible or something that either Kelsey or Brayden would be good at—in her opinion. His past situation was more recent than hers. Was a new relationship even an option for him? She had no idea, but a part of her longed to know.
Chapter Eleven
Brayden was feeling great, as if the past was finally in the past. That meant that he was feeling emboldened to find out what his future might be. There was a lot to consider, including some opportunities that he’d heard about in Missoula and Helena. They were good jobs but, although it would mean just turning over his existing business to his partner who’d been tending to it, was he really willing to take that chance? The money would likely be good and getting hired wasn’t something that he was worried about—he was highly qualified.
Taking advantage of a long overdue run, Brayden had chosen to tour the town, wanting to see what types of businesses were there. The number of small businesses was surprisingly big, and there was only one other accountant, an elderly man named Devin Garvin whom everyone said likely wanted to retire but was resisting, not wanting to leave the town high and
dry for their accounting needs. So there was an opening … but was it one that he could take? Living in a small town had been nice, but he’d gone off the assumption that it had been only temporary. Could he do that full time? It was a tough decision. There was only one person he felt he could confide in who had likely had a similar thought process. He missed Kelsey too, feeling that his day just wasn’t as bright if it didn’t involve seeing her or talking to her at least once.
He picked up his phone and began to text a message.
How’s the best business woman in town doing?
There was no response right away and he realized that her sale was going on. Hopefully it was busy. He’d just have to hold tight—business came first. Plus, he didn’t even know exactly what he wanted.
After two hours with no response, he grew more impatient. He knew the shop would be closing down in an hour. Maybe he should just go back into town. It was time to recognize that it was okay to do that. He wasn’t a stranger and the two had grown rather close—in spite of themselves.
After a quick shower and putting on a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, Brayden made his way into town. He felt nervous and no amount of talking himself into a more reasonable state of mind helped. It wasn’t like he was going to do anything big, just visit.
When he pulled up in his car in front of the store, he saw quite a few people in there and he was happy for Kelsey. Hopefully the sale had gone well and she could get rid of all the evidence of that storm. It had to be a tough reminder.
Deciding he wasn’t bold enough to walk into a store full of shopping women, not to mention Olivia and Mal who were helping out, he walked across the street and down a block to Kitty’s. He’d just have a cup of coffee and wait.
While in there, he happened to look up at the bulletin board and decided to check it out. Maybe there was something going on there that might be fun to do. He’d grown restless just kicking back at the house and was more aware than ever about Mal and Wade’s growing family. They hadn’t said a word, but he felt like they wouldn’t when it came to that. They were too kind to say, “Hey, the work is almost done and you’re back in the saddle again. Time to mosey on.”
Cherished Embrace (Cherish Cowboys Book 3) Page 9