Dylan did as he was told. It didn’t pay to mess with his best friend’s fiancée, especially when that same woman was Annie’s boss and friend.
***
“You want to tell me why you’re walking around like a wounded bear?” Logan asked.
Dylan turned from the dishwasher. “I’m not wounded.”
“Could have fooled me. What’s going on?”
Dylan put another four plates in the dishwasher, then looked around for any stray glasses. “I’m not sure I want to have this conversation with you.”
“Try me.” Logan folded his arms across his chest.
He looked as though he was settling in for the night and that was the last thing Dylan wanted. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“I might understand more than you think.”
Dylan couldn’t see that happening. Logan was in love. He hadn’t been far from Tess all night. Even when they weren’t sitting beside each other, or holding each other’s hands, they’d had a connection that was there for everyone to see.
“Has this got anything to do with your quest to find the perfect woman?”
Dylan reached for the dishwasher powder and poured half a cap into the dispenser. “How did you know?”
“You haven’t said anything for the last few weeks about dating anyone, so I figured it hasn’t happened. Each time you looked at Tess tonight you frowned, and I don’t think it had anything to do with what you were eating.”
Dylan leaned against the kitchen counter. “I can talk to women. I can even flirt a little, but if I go anywhere near to thinking about dating them, I freeze.”
“Has this got anything to do with what happened in Afghanistan?”
Dylan tensed. He was sick and tired of reliving his last few months in the Military. But it wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard he tried to forget. “It’s got everything to do with it. I can’t touch anyone without freaking out. It doesn’t matter what I do, it’s always there.”
“Have you talked to Pastor Steven?”
“Yeah. He said to start small. Ask someone I trust to work with me.”
Logan held his arms out. “I’ll do it.”
Dylan shook his head. “Do you know how weird that would be? And it still wouldn’t solve my problem of touching a woman.”
Logan didn’t bother saying anything to that piece of wisdom.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“What do you want?”
Dylan stared at his best friend. “I want to be normal,” he said softly. “I want to be able to have a real relationship with a woman. One day I want a wife and kids, the whole white picket fence thing. No one will want to go near me with the issues I’ve got.” He picked up the dishcloth and walked across to the oven. “I wouldn’t date someone like me. How the hell can I expect someone else to do the same thing?”
“Have you thought about getting professional counseling?”
“I saw someone in Texas. They got me to where I am today.” Logan smiled and Dylan appreciated his humor. “Yeah, I know. I’m a work in progress.”
“So what are you going to do?” Logan asked.
“Damned if I know.” Dylan finished wiping down the oven and threw the dishcloth in the sink. “If I could find someone to practice on it might help.”
Logan took Dylan’s suggestion at face value. A lot of people wouldn’t have.
“I don’t like your chances,” Logan said seriously.
“Tell me about it,” Dylan muttered. “I can’t even work up the courage to ask someone.”
“You’ve got someone in mind?”
Dylan took a last look around the kitchen before heading toward the dining room. “I thought I did, but I don’t think she’d be interested.”
“So you haven’t asked her?”
Dylan snorted. “I’d need to talk to her first.”
“That could help.”
Dylan stopped beside the door and glanced at Logan. This time his friend had a grin on his face. Right at the moment, Dylan couldn’t see anything funny in what he’d said.
Frankie looked up from the table when they walked into the dining room. He was the only person left. Everyone else had gone into the living room. They were talking and laughing so loudly that Dylan would have been able to hear them from the street.
He looked at the half-finished dessert in front of Frankie. “You like the cheesecake?”
Frankie smiled. “It’s better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”
Logan folded one of the tablecloths in half. “Make sure you tell Tess. She’ll love you for life.”
Tess walked into the room. “Tell Tess what?” She walked across to Frankie and ruffled his hair.
“You make great cheesecake,” Frankie said.
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
Logan kissed the side of Tess’ face and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Did I tell you how much I like your cheesecake, too?”
Tess rolled her eyes and smiled at Dylan and Frankie. “Ignore my fiancé. He thinks he’s going to get preferential treatment because I love him.”
Dylan couldn’t ignore the tenderness on Logan’s face. He wanted to feel the same rush of pride when he looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. But he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to get close enough to anyone to love them.
Or if anyone would want to get close to him.
Chapter Two
Annie looked at the chaos in front of her. Holly, their next bride-to-be, was standing in the middle of The Bridesmaids Club headquarters with her six sisters, her mom, and two aunties. They’d introduced themselves as they’d walked through the door, but after the fourth sister walked past her, Annie lost track of who was who.
Tess stood on a chair. “Okay everyone. Welcome to The Bridesmaids Club. I’m Tess. Sally’s standing by the window and Annie’s by the door.”
Sally and Annie waved to the crowd of women.
It was just as well they’d moved their bridesmaid’s dresses to the loft above Logan’s huge garage, or they wouldn’t have been able to fit all of Holly’s family in one room. Up until a few weeks ago they’d been using Tess’ apartment to store the dresses. When the number of dresses outweighed her available floor space, Logan had offered his home as an alternative office area. And when he’d asked Tess to marry him, it turned out to be the most romantic thing Annie had seen in a long time.
Tess pointed at one of the small clothing racks they’d set up in each corner of the room. Emily, a friend who owned a fashion boutique, had loaned them the racks until the ones they’d ordered arrived. “We’ve put two bridesmaids’ selections on each rack. Sabrina and Hannah are with Sally. Beth and Lily are with Annie, and Desiree and Tina are with me.”
Annie and Sally moved to their racks. Even with all of the forward planning that had gone into this appointment, it still looked like a disaster zone.
Sally held a bright pink shawl in the air. They’d organized all of the dresses, but there were a few accessories that they didn’t know where to put. “Who liked this shawl from the catalog?”
A woman in her early twenties stepped forward. “Me,” she said with a cheeky grin. “And I want to tell everyone now that I love the color. So no complaints about how bright it is.”
Another sister laughed and held the dress she’d chosen up to her waist. “You just want Alistair to notice you.”
There was more laughter from the other sisters.
Annie looked across at Tess and smiled. They’d sat down yesterday and worked out how they could make this appointment work without it taking hours. From the look in Tess’ eyes, she was about to put that plan into action.
When everyone started talking at once, Tess held her hand in the air. It didn’t seem to make any difference. Holly’s family was so excited that it was a wonder Tess had managed to hold their attention for as long as she had. Sally put her fingers in her mouth and blew hard. A piercing whistle shot across the room and everyone stopped speaking.
Sally had grown up on a ranch surrounded by three older brothers and thousands of cows. Annie guessed the whistle blowing technique was one of the ways she’d learned to get everyone’s attention.
Tess smiled at Sally, then looked at Holly and her bridesmaids. “If you decide you don’t like any of the dresses you’ve selected, we can look at the catalog to see if there’s something else for you. Please don’t hunt through the main rack on your own. It will make it difficult to find the dresses if they get out of order.”
All ten pairs of female eyes shot to the long rack of dresses hanging against one wall. The silk and satin gowns glowed from under the pendant lights. The chance of everything staying in order were pretty slim, but if anyone could make this work, it was Tess.
“The changing room and bathroom are behind you. Is everyone ready?”
A chorus of voices said, ‘yes’, and Tess smiled. “Let’s get going then. We have exactly one hour to find everyone a dress.”
Annie waited for her two bridesmaids to join her. Beth introduced herself and her sister. She was short, blonde and blue-eyed. Lily was a few inches taller with dark hair and gray eyes. They looked about as different as two sisters could get.
“Who’s going first?” Annie asked.
The two sisters looked at each other. Beth stepped forward. “I will.”
Annie looked at the sheet of paper Tess had given her and pulled a soft peach colored dress off the rack. “This is going to look lovely.”
Beth held the dress against her. “And it might just fit. I’ll be back soon.” She darted across the wooden floor, disappearing into the bedroom they’d converted into a changing room.
Lily was next. Annie took a cobalt blue satin sheath off the rack. “I think this dress is going to be too big. Once you’ve got it on, come out here and I’ll pin it at the back so you can see what it looks like.”
Lily held the dress up to herself and smiled. “Mom and Auntie Janice are going to do all of the alterations. They brought their pins and measuring tape with them.”
Annie breathed a sigh of relief. She might be a good cook and receptionist, but she’d never used a sewing machine in her life. “I’m glad they know what they’re doing.”
For the next forty minutes, dresses, accessories, pins and measuring tapes zipped in and out of everyone’s hands. It was chaos with a capital C.
“Are you sure this looks okay?”
Annie looked across the room. One of Holly’s sisters turned in front of a mirror and looked at herself with critical eyes.
“You look beautiful,” Holly’s mom said. “I can’t believe we’re here today, getting all of this help.”
Tess put the dresses her two bridesmaids had chosen in a bag. “We’ve got another surprise for you.”
Holly looked up from the floor. She was on her hands and knees, pinning the hem on one of her sister’s dresses. “You’ve done so much for us already.”
“I’ll be back in two minutes.” Tess disappeared with Sally, then came back into the room holding two big white bags. “These arrived last week. Your mom said you can’t find a bridal dress. If you like either of these, you’re more than welcome to take them home.”
Holly’s mouth dropped open when Sally took the cover off one of the dresses. The satin bodice twinkled from hundreds of tiny sequins stitched into the fabric.
“The other dress is strapless, but just as pretty.” Sally lifted the cover off the second dress and smiled as the organza skirt floated to the floor. “They’re both close to your size.”
Holly’s gaze darted between the two dresses. She touched the skirt of the first dress and sighed. “They’re both beautiful, but this is my favorite.”
Holly held the dress in front of her and spun around so everyone could see what it looked like.
“You look so pretty,” her mom said.
Annie looked at the women in the room. Each of them had tears in their eyes.
Tess smiled at Holly. “Why don’t you try the dress on?”
Holly glanced at her watch. “Have I got time?”
Sally opened the changing room door. “The next bridesmaids aren’t arriving for fifteen minutes, so we’ve got time.”
“I’ll come too,” one of Holly’s sisters said.
“Wait for me,” another one cried as she pulled her socks on. “I’m not missing this for anything.”
Within a few minutes, all of Holly’s sisters had gone into the changing room. Annie could hear their excited voices, the hush when she imagined Holly had put the dress on.
Lily, one of the bridesmaids Annie had been helping, poked her head around the doorframe. “Are you ready for the big reveal?”
Holly’s mom and auntie nodded. Annie knew Holly’s favorite dress would look stunning on the petite blonde. When she stepped into the room, even Annie was amazed at how good it looked.
Holly’s mom wiped her eyes and her auntie pulled tissues out of her bag.
After a moment of stunned silence, everyone started talking at once. Annie found a seat at the side of the room and sat down. She hadn’t thought about her own wedding in a long time, but something about today brought back memories she’d sooner forget. She didn’t know whether it was the full tulle skirt, the pretty neckline or the sparkling beads that made her sad.
She’d been young when she’d gotten married, not much older than Holly. Unlike Holly, she hadn’t had any family to help make her wedding special. She’d bought her dress from the local thrift store, picked flowers from a friend’s garden, and married a man that would make her life miserable.
Sally sat down beside her. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
Annie nodded. “She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?”
“The dresses couldn’t be going to a better home,” Sally said. “I spoke with Holly’s mom on the phone the other day. She said they’d be happy to help other bridesmaids. If anyone needs alterations to their dresses, she’ll do them for free. All we need to do is give her a call and she’ll do the sewing right away.”
“That was kind of her.”
“They’re a great family. Talking of family, do you know Matthew’s got a new girlfriend?”
Annie smiled. Sally had three brothers. Nathan was already married, but Matthew and Sean were still searching for the perfect woman. In Matthew’s case, he frequently searched far and wide, changing girlfriends faster than anyone she knew.
“I know.” Sally laughed. “But this time he says it’s different.”
“He always says that.” Annie had met Matthew a couple of times. He was full of mischief, always laughing at the craziness of life. Each time he fell in love, he fell hard.
Sally turned back to Holly and frowned. “She’s so young. Do you think it will last?”
Annie watched Holly spin in a circle. She was happy, so happy that it brought tears to Annie’s eyes. “I don’t think anyone goes into a marriage thinking it won’t last. If they do, they shouldn’t get married.”
“You look sad. Is that what happened to you?”
Annie thought about her twelve-month marriage. “It was complicated. I think I was more in love with the idea of being in love. I didn’t have any family. I’d been on my own for so long that all I wanted was someone to love. I believed Paul when he said he loved me. I don’t know why he asked me to marry him.”
Sally squeezed her hand. “He married you because you’re kind and generous, and you care about people.”
“Maybe. But I think he was more interested in living with someone who would pay all of his bills.”
Sally looked shocked. “You’re joking?”
“No. He’s the most self-centered person I’ve ever known.”
Holly’s mom laughed at something Tess said and Annie looked at the bride-to-be. “I feel like the Christmas Grinch. Tell me something funny.”
Sally sat quietly, then grinned. “Do you remember Max, the Irish Wolfhound I’m trying to re-home?”
Annie nodded. “The one tha
t looks like a miniature pony?”
“That’s the one. I took him to school yesterday. The children made him a cape and a hat.” Sally pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. “I took some photos.”
She passed Annie her cell phone. Max was surrounded by about six children. He was wearing a blue and pink cape with a pointy red hat. Everyone, including Max, had a huge smile on their faces.
Sally flicked to a close-up shot of Max wearing his red hat. “You should have been there. I’ve got one little girl who’s terrified of dogs, but she cuddled up to Max like he was her best friend. Here she is…”
Annie looked at a photo of Max with the little girl. The girl’s face was glowing with happiness. She was totally besotted by the dog that was taller than she was. “Did Max stay all day?”
“No. Dylan picked him up and took him away for the afternoon. I don’t know where they went, but they both looked exhausted when they got back.”
Annie smiled at the next photo of Max. “Dylan’s training for a Half Ironman Triathlon. Maybe he took Max on one of the running trails around Bozeman?”
Sally’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know you knew Dylan that well?”
“I don’t. Tess told me. Dylan hardly ever talks to me, and when he does, I can’t think of anything intelligent to say.”
“Maybe you need more practice?” The gleam in Sally’s eyes made Annie laugh.
“I stopped practicing five years ago when I left my husband. You never know, I might buy my own home and fill it with shelter animals.”
“They don’t make up for a man,” Sally whispered. “But a man who likes homeless animals is someone you don’t want to turn down.”
Annie wondered if anyone had ever turned Dylan Bayliss down. Apart from his touching issue he had a lot going for him. He was handsome, in a rough and rugged kind of way, and even though he never showed much emotion, she had a feeling there was a lot going on inside him.
But what he felt inside would only count if she was interested in him, and Annie definitely wasn’t.
***
Loving You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 2) Page 2