by Gina Wilkins
“Come inside, Mom. Please.”
Eva allowed herself to be nudged inside. Bonnie shot a quick grimace over her shoulder at Kinley and Dan, then continued to herd all the others through the back doors into the inn.
“Oh, my God,” Kinley groaned, rubbing her temples with both hands. “Seriously, what next?”
Still holding the dog’s collar with one hand, Dan laid his other hand on her shoulder. “Rough day, huh?”
She dropped her hands and straightened. “I’ve had easier. Let’s get this stupid dog back to Logan’s.”
Unoffended, Ninja yawned, reached out his massive head, cleanly snapped off a rose blossom with his teeth and dropped it at Kinley’s feet. Dan burst out laughing. Kinley was not amused.
“Let’s take him back now,” she said through clenched teeth as she retrieved the rose from the path and glared at the bare branch. “Before I drown the mutt in the fountain.”
“Don’t worry, Ninja,” Dan said, urging the dog toward Logan’s cottage. “She’s all talk.”
“I wouldn’t advise him to bet his life on that,” Kinley grumbled.
Grinning, Dan kept walking with the dog at his side and Kinley right behind them. The side gate into Logan’s yard stood partially open when they reached it, explaining how the dog had gotten out. The signs Logan had posted were clearly evident, but had been ignored. Dan suspected it was because the perpetrator wasn’t yet old enough to read.
“Grayson could definitely reach this latch,” he observed, ushering Ninja inside the fence and snapping the latch into place. “It wouldn’t be that hard for him to open the gate.”
“You’re probably right,” she said, studying the gate closely. “He probably opened it last time, too. Grayson is slippery. I thought at least someone in his family was watching him this time, but obviously not.”
“I think the kid needs to be on a leash more than Logan’s dog does.”
She laughed shortly. “You’ve got that right. But I’m going to tell Logan he’ll have to put a lock on this gate at least until after the wedding. His signs aren’t going to keep Grayson in check, and I wouldn’t trust the kid’s family to watch him closely enough to prevent this from happening again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he managed to slip away during the wedding—and he’s the ring bearer. He’s supposed to stand in front of everyone the whole time.”
Dan felt his brows draw down into a scowl. “People shouldn’t have kids if they aren’t going to take care of them,” he muttered.
He felt Kinley touch his arm and he realized that once again he’d unwittingly revealed old emotions to her. What was it about her that made it so easy for him to open up to her? Oddly enough, after only a couple of days with her, he felt as though Kinley knew him better than some people he’d known for months.
She sighed lightly. “The Sossamans aren’t bad parents, I guess. Just easily distracted. And they all tend to assume that everyone else is watching Grayson when it turns out that no one is.”
“Pushing the kid off on everyone else, ignoring him to focus on their own personal dramas?” He felt his irritation mounting as he spoke, and he fought to bank it down. This was not the time to dwell on the past. “I just hope nothing happens to the kid while they’re being ‘not bad’ parents.”
Before she had a chance to respond, he drew a sharp breath and glanced around Logan’s home. The cottage was small, but tidy, designed to fade into the background as much as possible so as not to draw attention from the inn, gazebo and gardens. “Where is your brother?”
“He had a doctor’s appointment late this afternoon, after which I talked him into going out for dinner with a friend. He hasn’t had a night off in weeks. He made sure everything was ready for the rehearsal before he left, and of course he’d come rushing back if I text him. But I think Ninja will stay put for now, especially if we keep an eye on Grayson.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he will.” Dan rattled the latch, just to be sure it was secure. “I was just curious. I usually see your brother quietly working somewhere on the grounds.”
“Yeah, he’s not much of a talker but he’s a hard worker.”
“So, what’s your part in the rest of this?” he asked, nodding toward the gazebo. “Does Eva expect you to light the candles, play the piano, sing the solos and perform the ceremony?”
She laughed, but immediately smoothed her expression. “We have other people doing all those things, of course, but I’ll be around in case I’m needed. I’m having to serve as de facto wedding planner in dealing with the subcontractors.”
“Let me guess. Eva wanted to do all the planning, herself?”
Kinley bit her lip against another smile. “Yes.”
He shook his head. “I have a feeling you’ll be glad when this one is over and you can cash the check.”
“I should probably get back now.”
“Yes, I know. You won’t talk smack about your client. I have to admire your restraint.”
She cleared her throat, glanced toward the inn, then gave him a look through her lashes. “About what happened at my house earlier…”
He still felt a low thrum course through him when he thought about those kisses. About having his hands on her, having her pressed so tightly against him he’d felt the warmth of her skin through her clothes. Focused and no-nonsense Kinley Carmichael had a hotly passionate side hidden beneath those professional outfits she wore. He wondered if she even fully acknowledged that facet of her own personality.
“Thanks to that terribly timed phone call, not a lot did happen,” he reminded her.
She turned to stare hard at Ninja, who had settled onto Logan’s back stoop and fallen asleep, his rumbly growl changing to a gruff snore. “Probably for the best. After all, you’re leaving tomorrow.”
Dan moved closer to her, standing just behind her. He, too, looked at the dog, but his attention was completely focused on Kinley. “Like I said, I could hang around for a few more days. Maybe you and I could do something Sunday? You don’t work Sundays, do you?”
“Actually, I do work most Sundays, either here at the inn or showing a house or just catching up on paperwork at home.”
He shook his head in exasperation. There was definitely such a thing as being too focused. “But maybe you can free a couple hours this Sunday? The wedding will be over, and you’ll deserve a break. Your brother isn’t the only one who needs an occasional evening off, you know.”
She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “Can you really just rearrange your schedule on a whim like that? Don’t you have appointments? Schedules?”
He shrugged. “I’m flexible. I’ve been thinking about taking some time off. Maybe working more on my book.”
“You haven’t said much about the book yet. Will it be based on some of your adventures?”
He swallowed, a bit nervous as always when he talked to anyone else about the book he’d been burning to write. “I’d use some of what I learned in my travels, but the story is pure fiction. Thriller, espionage stuff—a hapless young guy caught up in something big and deadly. A friend of mine from college is a fairly well-known film producer now. We had drinks in New York one night and he said the idea intrigued him. He said he’d consider optioning the book for a film if I send it to him when it’s completed.”
Her face lit up with instant enthusiasm. “Wow, Dan, that’s pretty great. I mean, you could write a book or a screenplay or both. Maybe turn it into a whole series. You should get an agent and maybe a publicist and a…”
“Whoa, whoa!” Laughing, he held up both hands. Her enthusiasm pleased him, but also made him even more overwhelmed about the goal he’d set for himself. What if it all came to nothing? What if he made a big deal out of the book, then struck out with it? It seemed prudent to downplay the dream, hedging his bets, in a way.
“It’s still just at the early stages, an outline and a few sample chapters. My cousin wants me to keep writing for the magazine—actually, she’s nagging me to take an edit
orial spot, but as I said before, that doesn’t interest me. Maybe I’ll start another series for her about interesting Southern places. Maybe I’ll spotlight local legends in the next series. Like a ghostly bride who blesses couples who are lucky in love.”
As he’d calculated, that comment dimmed the excitement in her expression, distracting her from his tenuous ideas for his future. “You know how I feel about that,” she said flatly.
“Yes. But it’s still worth consideration. I’ve been doing some internet research into the legend of the bride. Like you said, there’s not much available. It isn’t exactly a well-known tale. But there were enough reports over the years to keep it from fading completely from local memory. Certainly worth looking into.”
“I can’t imagine you’d rather spend your time tracking down silly old ghost stories than working on an idea that’s already caught the interest of a film producer.”
He’d mostly been teasing when he’d mentioned researching the ghost, but something about her tone made his defenses rise. “You sound a lot like my parents—well, you would if they approved any more of me writing a screenplay than they do of me working for my cousin. They’re always reminding me that I’m not living up to my potential.”
Considering what little he’d told her about his parents, he supposed he couldn’t blame her for looking annoyed by the comparison. “Maybe they really do just want what’s best for you,” she suggested.
“That might mean something to me if I thought they really cared about what was best for me rather than what reflected best on them.”
Shaking his head, he reminded himself it was his parents who ignited his temper, not Kinley. Although there were times when she could get under his skin with that everything’s-gotta-be-perfect attitude of hers, he admitted. “This isn’t really the time to get into my issues. All I was asking is if you can take a little time off Sunday.”
“Maybe,” she said after a brief hesitation, though her shoulders were still a bit stiff. “I should probably just get through tonight and tomorrow before making any future plans.”
“Think about it.”
“I will.” She sounded as if she wouldn’t really have a choice about that. “Just one question?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you want to spend more time with me when I get the distinct impression that I occasionally irritate the hell out of you?” she asked with a slightly rueful smile.
He couldn’t help chuckling in response to her insight. “You do have a knack for pushing my buttons,” he conceded. “In lots of ways. I can’t quite explain it. I just know that from the moment I first met you, I wanted to get to know you better. That desire hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s only gotten stronger the more time I’ve spent with you.”
“Yes, well, maybe we should just call it quits before I end up pushing the wrong button,” she said bluntly. “It’s been fun and all, but why press our luck?”
He couldn’t resist reaching up to touch her soft hair, twisting a lock idly around one finger. “Still practicing risk aversion, Kinley? Hardly what I’d expect from someone so fearlessly ambitious when it comes to business.”
“My number-one rule of business—play to your strengths,” she reminded him. “That philosophy increases the odds of success.”
“And decreases the chances of failure,” he added. “The one outcome Kinley Carmichael simply won’t accept.”
“Maybe you are getting to know me a bit,” she quipped.
He laughed softly and lowered his head to brush his lips across hers. “Not nearly as well as I’d like to.”
For only a moment, her lips responded and the kiss deepened. Just enough to make him crave more. She drew back before he could do anything to satisfy that hunger. Looking quickly around, she moved away from him, smoothing her hair and straightening her clothes. It was obvious she didn’t want to be seen kissing him, and he could understand that. Not only would it potentially cause gossip about what she wouldn’t consider professional behavior, but there was always the specter of conflict of interest hanging over them. After all, he was here to write a review of her business.
The article had always been intended to have a positive slant, but he could see where kissing one of the owners might call into question his motives—or hers. At least in the minds of an outsider. As for himself, he’d never even considered that Kinley would stoop to flirting with him in an attempt to get a better write-up. As much as he still had to learn about her, he’d figured that out almost immediately.
“I have to get back. Eva’s probably had a chance to calm down by now. I’ll assure her Ninja is safely contained.”
He nodded. “He shouldn’t get out again as long as he doesn’t have any help.”
Casting one last look at the snoozing mutt, Kinley turned and started back toward the inn. Dan followed a bit more slowly. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with himself for the next couple of days—but he knew he’d spend more time with Kinley if he got the chance. There was just something about her…
* * *
Members of the wedding party gathered on the deck, with a few out-of-town guests who were staying at the inn, for a casual cocktail hour before the rehearsal. Though it was still light out, Eva had insisted on having burning torches around the outside of the deck. Kinley lit them herself, and she had to admit they did look good. Garland with bows draped the railing, and clusters of helium-filled balloons in purple and shiny white floated above the guests.
The caterer had provided two servers for the rehearsal dinner; they mingled now with trays of champagne, lavender cosmopolitans and nonalcoholic purple grape drinks. Even the appetizers fit the lavender-and-white color scheme—sugar-frosted purple grapes with chunks of creamy white pear, cubes of soft white cheese on crisp white crackers. Soft music played from hidden speakers, low enough so as not to interfere with conversation. The photographer and videographer moved discreetly in the background, documenting the evening’s activities, and nearly everyone in attendance was snapping photos with their cell phones.
As over-the-top and borderline tacky as Eva had been at times during the months of planning, Kinley was satisfied that everything had come together well enough. She wasn’t sure there was really much of Serena’s personality on display here this evening, but maybe Serena was okay with that. Perhaps just having her parents foot the entire bill for the wedding made it worth putting up with her mother’s bossiness.
Though Kinley and Bonnie had intended to remain well out of sight during the wedding festivities unless they were needed, as they didn’t actually know the bridal couple other than as clients, Eva insisted on dragging them into the party. She seemed to take pride in introducing them as her “dear friends, the owners of Bride Mountain Inn.” Because Eva fulsomely praised their services—though usually with the subtle caveat that they’d simply followed her directions to the letter—Kinley allowed herself to be put on display, though Bonnie quickly excused herself with a murmured explanation that she was needed elsewhere. Kinley figured it was good for future business. She was drawn into a conversation with the wedding soloist about possibly hosting a fiftieth wedding anniversary party for her parents here, and the groom’s fortysomething aunt speculated that the inn would be the perfect setting for an annual weekend retreat for some of her sorority sisters.
Dan wasn’t able to escape attention, either. Eva caught him trying to slip upstairs and she pounced, delighted to introduce the journalist who was there to document her daughter’s wedding for a prestigious magazine. His expression somewhat resigned, Dan didn’t even waste time trying to correct her, simply meeting her friends with the courtesy and charm Kinley had come to expect from him. Their gazes met at one point and he gave her a quick wink, coaxing a soft laugh from her before she turned back to the nostalgic sorority sister. As many reasons as she had to resist him, he certainly made it hard for her to remember them when he smiled at her in just that way.
She kept a discreet eye on mischievous young G
rayson. So far he was being well behaved, quietly coloring with three-year-old Mallory, who would serve as flower girl, while the groom’s three slightly older nephews sat cross-legged on the deck nearby engrossed in some sort of card game. Eva had made it clear in the wedding invitations that young children were not encouraged to attend the wedding festivities, so these five were the only ones present at the moment, and they were causing no trouble. Still, Kinley intended to check on Grayson periodically during the evening. Just in case.
She supposed she couldn’t blame Dan—exactly—when the subject of the ghostly bride of the mountain popped up just as she was about to start herding the wedding party into place for the rehearsal. Dan was chatting with Maxine Thompson, the groom’s great-aunt, listening politely as she boasted of the many charms of the Blue Ridge Highlands where she had lived for almost eighty years. “You know we’re considered the true home of country music,” she bragged. “And Blacksburg has been named one of the best towns in the U.S. in which to raise children. Do you have children, Mr. Phelan?”
“No, ma’am,” he answered, obviously taken by the garrulous senior. “I’m not married.”
She shook a crooked finger at him. “About time you were settling down, isn’t it? What are you, about thirty-five?”
“Close enough.”
Sipping a lavender cosmo from a glass someone had pressed into her hand, Kinley eavesdropped shamelessly on the amusing interrogation, glad someone else was the focus of disconcerting questions for a change.
“Past time you started looking for a wife,” Maxine assured him. “There are quite a few nice, single young ladies around here, some in this very wedding party. And who knows,” she added with a surprisingly girlish giggle, “maybe you’ll even see the ghost bride. If you do, you’ll know you’ve found the right girl.”
Kinley set down her glass and hastily and looked pointedly at her watch as she turned to Eva. “Shouldn’t we—?”