Destiny's Last Bachelor?

by Christyne Butler

  Oh, it was, but would it ever come true? Probably not, but hey, a girl could hope, and wasn’t that what wishes were for?

  Chapter Eight

  “You know, the last time I drank out of a shot glass was probably in college, but these birthday-cake thingies are so good.” Priscilla reached for another one of the festive drinks in the center of the table. “What’s in this again?”

  “Frangelico and vanilla-flavored vodka. Here, don’t forget the lemon.” Racy Steele, the owner of the Blue Creek Saloon and wife to the town’s sheriff, held out the sugar-frosted piece of fruit. “It’s nothing without this.”

  Priscilla took the lemon slice and, along with the other ladies at the table, except for Leeann, who was drinking only ice water tonight, raised her glass in salute before downing another shot.

  The first time they’d done this, Priscilla had been the last one to set her glass on the table and bite into the lemon. This time she was the first and it had only taken her—she counted the empty upside-down glasses in front of her—four tries to accomplish that feat. Considering she still wasn’t getting the hang of dancing in a straight line to country music, Priscilla enjoyed this victory.

  “Boy, you’re getting a little too good at this,” Maggie Cartwright said, laughing. She was Leeann’s other best friend—besides Racy—and ran a ranch outside of town she shared with her husband, daughter and toddler son. “Maybe we should slow down.”

  “No kidding,” Racy’s sister-in-law, Gina Dillon, added. “I bet the guys aren’t going through as much alcohol tonight as we are.”

  “They might be. It’s been a while since either Gage or I have had an evening away from the twins. And they turned two this past spring.” Racy waved over one of her waitresses, who cleared the table of the empties, replacing them with another round of beers.

  “Same goes for me,” said Maggie. “Between chasing after horses and trying to keep up with Tyler, who’s just a few months older than Racy’s kids, Landon and I haven’t had too many nights out, either.”

  “So all of you are relatively new moms?” Priscilla looked around the table. “With Leeann of course being the newest mommy.”

  “I guess so.” Gina grabbed her beer. “I’ve been a stepmom since Justin and I married last year, but we’ve only got one more court appearance before my petition to adopt Jacoby is finalized. Of course, he’s already bugging us for a little brother or sister.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful news about the adoption!” Racy leaned over and gave Gina a big hug. “You have been so wonderful with Jacoby from the very beginning. I know you’ll be just as terrific with a new baby. Besides, my brother isn’t getting any younger. And neither are you.”

  “Hey! I’m not even close to thirty yet,” Gina protested, but her smile was full of mischief. “Unlike the rest of you. I’m still the baby at this table.”

  Priscilla joined in the laughter and took another swallow of the icy-cold beer. Straight from the bottle. Another first for her in a long time. She had to admit she’d been a bit nervous about tonight’s plans, but Leeann’s friends were all great women and she was having a blast. So many people had come up to their table throughout the evening to talk about the auction and the camp. She’d even run into two of Dean’s fellow firefighters she’d met at bingo, but turned down both of their requests for a dance.

  “You know, just because the rest of us aren’t interested in slow dancing doesn’t mean you have to sit out when asked,” Racy said.

  “Yeah, you’re a pretty popular lady. Must be because you’re the mysterious out-of-towner.” Maggie took a swallow of her beer and looked around the bar. “Nothing like new blood in town to bring out the cowboys.”

  “Or the cops or the firemen.” Leeann leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her glass. “Especially one fireman in particular.”

  “Are we talking about Zip?” Gina chimed in. “Now, there’s one hunky guy.”

  “Do we have a new romance in the works?” Maggie asked.

  Priscilla shook her head and then suddenly wished she hadn’t when the room took an interesting tilt. “No. Dean and I are just...”

  “Friends?” All four ladies asked in unison.

  “We’re...well, we’re working together on the auction. Working together at the camp. Sort of. So I guess we’re...” Priscilla snapped her mouth closed when she realized a few too many seconds had gone by without her finishing that sentence. By the amused looks on the ladies’ faces, it didn’t really matter what she was about to say. But she said it anyway. “Yes, we’re friends.”

  “Does that mean there’s no chance of you bidding on him at the auction?” Racy asked.

  “He hasn’t said what his date package will be yet,” Leeann said, then smiled. “Maybe she’s waiting to find out how creative he gets before she makes up her mind.”

  “Married or not, I think my hubby is going to have to step it up when it comes to planning a date night for the two of us.” Gina raised her beer in the air. “Anybody else with me?”

  The ladies all clicked their bottles in agreement, Priscilla included, and the talk turned to the various dates planned by the bachelors participating in the auction. Listening to the women debate the various offerings reminded Priscilla of that simple yet special moment back at the camp with Dean this afternoon.

  “Priscilla? You ready for another lesson?”

  Leeann, Racy, Maggie and Gina all stood up from the table. She groaned. “Another lesson in scoot booting?”

  Leeann laughed. “It’s called boot scooting, and yes, it is. Grab that cowboy hat and let’s get back out on the dance floor.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dean looked over at Bobby, who sat in the passenger side of his truck.

  The cupcake had been stupid. Schmaltzy and stupid, even though Priscilla had seemed to enjoy his gesture. But this latest idea was probably taking things a bit too far.

  “Are you asking me if I think Leeann is going to tell me I’m being a bit overprotective? Yeah, probably.” Bobby leaned forward and peered out into the crowded parking lot. “But it was Maggie who texted Landon and said their evening was coming to an end and that she and Gina were heading out.”

  “She also said Priscilla was acting a bit loopy. Whatever the hell that means.”

  “I think it means she had a good time.” Bobby pointed at a group of women heading out into the parking lot from the bar’s double doors. “Which I don’t have a problem with—”

  “But you’d rather Leeann not be the one who has to get Priscilla back to her room at the inn.”

  Bobby pushed open his door and grinned. “Precisely. Thanks for agreeing to make sure she gets home okay. Even though I had to twist your arm.”

  Dean kept his mouth shut as he got out from behind the wheel. There had been no arm-twisting. Hell, it’d been his idea to come here and make sure the girls got home okay even though they knew Leeann hadn’t been drinking tonight.

  He and Bobby headed across the parking lot toward Leeann and Priscilla, who were walking their way, giggling over a private joke.

  “Have fun tonight, ladies?” Bobby called out.

  “Bobby!” Leeann halted and slapped a hand to her chest. “You scared me. What are you two doing here?”

  “Our evening ended and you all were still out having fun. We figured we’d come down and join you.”

  Dean glanced at his friend. Good line, buddy.

  “Well, our party has just ended, too.” Priscilla flung her arms out wide. “You boys are too late to join in the fun.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Dean said under his breath.

  “It’s not polite to whisper, you know.” Priscilla propped her hands on her hips, causing her to take a couple of steps backward in order to keep her balance. “What did you say?”
>
  Dean walked a few steps closer until he stood right in front of her. “I said I think it’s time for Cinderella to get home before the clock strikes midnight.”

  “It’s still an hour until then.” Priscilla pointed to her fancy gold watch.

  “But I got tired,” Leeann added, “so the party broke up early.”

  “How about I take you home and tuck you into bed?” Bobby put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “Dean will make sure Priscilla gets back to the inn in one piece.”

  “Are you okay with that, Priscilla?” Leeann asked.

  “Sure. Whatever. You go on home with your hubby.”

  Leeann turned to Dean. “She’s had a few drinks.”

  “Just a few?” Dean smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the princess gets back to her castle.”

  Priscilla and Leeann hugged goodbye, whispering among themselves and sharing another laugh. Then Leeann and Bobby headed toward Leeann’s car, and Dean turned to Priscilla and pointed at his truck.

  “Your pumpkin awaits.”

  The hands were back on her hips again as she stared at him for a long moment. She swayed a bit, but stayed upright. Dean wondered when the last time she’d been like this was. It had probably been years. Before he could ask, she marched across the parking lot, giving him a very nice view of her backside thanks to those shorts of hers.

  Bellissima! He followed and waited as she waved off his hand and climbed up into the passenger seat. By the time he got around to the driver’s side, she’d dropped her hat in the space between them and buckled her seat belt. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed down Main Street.

  “Do you mind the windows being down?” Dean asked.

  Priscilla sat with her head back against the headrest, eyes closed. “No, the cool air feels good.”

  He drove well under the speed limit, as it would only take a few minutes to get back to the inn and he found himself, once again, wanting to spend time with her. “Hey, have you been to Sherry’s Diner? They serve a great cup of coffee—”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Priscilla sat up straight and opened her eyes. “We need to go back to the camp.”

  That came out of nowhere. “What for?”

  “I forgot Snake’s pillow there this afternoon. He’s going to have a hard time sleeping tonight without it.”

  “Are you serious? A pillow?”

  She nodded vigorously, then put a hand to her head. “Leeann and I had planned to stop by when we left the bar. Do you mind?”

  No, he didn’t mind at all. Anything to be able to spend a few more minutes with her. “Sure, let’s get the pillow.”

  Dean took the turn off the town square and headed toward the camp. The roads out there were dark, and with the only light coming from his truck’s dashboard, he couldn’t tell if Priscilla was asleep or not as she’d once again leaned back against the seat.

  Eventually he turned into the camp, glad they had installed the security lighting on each of the buildings. He pulled to a stop outside the dining hall and shut down his truck. The camp was practically deserted. The only staff here during the off week were a few college-aged counselors from out of town and Sylvie, the camp director, who had her own cabin nestled away in the trees near the sports area.

  “Priscilla, we’re here.” No response. “You awake?”

  “Awake. Sure, I’m awake.”

  The slight slur of her words and the fact she hadn’t moved an inch told Dean she really wasn’t. He sighed and released his seat belt. “I’ll go look for the pillow. Are you going to be okay out here?”

  Priscilla gave a little wiggle, as if she were snuggling deeper into the seat. “Hmm. Yes, I’m okay.”

  Figuring it was easier—not to mention probably quicker—to do this himself, Dean got out of the truck. He headed up the front steps of the main camp building, stopping to look back and check on Priscilla. He then unlocked the doors and slipped inside. Entering the office, he flipped on the overhead light and hunted around. He had no idea what the mutt’s pillow looked like, but since Daisy herself had a cushion bed, he assumed it must be similar. It took him more than half a dozen passes around the office before he found the stuffed pillow monogrammed with a capital S.

  Shaking his head, he grabbed the thing and closed up the office. He went back outside, locked the door and started for his truck. His empty truck. He raced across the yard, praying she was stretched out on the seat. When he got to the passenger side, all he found inside the cab was her cowboy hat.

  Where in the hell had she disappeared to?

  The woman was just drunk enough to be a danger to herself. Fear seized his chest, but he fought it off. He hadn’t been gone that long. She couldn’t have gotten far. “Priscilla?” he called out, not having to raise his voice much for the sound to be carried across the quiet night. “Priscilla, where are you?”

  “I’m down he-re.” Her singsong voice floated back to him. “Isn’t it a beaut-beautiful night?”

  Dean followed the sound of her voice. Thanks to the brightness of the full moon, he immediately spotted her about fifty yards away, walking across the open field and heading straight for the beach area by the lake. He tossed the pillow inside his truck and took off after her. By the time he reached her, she was already out of her boots and ankle-deep into the lake.

  “Going for a swim?”

  He should be pissed at her. Hell, he was already mad at himself for leaving her alone, but she looked so familiar, yet different, standing there, lazily walking back and forth in the water, much like the first time he’d seen her. She was still very much a water nymph, as tempting and alluring as that day down by the river, but now she seemed...

  Relaxed. Comfortable. Approachable.

  While he was sure whatever she’d consumed tonight contributed to that, she had been the same way earlier today sitting on the bench outside the dining hall with him and Daisy.

  “Do you believe in wishes?”

  Priscilla’s soft-spoken question pulled him from his thoughts. “I don’t know. Do you?”

  “I mean when you were a kid. You must’ve wished on birthday candles, sent letters to Santa Claus, searched for a shooting star on nights like this.”

  Dean stood at the water’s edge and crossed his arms over his chest. He thought back to his childhood and how certain toys always made it under the tree or appeared at birthday parties. How he and his brothers and sisters had many magical moments in their youth, from family camping trips to dinners around the large kitchen table. “Yeah, I guess I’ve had a few come true in my lifetime.”

  Priscilla’s sigh was dramatic as she continued to pace back and forth, splashing in the water. “You’re lucky. I’ve never had one come true.”

  “Never?”

  She shook her head. “Once when I was six years old I wished for a pony. I had just started taking riding lessons that summer and I really wanted one of my own. A white one. Just like the one the prince rides in the fairy tales. I made sure both my parents and my nanny knew, but that wish never came true. Unless you count the Thoroughbred racehorse my father bought for me that Christmas.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just said, “Well, I guess you could consider that a wish sort of coming true.”

  “Not to me. But I really gave up believing in wishes when I was sixteen.” She looked over at him. “Do you want to know why?”

  Dean had a feeling she wasn’t talking about what most kids that age wanted—four wheels and a driver’s license. “Sure.”

  “My mom got sick the year before. Well, she’d been ill for a while but they told us right after my fifteenth birthday. And though I guess, deep inside, I knew it wouldn’t help, I wished on a star every night, wished on my birthday, even wrote a letter to God and tucked it under my
pillow for the next six months...but she died just before Halloween the following year. Then it was just my father, my sister and me. And a house full of servants, of course.”

  As someone who considered himself blessed to have parents who were still around, not to mention happily married, a handful of brothers and sisters and an eighty-three-year-old grandmother who was vibrant and full of life, Dean had no idea what to say. “I’m sorry, Priscilla. It must’ve been tough to lose her when you were so young.”

  She stopped and looked over at him. “Thank you for saying that.” She started walking again but this time she came toward him. “You know, it was you who got me thinking about wishes again. Well, you and Minnie Gates.”

  Dean wasn’t sure what the proprietor of the Painted Lady had to do with this conversation, but he didn’t like that what he’d done this afternoon had brought back such bad memories for Priscilla. “Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad by asking you to make a wish on that silly match.”

  “You didn’t. Please, don’t think that way.” Priscilla laid a hand on his arm. “What you did for me was one of the nicest surprises I’ve had in a long time and I enjoyed making that wish.”

  She suddenly seemed far too sober and he found himself wanting more than anything to believe her.

  “What if I told you that you have the power to make my wish come true?”

  At this moment he’d move heaven and earth to give her whatever she asked. “Name it.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Whatever you want. It’s yours.”

  “Okay, then.” She peered up at him for a long moment and then took a deep breath. “What I want is for you to kiss me.”

  Dean wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. Her voice was soft and she was, if not slurring her words, blending them together from time to time. “Excuse me?”

  She dropped her hand. “Are you going to make me say it again?”

  Damn straight. “I want to be sure.”

  Her lips curved up in an enticing smile. “My wish was for a birthday kiss. From you.”