by Abby Tyler
“It is,” Candace said sharply.
The waitress brought them their orders, and the conversation turned elsewhere. Savannah felt some relief. Billy Ray could be hard to handle. He was insistent, pushy, and sometimes downright mean.
She wished he hadn’t been made a groomsman.
Anna stuck a fork in her salad. “Of course I have a seat for Boone if he can make it. I wouldn’t want to leave him out.”
“That’s really sweet of you,” Savannah said.
“No, I mean it. Boone was like a second dad to me. We spent a lot of time at your shelter when we were kids.”
“We did,” Candace said.
Savannah looked at her friend, all perfectly dressed and made up. The two of them couldn’t be more different now, even though, growing up, they’d all been happy to sit in the dirt with the puppy dogs.
She didn’t want to upset Anna now by saying that there was no way Boone could make it. The empty chair was something the bride probably wouldn’t even notice on the big day.
That would be for Savannah to wish were different.
Chapter 10
Luke admitted to feeling dog tired as he pulled his truck onto the highway after leaving a full day at Savannah’s shelter.
A lady had brought in three feral cats she had trapped, and despite both him and Savannah wearing special gloves that went up to their elbows, they were the little worse for wear after trying to check the cats for fleas and ticks.
Two more dogs had come in over the weekend, and they’d had to be bathed and rid of fleas as well.
He was only a few miles down the road when he reached over to pet Luigi and realized the dog wasn’t there.
Unbelievable. He’d left Luigi in the backyard with the others.
He pulled off the road and turned around. He could probably go to the back of the house and grab the dog without disturbing Savannah or Boone, who were bound to be making dinner by now.
Sometimes Luke stayed for the evening meal, but tonight T-bone was hosting a cookout at the RV Park.
His father would want an update about Luke’s plans. He was still fighting the veterinary school about transferring his credits. Turns out his old school’s program was unique, and the classes didn’t align. And the two states had different qualifications and requirements.
Soon Luke would have to make a hard decision about losing a big chunk of the two years he’d already done to start over in Applebottom, or maybe hightailing it back to Montana to finish.
Maybe he shouldn’t have left after his mom died. But the opportunity to meet his father, to have family again, had been a huge draw.
When he pulled up to the shelter, his jaw clamped down to see a white Camaro sitting in the dirt driveway.
Billy Ray. He had no idea what Savannah ever saw in that boy. Luke definitely knew trouble when he saw it. He’d spent half his life being the trouble.
Still, Savannah might’ve invited him over. He didn’t want to interrupt. Hopefully he could get his dog from the back and they would be none the wiser.
He didn’t like it, though. Not one bit. The idea that Savannah might be sweet on somebody like Billy Ray didn’t sit well with him. If she was going to take up with him again, Luke wasn’t sure if he could stand it. Maybe he should cruise back to Montana. Billy Ray could be what tipped the scales.
He pulled up nice and slow and parked beside the Camaro. He eased his door open, but didn’t close it all the way to avoid a big thud that might be heard inside.
He walked quickly around the side of the house to the gate. The chorus of barks and shuffles approaching the corner told him that the dogs were still in the backyard. Good. He could get Luigi and sneak back out again and no one would be the wiser.
He leaned against the fence and looked through the dogs that were piling over each other to get to him.
But Luigi wasn’t with them.
Shoot. What should he do?
Savannah came around the corner of the house. “What are you dogs –” she stopped short when she saw Luke. “Is everything okay?”
“I realized Luigi wasn’t in my truck,” Luke said. “But he’s not with the dogs.”
“He’s by the back door.”
She seemed disgusted. Luke didn’t know who with. Him? Billy Ray? Something else? He followed her around the side of the house. Luke’s fickle dog was lying on his back, belly up, getting scratched by none other than Billy Ray.
The man looked up, frowning when he spotted Luke. “What are you doing back?”
So he’d been waiting for Luke to leave to pop in on Savannah.
“Just fetching my dog,” Luke said.
“This one’s yours?”
“He adopted him,” Savannah said. “And Billy Ray was just leaving.” Anger poured off her like hot lava.
“Now, honey darlin’,” Billy Ray said. “You know you gotta give me a chance to change your mind.”
“Nope,” Savannah said. “And I need to see to Boone.”
“Let me take you to dinner,” Billy Ray said.
“Not happening,” Savannah said. She had a hand on her hip and her voice could have cut glass.
Luke had heard enough. “Seems like the lady’s told you ‘no’ more than once,” he said. Now that he knew Billy Ray wasn’t wanted, he wasn’t leaving until the man was gone.
“This isn’t any of your beeswax,” Billy Ray said. “You take your dog and get on out of here.”
“I don’t think I will,” Luke said.
“It’s okay, Luke,” Savannah said. “I can handle Billy Ray.”
Now Luke was torn. Did he listen to Savannah, or did he deal with Billy Ray?
Billy Ray put his arm around Savannah’s shoulders. “You see, Savannah here and I are going to be a couple at Anna’s wedding next weekend, aren’t we baby doll?”
Savannah closed her eyes, and Luke could tell she was trying to hold her temper.
“Doesn’t look like the lady’s interested,” Luke said.
“Now see, there’s something you don’t understand,” Billy Ray said with a sneer. “Savannah and I have a history. Something you wouldn’t know nothing about. And we are meant to be.”
“Billy Ray—” Now Savannah sounded annoyed.
“You need to hear it, sugar plum. This wedding where you’re a bridesmaid and I’m a groomsman is our great opportunity to show the world we were meant to walk the aisle side-by-side.” He held out his arm as if the picture of it was in front of them.
Savannah let out a little groan. “Billy Ray, I already told you. Just because we’re both in the wedding doesn’t mean we have to go together.”
“Sure it does, baby doll,” he said. “It’s like it was written in the stars.”
Luke tried to keep his annoyance in check. “I hate to break it to you, Billy Bob,” he said. “But Savannah can’t go to the wedding with you.”
Billy Ray laughed and kicked at the dirt, sending a spray near the dogs. They backed off with a series of yelps.
That was it. Luke grabbed the man’s hand and slung it off Savannah. He whistled for his dog, and for once, Luigi jumped up and stood beside him.
Billy Ray narrowed his eyes at Luke. “You’re going to regret doing that.”
“I doubt it,” he said. “Savannah’s being nice, but she can’t go to the wedding with you,” he said. He was about to say the boldest lie he’d told in a long time.
Billy Ray crossed his arms over his measly chest. “And why’s that?”
Luke took his time fastening a leash to Luigi’s collar, holding them all in suspense. Even Savannah looked at him curiously.
But when Luke stood up, he gave them a big ol’ grin. This wasn’t going to go over well, but he was doing it anyway.
“Because she’s already agreed to go to the wedding with me.”
When Billy Ray threw a punch at Luke, Savannah’s first concern was for the dogs.
She ran a couple steps away and called to the dogs so they would come up to the back of th
e house. If those two boys wanted to be idiots and get in a fight, she didn’t want to have anything to do with either one of them.
When all the dogs were inside the kennel room, she turned to see that Billy Ray was continuing to swing wildly at Luke, who simply smiled and ducked beneath each shot. It looked like some strange sort of dance, Billy Ray’s arm swinging wide, and Luke, with a big wide grin, spinning out of his way.
“Get over here and take a punch like a man!” Billy Ray said.
Luke just laughed. “I will if you start swinging like one.”
Savannah had had enough. “Billy Ray, knock it off and just leave.” She closed the back door and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “I’m serious. I’m about to call Jeremy to arrest you.”
“Jeremy won’t do diddly squat to me,” Billy Ray said, keeping his eyes on Luke so he could take another swing. “We were classmates, and he’s in the wedding too. We had a right good time at the stag party.”
Savannah wanted to scream. Dust flew up from where the two men circled each other. It looked like a game for Luke, who smiled the whole time, his boots shuffling in the yard.
“Then I’m calling Officer Stone.”
The tones beeped loudly as she dialed. Billy Ray stopped throwing punches and turned to look at her. “You seriously calling the cops?”
Savannah subtly canceled the call but put the phone up to her ear anyway. “You bet I am. I can’t have this ridiculousness in my backyard. You’re scaring the dogs.”
Savannah continued to fake the call. “Brenda? Can you send Officer Stone out to the shelter? Billy Ray is acting the fool, and I’m about to get his butt arrested.”
Billy Ray’s eyes got big. “You did not just call the dispatch.”
“You bet I did.”
“Well, shoot.” He glared at Luke. “This ain’t over, buddy.”
“Good. I need the cardio.”
Billy Ray stomped over to the gate and pushed through, not bothering to close it. Thank goodness the dogs were inside.
When he was gone, Savannah stuck the phone back in her pocket.
“Did you just fake that call?” Luke asked.
“Maybe.”
“You had us both fooled.”
Savannah put her hand on the door. “Well, that was the intention.”
“You really going to go to the wedding with that guy?”
“No. But he is going to make it really terrible. It’s all anybody would talk about at the bridesmaid luncheon last weekend.”
“Let me go close the gate.”
Savannah watched him hurry over and shut the gate. Why did this have to be so complicated? And why had Billy Ray come back?
The way he panicked by her threat to call Officer Stone, Savannah had a feeling Billy may have racked up some priors. He was a hotheaded thing, and always had been. It had been sort of amusing, though, to see him trying to hit Luke and fail.
When Luke came back around, the two of them walked inside the kennel room. The dogs were milling around, lost without the structure of feed bowls or bedtime.
“Want me to help them get kenneled up?” Luke asked.
“No, you need to get to that cookout.”
Luke found Luigi and picked up the leash from the floor. “You sure he won’t come back?”
“I’m sure.”
“At least let me go get the Doberman from the small yard.”
“All right.”
When Luke returned with Nero, he started kenneling the dogs even though Savannah had told him to go. Savannah let him. When everyone except Luigi was kenneled up, she said, “Thanks for not actually fighting with him.”
Luke ran his hand over his jaw. “Can’t let him destroy my modeling career.”
Savannah busted out laughing so hard that she had to hold her belly. All the tension from the altercation drained away.
“How did this happen?” she asked between giggles.
“Every small town has its hothead or five.”
“Billy Ray’s enough trouble for five.”
“You really dated him?” Luke leaned against the line of kennels, crossing one ankle over the other.
“It was years ago. Before things went so downhill. I was younger and had a lot less to worry about.”
Oh, to be young and stupid enough to date somebody like Billy Ray. She almost missed it, well, not Billy Ray himself. But being impulsive. Heading off with some cute guy just because he was into you.
Back then, it hadn’t mattered so much if she didn’t think everything through. Boone ran the shelter and she just helped. She could afford to make a mistake like Billy Ray. Not now.
“I was serious about the wedding.” Luke reached down to scratch Luigi’s head. “Sounds like you might need someone to help you run interference.”
The puppies were stirring, so Savannah walked over to the sick bay and picked up Jerry. She pressed the little pup to her neck. “I don’t know. That might antagonize him.”
“Better to antagonize him while you have someone there solely to watch your back, than to do it on your own without help. Weddings are emotional. It makes people do stupid things.”
“It’s this weekend,” Savannah said. “I’m sure you already have plans.”
“Naw,” he said. “Anyhow, this sounds way more interesting than anything I might have going.”
Savannah smoothed the puppy dog’s ears. It would be nice to have someone watching out for her while she was at the wedding. Luke had proven he could handle Billy Ray without actually getting in a fight. That was more than she could say for most of the men she knew.
“All right,” she said. “Let’s do it. Besides, if I don’t, he’ll think I’ve given in.”
“Good. It’s settled.” Luke led Luigi to the back door. “But I do worry about you. Guys like that can be big-time bad news.”
She had no answer to that. Luke headed across the back yard, and Savannah latched the door. If Billy Ray was going to come around and cause trouble, she’d need to be more careful about locking things up. She hated that. And she hated that the young and foolish version of her had ever given Billy Ray the time of day.
She turned back to the sick bay to set down Jerry and mix a little softened food. It was time to feed these babies.
And somehow, she had herself a date to Anna’s wedding.
Chapter 11
Savannah turned in front of the mirror for the twentieth time. She hadn’t looked like this in a couple of years at least.
She might only be twenty-four, but she sure felt older. It was that hard period with Boone that did it. Losing the volunteers. Worrying about how she could continue to care for her father. Billy Ray cheating on her.
But not today. Violet had come over that morning and done her nails and helped with makeup. They had a long day ahead, so they needed armor, Violet had said. Armor by Maybelline.
All the families were close. Seeing them again would be nice, something normal after so much hardship. She sure wished Boone could go, but there was no way. Even though he was having a good morning, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t fall apart later. As a bridesmaid, Savannah had a lot of responsibilities. If Boone got confused or out of control, Savannah would be stuck.
She shoved it from her mind and tweaked one of the curls near her ear.
No, today she was one of those days you could look forward to.
Billy Ray had left her alone. And something between Savannah and Luke had shifted since the night Billy Ray tried to start a fight.
They smiled at each other a lot more, like they had a secret between them. Well, she guessed they did. Everybody needed to think that them going to the wedding was the real thing, when really it was just an arrangement to keep Billy Ray away from her.
Still, it was sort of fun to be in on something with Luke. He’d been nothing but helpful to her, kind and charming, and full of good ideas. She wished there was something she could do for him, but unfortunately, her calling the vet school on his behalf wo
uld probably do more harm than good.
She twirled in the dress one more time, then heard a car crunching on the dirt driveway outside. She ran to the window and looked down. It was Luke. He’d decided he needed to go early just like her, since Billy Ray would be there. Having him around would certainly make their fake relationship look more legitimate. Who else but a devoted boyfriend would stick around for hours of pre-wedding boredom?
She hurried down the hall and popped into the kitchen. Flo was there, washing dishes in the sink. Flo was good like that, always helping out when she came.
“I’m about to leave,” she said.
Flo turned around, her eyes lighting up when she saw Savannah. “Why, don’t you just look like a ray of sunshine.”
“Thank you,” Savannah said. “I haven’t worn a dress in years.”
“You should do it more. Is Violet taking you out there?”
Savannah hesitated. If Flo didn’t know about Luke, that meant people weren’t talking about it in town. Any number of people would have mentioned it to her at the café.
Which meant Billy Ray had kept his mouth shut for once. Interesting.
“No, it’s Luke, the one who’s been helping me out around the shelter.”
“The mayor’s son?” Flo dried her hands on a dish towel. “It’s going as well as that?”
“He’s super great. Super helpful.” Savannah felt stuck. She couldn’t let her aunt think they were actually dating, but she didn’t want Flo to let it slip at the café that they were faking it to thwart Billy Ray.
She was saved by Luke’s knock, which sent several of the dogs in the back to barking. “I’ll go handle them,” Flo said. “Don’t you worry about the evening feed.”
“Thank you so much. It’s a huge job.”
Flo waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it, baby girl. You just have yourself a nice time at Anna’s wedding.”
Flo headed to the kennels.
By the time Savannah made it to the living room, Boone had already gotten up to open the front door. When Boone saw Luke in a suit, he held up his hand and said, “We already got plenty of Jesus in this house. But thank you.”