Friday
Kendra glanced at the time on her computer. It was only one in the morning and she’d accomplished everything she’d hoped to do, but she couldn’t go to bed yet. She was wide awake and Wade was sleeping. Their opposite sleep and work habits made having sex a fun challenge.
She grinned at the memory of the first time she’d “ridden” him in her office after a strip poker game. That was before the resort had opened, but she still managed a few rides now and again, like earlier in the evening after their intimate dinner.
Despite the time that had taken, she was still caught up, probably because the resort was closed next week. Part of her was happy for the break, but the business side of her balked. Still, it was her wedding. If there was ever a reason to close the resort it was that.
It wasn’t as if she didn’t have more money from her poker winnings and subsequent investments. She could support the resort if she had to, but she wanted it to sustain itself and eventually make money. In essence, it was her retirement.
She hadn’t really thought of it that way in a long time, but having her mom wanting to live with her put a new spin on things. Her mom basically had no skills, no income, and no home. To make matters worse, she would soon be spending a lot of money on a divorce, unless Fred decided it was easier to give up a housecleaner than give up his money.
Of course, that meant she’d have to support her mom until she could collect social security. How long would that be? Ten years? Yes, ten years if she started early.
She couldn’t imagine her mom, and her two dogs, living at Poker Flat that long. Maybe she could find her mom an apartment in the closest town?
Even at the idea, her stomach clenched. Her mom would be insulted to be pushed out of Poker Flat. “Shit.” Snatching up her cowboy hat, she plopped it on her head and strode out of her office, locking the door behind her and heading for the bar. She needed a beer.
Walking through the empty Great Room, her cowboy boots made far too much noise for her to hear if any guests were still outside with Adriana. Pushing open the side door, she stopped and listened. The sound of glasses being washed floated toward her, but no voices and no guests in sight.
Walking over to the bar, she sat on one of the stools.
“Hey, what are you doing out of your office?” Adriana looked at her bracelet watch. “You’re not allowed out until the vampires take over.”
She chuckled. “I know. I’m surprised, too. Can I get a beer?”
Adriana turned around and pulled her favorite from the cooler. After opening it, her friend opened a case to grab a cold mug.
“No, don’t dirty another glass. I’ll drink it from the bottle.”
“Whatever you want.” Setting the beer on the bar, Adriana scooped some ice into a glass and used the soda nozzle to pour herself a ginger ale.
Kendra lifted her bottle. “You’re not going to join me?”
“No. I’ve gotten in the habit of avoiding beer or any alcohol since I learned about Hunter’s wife. He’s pretty touchy about it.”
Hunter’s tragic story included deployment, a permanent injury and a drunk driver. When she’d hired him, she never thought he and Adriana would fall in love, but they did. “Do you think he’ll have a problem with the wedding reception? It’s open bar and I’m sure even those who don’t usually drink are bound to imbibe too much, especially since everyone will be staying here.”
Adriana took a sip and put her glass on the bar. “I actually talked to him about it. We decided that if he couldn’t keep his cool, we’d leave.”
She nodded. “That’s a good plan. I don’t want him to be uncomfortable. He’s an excellent security guard and I’d rather not lose him.”
“Excellent?” Adriana smirked. “He’s the best.”
“I don’t know.” She winked. “Mackenzie is damn good.”
Adriana nodded. “Sure, for a woman. She’s beyond fit. I think she’s the only woman who might be able to outlast me in bed.” She held up her hand. “If I wasn’t with Hunter.”
Shit, that said a lot about how far Hunter and Adriana had come. Adriana loved sex and while she’d enjoyed men, she wasn’t averse to women, too. She must be serious about her relationship.
How had she missed that? Probably because she was buried in her office all the time. She needed to get out more.
“Will you ever tell me Mac’s story?” Adriana wiggled her brow. “You know I won’t tell.”
“Why don’t you ask her? You must see her when she—” Her phone’s ring interrupted her. At this time of night, it couldn’t be good. Pulling it from her back pocket, she tensed. “Hunter.”
As Adriana’s focus sharpened, Kendra answered. “What is it?”
“It’s Chris. You need to come to the garage.”
“On my way.”
Hunter hung up before she did.
“What did he say? Is he okay?” Adriana’s concern was telling.
“I’m assuming he’s fine, but not sure about Chris. Hunter didn’t exactly elaborate.”
Adriana blew out air from between her full lips. “He never does. Just call if you need help.”
She stood as she took a bracing swig of beer then ran to her golf cart parked in front of the main building. Jumping in, she pushed the pedal to the floor and drove toward the fork in the path.
If Chris had been out drinking with friends and came back drunk, Hunter might be barely holding his temper in check. She needed to get there before he lost it. Then again, Chris could be hurt. No, it sounded like he wanted her to pass judgement as if Chris had done something he shouldn’t.
She was getting better at understanding Hunter’s tone of voice. The man’s lack of conversation meant understanding his tones. To give him credit, since he and Adriana had started living together, he’d loosened up a bit, even smiling on occasion.
The golf cart rolled across the bridge before she directed it up the other side of the ravine. She focused on the switchbacks, the incline twice as steep as the side where she built the resort.
When she reached the top, she drove around the barricade that kept people from driving over the cliff and turned toward the three-walled garage. In the dim lights of the golf cart, she could see Hunter and Chris standing next to Chris’s sedan, his back-passenger door open.
Now what was that all about?
Stopping her cart, she stepped out and looked at first Chris then Hunter. “What’s wrong?”
He jerked his head toward Chris.
She turned toward her masseuse. “Spill.”
Chris didn’t even hesitate. “I was at a bar in east Phoenix. My blind date had picked it as a neutral place to meet as it’s very popular.”
She could sense Hunter already growing bored. He must have heard the whole story already.
“I noticed these guys watching us. They had that look. You know, the one that says you should be ground into the Earth and then lit on fire?”
She had to admit she hadn’t been a recipient of one of those stares. “What happened?”
Chris looked toward his vehicle. “He saved me.”
That Chris’ words were breathless as if he was still in awe wasn’t lost on her. “Who saved you from what?”
He turned back to her. “After Jay and I exchanged numbers and made plans for another date, he left. I had to wait longer for my tab. As I exited, I could feel these guys watching me, so I moved a bit faster than usual.” Chris looked at the vehicle again. “I literally jogged down the steps before I heard the door open behind me. I didn’t look back, making a beeline for my car, but they were fast.”
She could feel the fear coming off her employee even as he spoke. Her protective instincts rose hard. “Did they hurt you?”
He shook his head. “They didn’t get near me. There were five of them.”
She sucked in her breath. Chris was strong, but no one could fight off five men.
“They surrounded me, taunting me. Like I haven’t heard it all before. You’d think rednecks could come up with new material about gay men. Seriously.”
She held back her grin at Chris’ change in demeanor. He was better educated than she was and had little tolerance for idiots.
“Anyway, I figured I’d have to make a run for it. I picked out what I thought would be the two slowest men to run between, when I heard a truck door slam. Three of my adversaries looked in that direction and that’s when I went for it.”
Kendra tensed. Though Chris stood before her unscathed, she couldn’t help worrying about him.
“I almost made it, too, but one of them grabbed my shirt. I swung at him and caught him in the jaw before another grabbed me. That’s when Kane showed up.” Chris gestured toward his car. “He didn’t say a word. Just started dropping them one by one, until they finally figured out their only chance was to gang up on him. They released me and ran for my car.”
Cain? As in Cain and Abel? Wasn’t Cain the one who killed his brother? She shook off the thought and focused on Chris. Since Chris was a relatively new hire, she was surprised by his willingness to let a man, even one named Cain, take the blows meant for him without helping. “You left him?”
Her employee frowned. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been in a tight spot. This is still the old west after all, but no, I didn’t leave him. I crouched behind a car and hit the app on my phone. It’s the sound of a police siren that sounds far away but gets louder as if it’s getting closer. I have it set for two miles.” Chris grinned. “You should have seen those idiots scatter. Kane was still standing until one of them gunned his car right for him. I pulled him out of the way, but he still got clipped.”
Kendra stared at Chris, trying to process the scene in her mind. What he’d described was a hit and run on top of assault and battery. They needed to press charges. They needed to—
“He wants to bring him home.”
At Hunter’s words, she faced him. “Home?”
Her security guard nodded toward the car. “He’s a mess.”
Chris shook his head. “Kane wouldn’t let me take him to a hospital, so I convinced him to let me take him back to my place.” He pointed behind her. “But Hunter said I had to get your okay. I tried to tell him who I bring back to my place is no one’s business but my own.”
“You mean you have this Cain in your car?” At least a dozen ramifications of Chris bringing his hero back to Poker Flat ran through her mind and she shifted her weight to her right leg.
“Yes.” Chris squared his broad shoulders. “After he stepped in to help me, it was the least I could do.”
That was true. However, they knew nothing about the man. He could be a convicted felon. Then again, she already had one of those working for her. And to be fair, the man had stepped in to help Chris without even knowing who he was. That indicated a good moral compass. It was more the fact that the man had been dropping the others, as Chris said, that concerned her. Someone that good with their fists could be dangerous. “And his name is Cain as in Cain and Abel?”
Chris took a breath as if trying to be patient with a child. “Not that it matters, but it’s spelled K-a-n-e. As in the movie Citizen Kane, though my defender is nothing like that character. I think Kane’s a cowboy.” The last word was said on a sigh, Chris’ gaze becoming unfocused as he stared off into space.
“Chris, are you interested in this man?”
“Oh, to be so lucky. But I’m destined to admire from afar.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Chris’ gaze snapped back to her. “He’s not gay.”
“He told you that?”
“No. I just know.” His shoulders fell. “Such a waste.”
She bit the inside of her lip to keep from grinning. She’d never heard a gay man use that particular phrase. She had to wonder what Kane would think of Chris’ admiration. The last thing Chris needed was to be accused of improper behavior again. Maybe Kane should be driven to his own home.
She looked back at Hunter to find him not there. He’d moved to Chris’ car and was bent over with his head in the open door. Just the sight of him reminded her that she had him, Wade, and even Mac to help if Kane ended up being a problem. Chris was technically correct. She didn’t have a right to tell him who he had over to his casita. If Kane did have a criminal past and caused trouble, she also knew a detective that would be happy to haul him away. She started toward the car, intending to lay down some ground rules, when Hunter backed away and a man stuck his arm out, using the door to help him stand.
As he braced himself, Kane exited the vehicle.
Well fuck. The man had to be over six-foot and he was built like a football player. As Kane turned and looked in her direction, she doubted he could even see her. His eyes were both swollen from the beating he’d taken on Chris’ behalf. Kane also had a cut on his cheek, his nose was bleeding, and his arms in the white tank he wore, were full of cuts as if someone went after him with a knife. His dirt covered blue jeans were ripped on his left thigh, and he held what looked like a denim shirt in his hand.
There was no decision to make. “Hunter, help him into my golf cart. We need to get this man into a bed.”
Hunter didn’t say a word. He just placed Kane’s arm around his shoulders and guided him toward her cart. Once Hunter had him settled, she turned to Chris. “You did the right thing, though a hospital would have been better.”
“No hospital.” At the sound of Kane’s quiet voice, they all looked at him, but he didn’t say anything else.
Chris held both hands out to his sides. “Told you.”
Fine, no hospital…for now. “Let’s get you both back to your casita.” She left Chris and strode toward Hunter who stood waiting next to the cart. “Thanks for calling me.”
Hunter nodded then stepped back.
It was a clear signal he’d done his job and the rest was up to her. She appreciated that. When she’d first hired Hunter, she was afraid he’d balk at taking direction from a woman, but she’d learned his superiors in the Army had been both male and female. Of course, she also had Wade who was the resort manager, but it was good to know her employees still acknowledged her as the owner of Poker Flat and the final authority.
Looking back at Chris to be sure he was settled in the back, she turned on the golf cart and took her passengers down the ravine at a much slower pace than she’d come up. Without the moon, the only light was from the small headlights on the golf cart which illuminated a very short distance. Even so, the man next to her didn’t tense. She just hoped he didn’t fall out before they made it to Chris’s casita.
Once there, he was Chris’ responsibility. Even so, she planned to check with Lacey in the morning to see if they had any medical professionals staying on the resort. She’d like a second opinion on whether he should go to the hospital, and she would damn well find out why he didn’t want to go.
~~~~~
“One–two-three. One-two-three. Wade, there’s no four in the waltz.”
At Natasha’s reprimand, he stopped. “Sorry. It’s hard to concentrate with a beautiful woman in my arms.” He gave Kendra a crooked grin.
“Oh, no, don’t try to charm your way out of this.” Kendra’s own lip quirked up in the corner even as she shook her head. “Unless, of course, you want to be the one to tell Lacey we aren’t going to waltz for our first dance as bride and groom.”
He raised his brow. “How did we get talked into doing this anyway?”
She shrugged. “Oh, I’m sure it was something about how beautiful we’d look and how everyone would sigh and realize we were meant to be. Or some such nonsense.”
He shook his head. “If Lacey wasn’t such a miracle worker, I’d quit right now.”
“That miracle worker found your family a casita to stay in tonight, so I suggest you try again.”
“I agree.” Natasha strode over. “If you’re having such a problem counting with your fiancée in your arms, then try it with me.”
Shit, that wasn’t what he wanted. He needed to keep his big mouth shut. He glanced at Kendra as he took Natasha into his arms. His soon-to-be-wife was smiling smugly. He’d get no help from that quarter.
“Now on the one beat. Ready, and…”
He kept the count in his head. He didn’t want to embarrass Kendra at the reception. She had enough qualms about his family. Though he’d been teasing about not being able to concentrate, it amazed him how much easier it was to focus with Natasha. He was a pathetic lump of mush when it came to Kendra.
“Okay, now move me into the turn.” Natasha nudged him by pressing his hand.
He took the hint and stepped around, moving her in a circle. As they danced by Kendra, he grinned at her.
When she rolled her eyes, he chuckled losing the count and stepping on his teacher’s toes.
“Ugh. Okay enough.”
He immediately released Natasha and stepped back. “I’m sorry.”
Natasha waved it off. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Let’s stop for today.” She looked at her watch. “I’d like to leave a little early anyway. I have an interview.”
“Already?” He clamped his mouth shut. Insulting his dance teacher was probably not smart.
“Yes, though I’m not excited about the job. It’s factory work, which is fine, but it’s night shift. If I get it, I’ll have to give up teaching dance.”
He looked at Kendra, who was frowning. They had talked about Natasha, but the dance teacher hadn’t given Lacey her resume yet. Maybe she didn’t want to work on a nudist resort. “You can always interview here.”
At Kendra’s startled look, he shrugged.
Natasha put her speaker into her large over-the-shoulder bag. “If I don’t get this position, I definitely will.”
Ignoring Kendra, he decided to dig a little. “Have you ever ridden a horse or driven a wagon with horses.”
Natasha’s eyes grew round. “Oh no, I’m afraid of horses. I can’t even get within ten feet of them without breaking out in hives.” As if she recalled where she was, she forced a smile. “No offense, but if a job here entails that, I better keep looking.”
Kendra brushed past him, elbowing him in the ribs before approaching Natasha. “If you have a resume on you, leave it with Lacey at the front desk. We do have a couple positions open at the moment. After I see your resume, we can talk.”
He was in for it now. Kendra was pissed, and he had an idea why.
“Thank you. I’m going to run over and grab some lunch before leaving. I don’t want to arrive at the interview with my stomach growling. Besides, I saw Selma had fish tacos on the menu today. I love those. Been making those since I was tall enough to reach the stove.”
“You eat tacos?” Though his question sounded stupid when it came out of his mouth, he just didn’t see the thin, put together and graceful Natasha munching down on messy tacos.
She laughed, the first time he remembered her doing that since they’d met her. “I may have traveled with my career, but I grew up in Arizona. Tacos were a staple.” She threw her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As she walked out of the saloon, he turned to face Kendra. She was looking at him, no expression on her face whatsoever, her weight on her right hip. “If you’re angry, show me. Don’t use that poker face with me.”
She threw her arms up. “Fine. What the hell were you doing? You practically tripped over yourself trying to offer her a job. We have a process here. If she can’t get her resume to me first, then I’m not talking to her.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I wasn’t tripping over myself. I just know how distraught she was yesterday. We already know she’s punctual, patient, and doesn’t mind being around nudists. I just wanted to remind her that we have openings. Though I had hoped she could drive guests and their luggage down in the wagon.”
Kendra looked away. “I know. I could tell what you were thinking, but for all we know, she has excellent accounting skills or customer service rapport and could take over for Lacey. I can’t know that until I see her resume.”
He studied his fiancée. Something wasn’t right. The whole conversation, even Kendra’s quick anger wasn’t normal. “What’s wrong, and I mean what’s really wrong.”
When she didn’t look at him, he knew he’d nailed it. Dropping his arms, he strode toward her and stopped in front of her. “Look at me.”
After a heavy sigh, she finally did. “What?”
“Tell me what’s bothering you.”
She looked away again and shrugged.
“Come on, tell me. I’m about to be your husband. We can’t have secrets. Or is it the wedding that has you on edge?”
“No. Yes. I mean, the wedding stress is one thing but…”
He remained silent, but captured her waist in his hands. Gently, he squeezed.
Finally, she looked at him. “It irked the hell out of me that you could waltz fine with Natasha but can’t get past ten steps with me. What’s that about?”
He swallowed hard to keep from laughing. “I told you the truth. When I’m holding you in my arms, I get distracted. You have to understand, I have a unique view of you from here.” He purposefully looked down her buttoned shirt.
She snapped her head down and gasped. “That’s what distracts you?”
He chuckled. “Among other things, like feeling your body against mine, holding your hand, breathing in your almond-rose scent.” He could tell the minute her anger left as her body relaxed.
She ran her hand up the front of his shirt and unbuttoned the top button. When her fingers slid beneath the material, his cock responded. Kendra didn’t have the long nails or extra soft hands of the other women he’d been with. Everything about her was strong and practical and it always made him hot.
“Is this distracting?”
He pulled her shirt from her jeans and ran his hand up her smooth back. “Very.”
Her hand found his nipple beneath his shirt and as she pinched it between two fingers, his balls tightened. He lowered his mouth to hers and swept his tongue inside.
Mine. The word flew through his head. It had been happening a lot lately. Deep in his gut he was worried Kendra would create a reason to call off the wedding. While she seemed to want to get married, the actual wedding made her nervous. The only way he could think to ease them both was to show her exactly how much he loved her.
As she sucked on his tongue, his thought process ceased and his body took over. He crushed her to him, tasting her, feeling her, pressing his erection into her belly. He forced her to back up until her ass came into contact with the empty bar.
She moaned at the contact and his need to taste more than her mouth overpowered him. Leaving her mouth, he started a trail of kisses to her cleavage. Scooping his hands beneath her ass, he lifted her onto the bar, bringing her large breasts to the perfect height for his attentions.
He licked at the side of one breast as his fingers worked on opening her shirt. He’d just pushed aside one cup and lifted the nipple above the material when footsteps on the boardwalk outside reminded him where he was.
Kendra stiffened, but unable to help himself, he grasped her nipple with his teeth and sucked it into his mouth.
“Wade.” Kendra’s voice was more of an inward breath.
The steps came closer.
He sucked hard, pulling his mouth away slowly until he caught the hard nub between his teeth.
The steps were loud now and he finally let go, to face the person who had interrupted his play. His cock was rock hard and an obvious bulge beneath his jeans and he didn’t care. Since the saloon was the last doorway on the boardwalk, that meant the person was looking for them, and he planned to tell him or her to go away.
He’d barely taken one step toward the doorway when they were thrown wide and Abril, their new waitress and mother of three stormed in.
“I quit.”
That was the last thing he’d expected, so it took him a moment to refocus. “What?”
“You heard me. I quit. Your cook is loco in la cabeza. She’s back there throwing pots and screaming louder than some hyena. I need a job but not that bad. Adios.” She threw up her hands and stormed out of the saloon.
He turned to look at Kendra. Their thought was the same. “Selma.”
“Fuck.” Kendra jumped off the bar, buttoning her shirt as she headed for the door.
He held one side open for her and joined her. “You want me to talk to her?”
Kendra’s strides were long as they headed for the main building. “Yes. We need to find out what set her off. She hasn’t thrown a pot since the first day I let her into the kitchen and Sheriff Harper butted his nose in there and started asking questions about sanitation.” Kendra’s mouth quirked up. “He never set foot in there again.”
“Maybe it’s that simple.”
“I hope so. Where’d Abril go?” Kendra looked for their waitress, obviously hoping to talk her into staying.
He scanned the area, but didn’t see her anywhere. They weren’t that far behind her for her to have disappeared so— “There.” He pointed toward the other side of the ravine at a golf cart starting up the switchbacks.
“Oh, that’s not good.” Kendra’s worry was evident in her voice.
When a pair of guests ran from the building, he and Kendra started to run.
Lacey came out after the guests. When she saw them, she shook her head. “I think she’s lost it.”
He nodded as he opened the door.
Just inside was Natasha. “I tried to talk to her, but she’s not lucid. Her emotions have completely taken over.”
“Thanks.” They ran into the dining room and stopped.
“Mom?” Kendra looked at her mother who was crouched down behind a table that had been pushed over on its side, broken dishes littered the floor around her.
“Thank God, you’ve come! That woman is insane! She needs to be locked up!”
At Donna’s raised voice over the din in the kitchen, Kendra nodded at him and he strode for the open doorway.
“Come on, mom! Let’s get you out of here.”
He walked into the kitchen and assessed the situation in an instant. Selma waved the iron skillet in her hand while screaming obscenities, reminding him of a bull he’d fallen off in a rodeo long ago, who had turned on him ready to do serious damage. Then a rodeo clown had run interference. This time, it looked like he was the clown and poor Jorge the target.
Despite his better judgement, he stepped between the two. “Selma. What’s going on?”
At the sight of him, she took a breath. “Ese hombre puta. Él es una mierda de mierda. That man-whore. He’s a cock-sucking piece of shit. He needs to be stripped down and flayed with hot irons and that still wouldn’t be enough of what he deserves. Voy a golpearlo sin sentido y le cortaré la lengua del diablo!” To punctuate her statement, she reached over to the stainless-steel cutting table and grabbed a large knife.
Shit. He didn’t know that much Spanish, but he knew enough to figure out Selma was pissed at Jorge for something and planned to do him bodily harm. Not taking his eyes off their cook, he turned his head. “Jorge. I suggest you leave. Now.”’
“Si, I’ve been trying. Gracias.”
As Jorge moved toward the doorway, Selma’s focus switched. She turned to follow, but Wade blocked her way. “No. You need to calm down.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She gestured toward Jorge. “Él está lamiendo su coño when he knows my heart is set on him. Then he flaunts her in my face in my kitchen. I’m going to cut off his dick and stuff it down his throat!”
At the sound of Jorge’s boots walking across the dining room floor, Wade relaxed a little. It was time for the charm that always worked well with her. “Now Selma. If Jorge is such scum, why do you waste your breath on him? You’re a beautiful woman. You could have any man you want.”
The woman spit on the floor, which wasn’t a good sign. She was proud of her clean kitchen and right now it looked like a battleground between the dented pots and the broken glassware. Kendra was going to be furious.
“He was mine until she showed up. What she doing here? He spend all his time with her. I make her pay. No puta is going to take my man.”
“My mother is not a whore.”
The cold sound of Kendra’s voice behind him had him stepping aside. She looked as furious as he’d guessed, and he wouldn’t stand between her and her employee. Selma had been a madam in Nevada who lost her place and Kendra had offered her a job at Poker Flat, but friendship only extended so far and how to handle the situation was her call. He’d just stay nearby to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
Selma had stopped ranting at Kendra’s announcement. From the look of the older woman’s face, she was struggling with her options. Come on Selma. Back down. Apologize.
She did neither. She turned her back on them and waved her hand. “Get out of my kitchen.”
“This is my kitchen. I allow you to work in it.”
Wade braced as Selma turned around slowly, not oblivious to the pan and knife still in the older woman’s hands. He wanted to caution Kendra, but she was well aware of Selma’s temper.
“What?”
“I said. This is my kitchen and I allow you to work in it. But you’ve obviously forgotten that.”
Selma’s brows lowered and her resemblance to that bull from his past had him shifting his weight, ready to protect Kendra.
Selma turned to the left and threw the pan and knife toward the wall where Jorge had been, the knife sticking solid as the pan clattered to the floor. “Fine. You can have your fucking kitchen.” Without another word, she ripped off her apron and stormed past Kendra and out into the dining room.
They stood frozen, listening to the loud footsteps of their cook stomping out.
Letting Kendra handle that without stepping in was one of the hardest things he’d done. His whole body felt like a rattler ready to strike, but whose head had just been cut off.
Kendra let out her breath. “That was stupid.” She looked at him. “Are you sure you want to marry such a stupid woman?”
He covered the three steps that separated them, his heart, still pounding at the danger she could have been in, twisted at her comment. “You’re not stupid. You did the right thing.” He wanted her to be confident in her decision. She’d made so many about the resort up until now and she’s done well.
“Now what are we going to do?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “What we always do. We figure it out.”
Her shoulders slumped and she gave him a grimace. “Lacey won’t be happy.”
“I’m sure with four business days still left, Lacey can work her magic and get someone to cater the wedding. Our bigger concern will be dinner tonight.”
Her brow puckered. “How far away is the closest pizza place?”
He wrapped her stiff form in his arms. She was tense and would need time, but just touching her helped him relax and think. “You had to go and say pizza. Now I have a craving.”
She shook her head against his shoulder and he was positive she rolled her eyes even if he couldn’t see it. That alone was a good sign.
“Excuse me. I just wanted to make sure you two were okay.”
Kendra broke away and faced Natasha. “Yes. We survived.” She looked around the room. “Though I’m not sure our kitchen did.”
Natasha’s eyes widened as she scanned the room. “It will take some doing to get this cleaned up in time for dinner.”
“Since we no longer have a cook, I don’t think that’s going to be the issue.” Kendra pulled out a stool at the end of the prep table and sat. “Unless you know someone who can cook chicken enchiladas in the next…” she looked at her watch, “three hours, I’m thinking it’s going to be carry-out pizza.”
Natasha opened her mouth then closed it.
Wade’s gut prompted him. “Did you have an idea? We’re wide open to them at the moment.”
Natasha looked at her own watch then at the kitchen again. “If someone could help me clean this mess up, I could make the enchiladas, if you’d like.”
“What about your interview?” Kendra recovered faster than he did.
Natasha shrugged. “I think you need the help more than I need the interview. I’ll call and see if I can reschedule. That is, if you’d like me to make the dinner and if you could pay me.”
Kendra looked at him.
He raised his brow. They shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
She turned back and gave Natasha a genuine smile. “We can do that. Thank you. I will send Jorge in to help clean up since it appears he was part of the problem. Wade, if you can man the stables, we could have Crystal come over and help, too. Then you can break it to her that she’s back on waitressing duty.”
He chuckled. “Break it to her? I think she secretly prefers it. And without Selma to contend with, we may not get her back into the barn.”
Kendra rose from the stool. “This just brings home how many more people I need to hire. I’m going to my office. I need to call Dale and crunch some numbers.”
He opened one side of the batwing doors and followed his fiancée out into the dining room. Now that he had a chance to look, it was a significant mess. He didn’t envy Crystal and Jorge. “I’ll find Lacey and see if she was able to smooth this over with the guests.”
“Thank you.”
As they exited the dining room, they found both Lacey and Donna waiting for them. That made finding Lacey a whole lot easier.
“Mom? I thought you were going back to your casita to rest.”
“Rest? There’s no time for that. I just changed. I wanted to have easy clothes to take off for trying on a gown. You said we had to leave by three, right?”
“Right.” Kendra looked at her watch again. “I didn’t realize it was so late already. Let me grab my keys.”
By her tone of voice, it was obvious to him, and from the worried look on Lacey’s face, that Kendra had completely forgotten her final fitting appointment. That begged the question. Would she remember their wedding?