It was amazing what people could do when they pulled together.
Piper was touched beyond words at how the citizens of Whistle Stop had dropped everything to help her. Even her own mother had broken out a pair of yellow kitchen gloves to protect her manicured nails and helped scrub down the bakery. But, in the end, their kindness had only compounded her guilt over what she’d done to Joe.
She’d stolen away his dream. He’d lost everything he owned. And it was all her fault. She didn’t deserve to have her life put back together, not after she’d torched Joe’s dreams. It just wasn’t right.
Horrified that her innocent gesture had resulted in such devastation, she didn’t talk about it with anyone. She kept stuffing her guilt down inside her, until it made her sick to her stomach.
Even though the bakery was now clean and about to be inspected, she wasn’t up to reopening right away. Still shaken by what she’d done to Joe, she’d handed the keys to the bakery over to Hannah and asked her to accompany the inspector. Piper was taking some time off—she had some big decisions to make.
And she’d known just where to go, the Brazen H Ranch. It was just far enough out of town that, other than Alexis and Cord, she wouldn’t have to worry about running into people who might have heard about the fire.
Alexis had extended an invitation to visit and help plan the wedding, and that was exactly what Piper intended to do. With wedding dresses, party favors, and shoes to pick out, hopefully she wouldn’t have time to think about her own problems—at least not for a while.
Now, sitting at Alexis’s kitchen table, Piper glanced over at her friend as she put the last lunch dish in the dishwasher. “Are you sure Cord doesn’t mind that I’m staying here?”
“I’m positive. He’s already tired of hearing about the wedding. He’s thrilled to have someone else listen to me.”
Piper didn’t believe her for one second. “Cord is crazy about you. I’m certain he’s just as excited for this wedding as you are.”
Alexis smiled. “I suppose so. I think he just grumbles and groans out of jest. But still, talking to a guy about dresses and colors, well, it just doesn’t work so well. Especially when the guy is a cowboy who is more comfortable in jeans and a chambray shirt than a tux and bow tie.”
“I get your point. But to be honest, I’m not exactly into high fashion either.” Piper glanced down at her mint green and blue striped blouse and faded jeans. “I don’t think I’m going to be much help.”
“You’re wonderful help.” Alexis dried her hands and made her way across the expansive kitchen. “But that’s enough about me. I want to know what you’re doing here. And please don’t tell me it’s about the wedding. I can see the worry in your eyes. Is this about Joe?”
Leave it to Alexis to grab the bull by the horns. Piper nodded. “I feel awful.”
“You have to know that he didn’t mean anything he said to you that night. He was in shock, and he took his frustration out on the person closest to him.”
“He was right to be angry. The fire was my fault.”
“You were only trying to help him.”
Piper ran her finger over the condensation on her glass of sweet tea. “The truth is, I was meddling. I thought I knew how to help him with his business, but he was so stubborn trying to do things his way that he never gave my ideas a chance. So I decided to show him what I had in mind. Why, oh, why did I have to think I was right?”
Alexis squeezed a wedge of lemon into her tea and gave it a stir. “What was your idea?”
Piper shook her head. “You don’t want to hear about it. Obviously, it was a miserable failure. And now I have to make it up to him. Somehow.”
“Slow down. You obviously need to talk with someone, and since you aren’t quite ready to face Joe, let me fill in.”
Piper sighed. What would it hurt to tell Alexis? She had a great head on her shoulders and she had experience in the romance department. Maybe she’d have some advice that Piper hadn’t thought of so far. But in all honesty, Piper really did think that all hope was lost for her relationship with Joe.
She recalled the pain and anger in his eyes. There had been no room there for understanding and forgiveness. Nor did she expect there to be. She would probably have acted even worse than he had if the roles had been reversed and he’d destroyed her bakery.
Piper took a sip of tea, wetting her mouth. “I’d seen sketches of the coffeehouse that Joe had done up. It was a very basic layout without an area for people to mingle or hang out while enjoying their coffee. I thought he should create a homier atmosphere, but he disagreed. He wanted to stay within his budget, and he was certain his layout would work.”
“People in Whistle Stop do like to chat—a lot. It was something I had to get used to after coming from New York City, where most of the time I didn’t know a soul in a coffeehouse except the barista. And that was only because I mainlined caffeine while working at my father’s company.”
Piper leaned back in her chair. “Whistle Stop is a lot different than the big city. A lot more laid-back, and it moves at its own pace. That’s what I was trying to explain to Joe. I know he was born here, but he was gone for a long time. I thought maybe he’d forgotten the ways of Whistle Stop.”
“So you decided to show him?”
Piper nodded. “While he was out of town giving Holden a hand at his ranch, I had time on my hands.” As she realized that she hadn’t told anyone, including her close group of friends, about how close she’d gotten with Joe, the heat rose to her cheeks. “We’d, uh, been spending a lot of time together recently.”
“And I’m assuming it wasn’t all about the festival.”
Piper worried her bottom lip. Memories of Joe’s gentle touches and whispered sweet nothings in her ear made the hole in her heart ache even more. “No. He stopped by—”
“Hey, Lexi!” Cord’s voice boomed through the house.
Alexis waved away the interruption. “Don’t mind him. I’m sure he misplaced something, but he’ll find it. Now, what were you saying?”
Piper glanced toward the doorway, but she didn’t see any sign of Cord. She turned back to Alexis. “Joe stopped by my apartment one evening. He wanted to tell me that he’d been able to get a friend of his to provide hot air balloon rides at the festival. He knew I was really excited about the idea. Anyway, he saw that I was making the bunting to dress up the game booths for the festival and—”
“Lexi, didn’t you hear me?” Cord strode into the kitchen.
Both women turned toward him, and he got a worried look on his face. Piper glanced Alexis’s way to find she was glaring at him. The man looked as though he’d just stepped on a land mine and wasn’t sure which way to move, so he stayed still.
Alexis sighed. “What did you lose?”
His gaze moved from his fiancée to Piper and then back again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Well, now that you have, and just when we were getting to the good part, you might as well tell me what you need.”
His brows furrowed together as though he was trying to decide if Alexis was serious. At last, he said, “Do you remember when I bought those new nuts and bolts?” When she nodded, he added, “Well, I can’t find them anywhere. They were in that little bag, and I swear I slipped it in my jacket pocket, but they’re not there now.”
Alexis glanced her way. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.”
Piper didn’t mind. In fact, she enjoyed watching Alexis and Cord together. They were cute. And no matter how gruff Alexis tried to act, Piper knew she really wasn’t mad at Cord. In fact, she’d be willing to guess they were sneaking a kiss now. If only things were that way with her and Joe. At one point, she’d thought they might be happy like Alexis and Cord, but then she’d gone and messed it up. Now she was left only with regrets, which was nothing compared to what Joe had to deal with because of her hasty actions.
A few minutes later, Alexis rushed back into the kitchen. Her cheeks and lips were rosy. And a tell-tale smile pulled at her lips. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem. Did you find everything?”
“Um...yes.” The color in her cheeks deepened. “Now, what were you saying? Oh yes, we were talking about bunting.”
Alexis might not be the only one blushing after this conversation. “Well, he found out the quilting club wasn’t able to help me with the bunting and that I was doing it on my own each night—”
“Why didn’t you say something? I would have helped. So would have the rest of the group.”
“Because it was my fault. I’d promised Joe something that I didn’t know if I could provide. Anyway, he offered to help.”
“Ah, that was sweet. I know most guys aren’t into craft projects, so that was big for him. I knew there was something I liked about that guy, besides his taste in women.”
“Things had been amazing since that night. Until I got the terrible idea to stage his coffee shop.”
“I...I don’t think it was a terrible idea.”
“But you think it was overstepping, and you’d be right. What was I thinking?”
“You were thinking that you wanted to help him. You just got excited, is all.”
Piper wished that was the case, but she knew it was something else. “The fact is, I meddled in his life, even when he asked me not to.” And then the horrifying truth hit her all over again. “I’ve turned into my mother.”
“You’ve what?”
“My mother always thinks she knows what’s best for me. She never listens to what I have to say. She is always right. And now I’ve done that with Joe. Oh no.” She pressed a hand to her mouth.
How many times in life had she told herself she would be different than her mother when she grew up? She’d promised herself she wouldn’t be so pushy and unbending. And now she’d done just that, and it had cost Joe dearly. She had to make it up to him.
Alexis reached out to her and gave her arm a squeeze. “It’ll all be okay.”
“No, it won’t. I’ve ruined everything. His business. His dreams. Our chance for happiness.”
“Whoa. Slow down. Take a breath.”
Piper blinked repeatedly, trying to keep her emotions at bay. “I...I never meant to hurt him.”
“He knows that—”
“No, he thinks I did it on purpose. He thinks I’m mad because he bought that storefront before I had a chance.”
“Piper, stop. He was acting out of shock. I’m sure now that he’s calmed down, he sees things differently. The important question is, do you love him?”
Her bruised and aching heart thumped out the answer, but stubborn pride refused to let her admit it. “What does that matter?”
“Just answer the question.”
Piper sighed. “Yes.”
“Does he love you?”
She’d thought she knew that answer forty-eight hours ago, but now she wasn’t so sure. “I thought he did. But—”
“No buts. You have something to build on. I’m sure you’ll find your way through this situation. Just have faith in your love. It’s what Cord and I did. It’s how we ended up together.”
Piper wasn’t so sure her relationship with Joe was as strong as Alexis and Cord’s. Maybe it had been at one point, but not now. There was no getting around the fact that her actions had caused him to lose everything. There was only one way she could think of to try to make this up to him and, in the process, tell him how much she regretted what she’d done.
Tomorrow morning she’d head back to Whistle Stop and put the bakery up for sale. She didn’t know how hard it’d be to sell in the current economic climate, but she would try. She would give the money from the sale to Joe. It was the best she could do.