Page 36 of Blue Jean Summer

“You ready to go?” I asked as if she hadn’t just caught me about to make out with my future fake husband.

“Yep. I’ve been itching to go into town,” Hallie said as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen island and shouldered it on the way out the door.

I let a sharp breath slip as I followed suit and pulled the door shut behind me. “You and me both.”

Hallie grinned at me. “Anything you wanna fess up to, peaches?”

I slid into Hallie’s minivan. “Nope.”

Hallie arched an eyebrow as she hopped behind the wheel and pulled away from the estate. “Oh really? Because yesterday, you and the boss looked like you had scurried off to the pond and gotten frisky with each other.”

My cheeks turned beet red as we rolled down the lane that led to the front gates.

“You’re not denying it,” Hallie said as she eased through the gates that were covered in climbing roses.

“We…walked down to the pond to figure out some details,” I said evasively.

She paused before pulling onto the two-lane road that would take us into Honey Hollow and lifted an eyebrow. “Cut the bullshit, beauty queen.”

“We kissed,” I blurted out.

Hallie grinned. “Well then. I just won twenty bucks off Mason, so coffee’s on me today.”

I let out a barking laugh. “I’m sorry. You were betting on when we would kiss?”

“Mason thought you’d hold out until closer to the wedding. But I saw the way you two were looking at each other at the funeral. I told Mason it would happen within a week of you moving onto the estate.”

“Well, considering the wedding is in two weeks, Mason wasn’t that far off.”

Hayes had announced the wedding date at dinner with Mason, Levi, and Hallie and her son last night. It would have been more entertaining to have had Lewis there, but his absence allowed us all to game-plan without censoring ourselves.

The estate grounds were always pristine, but Mason had insisted they needed to be cleaned up. While Hallie and I headed into town to tackle a few wedding details, he put in an order for a load of mulch and was overseeing the delivery of new pebbles for the paths. He scheduled a few hired hands to come out to the estate to pressure wash the white fencing that sectioned off the roads, racetrack, hunter-jumper ring, and the rodeo ring.

It would be all hands on deck for two weeks, but I was confident we could pull together something respectable and fitting of the Wilder name.

“And what about you and the boss canoodling in the pantry?” she teased.

“Lewis showed up.”

“Uh-huh. And that required you to have your tongues down each other’s throats?”

“We had to be convincing.” I stared out the window to hide my giddy smile and let myself enjoy the picturesque drive to Honey Hollow.

Rolling hills in emerald green were accented with red barns. We passed herds of cattle from neighboring farms and ranches. The Blue Ridge Mountains were exceptionally blue today, stacked in a gradient as they cut across the sky like a serrated blade.

While we didn’t have all the city comforts of department stores and more than one grocer, we did have the Moo Brew, a coffee shop that was run out of a converted cattle trailer. And that made all the other small-town inconveniences worth it. Today, the Moo Brew was parked next to our first destination, making the trip a twofer.

Hallie pulled into the lot next to Ranch Dressing, my favorite western-wear boutique, and hopped out. We stood in line in front of the black-and-white-spotted trailer, shuffling forward as customers grabbed drinks and treats from the service window.

“Morning, Miss Hallie,” Jeremiah said with a smile as he hustled to fill orders. “What can I get for you?”

“Apple muffin and an iced coffee for me, and whatever she wants,” Hallie said as she cocked her head to me.

Jeremiah poked his head out the trailer window to take my order and gasped. “Mike! She’s here!”

“Who’s here?” Jeremiah’s husband hollered from his battle station in front of the espresso machine.

“The next Mrs. Wilder!” Jeremiah hollered.