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10
Next Stop
“Oh my…there’s got to be some dressmaker who’s highly upset right now,” Nick said, pushing himself off of the side of the truck where he’d been leaning. “Not that I disapprove in theslightest.”
I looked down at my wedding dress, or rather, what was left of it. I’d wanted to chop it more than I had in order to get rid of some of the pouf, but due to a lack of flexibility in the top section, all I could do was slash the whole skirt portion to about the middle of my thighs that sort of angled down in the back. Regardless, it had felt so good to take my anger out on the fabric, even though the thing was a lopsided mess now.
“Well, that’s a look. When we picked you up, I thought to myself I’d never seen a runaway bride anywhere except the movies, and now I can say I’d never seen one with a wedding dress quite like that,” Shawn said, holding his hand out to help me into the truck.
I climbed into the front seat and plugged my phone into the dashboard’s power outlet. It was so dead it took a minute before it had enough juice to even turn on, and another minute to find a signal out in the country like we were.
Not surprisingly, when my home screen loaded and my phone recognized just where it was, a dozen messages from my mother scrolled by, each one more frantic than the last.
Shit. Of course, she was worried. Why wouldn’t she be?
But I wasn’t ready to talk to her. I typed a quick message to my brother.
Hey Seth, I’m safe. I need some time. Will call when I’m ready. Please handle Mom and Dad.
A few minutes later, he replied with a thumbs up. God bless my baby brother. He knew that sometimes the best answer was the shortest. That done, I shut off my phone, not wanting to have to deal with it unless I had to.
I turned around to see the guys giving me curious looks. “Texted my brother… told him I’m okay and will call later.”
The guys gave me different looks, each of them a unique mix of surprise, some desire… and maybe a bit of happiness? Somehow, things were getting very interesting between us all, and none of us were ready for it to end yet. Finally Derek spoke up. “So what now?”
“How far is it to the ranch and lake you were talking about?” I asked. “I could use a dip in a lake, if you guys don’t mind.”
“Another hour and a half,” he said. “It’s far, but it’s beautiful. You see, I grew up in the area.”
An hour and a half… well, what the hell else did I have to do? It’s not like I was going to my wedding reception.
And looking over my three new friends, an hour and a half with them didn’t sound too bad.
Each guy was attractive in his own way, from Derek’s rough and tumble gruffness, to Nick’s country-surfer vibe, to Shawn’s riding-off-into-the-sunset cowboy looks. It was like choosing between different flavors of Ben & Jerry’s. I just couldn’t go wrong.
I’d never looked at cowboys quite this way before. I mean, I’dlookedat cowboys, of course. Even though I was a city girl, I’d seen the occasional one on TV, or in the movies.
But I’d neverknownany.
“The lake is pretty?” I asked. “And quiet?”
Shawn glanced over from the driver’s seat and nodded, his dark eyes drilling me as he pulled back onto the highway.
Derek leaned over from the back seat, running his fingers through his light beard, scratching thoughtfully. “It’s very nice up there, Leesa. And this time of year it will be very quiet, too. A good place for you to… well, do whatever you need to today.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind my tagging along?” I asked.
“We’d love to have you,” Shawn said. “If you’re sure you don’t need a ride home, wherever that is.”
I looked out the window at the passing scenery. Shit, where would my home be now? I’d already turned in the paperwork on giving up my apartment, sure that I was going to be moving in with Daniel. I damn sure didn’t want to go to Mom and Dad’s.
But wherever my home ended up being, I didn’t need to go there a while. I was on my honeymoon, for cripe’s sake.
I drew a long breath. “I… I don’t have anywhere I need to be. You see how I’m dressed, or how Iwasdressed before I mutilated my outfit? You can guess what today was supposed to be. Let me drop a hint. Flower girls and churches. Get the picture?”
“Let’s see,” Nick said, tapping his chin. “Pretty girl, makeup smudged under her eyes, white dress that used to be all billowy and stuff? Maybe next year’s Halloween costume?”
I laughed hollowly. “I wish, but nope. Although it’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll save this get up to wear as a costume someday. I could go as a jilted bride. Just someone lend me a bloody ax or a machete.”
