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“It seems it’s my turn to apologize. I’m Marshall Blackwood.”
“Marshall,” she repeated.
His deep, smooth voice held a hint of a drawl.
His larger hand engulfed hers. Warm from the leather glove he slipped off seconds ago and a little rough, which contradicted the dapper look he sported.
“And this is Stella, my—”
“Fiancée,” the woman offered before the cowboy could get the word out.
They shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Stella. I’m happy you are both here.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Please, won’t you make yourselves comfortable? I normally—actually never—greet clients barefooted.”
“That’s all right. I think I’ll join you. I’ve had these things on since four this morning.”
“Oh, wow. Go you.”
Stella reached out and touched her shoulder as she slipped her stocking feet from her shoes with a moan of delight. “We had to get here as quickly as possible.”
Juniper motioned them to the round table reserved for onboarding clients. Off to the left clients could view a collection of wall hangings featuring past brides and grooms Juniper had worked.
“Can I offer you a coffee? Or tea maybe? I also have some amazing cinnamon buns if you’re interested.”
Marshall smiled and those piercing blue eyes met hers. Like instant Jell-O, her knees did a funny little wobble. She propped a hand on the back of the chair and tried to act unaffected.
“Two for two. Both are my weaknesses. Coffee and sweets. Sadly, I don’t think we have that much time and we’d like to jump right in. But thank you, Juniper. Maybe another time?”
The way he said her name sent shivers through her body. With an easy drawl and just enough heat to make her wonder if he said it that way special just for her. But of course, that was only her overheated imagination. The man was here to get married after all. But still, she’d be fantasizing about his voice when she got home tonight.
Stella gave a soft laugh. “You can’t have a pot of coffee around him for long. You’ll need one for him and then another for everybody else.”
“Is that so? Kindred hearts you and me. According to my best friend, I drink enough to sustain a whole rock band on a world tour.”
Her hopefully new client pushed up from her chair. “Do you mind? I love wedding dresses. All that silk and lace. Can I see the ones you have over there?”
“Yes, by all means, please.”
Juniper watched a moment as the bride-to-be made her way to the opposite side of the shop. She examined the sample wedding dresses fitted to wire mannequins. When she designed the whole layout to her business, she knew that feature would set the tone for every client meeting.
Classy and cozy yet functional. She had samples of everything the client needed on hand.
Sample dresses she created and sewed for a jumping-off point. Maybe one day she would even branch out and offer specially handmade dresses. Next to that, a kitchen for menu sampling. Binders of any and all ideas and combinations of bridesmaid’s dresses. Books jam-packed with photos of flowers and arrangements and yet another one of every possible cake imaginable and then some.
Stella seemed to appreciate her efforts from how she took snapshots of a few items in the ring binders Juniper had laid out at different stations.
“Don’t mind her,” Marshall drew out. “She can’t sit still longer than five minutes.”
“That’s quite all right. It’s what they are there for, after all.” Stella turned her chair a little to face her clients and tucked her feet beneath the chair.
“When did you two get engaged?”
Marshall opened his mouth to speak but the woman spoke first, coming up behind him to rest her hands on his shoulders. She gave a quick squeeze and a nudge before taking the seat next to him.
“We’ve come an awfully long way to see you and were hoping you could help us pull together a plush wedding. Something spectacular like Gretchen Stewart’s.”
Her plan had worked! She wanted to do another dance but curbed her enthusiasm. “Ahh. I think I can help with that. What do you have in mind? There are a few mansions for rent as venues overlooking the Pacific. If we hurry, that is. Things are booking up rather quickly.”
She finally found a way to beat the socks off that stuffy Stacey Banners.
