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Riffraff. He swallowed a chuckle. The word was tame enough to make him wonder if she had given him her number under the guise of business, when in actuality she’d wanted him to have it for pleasurable reasons.
“I’ll be leaving for the TCC at 6 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning. I should go to bed.”
“I’ll see you there.” Brighter and earlier than he’d intended, but he was already looking forward to going another round with her.
Three
Rylee’s morning started at 5 a.m. She drank a coffee while she readied herself for the day. She chose a mauve dress with ruching on one side, where a tie fashioned into a loose bow hung. She paired the neutral garment with a pair of nude heels—no straps. Her hair was in its usual updo, pinned to resist the Texas winds should they kick up today.
An hour later—she had promised 6 a.m. sharp—she stepped out of the elevator to find Trick walking out of another elevator directly across from hers. They met in the middle, leaving about a foot of space between them. His gray trousers and short-sleeved pale blue crew-neck shirt managed to look dressy rather than casual. The color offset his dark hair and stubble nicely. He gave her a lazy blink, but didn’t bother to conceal his surprise.
“Rylee.” Hazel eyes perused her outfit before he gave her a grin. “You are stunning. Beautiful.”
Unused to being complimented so thoroughly, she was suddenly bashful. She’d made it a habit to dress so that she blended into the background. The bride and groom were the stars. She was simply the woman behind the curtain.
“Let me.” He adjusted the camera bag on his shoulder and reached for her tote. She relinquished the weighty bag, filled with everything she would need for the day—and more. He wrapped one fist around the straps and gave her anI’m impressedeyebrow lift when he tested its heft. “You didn’t have to track me down at the hotel. I called a car.”
“I’m staying in this hotel.”
“You’re stayinghere? I thought you lived in Royal.”
“I grew up in Texas. I moved to LA after I started my business.”
“You live in LA.”Like me, his tone implied.
“Yes. My parents live in Royal. I’ve been staying with them since March, overseeing every detail of the wedding. The week of the wedding I like to be near the venue. I can’t risk being unavailable because of traffic or weather or an unexpected incident.”
“Like a blackout.”
She tilted her head. “Or a wedding crasher.”
His tired smile faded into a yawn, one he was unable to conceal since his hands were full. “Sorry. I’m never up this early. I’m exhausted.”
“You get used to it.”
They stepped outside into a wall of warmth. Even this early, Mother Nature had cranked up the heat. A car rolled to a stop at the curb.
“That’s me. Want to carpool?”
“Uh...” She thought about what he’d said last night about them being partners. About how odd it’d sounded after months of viewing him as an adversary.
“Don’t you want to reduce your carbon footprint?” Trick handed his own bag to the driver and held Rylee’s bag in limbo while waiting for her answer.
“Sure. Why not?” No sense in driving separately when they were heading to the same place. He stowed her bag with his and then opened the door for her. She slid into the back seat, and he rounded the car and slid in next to her. The tight confines of their ride put them in close proximity again, and sooner than she’d expected. She inhaled the spicy notes of his cologne, her head spinning. Why did he have to lookandsmell so good?
Once the driver deposited them at the side entrance of the Texas Cattleman’s Club and they had their bags, Rylee used her keycard to let herself into the private office she’d arranged for the week.
“Command central,” Trick commented as they stepped inside.
She was already unpacking her laptop and a large binder onto the desk, preparing for the many possibilities the day would bring. “You’re welcome to leave any equipment you don’t need in here. I’m the only one with a key to this room, so your belongings will be safe.”
He took a video camera and a handheld tripod with a rubber grip from his bag and then slid his cellphone into his pocket. “I’m all set. Where to first?”
“Wherever you’d like.” She waved him off, wary at the idea of him following her. “I’m going to be buzzing around.”
“Consider me your shadow. I have nowhere else to be.”
They started at the location of the ceremony, an open grassy area with a view of the mountains in the distance. The chairs, flowers and the arch wouldn’t arrive until the morning of, but she liked to have a feel for what to expect. As she walked, she pecked notes into her phone. Number one on her to-do list was to contact the groundskeeper to make sure they had mowing on their schedule for Friday.
