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“Oh, this is beautiful,” Birdie said, eyes wide as she took in the flowers everywhere.
“Sure, it’s nice,” he said.
“Nice? It’s amazing. Look at that huge fire. I bet the best place to sit in the winter is right there in front of it. And those big glass doors have spectacular views of the mountains.”
She kept talking as they moved toward his family, clearly not as uncomfortable as he was after that kiss they shared.
“Do you like that painting?” She was pointing at a landscape above the fireplace.
“It’s okay, I guess.”
“Really look at it, Sawyer. The detail is amazing. You can almost feel the cool water of that stream as you walk through it.”
He studied the painting again and saw the water. Could he imagine his bare feet walking through it? Nope. It just wasn’t the way he worked. He had to experience something to understand how it felt.
“You need to take time to see things and not just skim over them. It’s important so you don’t miss stuff.”
“I don’t skim over everything, but you can’t take it all in, Birdie. That’s not possible.”
She glanced up at him. Her eyes seemed bigger because of the smokey eye shadow she wore. But it was that mouth slicked with color that kept drawing him back.
“I know, but some things are worth taking in,” she said. “We’re always rushing. Always looking at our devices. I feel like we miss so much now.”
She had a point. He shrugged. “It’s the way things are.”
“It doesn’t make it right,” she whispered. But Sawyer heard and wondered again what was going on in this woman’s life. What had her working three jobs and doing Madam Fleur’s Flirt line? Knowing she was doing that didn’t sit right with him, because he might not know her well, but enough to understand she was a good girl. Something had forced her into making those calls, and his bet was money.
“Hey, Sawyer.”
Autumn, his cousin, approached. A few years older than him, she’d only recently come into his life, and they’d all grown close over the last year. She looked exactly like his mom, which still gave him a jolt when they were together.
“How’s the bride-to-be doing?” He hugged her.
“Great. I just want tomorrow to come, then I can marry Ford, and it’s official. Ford’s adopting Ritchie too.”
Autumn’s son worshipped Ford already.
“And you must be Birdie. I’m so pleased to meet you,” Autumn said.
“You too. I’m so honored to be here, Autumn. This place is really special, and your day is going to be wonderful.”
Birdie was one of those people who made you feel comfortable right off. Sawyer stood there listening as she and Autumn talked about a whole lot of nothing and seemed genuinely interested in what yhe other was saying.
“Bud.”
“Ford.” Autumn’s fiancé was never far away from her. He ran his family’s ranch just outside Ryker Falls. “Ready for tomorrow?” Sawyer said.
“More than.”
And that was all they needed to say. Men didn’t talk for the sake of talking.
When they were told to sit for the meal, Sawyer was seated across from Birdie at the table. To her right was a man Sawyer didn’t know, who seemed really chatty with her which annoyed him way more than it should.
“Up for a man’s game tomorrow before the wedding?”
Nash Winter was Ford’s brother, and he sat on Birdie’s left. It was he who’d spoken.
“I didn’t know you guys knew how to play men’s games,” Sawyer said.
