Page 61 of A Cowboy to Call Her Own

It really did. Kelley asked, “Why are you doing this?”

“It’s like a silent acknowledgment of his crush on you.” Frannie beamed at Kelley. “And now you get to take him down the aisle with you.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Or wise. She should not be thinking of Asher and aisles together. After all, it was a night of no pressure and no expectations. She needed to start setting some firm ones for herself.

“It’s very necessary.” Frannie tucked the bouquet back inside the box and said, “It’s time for you to have more than a crush, big sister.”

“It’s not going anywhere between me and Asher.” Kelley shook her head and took the boutonniere box from the refrigerator. “We are sitting at the singles’ table. What does that tell you?”

“Everyone is single before they are a couple,” Frannie argued and started for the back door.

Kelley scanned the kitchen for any forgotten items, then followed her sister outside. “It’s better this way. Asher and I talked about it. We’ve decided.”

“So, change his mind,” Frannie stated matter-of-factly. “Or better yet. Change yours.”

Kelley’s mind was set.

The doubt didn’t set in until hours later, when Kelley was standing at the front of the chapel barn at The Willows on Laurel Lake. The sun was going down beyond the hills while her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law recited their vows under a flower-bedecked archway.

Kelley brushed at her damp eyes and then caught sight of her cowboy.

He was standing at the back of the historic wooden-floored, tin-roofed open-air barn behind the guests seated on rustic wood benches. His crisp white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His deep blue suit jacket and dress pants were well tailored and well fit. And his barely there smile was sweet, private and aimed entirely at Kelley.

Just like that, Kelley’s crush teetered toward something bigger.

Yet, letting herself fall for Asher would only end in heartbreak. Kelley held the thought for a breath, loosened her grip and let it sink with the setting sun.

She kept that thought in check after the ceremony, too, when Asher offered his arm to escort her into the reception. Seeing Asher at the back of the chapel barn, Kelley thought him impossibly handsome. But a scooch away from being tucked right up against his side, she found her cowboy impossible not to fancy. Still, to have this one evening in Asher’s company, she anchored herself in the moment and willed time to slow through the sit-down dinner, the toasts, the speeches and even the cake cutting.

As the event progressed, Asher was charming, funny and so very attentive. He chatted with her family and friends as if he was always a part of their circle. And he won more than one admirer when he accepted the flower girl’s shy request for the first dance.

And Asher kept his promise to skip the sitting and dance the night away with Kelley. The party was in full swing. High heels were kicked off under tables, and the band kept the guests dipping and swirling from one song to the next.

During the band’s intermission, the evening took an unexpected turn. Kelley accepted a glass of wine from Asher, propped her bare feet on a chair and wiggled her toes. Laughing, she said, “I’m not complaining about the dancing, but this is a welcome rest.”

Asher dropped into the chair on her other side. His jacket was draped on the chair. And if Kelley was not mistaken, one more button was unhooked on the top of his dress shirt.

He tapped his glass against hers and said, “Not ready to call it a night, then.”

“Not even close.” She sipped her wine and eyed him over the rim. “How about you?”

He smiled. “I’m just getting started.”

Kelley tipped her head back and laughed. “And who thought the singles’ table would be dull?”

“I’m rather enjoying it,” Asher said then turned to lift his glass in a toast to Beatrice and Lynette sitting at a table across from them.

The widowed sisters wore matching grins and their gazes gleamed. Kelley was not given time to wonder what the crafty duo was up to. Frannie, Owen, several regulars Kelley recognized from the diner and a handful of other locals surrounded the table.

Frannie lifted her arms as if accepting she was the group’s spokeswoman. Her grin was wide, and her gaze was bright. “There’s a bit of a buzz going around.”

Kelley curved her fingers around the stem on her wineglass.

“Seeing as there is a live band and we have a songwriter in our midst.” Frannie stopped chuckling long enough to blurt, “We think Asher should sing.”

Kelley caught her own amusement and slanted her gaze toward her cowboy.

He swirled his wine in his glass, sat back and said easily, “I’m not sure that’s appropriate. The night is about celebrating Laura-Beth and Wes.”