Page 68 of First Bride to Fall
Charlotte dabbed at her eyes. “Mom and Dad don’t know, either, so doubleshh.”
Count him in among the clueless.
He was still stuck back at the beginning of this mess. Him and Nell engaged? What would possess Nell to tell her sisters that? He felt like his brain had been buffeted around by the wind, knocked back and forth and then every which way. He didn’t know up from down or left from right anymore. But he did have the presence of mind to understand he wanted more information, so he decided to play along.
“When did Nell share all this?”
Charlotte leaned toward him, keeping her voice down. “Yesterday.”
“I mean, she didn’t say you wereengagedin so many words.” Misty rolled her eyes.
“But we got the gist of it,” Charlotte said.
Misty spoke quietly to Charlotte. “Guess Nell really knew what she was doing in signing up for that hike.”
Wait.That little sneak.So, Nell had set things up on purpose? Meeting him on the hike, their lovey-dovey times at the cabin? All of it, even her ankle? No. She probably wouldn’t have gone that far. That part must have been a real accident. But why?
Charlotte pulled a face. “She must have told you everything, huh?”
Uh. No. It was painfully clear she hadn’t.
Misty poked him in the chest. “And you stepped up like a gallant knight to rescue her.”
“If you hadn’t proposed,” Charlotte said, “Nell might have been stuck with…you know.” She grimaced like she couldn’t bear to say his name.
“Aidan Strong,” Grant said deadpan, putting this weird jigsaw puzzle together.
“Yeah, him,” Misty said grimly. “By losing our bet.”
“Which bet is that?”
“The one about us having to find husbands first so we don’t have to marry—”
Charlotte cupped a hand over Misty’s mouth. “Wait. Nell didn’t tell you?”
Grant paused and then said coolly, “Oh yeah, she did. Of course.” His mind worked quickly, putting the whole twisted scheme together. Nell had said that Bearberry Brews was in financial trouble, so maybe this marriage to Aidan had to do with that. The arrangement between the two families could be more professional than personal, a company merger of sorts. A business marriage versus a love match. He decided to test his hypothesis. “This is all to help your café, right?”
“Right,” Charlotte whispered.
“And our parents,” Misty said.
“Which is why,” Charlotte added, “they can’t know.”
“Dad would never go for this.”
Grant couldn’t say that he blamed him. “Or your mom?”
They stared at each other and hedged.
Misty said, “Er.”
Then Charlotte answered. “Not her, either. The bet was just between us sisters.”
“And Aidan doesn’t know which of the three of you it will be?”
Misty shook her head. “Not yet.”
“I’m just amazed he agreed to it.” Grant paused. “I mean, not that all of you aren’t great.”
