“Psst!”
My head whips to the left, where three heads pop up from behind a palette of cedar fiber that has yet to be unloaded in the horse barn. I squint as Blythe frantically waves me over.
“What the hell are y’all doing?” I whisper, nearly out of breath from jogging to them.
Savannah grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls me down to crouch out of sight. The four of us face each other in a circle as if we’re strategizing in a child’s game of capture the flag, and I can’t help but laugh.
Hattie Jo puts a finger over her mouth. “Shh! They’re going to hear you.”
Her face is red and splotchy, but maybe she’s just cold. She’s wearing a black cap, pulled low to her brow like she doesn’t want anyone to recognize her. If that’s her goal, it isn’t going to work, because her signature icy blonde hair still falls over her shoulders.
“I’m obviously missing something. What on earth are you doing here?” I whisper to Hattie.
“She called us, losing her shit over trying to get through the gate without being seen,” Blythe explains. “We snuck her in.”
My heart almost leaps out of my chest with joy because Hattie thought to call Blythe and Savannah for help with something, and they seemed to have jumped in right away to fix whatever mess she’s gotten herself into.
Over the summer, the vibe between these three was still rocky at best. I like this current dynamic much better.
“I thought for sure you and Tripp would be at your house by now, and that the rest of the guys would be off doing something in a pasture somewhere,” Blythe continues, more frantic now. “But Heston is still in there and?—”
“Calm down,” I cut in gently. “Tripp and I were just about to leave. You could have come and gotten me sooner. Why would you be waiting for us to be gone?”
“I didn’t want to tell you,” Hattie clarifies with an undertone of regret. “I just—I thought you’d tell Tripp, and then—and then?—”
Savannah peeks over our hiding spot, then quickly ducks back down.
“I fucked up, Mesa.” Hattie covers her distraught eyes before continuing. “Bad.”
I keep my voice as comforting as possible. “Tell me what happened.”
Reluctantly, she lifts her left hand.
I gasp while staring at the glacier-sized rock on her ring finger. When she went on a date recently, I didn’t think much of it, and I certainly didn’t know she’d beengagedless than a month later.
“Heston is going to flip,” I nearly shout, then lower my voice to a sharp whisper. “Oh my freaking god, Hattie. Is this real?”
She nods. “I need to tell Heston myself. If he sees that invitation in there, it’ll be worse than hearing it from me.”
Savannah shrugs. “Maybe he doesn’t care.”
The rest of us shoot her a look that saysyeah fucking right.
“I got the mail this morning,” Blythe says with a softened voice. “I didn’t even look through it before putting it in the kitchen. One of us needs to go in there and get the invitation without any of the guys noticing. They’re all certified blabbermouths in that secret little group chat of theirs.”
“Hattie,” I sigh with frustration. “Maybe inviting your ex to your wedding wasn’t the brightest idea.”
“I’m not that dumb,” she defends. “It was my dad. He and Heston hate each other.”
I let out a deep breath and try to remain calm, despite the way Hattie’s quivering lower lip tells me she’s about to start crying.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Savannah says. It’s her time to shine as the analytical one in our bunch. “I’ll call Warren and tell him we have an emergency dinner date in town. He won’t even question it. Blythe, you go home. Gage will be much tougher to pull away, so send him a topless pic or something. That should get him out of here in a hurry. And Mesa, you’re going to have to tell Tripp what’s going on.”
“No!” Hattie yells, then instantly covers her mouth.
“We don’t have a choice,” Savannah argues. “Mesa can’t fool both of them. Tripp is the only one who will be able to distract Heston. We need his help.”
“Tripp will be no help,” Hattie groans. “You know damn well he will tell Hes immediately.”
