“The guy just rubs me the wrong way.”
“By doing what? Breathing?”
“Well, he came back this morning wearing nothing but a blanket he’d stolen from the stable. And on my way here, I saw him get into Hudson’s truck. Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”
“Ozzie went off with Hudson?” A low heat radiated in the pit of my stomach. Good gravy, was that jealousy? I had no reason to be jealous. Ozzie could go out with whomever he wanted. It was none of my business.
“Yes, after you didn’t show up to take him to some wedding appointment, I assume he asked Hudson, and he agreed to drive him.”
“What? I never agreed to take him to a wedding appointment today.”
“You sure about that, Dad? Because he said he was waiting for you. Did Carter say anything to you?”
Carter. Shit. This had his name written all over it.
“Where are you going?”
I sprinted toward my truck. “Take over for me, will ya?”
I yanked open the door and picked up my phone from the dashboard. Two missed calls from the vet and a voice note from Carter. Dammit. He couldn’t even call? I hopped into the truck and hit the Play button.
“Dad, it’s Carter. Ozzie needs to see the wedding planner today at two. You can take him, can’t you? Thanks.”
Thanks? Would he tell me thanks too when he learned I’d given his fiancé a climax? All this was his job to do, not mine. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, my blood pressure rising. I could only imagine what was going through Ozzie’s mind. First I got handsy with him, then mouthy. I’d run out on him, and now he must have thought I stood him up.
After hours of being in the sun, I was sweaty and dusty, but I had no time to go back to the house and change. Ozzie was already on his way to the wedding planner. Hudson might have taken him into town, but he wasn’t the kind of person to stick around. Hell, I was surprised he had volunteered to drive Ozzie. Was he even coming back to the ranch? He lived in town with his wife and their three-year-old.
The truck roared to life, and I sped out onto the dirt road, sending a cloud of dust billowing behind me. I drove too fast on the bumpy road, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t have Ozzie think I had bailed on him. I wasn’t Carter. The poor guy must have had to deal with that enough from my son. At least one person in this family would treat him decently. That was obviously not going to be his fiancé, and Matty was too suspicious of what Ozzie had up his sleeve to use his common sense. Anyone who spoke to Ozziefor five minutes would know he wasn’t the kind of guy to take advantage of anyone.
The road flew beneath me as I squinted against the blazing sun. The closer I got to town, the tighter I gripped the wheel. I’d hoped they hadn’t gotten too far ahead and I could run into them on the way, but no such luck.
Finally, a cluster of buildings came into view. Hudson’s battered Ford stood parked in front of the post office. As I pulled up next to it, Hudson walked out. Alone.
“Hudson!” I poked my head through the window. He looked up from the letters he was shuffling through.
“Gray?” He sauntered toward the truck. “Matty said you were working the ranch and didn’t have time to give Ozzie a ride. What are you doing here?”
“Matty talks too much. Where’s Ozzie?”
“Dropped him off at the photographer’s.”
I was already late, then. Well, better to be late than not to show up at all. “Thanks. I’ll give him a ride back to the ranch.”
Hudson gave me a quick nod of acknowledgment, patted the hood of my truck with a dusty hand, and marched away. When he got into his Ford and drove off in the opposite direction, I sped off toward the photographer’s studio.
My heart pounded as I parked in front of the brown building with pictures of smiling brides and grooms in the window. I climbed out of the truck, leaving behind the dust and grit from the ranch. As I straightened my hat, a familiar figure walked on the sidewalk on the opposite side. Miss Jessamine.
Shit.
When she didn’t see me, I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried inside, where the air conditioning hit me like a much-needed slap in the face. After the heat and the added stress, I welcomed it.
The studio must have been a part of the town for at least five years, but this was the first time I’d stepped foot inside. Vibrant photographs adorned the walls. Sunlight filtered through sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the polished wooden floor and giving the place a cozy ambiance. To the right, a narrow door, slightly ajar, bore a modest sign “Wedding Planner.” Beyond it, a compact office space unfolded, a neat desk facing the entrance, flanked by shelves overflowing with fabric swatches, bridal magazines, and meticulously labeled binders.
I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and rapped my knuckles on the door.
“Come in.”
Disappointment slammed into my gut. Ozzie wasn’t in the office. The blond young man sitting at his desk glanced at me and smiled. I frowned. Were there two wedding planners in town?
