A Proposal at the Wedding (Bride Mountain 2)

“Be sure and let us know if there’s anything at all you and Cassie need from us.”

Holly smiled and pressed Bonnie’s hand. “We will, thank you. Come on, Jenna, let’s go.”

Bonnie watched through her lashes as Paul brushed a kiss against Holly’s cheek, then gave Jenna a hug and a head tousle.

“Don’t forget you promised to take Jackson and me to the movie Wednesday,” the girl reminded him.

“I won’t forget. I’m bringing my headphones and an audio book,” he assured her gravely, earning himself another eye-roll.

“The movie won’t be that bad,” she said. “You might even like it if you’d just give it a chance.”

“A film about a bunch of teenagers acting out and making fun of adults? Honey, I’ll be seeing that every day in just a few weeks. Not my idea of comedy.”

Jenna was laughing as her mother escorted her out. “You’re just counting the days till you’re free from all of us and don’t have to haul us around,” she said over her shoulder.

“Hooray for freedom,” he quipped, his smile revealing little of his thoughts, though Bonnie searched his face carefully. Was Jenna right?

Cassie dashed out soon afterward, stopping to hug her dad and Bonnie on the way to the door. “Best shower ever,” she assured Bonnie fervently.

The inn seemed unusually quiet after Cassie left. Bonnie heard a few footsteps upstairs, and a couple of muted voices drifting from the parlor. She had almost two hours before the guests assembled for the Sunday evening sandwiches.

“Do you have to rush off?” she asked Paul.

He shook his head. He was still smiling, but something about his eyes looked different to her. Darker, perhaps, not quite reflecting his smile. “I can stay a little longer.”

Perhaps he was just tired, or a little melancholy from Jenna’s reminder of the big changes coming in his life. “Would you like to take a walk in the garden? I wouldn’t mind some fresh air.”

He nodded. “That sounds good.”

He opened the back door for her, then stood back so she could go out first. A wave of humid heat engulfed her when she stepped out. August had begun with a vengeance, as if to make up for the unseasonably cool and rainy month just past. A bee buzzed past her and she heard the drone of a weed trimmer around the side of the inn, proving that Logan wasn’t letting the heat keep him from his work. She hoped he would remember to stay hydrated, then told herself to stop worrying. Her brother could take care of himself; it was simply old habit for her to fret about his health after the serious illness that had felled him in college. The long-gone tumor in his leg had left him with a slight limp, a determination to stay fit and healthy, and a few trust issues when it came to anyone outside his family, but he didn’t need her hovering over him all these years later.

The fountain splashed invitingly, but she saw that another couple was already standing beside it, enjoying the fine, cool mist that hung in the air. The couple had checked in earlier that day, explaining that the woman was attending a three-day conference at Virginia Tech and that they had chosen to stay at the inn rather than at a hotel in town so her husband could take advantage of nearby hiking trails while she networked with business associates. Though they seemed nice enough, Bonnie angled away from them, figuring she would visit with them over sandwiches later.

Paul walked quietly beside her toward the back of the garden where the koi pond would be someday. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, and she wasn’t quite sure how to draw him out as she was somewhat preoccupied with her own.

She looked up at him, moistening her lips. “Paul—”

He looked beyond her with a frown, toward the hiking path that disappeared into the woods. “What was that?”

She turned just in time to see a flash of white dissolve into the foliage. “I missed it. What did it look like to you?”

“For a minute I thought someone was watching us, but I guess I was wrong.”

“I’ll bet it was a white-tailed deer. We do have a lot of them up here. Logan wages a constant battle to keep them from destroying his landscaping.”

“Yeah, that’s probably what I saw.” With one last glance toward the trail, Paul turned back toward her. “You were going to say something?”

She pushed her hands into her skirt pockets, toying with her phone, that ever-present reminder of her responsibilities here. “Cassie had a nice shower, didn’t she? She has some very nice friends.”

It was clear that he could tell the inane comment hadn’t been what she had initially intended to say. He frowned at her for a moment, then shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, she’s always been lucky to have a good group of friends.”

“They seemed like an energetic crowd. I’m sure they’ve had some fun times together.”

“Oh, yeah.” He cleared his throat, his smile looking forced. “You looked right at home among them when I arrived. Made me remember that you’re not much older than Cassie and her friends.”

Bonnie wrinkled her nose, wondering if that was what had been bothering him during their walk. “I’m sure from Jenna’s perspective, anyone over twenty is ancient,” she said, hoping to keep the age thing in perspective. “Just a number, right?”

“No.” He reached up to squeeze the back of his neck, his expression impossible to read. “It’s more than a number. It’s a stage of life. And you and I—well, we’re at different stages. Hell, I could be a grandfather in the not-so-distant future.”