The Wedding Date Disaster (Harbor City 4)

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Usually we have to guilt Hadley into participating. This is going to be a blast. Now, you guys must be tired,” Stephanie said. “Let me take you where you’re staying, and you can clean up and maybe take a nap.” She led them out the back door. “We have the grandparents and older relatives staying in the main house, so you guys are in one of the outbuildings that Knox has been renovating.”

Will followed along in silence, but the gleeful look Hadley sent him over her shoulder at her mom’s words didn’t reassure him. If he ended up spending a week sleeping on a bunch of hay, he really was going to train his grandmother’s dog to trip Web every time he walked by.

Again, the reality of the ranch didn’t fit with what he’d imagined. He figured the barn or workshop or whatever would be steps away from the house. It wasn’t.

Instead, once they cleared the trees along every side of the house except for the one with the huge windows, they walked out into a big expanse of open space. A ways off, there was a barn, another huge building with doors big enough to drive a city bus through and park it inside, and then a bit farther off from that were three small cabins, all but one of which looked like they were minutes away from being blown over by the wind.

He didn’t usually have to hurry to keep up with anyone thanks to his long legs, but Stephanie had the stride of an NBA center and Hadley matched it.

“Trigger,” hollered an older man walking out of the barn as they approached it. He hurried over, followed by two younger guys, and wrapped Hadley up in a huge hug that lifted her off the ground. Then he swung her around before setting her back down on her feet. “How was the drive?”

She cut a glance Will’s way, and he expected her to expose his whole car sickness humiliation, but instead of sharing the fact that he spent the drive nursing a ginger ale, she just said, “It was fine.”

“You must be Hadley’s boyfriend, good to meet you. I’m Gabe Martinez.” The older man gave him a firm handshake while the guys who had to be Hadley’s brothers just stood behind Gabe, their arms crossed, looking like the unwelcoming committee. “And the chatterboxes behind me are Knox and Weston.”

“Nice to meet you,” Will said as he held out his hand to the nearest unsmiling man in jeans and a cowboy hat.

After a second’s hesitation, Knox accepted the handshake with a hard enough hold that Will’s knuckles banged together. Careful to keep his expression neutral, he squeezed back, allowing himself just the smallest of smirks after the other man’s eyes widened. After that, Will turned to Weston, who pulled Will into that manly back-slapping hug, his palms landing like blows from a sledgehammer.

“Watch yourself,” Weston said, his voice low enough that there was no way it would carry beyond the two of them. “Fuck with her and I’ll come all the way out to the east coast to kick your city ass. They don’t call ’em shit kickers for nothing.”

Before he could issue a retort, Weston stepped back in line with his brother and they both gave him matching glares that reminded him more than a little of a certain grumpy brunette who he was sure had designs on his brother’s trust fund.

Hadley sent him a told-you-so smirk.

Okay, winning over those two might take a little work, but Will was up for it.

“Well, now that the introductions are out of the way,” Stephanie said, “let’s get you two where you’re going.”

He and Hadley followed Stephanie as she led them past the barn to one of the cabins.

“This was one of the ranch’s original buildings, but Knox has been renovating it,” Stephanie said, walking through the front door. “He hasn’t started on the other three yet, but this one’s done and it’ll make a nice stand-alone place for him when he moves out of the main house. I’ll hate to have him leave, but at least he won’t be half a country away.”

Zinger delivered, her mom gave them the general layout. The cabin wasn’t big by any means, but there was a living room with a fireplace, galley kitchen, a bathroom, and a closed door at the end of the narrow hallway had to be the bedroom.

“So this is your place for the week,” Stephanie said. “Towels are under the sink, sheets are on the bed, and the hot water heater is small so don’t go taking any long showers.”

“There’s only one bedroom.” Hadley, her eyes rounded, turned to her mom. “I thought Will would be staying in the barn.”

“Nope, that’s booked up, too. The older cousins are all up in the loft like it’s a giant sleepover.” Stephanie looked from her daughter to Will and back again. “Is there something you want to tell me, Hadley? I figured since you guys are close enough for you to bring him out here for the wedding, it would be okay. The couch folds out into a bed.”

Okay, he’d already checked out the couch in the living room and even when it was transformed into a bed, his feet would be hanging off by at least a foot, but he’d live.

“This seems perfect to me,” he said, draping his arm across Hadley’s shoulders and twirling a strand of her silky brown hair around his finger. “Don’t you think, Trigger?”

Hadley gave a stiff nod as she “accidentally” stepped on his foot again.

“Okay, I’ll leave you two to it, then,” Stephanie said, heading toward the front door. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t be late.”

They held the pose until her mom was out of sight of the cabin’s front window, and then they broke apart—not that there was really anywhere either could go. They were for all intents and purposes trapped together in a tiny cabin for the next week.

Hands on her hips, mouth formed into a flat line, Hadley didn’t even give him the opportunity to say anything. “The couch is yours.”

He had already been planning on taking the couch, but admitting that seemed like the wrong move in this game. So instead, he did the one thing that would drive her straight up the wall—he gave her a slow smile and tipped his hat in her direction. “Whatever you say.”

If she had been anyone else, he would have very much enjoyed the sight of her ass in those tight jeans as she turned in a huff and strutted down the hall. As it was, she was Hadley and he was Will and there was no common ground there—even for ass appreciation.

The last thing he expected was to see her marching back his way a few seconds later, looking like she was about to smite him. “There’s no bed. The whole room is filled with Knox’s tools and workbench.”