“Was he ugly to you?”
“No. He just hightailed it out of there. Left his own lunch in the process. I’ve tried to call him all week, but he’s not answering or returning my calls. I even went by one day, but he didn’t answer the door.”
“Have you been by the tavern?”
“No. I’m not going to confront him in his place of business. And even if I were the kind of woman to do that, Trish Morgan is the biggest gossip in town. We both value our privacy.”
Cayla crossed her arms and scowled. “That just doesn’t make any sense. That’s not how it was supposed to work.”
“How what was supposed to work?”
“Oh, Denver has had a thing for you for years. So Kennedy and I conspired to throw you two together so he’d finally get to know you instead of just watching from afar.”
She’d wondered what that whole steam roller routine was about. “Yeah, well, obviously reality didn’t live up to expectation.”
“Misty Pennebaker, you stop that right now.”
Misty had to smile a little at the mom voice. “Yes ma’am.”
“I’m serious. You are awesome. And by all indications, Denver agrees with that assessment. So we need to figure out what’s got his panties in a wad.”
“We don’t need to figure out anything but the last-minute details for Kennedy’s wedding. Seriously, Cayla, I just want to do this job and go back to my shop.” So I can lick my wounds in private.
“So you don’t want to know what happened?”
Misty threw up her hands. “Of course I do. But what if I don’t like the answer? What if he decided he doesn’t like forward, pushy women? Because I had to make all the first moves in this relationship. I asked him to dinner. I kissed him first. I’m not going to make the move to chase after him. That smacks too much of desperation, and I’ve got some pride left.”
Cayla sighed. “Well, I don’t like it, but fine. I promise I won’t do anything.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if he does need a crowbar to pry his head out of his ass,” she muttered under her breath.
Misty mustered a smile. “Maybe he’ll get there on his own. Eventually.” But she wasn’t holding her breath.
~*~
Denver opted to do the final assembly of the arbor on-site at the barn of the inn. That way, he could do everything himself and not have to actually talk to anyone. Talking was the last thing he felt like doing. After six years in this town, keeping his head down and out of the local gossip, he’d managed to put himself right, square in the middle. He’d resorted to glaring his employees into silence and otherwise avoided everyone else by sticking to his tiny office in the back, catching up on the books. He thanked God for the fact that he owned a tavern, otherwise he’d have been forced to actually go to the local market and face the masses or starve. In his current mood, starving was the more appealing option.
He backed his truck up to the barn doors and quietly dropped the tailgate. There were multiple cars in the gravel lot, among them Kennedy’s. But he knew her sisters had made it into town, so he was hoping she stayed tied up with them long enough for him to get in and out. His plan held for about half an hour.
“Oh my God, it’s gorgeous!”
On the ladder, Denver closed his eyes and repressed a curse. Five more minutes and he would’ve been gone. Instead of looking at Kennedy, he continued to tighten the nut that held on the elaborately carved front lintel. “Glad you like it.”
She circled around and looked at the thing from all sides, and all the ooing and ahing was gratifying to his ego. He’d done a damned good job on this thing. She stayed silent as he attached the cross pieces that lined the top. When he was finished, he climbed down and they both stood taking in the finished product.
“I can’t thank you enough. I had no idea you were this talented.”
Denver shrugged. “You’re welcome. The whole thing has been weather sealed, so after the wedding, if you want, you can use it somewhere in the yard—here or at your place.”
She clapped her hands and grinned. “That’s brilliant!”
He thought about saying something about how Misty had said they could plant some kind of flowering vines to train up it, but that would be opening the very subject he wanted to avoid, so he just nodded and began to gather up his tools.
“Now that’s out of the way,” she said, “what the hell’s the matter with you?”
His hand tightened on the socket wrench and he chilled his voice down to a glacial tone that had cowed lesser men. “Excuse me?”