Rayleen shrugged, but Easy shook his head. “Naw. I told her she could have one sample and then she’d have to buy the bull.”
“One sample?” Rayleen cackled. “That was more like four. Four and a half if you count the time we—”
“Woman!” he barked. “My point is that I told you that was all you got unless you agreed to do it proper.”
“Proper. Sure.” Her blue eyes rolled. “You didn’t want it so proper a few nights ago.”
At that point, Charlie wondered if both Easy and Walker might faint if they blushed any harder, but Charlie worried she might pass out from laughter. “I see why you didn’t wear white.”
Rayleen shrugged. “Everything’s pretty gray now anyway. Can’t imagine I’d fool anyone.”
A flash went off just as Easy shot his bride an exasperated look.
; “That one should probably go on your wall,” Eve said as she aimed her camera one more time. She’d donated her photography skills as a wedding gift, and she was obviously enjoying herself. “Everybody gather around,” she said, gesturing to Walker and Charlie, as well as Grace and her boyfriend, Cole. She called out for Merry and Shane as well, and then began snapping pictures of the group. A few seconds later, Charlie’s cousin Nate joined the group with Jenny, and Eve’s boyfriend eased the camera from her hands.
“You get in there, too,” he insisted. “I’ll take the photo.”
“But what about you?” Eve protested.
“You know how much I hate having my picture taken.” When she looked as though she’d protest again, he kissed her forehead and shooed her into the frame. “Everybody smile.”
“Ridiculous crap,” Rayleen muttered, but Charlie noticed she hid her drink and smiled all the same. Her smile turned to laughter when Easy kissed her temple. Charlie found herself blinking back tears. It was so sweet. Such a cute couple surrounded by so much love. It made Charlie feel...certain. That love was real and good. And that every couple here had it in spades. It was the first wedding in a long while that was filling her up with more than booze.
In fact, it was long after the opening notes of the local country band before Charlie even found herself with a glass of champagne. The sun was setting, sending jagged rays of orange and pink from behind the darkening mountains. Charlie wandered the edges of the crowd, smiling at the happy dancers. The evening was perfect and beautiful, and the bride and groom swayed happily together to an old Patsy Cline cover.
For a strange second, Charlie imagined herself with Walker like that. In that moment. Married and hopeful and happy for all to see. The thought made her dizzy. She’d never considered that with anyone. She’d never even brought a date to a wedding, worried that the celebration would somehow rub off and snap her dormant serial-marriage gene into activity.
But now...she wanted to be near Walker. She wanted to hold his hand and watch the happy couple and...she wanted to hope.
Five minutes later she’d begun to suspect that he’d gone to visit the horses when she finally spotted him just past the glass doors. He was only a shadow in the evening sun, but there was no mistaking his silhouette, even with the new haircut. She knew his body, after all. The curve of his shoulders, his narrow hips and strong thighs. And when his head turned, the bold line of his nose. God, he was beautiful. Charlie followed him outside.
“Hey, darlin’,” he said, turning to her with an open smile.
“What are you doing out here?”
Before she even had time to shiver in her thin blue dress, Walker had slipped off his suit jacket and eased it over her shoulders. Warmth took her over and seeped into her skin.
“Just taking it in,” he said after he’d tucked her under his arm so they could watch the last colors disappear behind the mountain. The light hovered for a long moment as if the sun was showing off just for Charlie and Walker.
“I love this place,” he whispered.
“I know,” she said past her tightening throat. He put in so many hours here. He volunteered at every after-hours event. At first, she’d thought it had been because he was working toward a position, but he’d been hired on full-time two months before, and his devotion hadn’t wavered. Walker simply adored the work. It filled him up until he came home to her glowing with it.
He loved the kids, of course, but she thought it was the work more than anything. The purpose of it. The joy. Heck, he’d spent the past two weeks working with veterans, and nothing had changed except that he occasionally met them at the saloon after a long day of lessons.
“It’s almost seven,” he whispered, his hand sneaking down to rest on her hip.
She nodded and closed her eyes, snuggling into his side. “Maybe we can stay a little longer.”
“You said you needed to work.”
“I know, but... What the heck. What’s the point of being the boss if you can’t take a night off every once in a while?”
Walker turned to her and touched a finger under her chin. She looked up at him, at the strong planes of his face limned with the last purples of twilight. “You’re hot when you’re in charge,” he said.
“So you’ve said every day for the past three months.”