Page 3 of A Sunny Sweetheart for the Cowboy

She shrugged. “I like it here. Want a cup of tea?”

Cadence shuddered. “I can’t handle that much caffeine this time of night. I need my beauty sleep.”

“Aha!” Paisley pointed a finger at her roommate. “I brought some herbal teas for you.”

“I don’t really do herbal tea. Or any tea.”

Paisley scowled. “You drank tea with me last summer.” But not in the evening. And not often. Hmm.

“I was new here, and I didn’t want to offend you.”

“And now it’s open season?”

Cadence laughed. “Sure, why not?”

“Being engaged to one of the Sullivan grandsons has gone to your head. You’re no longer afraid you’ll lose your job and get kicked to the curb.”

“You, too, could feel this secure. This loved. This… sense of coming home, of belonging.”

“Um, right. Not so quick to plan my life, girl.”

“How many more years do you plan to work seasonally?”

You’re not getting any younger. Paisley could hear the silent words hanging in the air. “Not sure. I guess we’ll find out.” She pivoted to fill the kettle. Cadence might not want tea, but Paisley sure did. That’d be the day a strong cuppa would keep her eyes open when she hit the pillow.

Sleeplessness was more likely to be the result of envisioning Weston Kline’s brown eyes as he tried not to react to her. It was all fear on his part, right? She understood relationship fear, but something about the surly cowboy drew her. Maybe because he was completely unattainable. Since he’d never commit to her, she didn’t have to commit to anyone or anything.

Limbo wasn’t as much fun as it had been back a few years ago, though. Cadence wasn’t wrong. Paisley had been drifting from seasonal job to seasonal job her entire adult life. In a brain that bounced from one thing to the next, nothing held her attention for long. Her job here at Sweet River worked for her, though. She ran programming for kids and families, so there was no time to achieve stagnation. Tourists came and went, and her roster of activities shifted according to the ages of current guests and her own whims.

A match made in ADHD heaven.

Except for the keeping organized part. But somehow, she’d managed to stay on top of things enough that no one had complained. Maybe they hadn’t even noticed.

One could hope. The kettle came to a boil, then Paisley poured hot water over her Earl Grey teabag before turning back to Cadence, who had her nose stuck in her book again.

Paisley shook her head. How anyone could immerse in imaginary worlds like that, she had no idea. Reading was for information, and she always went by the first hit or two in an online search. Hopefully they wouldn’t lead her astray too often.

She crossed to the sofa and settled beside Cadence, who shifted slightly. Paisley set her tea down then pulled the hardback out of Cadence’s hands. “Hey, I’m here.” She looked at the illustrated cover and winced. “Seriously? “The Rose Gate?” There’s a creepy bear staring at the girl.” A plump and adorable bear, but still.

Cadence yanked the book back. “It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Of course there’s an animal involved. It’s a terrific series by a new author I just discovered. Look, she does all the illustrations, too.”

Paisley’s gaze dropped to the bottom of the cover. Hanna Sandvig. Whoever that was.

“See?” Cadence opened the hardcover to a full-page illustration. “She draws as well as she writes.”

“Nice.” Paisley feigned a yawn. “How come you’re not hanging out with your hunky fiancé tonight?” Not that Graham was that hot, at least, not by Paisley’s standards. Cadence obviously thought he was. And didn’t the couple spend half their evenings snuggled up on the sofa, each immersed in a novel? Paisley couldn’t think of a more boring date.

“He’s working late tonight. There was a snafu with the payroll program, and with registering so many new employees this week, it needed to be fixed sooner than later.” Cadence lifted her book.

Paisley gently pushed it down. “Makes sense. Tell me about the wedding plans. September 21st, right?”

Cadence folded the dust jacket flap into place as a bookmark and set the book aside. Finally. “Yes. And you’re my maid of honor. We already talked about that.”

“Yes, thank you! I’m excited for that. What do you need me to do meanwhile? Will the wedding be at Grace Fellowship down in Jewel Lake or here at the ranch?”

“Here, I think. Graham said Tate and Stephanie’s wedding was in the lodge great room, and it worked well. Graham and I have fewer family members and people we’re close to, so I think the intimate setting here will be perfect.”

“Yes, theirs was a beautiful wedding.”

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