Page 87 of A Sunny Sweetheart for the Cowboy

“What do you guys want?” Weston sounded resigned.

Paisley took in the contingent in front of them, all of them grinning impishly. Thanks a lot, friends. But wasn’t it amazing to not only have kisses with the sweetest cowboy in the west but to have so many friends who cared about them? She’d never had that before. Certainly not in Arizona. Not really in Colorado, either. Not like this.

“You may not have noticed, but there aren’t really any tables available.” Kaci fluttered her eyelashes.

“Not for this many of us, anyway,” Jude amended.

“We thought you might like some company,” put in Cadence.

“You can talk while you’re eating, but not so much when you’re kissing.” Graham waggled his eyebrows. “Ask me how I know.”

“Be our guests,” Weston muttered.

“No need to sound so gracious, big brother.” Jude plopped on the plank on the other side of Weston and elbowed him. “Great ribs, huh?”

Paisley couldn’t help the laughter bubbling out of her. Her paper plate was already cool against her bare legs. Good thing all these foods would be just as delicious cold as hot. As cold as anything could get on a 90-plus-degree summer day, anyway.

“Feels wrong to enjoy the chuckwagon’s food when Mom is as good a cook.” Weston spooned some baked beans into his mouth.

“She’s enjoying the day off.” Jude nodded to where Nadine chatted with both her parents. “What’s going on with the elders, do you think?”

“Can people in their eighties get married?” Paisley’s query hung in the air as everyone turned to look at her. “What? It’s an honest question.”

Graham coughed. “Well, there aren’t any laws against it, that’s for sure.”

“Nana is only 76, for the record.” Jude chomped down on a smoked rib.

“Whatever.” Paisley waved her hand. “I meant old people.”

Weston’s arm pressed against hers as he leaned close. “I figure to still have it when I’m Grandfather’s age. For the record.”

Oh, my. Paisley felt the flush shoot up her face at his direct words and gaze, but she didn’t dare fan her face. That would draw everyone’s attention even more than she already had.

Jude leaned to look past them to Graham on the other side. “What would you think if they got together?”

Graham grimaced. “I don’t know. It feels disloyal to my grandmother.”

“Like he wasn’t already.”

“He wasn’t,” Graham insisted. “He hadn’t even met her yet.”

“It’s not up to us,” Weston mused. “If they were just any old single folks making eyes at each other, none of us would think twice about it. Except Paisley.” He nudged her.

She was never going to live that down.

“I suppose that’s true.” Graham sighed. “But… can we change the subject? How was everyone’s day? Everything go according to plan? Is anything left besides the dance?”

Paisley relaxed slightly.

The Delgados were already warming up their violins and checking the sound system. An entire contingent had arrived from Saddle Springs along with the brothers and their musically talented kids. This was going to be wonderful, dancing the evening away in her cowboy’s arms.

Enough with the people.

Weston had thrown himself into the square dancing and even some line dancing, since it kept him close to Paisley, who positively glowed in the evening sun and the strings of lantern lights. But now that Trevor and Kade Delgado were taking a well-earned break, Weston was in no hurry to resume the dance floor.

He picked up a tray with two flutes of punch and two charcuterie plates, each with a skewer of fruit on the side, while Paisley slipped off to the facilities amid dozens of other women. He set the tray on the edge of the lodge steps and positioned himself to protect the contents from being trampled.

A musician from Saddle Springs played lively tunes on an electronic piano during the intermission. Garret Morrison was extremely talented. There’d been a rumor circulating that he’d even been approached to play with a Nashville band once upon a time.

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