Page 31 of Homecoming

Owen frowned slightly, but nodded. “I’ll help. Grunt doesn’t need the flour right this minute.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Are you sure? It’s a lot of waiting around and minutia setting up.”

He gave her a single nod. “I’m good with minutia.”

Grace wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially if it meant spending time with Owen. “Okay. Grab that dolly.”

As always, they worked well together, and it was nice having help. The displays weren’t heavy, there were just a lot of them. The bride had gone with a lavender and ice blue color scheme for winter, so it was mostly roses and hydrangea, as well as some baby’s breath and faux crystals.

“What is all this stuff?” he grumbled at one point, and Grace laughed.

“Well, there’s bunting for the pews, displays for the altar, table centerpieces for the reception. This isn’t a very big wedding, so you’re lucky.”

Owen gave her an incredulous look at the boxes all around them with flowers poking out, and she laughed again. “Have you never been to a wedding?”

“I have, but I don’t remember any of this.”

“Well, the men usually don’t. This is mostly for the bride, to make her dream become reality.”

Owen shook his head, but helped her load her SUV. It was packed to the gills. When it came time to drive over to thechurch, she half thought he would insist on taking his truck, but instead, he settled into the passenger seat, a display with delicate white roses on his lap. His knees were crushed up against the dash, and she knew he’d put the seat back as far as he could.

Grace wanted to snap a picture, but she doubted he would let her. She doubted Angela would believe her, even if she had the picture.

The church was only a five-minute drive away. Gracie pulled into the loading area and parked. “Now it all has to go inside. And once the wedding is over, we have to get it over to the reception hall, a few blocks away.”

“We have to move all this stuff again?” he asked, disbelief written in his voice.

“Yup,” she grinned. “Luckily for you, the family will take care of the flowers after the reception.”

“I hope you charged her an extra fee for all this. It’s Christmas Eve, for God’s sake.”

Grace nodded. “Yes, there was an extra fee. It would have been different if I had a family or something.”

The quiet stretched between them. “No boyfriend, or anything?” Owen asked, his voice oh-so nonchalant.

She glanced at him, but he was looking out the window. They were still sitting in the car and they were on a timeline, but she paused. “I never would have kissed you if there had been a boyfriend in the background. I’m not that kind of woman. And you’re observant enough, you would have known if I had a man. I know you like to listen to gossip at the Bistro.”

He flashed her a dark look. “Who said that?”

“My friend Lila. She’s watched you. She says you perk up when my name or my family’s name is mentioned.”

“Well,” he said, waving a hand dismissively, “you’re the only people I really know in this town.”

“Hm,” she said, smiling, and climbed out of the car.

She circled the car and opened the back hatch. “Where is your family?”

“Montana. I still have a brother out there. And I think my dad.”

Frowning, she leaned against the back of the car and crossed her arms. “You don’t know?”

He shook his head, glancing at her, then away. “I assume they’re still there, on the family ranch. But I haven’t contacted them.”

“Do you not get along?”

He shook his head again and looked out toward the street, away from her. “No. We got along, usually. The government told them I was dead three years ago, though. Killed in a training accident.”

Grace gasped and immediately moved around in front of him, reaching for his arm. “Are you serious?”

---