Page 114 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“I know you’ll think it’s silly, but I really do want a big wedding with all the bells and whistles—”
“I don’t think that’s silly,” Dahlia murmured. She had to force herself to swallow, because for a second there, she’d gotten a flash of her own wedding. Hypothetical, of course. Just a daydream.
And featuring one very kind, very burly, very perfect mountain man. She could just picture him waiting at the end of the aisle for her, dressed in a suit, his hair combed into a short ponytail and his beard neatly trimmed. It sent a shiver running right through her.
“But we both want to be married before the baby’s born, so we’ve decided to do a simple ceremony at the courthouse first and then have a big celebration after the baby.”
She blinked, taking a moment to catch up with her sister’s words. And then she smiled. “Oh, Rose, I think that’s a great idea.”
“Yeah? Okay, good. Because… well, I was sort of hoping that I could convince you to come back to be a witness for the courthouse ceremony…”
She trailed off, and Dahlia’s mouth went dry. “Oh, um… maybe? Can I, uh… can I take a look at my calendar?”
“Yeah, of course.” Rose’s voice dropped with disappointment.
Dahlia was pretty sure they both knew she was just putting off the inevitable no.
And while work definitely was a factor, Dahlia hated the fact that it wasn’t the biggest deterrent.
She just wasn’t sure she could face JJ again. It’d be impossible to fly back and not see him, right? Unless she just met Rose and Dex at the courthouse, but that would probably offend everybody at the ranch if she came all the way and didn’t pop in for a visit.
Shutting her eyes, she rested her fingers on her forehead.
JJ was too tempting. Even now, what he’d said in the truck tugged at her, pulling at her heart and twisting all her plans. It had her reevaluating her life choices and second-guessing what she’d always believed to be her fate.
In short, he’d messed with her head in a very big way.
And if that were all, she might be able to move on.
But he’d messed with her heart too. And she had no idea how to fix it.
“I’ll do my best, Rosie,” she offered.
“I know. You always do.” But Rose’s tone was still sad as they hung up.
After three long minutes of sitting there staring at her half-eaten sandwich, Dahlia got up and threw the rest away.
Her heart felt like ashes in her chest as she rode the elevator up to her office. Her mind was a swirl of thoughts. None of them good. All of them about her family, about JJ, about the decision she’d made when she was much too young that she’d never marry…
Her head was such a disaster and her spirits so low that she barely noticed when the elevator stopped at her floor. She got off just before the doors closed again and shuffled through the reception area with her head down, her gaze unfocused.
The receptionist cleared her throat.
Dahlia glanced up. “Hey, Megan. What’s the plan for—”
She stopped talking when she realized the receptionist was grinning at her like a lunatic. Her eyes were wide and her smile knowing as she nodded meaningfully to something behind Dahlia.
Dahlia frowned but turned to see what the other woman was so excited about. And then she froze.
Sitting on the plush couch against the reception wall in faded jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt sat the sexiest cowboy Dahlia had ever seen.
“JJ?” she said. Or rather, she whispered.
And when he stood and smiled at her, that grin which had nevernotmade her belly flip and her heart flutter… well, it made everything inside her come alive.
For the first time in weeks, she felt her heart start to beat again.
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