Page 11 of Rodeo Cowboy
“I can’t tell if they want to say hello or lock us in a basement,” Willow whispers to me before she bends down to help Bode adjust the elastic band under his chin.
“I decided on the wizard hat and noisemaker.” He proudly holds up a noisemaker in the shape of a wand. The beads inside ping their way to the bottom.
“It’s perfect.” Willow pinches his nose, and I can’t be more grateful for how she cares about him and McKenna’s cheeky attitude.
“Look, Lena. I’m Harry Potter!” Bode spins the wand in her direction.
“It’s fantastic. I know another Harry Potter fan. Can I introduce him to my step-daughter Libby?” Lena places a matching pointed hat on her head and picks out a pointed wand.
I want to say no. I’ve already let McKenna veer off on her own to find the bathroom, and she’s yet to return.
“I won’t take my eyes off him,” Lena promises as if she can read my mind.
“He’s fine, Aunt Ayla,” Willow whispers for only me. She’s always there handing me advice I appreciate more than she knows.
“If Bode doesn’t mind.” I straighten the collar of his shirt and smooth the shoulders. “Do you want to meet Libby?”
He shrugs. “I guess.”
We all laugh, even if mine comes out in a nervous chuckle.
I watch Lena take his hand and guide him through the crowd to Wheeler and a little blonde-haired girl. Once again, my gaze is disrupted by a nosey local. I try not to make eye contact, but every which direction my gaze falls, someone is staring at us.
“Definitely a basement,” I whisper to Willow. “There’s a whole Stepford Wives vibe going on.”
“I don’t know what that means.” Willow spins a tin noise maker. “If we’re in Bode land, we could say these muggles are looking at us like we’re wizards.”
“Maybe we should go check the bathroom for McKenna. She’s taking too long.”
“I’ll go, and you can get acquainted with your sisters-in-law.” Willow strolls away, and I’m sure she’s just trying to find signals for her cell phone.
“Don’t worry. We’re not those sisters-in-law.” Lydia already introduced herself as Beck’s fiancé. She sways to the country song pelting through the shelter.
“What sisters-in-law?” A pregnant woman joins our conversation. She stands on the other side of the table, cradling her stomach over the rose-colored cowl neck dress. “I’m Elsie. Silver’s fiancé.”
Why is that name familiar? Had Sammy mentioned it at some point?
“Ayla. Sammy’s wife.”
“I heard. Everyone heard.” There’s a suspicious coolness about her. “How did you two meet?”
“That’s the kind of sisters-in-law we aren’t.” Harper sticks her hands in a pair of cotton overalls. “The kind that pries.”
Elsie’s lip curls up, but not in a friendly way. It’s more of a Professor Snape smirk. Maybe I should’ve limited screen time instead of letting the Harry Potter movies repeatedly play in the background.
“It’s not prying. It’s a simple question that most couples in relationships enjoy answering.” Her cold eyes don’t swagger from me.
“How about you go ask Sammy then?” Silver slides his hand into Elsie’s and kisses the top. “He’s hanging around here somewhere. I’d be happy to help you find him.”
“I’m not talking to him.” Elsie yanks her hand away and storms off. Sammy’s twin chases behind her like a lost puppy.
These sisters-in-law are getting plucked away one by one. Not that I mind. I didn’t agree to an evening of mingling and playing one-hundred questions about my fake marriage.
What’s taking Sammy so long?
A commotion across the dance floor garners our attention. I recognize a couple of Sammy’s brothers and a younger kid. The brother, covered in tattoos, swings a lasso above his head. He releases the rope, which sails through the air, landing around a woman.
“Is Dean lassoing women?” A chuckle rises up Lydia’s chest. “Some things never change.”
