Page 55 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

Dallas cringed. Apparently,nicewasn’t the right word here. “I meant fabulous! Great!”

But Skylar and her grandmother had already disappeared further into the wedding decoration aisles. He swallowed hard as he stared at the endless shelves and shifted from one foot to the other. It was going to be a long day.

Even with the groom absent and his location unknown, Skylar’s grandmother continued their wedding preparations. Maybe, in her mind, that would bring Earl back somehow.

Lord, please help Mrs. Rafferty. Um, and if it’s okay to ask, please guide me on what to say next time they ask me about bells, ribbons, flowers, and whatnot so we can get out of here in my lifetime.

With Mrs. Rafferty present on the drive to the city and now in the store, neither Dallas nor Skylar had mentioned the elephant in the room.

Their kiss.

His heartbeat went into overdrive just at the memory of the kiss Mrs. Rafferty’s return home had interrupted. When she’d come inside and suggested they head into the city to shop for wedding things, he’d eagerly tagged along. Just like he now tagged along after Skylar to a new row of shelves. Did that wondrous kiss change the dynamics between them? Or did it matter to him way more than it mattered to her?

He frowned.

What if for her it had just been a way to find comfort in the familiar while in emotional distress? One would think it would be easier to navigate these things with age. But he’d been much more confident where he and Skylar had been standing when he’d been a teenager.

“What do you think about these ribbons?” Skylar pointed at white silk ones.

This time, he was prepared. “They arefabulous.”

“Really?” Skylar tilted her head. “I thought those light-blue ones would be better.”

He suppressed a groan, then remembered to plaster a smile he hoped didn’t resemble a scowl. “You’re right. Those are better.”

Then his heart squeezed. He’d always imagined he’d be shopping for wedding decorations—even if the shopping part wouldn’t be entirely voluntary—for his and Skylar’s wedding, not someone else’s.

But here they were. And here he was, wishing for things that couldn’t be.

After two very slow-moving hours, he carried an astonishing number of shopping bags to Skylar’s car and placed them in the back. He didn’t even want to think about setting those decorations up, but he already knew he’d either volunteer or be voluntold by his mother.

He opened the car doors first for Mrs. Rafferty, then once she was safely inside, for Skylar.

Skylar placed her hand on his, giving him a jolt of awareness and reminding him of the wonderful moment those same hands wrapped around his neck and brought her closer to him. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this. I know shopping isn’t your thing. It’s amazing you still want to be around me in the first place. And yet here you are.” Her eyes glistened.

“Here I am.” He echoed, the emotion in her eyes touching something deep inside him. “I’ll always be there, whenever and however you need me.”

“I need you. Far more than you realize.” Her gaze lingered on him, vulnerable and longing. “I’m not saying this because I need you to carry my bags. Or to carry my burdens. Though it helps. I”—based on the movement of her neck, she swallowed hard—“I just need you to exist and... and not let me push you away.”

His throat went dry. “I’ll do my best, but I also want you to have the freedom of choice.”

“I know.” Raw emotion gleamed in her eyes, more exposed than he’d ever seen, even in the times when she’d been open with him and the world. Then she slipped into the driver’s seat.

He perked up as he closed the door, then rounded the car. To think about it, shopping for decorations wasn’t bad at all. He’d sign up for another round if it meant being near her. He got the answer to his unspoken question. The dynamics between themhadchanged. But would it be enough?

Soon, he folded himself into the small sedan’s passenger seat, wishing for the space of his truck. But it was too high for Mrs. Rafferty to climb into, so he didn’t mind going in Skylar’s car. It also gave him the whiff of her peach shampoo that made his head spin.

They buckled up, and she drove off. Without having to drive and keep his focus on the road, he enjoyed the luxury of looking at her lovely profile. The raw emotion was gone from her face, and her features rearranged into a measured expression. Yet he’d never get tired of looking at his favorite face in the world, taking in her soft cheeks, pert nose, and dainty chin.

As a teen, she’d dreamed of creating a masterpiece, not realizingshewas God’s masterpiece already. Though now she resembled one of those paintings where fresh layers of paint were meant to conceal something far more valuable beneath them.

Of course, he was far from the art world, so what did he know?

“What kind of food would you like for lunch?” Skylar’s melodic voice interrupted his thoughts.

He shrugged. “I’m not picky. Tex-Mex ahead looks good.”

The corners of her lips curved up. “I was asking Grandma, but that sounds good to me. Grandma?”

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