As if sensing his unease, Kate turned toward him, smiling. His heart hammered in his chest, and his throat dried up. Happiness radiated from her gaze, filled with expectation. She wanted so desperately for her parents to like him. He wanted that too. Not because he cared what they thought, but because she wanted them to like him. And whatever Kate wanted, he was helpless but to provide.
Kate stepped back and grabbed his hand. At the soft touch of her fingers against his, some of the panic eased from his chest. Not all of it, but enough. With a soft tug, Kate pulled him across the cement walkway toward her family.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet Grant Farrell, Daniel’s brother.” She swiveled between them, meeting both their gazes. “Grant, these are my parents, Robert and Margo Baker.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Baker. “ Grant extended his hand toward her parents, praying they didn’t notice how his hand shook. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met someone’s parents, and it had never been this important before.
Her father took his hand, shaking firmly. “It’s nice to meet the Grant my daughter’s been talking so much about.”
Grant smiled at her father’s words, and damn it, his cheeks warmed.
After a minute, Mr. Baker released his hand, and reluctantly his wife took it. “Yes, nice to meet you. Do you think you could get our bags into the car?” Margo glanced toward the two suitcases sitting between her and Mr. Baker’s feet.
“Mom—” Kate started, but Grant cut her off with a look. He wouldn’t be the reason Kate argued with her parents. Not this weekend. In the years to come, about something really important, maybe—but not today.
“I’d be happy to.”
Grant picked up their bags, one in each hand, and walked toward the tailgate. Danny and Kate’s parents talked quietly on the sidewalk, asking about what he was doing now and how was he enjoying being back at home. A step behind them, Kate cast Grant an apologetic glance over her shoulder, but he only smiled back at her.
“We’d better get heading home.” Daniel ushered Kate’s parents toward the truck. “If we stay here much longer, the FAA will think we’re coming up with a plan.” Kate’s parents laughed along with him as Dan opened the door for Margo.
Safely concealed behind the vehicle, Grant rolled his eyes. Kate’s parents might fall all over Danny, but nothing excused the cheesy jokes.
If only her parents had any idea what they did at night. Grant grinned. What a shock it would be to them what sweet Danny participated in between the sheets or on the kitchen counter. He could only imagine the wide-eyed stare Margo would give him, the way she’d clutch her chest with shock. He’d be the one giving her a superior haute look then. Wouldn’t that be great!
He tossed the suitcases into the back then lifted the tailgate, locking it into place. He looked up just as Kate’s mother stepped toward his truck. Margo gave an indignant look as she hoisted herself up into the truck’s wide back seat. Grant rolled his eyes. Clearly lifting herself into a truck back seat was below Margo Baker.
Grant shook his head, walking toward the driver’s side door. Kate and Daniel filed into the truck on the other side. It was going to be a very long ride home. At this rate, it was going to be a very long weekend.
Why couldn’t they have eloped? It would have been so much easier.
Chapter Five
“This is our new place.” Daniel threw the door open to their cabin, ushering their motley group inside. Kate stepped in first, followed by her parents, with his mother and Grant taking up the rear. The enthusiasm they’d had just an hour ago noticeably absent from them all.
The tour of the grounds had been filled with complaints and backhanded compliments, and he could feel all their patience running thin. His definitely was. He only hoped the rest of the tour went a little easier. At least they were inside now, so Margo couldn’t complain about the smell or the bugs.
“The foreman’s cabin was built at the same time as the farmhouse,” Daniel explained, stepping farther into the empty room that would very soon be their living room. “But since my parents took over the ranch, the cabin hasn’t been used, since we didn’t employ a foreman. My father preferred to be in control of his own ranch. He believed no one could do the job better than he could.” Certainly no one cared about the ranch as much as his father had.
“And he was right.” His mother smiled back at him.
“So it was a little out-of-date and run down. But between the three of us, we fixed the place up.”
“It will be a nice little place for us.” Kate downplayed their home, but the smile on her face showed she loved their house. Daniel’s chest expanded at the sight. That’s what made working on this place so rewarding, not that he’d done as much as Grant had. His brother was much handier than he was. But Daniel had made a point of doing as much as he could, from balancing the budget to negotiating with the local businesses for the supplies they needed. He wanted Kate to know this wasn’t just her place—or Grant’s—but all three of theirs.
“It looks fantastic.” His mother smiled.
“It’s really coming along.” Kate grinned over at Grant, who stood just in the doorway. “I really love the kitchen.”
Daniel noticed the smile Grant returned to her, the two of them sharing a look. Without him. Again.
If his mother noticed the exchange, she didn’t mention it. “The cabinets are beautiful. Grant. You did such amazing work.”
His mother and Kate’s father inspected the cabinets lining the kitchen walls, refinished and hand carved by Grant. “You did this, son?”
Grant nodded. “It’s just an update of the previous cabinets. I created some new doors with glass inlays and some custom carving, then re-stained everything to the color Kate choose. It really wasn’t much.”
Daniel clenched his jaw. Grant always made everything sounds so damn easy. Like everyone did that. It probably was easy for him.
“It’s great work.” Her father praised, and Daniel noticed the smile that came to Kate’s lips with the compliment. “I don’t know that I’ve seen custom work like this, even in Dallas. You’re talented, son.”
“Daniel did all the accounts and made sure we stayed under budget.” Kate squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him, but instead she made him feel three inches tall.
And just like that, he was the scrawny kid in high school again, following after his older brother like a lost puppy. Hell, even as an adult he was still doing that. He’d been the second one to fall in love with Kate. The last one to join into this relationship. He was always runner up, second choice. Grant would always be quarterback, while Daniel was always class treasurer. To the world—and even to Kate.
“You did a great job too, sweetheart.”
His mother smiled at him and Daniel shrank another inch. The only thing worse than being placated by his future wife was being placated by his mother.
“The only thing left to do is paint and move in the furniture.” Kate pointed to the sample taped to the wall, giving them an idea how the living space would look completed.
“Hector and some of the hands are going to paint the whole house. As a wedding present,” Grant called from the back of the room. “They just wanted to wait so you could see the place, before it got too messy.”
His smarter brother had been staying to the back of the group since the moment they’d picked up Kate’s parents at the airport. With each stop on the ranch tour, Daniel had grown more and more jealous of him.
Sometimes being the one to marry their girl sucked. Having to deal with Kate’s parents definitely ranked high on the list.
“Isn’t that nice of them,” Gale added, trying to stay as upbeat and cheery as possible.
“They’re really great guys,” Kate added on, almost as sweet and fake.
Her mother nodded, walking around the room, inspecting every surface. She strode toward the bedroom door, and Daniel sucked in a breath. He might not be Margo Baker’s biggest fan, but no mother should have to see what they’d installed in her daughter’s bedroom.
Thankfully, she moved on without opening the door, stepping back into the kitchen instead. Daniel pulled in a grateful breath. He looked up at his brother, and Grant—though he didn’t show it as much—appeared just as relieved.
“It’s not as nice as your townhouse in Dallas.” Kate’s mother turned up her nose at the Formica countertop, scuffling her feet along the beige tile floors as if testing to see if they’d withhold her steps.
True, Kate’s townhouse in Dallas—the home her parents had bought her—was nicer than this place. But he hoped this house meant more to her than her place in Dallas ever could. This home was theirs together. They’d all cleaned and repaired and designed it together. That meant more to her, right?
“It’s a great place to start. Once we get the ranch running a little smoother, we might think about building a bigger house on a parcel of land by the road. But right now, this is all we need.” Kate smiled over at her mother, trying to look happy, even as her shoulders slumped and the sad glaze covered her eyes.
He hated when she looked like that. He tightened his hands into fists, fighting back the urge to slam one into something. And he had a few ideas what he wanted to start with, if he could.
“At least it will all be ready when you get home from your honeymoon.” Margo’s eyes continued to survey the place, as if she hoped by looking more she’d see something different—something more to her liking. But they didn’t have any magical rotating walls, so she was out of luck. “It’s awful having your home in disrepair. Do you remember when we had to stay at the Four Seasons for two weeks while the floors were being refinished? It was horrible.”
Kate nodded. “The house should be ready before the wedding’s over.”
Kate swallowed, her shoulders dropping another inch, and Daniel’s gut sank.
“But we’re not going on a honeymoon,” she continued. “We put all our money into fixing up this place.”
Kate smiled over at him, then looked to Grant. She didn’t look embarrassed or ashamed that they didn’t have enough money to offer her everything she dreamed of.
Her mother, on the other hand, didn’t look so impressed. In fact, she looked appalled, like they’d committed some terrible wedding taboo by not heading out to the Caribbean right after the ceremony.
“If you’d let us help out, dear, you could have gone anywhere you wanted.”
And there it was, the offer of money that always came with way more strings than either he or Grant were comfortable with. He’d known it would be coming eventually.
Kate wrung her hands together, shifting nervously. “I know. And that’s a very generous offer. But we wanted to do this ourselves.” In other words, without their judgment or ability to enforce their decisions on them.
“Whatever you want, honey.” Her mother’s words were cold and a bit cutting. As if to say,
it’s your decision if you want to live in filth
.
Nervous shakes radiated across Kate’s body. Daniel’s eyes slid to Grant. His brother stood tensely at the back of the room, but he couldn’t move forward. He couldn’t comfort Kate. Not in front of all her family. Not if they wanted to keep their relationship a secret. For the first time in a long time, Grant couldn’t fulfill her need. Only Daniel could. And he wouldn’t let her down.
Before Margo could say one more backhanded comment, Daniel stepped forward. He grabbed Kate’s hand, giving her all the strength he could. “It’s also the start of harvest season. We need every hand we can to get the full potential out of this year’s crop.”
Margo smiled at him, the look of disgrace erased from her features. “That’s very responsible, Daniel. I knew you were a good boy the day my daughter brought you home.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder, confident and calm. Not that he needed or wanted her praise. At least he’d discovered something Kate needed from him. Something Grant couldn’t give her. Her parents liked him. With her parents here, he had her all to himself.
But besides that, what else did he have to offer? Balancing budgets. Working with vendors. Keeping her bed warm anytime Grant left town or was otherwise unavailable. That was all Kate needed from him. But was that enough? Daniel wished he knew.
* * * *
Kate threw a dollop of sweet mashed potatoes on her plate with a little more force than usual. Gale had gone all out, cooking all the country specialties Kate requested—mac and cheese, fried chicken, a fresh greens salad from the garden. She’d even made apple pie for dessert, Daniel’s favorite. This was nothing compared to the brisket, potatoes au gratin and asparagus she had planned for tomorrow, also some of Daniel’s favorites. But just like with everything else on the ranch, the second they’d sat down, her mother’s face had been covered with a sour puss expression, and it had only been getting worse as they passed the food around.
Kate forked a bit of chicken into her mouth. Her temper was at its limits, pushed beyond her usual extremes, and given how this dinner was going, she didn’t know how she would survive it without killing one or both of her parents. Beside her, Daniel appeared glum and quiet too, reserved in a way she’d rarely seen him. She couldn’t wait for this wedding to be over.
No wonder Grant had skipped dinner. Right now she wished she’d done the same. Though she doubted even the most impossible-to-deal-with bridezilla got to skip the rehearsal dinner.
“This is quite a lovely spread.” Her mother smiled over at Gale as she pushed the little bit of food on her plate around in a circle. The comment was intended to be complimentary, but Kate knew her mother better than that. She never said spread. A subtle dig at Gale’s cooking and, in her mother’s opinion, backwoods upbringing.
Gale smiled back, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, Margo.”
“It is very nice, Gale. It must have been a lot of work.” Kate grinned at her future mother-in-law.
“It’s no trouble at all. You know I’d do anything for you two.”
Kate glanced back across the table to her mother. Why couldn’t her own mother have that opinion? Why couldn’t she want to do whatever was necessary to make Kate happy the night before her wedding, like Gale?