Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,67

the trees in the forest are evergreen, but the few that aren’t are on the tail-end of a bright burst of fall colors.

I drive past Billy. He waves and calls out, “James, how are you this fine day?”

“I’m good, Uncle Billy. How are you?”

He shakes his head. “You don’t have to call me uncle, boy. I’m still the same old Billy I was before you knew we were related.”

I just wave and we continue to drive by. “See ya later, Uncle Billy!” I hear him chuckle. I would have stopped and properly introduced him to Tara, but I don’t particularly want to involve Rachel in my family’s life. The less she knows about us, the better.

A few minutes later, I stop the golf cart in front of a giant ponderosa pine and announce, “We have to walk from here. It’s not far.”

Tara puts her backpack on, and Rachel grabs her camera case. As I lead the way, I tell them, “The waterfall is two hundred feet above Copper Creek. While it’s not one of the biggest in Oregon, ten thousand gallons still fall every minute.” Thanks for taking my nature tour.

“It’s amazing!” Rachel exclaims, letting her eyes scan the area. “Is there a place in the creek where you two can stand so I can get most of the falls in the background?”

Tara points to a large flat rock in the middle. “How about over there?”

“We’d have to walk through the water to get there,” I tell her, hoping she’ll opt out. My mind is focused on how cold the water will be and how my body is sure to respond.

Instead, she says, “Cool, let’s do it.” She strips out of her clothes and proceeds to pile them on a rock on the shore. “Hurry up,” she orders.

“I didn’t bring any towels,” I tell her while taking off my clothes.

“Then you’d better not fall in,” Tara laughs.

Rachel is walking around, looking through her camera and trying to find the angle she wants. I take the opportunity to pull Tara into my arms and chatter, “Warm me up.”

She comes willingly and teases, “I thought you were supposed to warm me up.”

“Let’s warm each other up.” I lean my head down to her and capture her lips in a searing kiss. Her response is tentative at first, but she quickly gets on board. Shrinkage is temporarily averted.

Rachel calls out, “Perfect! This is going to be a beautiful shot!” Her exclamation is followed by the clicking of rapid-fire frames. Well, that just killed the mood. I’m no exhibitionist.

Tara takes my hand and leads the way to the creek. “You’re doing great,” she whispers. “Just think, only one more meeting with Rachel and you’ll be able to pay for your bathroom and then some.”

“I’d do this even if I weren’t getting paid. I feel kind of dirty taking money.”

“Don’t,” she tells me. “I assure you the Tattler takes you more seriously because you’re not doing it for free.”

“That’s some crazy world you come from,” I tell her.

“You don’t know the half of it,” she says before stepping right into the frigid water of Copper Creek like it’s a warm bath.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Gwen

Sitting in front of the large picture window in the dining room at the lodge, Ruby tells Gwen, “I’m back to thinking our kids might be perfect for each other.”

“What makes you think that?” Gwen asks while pouring a packet of sugar into her iced tea.

“They just seem so comfortable together. Also, Penny loves them both and that puppy deserves a mom and a dad.”

Gwen laughs. “I’m starting to see some of the benefits of life in Spartan myself.”

“Does Billy have anything to do with that opinion?” Ruby asks her new friend.

“It’s not like I think I’m going to marry the man or anything,” Gwen answers. “I mean, we’ve only seen each other a couple of times, but I really like him. It’s nice spending time with someone who isn’t trying to impress me with superficial things.”

“Billy is one of the best people I’ve ever known. After all these years, I’d love to see him with a partner.”

Gwen smiles shyly. “You’re something of a matchmaker, aren’t you?”

“Ever since my husband died, I’ve been determined to get the boys settled. I want them to know the joy that comes from being in love and raising a family. And let’s face it, they’re not getting any younger.”

“Neither am I,” Gwen replies. “I haven’t been in a real relationship in nearly twenty years, and while I never