"Thanks," she says, unlocking it with her fob. "Where do you want to eat?"
I'm so relieved she didn't question me on why I was in the party store in the first place, that I'm more than happy to let her choose the restaurant. I couldn't tell a lie if she pressed me on it. Truth is, I saw her car in the parking lot when I was passing by on my way back from delivering eggs to the beekeeper.
She peers around the parking lot and suggests a decent Mexican place that might be open early.
"This way we can walk together instead of driving separately," she says, as we fall in step with each other.
"I like the way you think," I say, making sure to keep my stride a little bit shorter. She's in another one of those tight skirts and high heels. "Plus I'm hungry and we get free chips and salsa."
I hold out my arm for her to hold on to. She grins shyly and slips her little hand through the crook of my arm while we walk. "I like the way you think, too."
Chapter Ten
Ally
When I arrive at the ranch the next morning, there are twelve spools already arranged in the barn, exactly as I had planned.
And, to my astonishment, they are already painted white. "How in the…"
"I hope it's all right, I went ahead and painted them for you."
I spin around to see Smitty standing there, white paint on his hands and jeans. "How? When? More importantly, why?"
Smitty leans one arm against the barn door frame, which makes his torso look extra long and lean and huggable. He tips his hat back and examines something in the wood, then pulls off a jagged splinter with his bare fingers while I wince. "Oh, you know. I had the time."
I know that's a lie, but I'm so grateful. "That's one less thing to take care of. Thank you so much."
"Listen, I uhm… I might have… cleared out my schedule for the day. The rest of the guys have it pretty well handled, so what else do you got for me?"
I have to bite my lip to keep from licking it, and giving away all the dirty ways I could answer that question.
"Well, sure. I have a whole list of things. But you don't have to. I mean, I can't pay you."
"Your company is payment enough, little lady."
Oh jeez, the number of people I would allow to call me "little lady" is a very short list. One name appears on that list; that name is Smitty.
"It's above and beyond. And legally I should be paying you, it's not right."
He shifts his hips and moves his arms so his arms are now folded while he leans, and it's just unfair how small his waist is in comparison to his shoulders. "If you insist on paying me then we should just go for it."
"Uhm… go for what?"
I suddenly feel thirsty. Looking around, I notice there's no water hookup in here, which could be a problem for the reception. Must have water, must have toilets. Anyway, focus, Campbell.
"Well, for starters," he says, "I have some ideas on how to get a petting zoo."
"You do?" Now I'm amazed and thirsty.
"And my guy will probably save Sam some money. Feel like going for a ride in the country?"
I smile curiously. "We are in the country."
"I mean, way out in the country. It's a long drive."
The thought of taking a road trip with this man should send off all manner of red flags, but it doesn't. I want to do this. I mean, right now I could run away to Mexico with the man and forget about weddings forever.
I nod in agreement, and Smitty jumps right in by making a phone call while I make calls to check on the DJ, flowers, and catering.
I soon figure out what he means by "a deal" on the petting zoo. When he tells me the price, I am in utter shock.
"Why would he do that for free?"
"Well, he's an old friend of Sam's. The only problem is, we have to go and get the animals and equipment ourselves because the guy's got an event happening at his farm there tomorrow night. And he said he could put us up for tonight since it's kind of a drive."
I look at the GPS map on his phone, and I realize what he means.
A few hours and two state lines later, we're barreling down a gravel road with Sam's livestock trailer in tow.
The countryside is somewhat flat and treeless, but the fields are pretty and dotted with white farmhouses, red barns, and windmills. It's like The Wizard of Oz but in color.
When we finally reach the long driveway, the iron arch over it reads, "Morning Glory Farms and Event Center."
It's the cutest little spread I never expected to find in the middle of nowhere. The rambling old farmhouse has a quaint wraparound porch. A bright red barn lies beyond the house, and beyond that is a directional sign pointing the way to the bed and breakfast and the art studio.
We follow the farm road out to the event center.
People are busy setting up rows of straw bales, a flowered bridal arch, a bandstand, and a dance floor under a massive tent.
Smitty introduces me to the couple in charge, Maggie and Jackson, who somehow seem to be doing all of this work despite having five, six, seven small children running around the property with another half dozen dogs and cats adding to the chaos.
The adorable couple shows us the petting zoo animal barn, filled with assorted calves, chicks, lambs, baby goats, donkeys, even baby alpacas.
"Do you think this will suit your needs?" Jackson asks.
"I think this is above and beyond. Wren is going to lose her mind," I say.
Maggie answers all my questions while Jackson and Smitty work out the details of transporting the animals in the morning.
Maggie and I make our way back to the men, who are finishing up with the wedding prep. "And I'll help you load up the animals first thing in the morning," I hear Jackson say.
"We don't necessarily have to stay if you need to turn over the rooms for the bridal party tomorrow," I offer, still not sure how comfortable I am with the idea of staying the night in the same place as Smitty. I'm not afraid of him—not Smitty, the perfect gentleman. I'm more worried about me jumping his bones in the middle of the night.
Chapter Eleven
Smitty
"We could make it back tonight, but I'm pretty tired," I say, stretching out on a blanket under the tree at the guest house. My belly is full of Maggie's homemade comfort food. Ally is lying on her side across from me, having a glass of wine.
Maggie, Jackson, and their posse of kids and critters all up and left our spontaneous picnic, insisting that the kids can help put away the dishes and clean up.
"Yes, we could, and we probably should. Shouldn't we?" Ally is bent over her day planner, crossing off things and making more notes in margins.
I roll over on my side and watch her chew nervously on the inside of her cheek. "What do we have left to do on that list, partner?"
She sighs. "Well, the caterer and the bartender has been scheduled, I found an up and coming vegan caterer who is eager to impress, so fingers crossed. Sam has agreed to let me use the lavender in the field for floral decorations and bouquets, which I can make myself on Friday. Should be pretty simple and we can save on flowers. Other than the food, that's the most expensive thing on this list. We won't have a deejay, but Sam is going through Wren's music collection, getting names of songs to use, which my assistant will burn onto some CDs. The judge is taken care of. Chairs and a dance floor and centerpieces have been ordered. So really, all that's left is decorating and setting up chairs, which you and the guys will help with on Friday. Tomorrow I'm going to hunt down a dress in the city, and I've already got some dressmakers setting things aside for me. So, not much," I say with a smile. "I think we're ahead of schedule."