Skye loved bridal showers almost as much as she loved weddings, and the best part about the shower taking place in half an hour was how surprised the bride would be. Charity Anderson hadn’t a clue what was coming.
The two women sat at a table on the patio outside the Friendly Bean coffee shop, sipping lattes from Styrofoam cups. On this Saturday in mid-June it was sunny and breezy, inviting residents of the valley to be outdoors. Thus, all of the patio seating was taken. Which meant it was difficult to have a private conversation. Other customers kept coming over to their table to say hello and to give their best wishes to Charity. As if none of them had said it to her before today.
When the latest well-wishers Mayor Ollie Abbott and his wife walked away, Skye repeated the question she’d asked before they’d been interrupted. “So when you get back from your honeymoon, where are you going to live?”
“In Kings Meadow until November. Of course, Buck will be gone a lot in August and September, but it’ll be nice for me, being right next door to Mom and Dad. Then in November we’ll go down to Boise to stay until early spring.” Charity shrugged. “I’m not sure how long we’ll do it that way. We may decide to move back to Kings Meadow full time. Did I tell you we converted the back part of the garage of my house in Boise into a workshop for Buck? Demand for his custom-made saddles has really gone up in the last year.”
“I’m not surprised,” Skye said. “His craftsmanship is amazing. I don’t think I could even afford one of his saddles. Good thing I’m not competing this year, or I’d be tempted to go into debt to get one.” She made a show of checking her watch. “Do we have time to run over to my place for a minute before we need to be at Sara’s?”
Charity nodded. “Sure.”
“Great.” Skye drank the last of her beverage before standing. “And thanks for coming over here with me. I need to buy a new coffeemaker. Mine’s disgusting. Trust me. The coffee is so much better here than at my place.”
They tossed their empty cups into a nearby receptacle and then crossed the street to where Charity had parked her SUV. As Skye got in on the passenger’s side of the Lexus, she wondered what on earth she could say to get Charity to come into her house. She wished she’d figured that out sooner.
It wasn’t a long drive from the Friendly Bean to Skye’s cute little rental on the hillside. But an idea came to her at the same moment Charity turned onto her street.
“Hey, would you mind coming inside? Just for a sec. I’ve got this video of a dance I’d like to teach the wedding party, but I’m not sure it will fit in with your other plans.”
Charity pulled into the car-length driveway. “Sure, I can come in.”
Skye breathed a silent sigh of relief. So far, so good. She got out of the car and glanced up and down the street. No vehicles that didn’t belong or made the neighborhood look too busy on a Saturday morning. Even better. Although she did wonder how far away most of their friends had had to park.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her house key. Not that she would need it. She’d left the door unlocked so the guests could get inside while she and Charity were getting coffee. But she pretended for the bride’s sake. She gave the door a little push to open it, then moved back and politely waved for Charity to go in first.
“Thanks.”
Charity had made it only one step inside when cries of “Surprise!” filled the air. She looked over her shoulder at Skye, as if she needed an explanation.
Skye grinned. “It’s a bridal shower. Surprise!”
When she stepped into the house beside Charity, Skye couldn’t believe how many women had managed to squeeze into her small living and dining rooms. Borrowed folding chairs filled every available space between sofa and stuffed chairs. Crepe paper had been draped from wall to wall and over doorways. A sheet cake sat in the center of the table, a punch bowl nearby.
Charity leaned to the side and asked, “Whose idea was this?”
“Mine. Sara’s. Your sister’s. Half the women here. We all wanted to do a shower, and Terri insisted it be a surprise.”
“Terri and her surprises. She’s crazy for them.”
“Why don’t you tell her yourself? She’s right over there.”
Terri stepped out of the hallway into full view, and Charity’s face lit up as she went to hug her sister. Once Terri let go, Charity was passed from person to person, collecting kisses on her cheeks and more warm hugs around the neck.
Skye beamed with pleasure. It was going to be a great bridal shower.
Of all of the various kinds of cooking Grant did for Leonard Ranch Ultimate Adventures—advertised as “luxury mountain glamping”—his favorites were the cookouts where he was waiting with a great meal when a string of horses and riders rounded a bend in the trail. He loved the surprised looks on the guests’ faces, and folks were often impressed by what he accomplished with a fire burned down to the perfect temperature, a good-sized grill grate, and a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.