“I know that,” Nevada told her, stunned by the words. A double wedding. Sure. They were engaged and sisters and Dakota was pregnant so getting married made sense. As for them doing it at the same time, the three of them had shared nearly all their milestones. Why not a wedding?
Except she would be left out, what with not even dating, let alone being serious about someone.
“I think it’s a great idea,” she said, smiling, hoping she sounded excited and happy. “Do you have any dates picked out?”
“We were talking about Thanksgiving weekend,” Dakota said. “Mom thinks Ford will be home for the holidays.”
Ford was the youngest of their brothers, although still older than them. He was in the navy and stationed overseas.
“You’ll want Ford here,” she said firmly. “I think Thanksgiving weekend is a great time.”
They both studied her, as if searching for the truth. Nevada held in a sigh. What was she supposed to say? That she felt lonely and abandoned? That while she was thrilled her sisters had found happiness, she wanted a little of that for herself? Well, she did. But wanting something wouldn’t make it happen and there was no way she was going to stand in the way of her sisters’ weddings.
“You’d better decide pretty soon,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of places that can hold the whole family and half the town.” She smiled at them both. “I’m sure. This is the right thing for you to do.”
“Thank you,” Dakota whispered.
“I’m the superior triplet,” Nevada told her. “I don’t know why you were worried. Now, you two run off and plan your wedding. I’m going to find something with equal parts sugar and fat to clear my head.”
She left her sisters talking about whatever it was prospective brides talked about and hurried toward the closest Starbucks. Once there she got a mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and told herself that her sisters getting married was a good thing. They deserved to be happy and in love. The fact that she deserved it, too, was something she would wrestle with another time.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, still reeling from the embedded memory of her mother’s escapades and slightly off-balance from her sisters’ announcement, Nevada found herself with nothing to do and nowhere to go. She wandered into Jo’s Bar thinking she might find some of her friends there. Heidi, Charlie and Annabelle were at a table in the middle and they waved her over.
“We’re escaping the happiness of the Fall Festival,” Charlie announced, pushing a bowl of chips toward Nevada. “I love the festivals, but all those children.” She shuddered.
Heidi laughed. “Not a kid person?”
“Individually they’re fine, but as a group? I don’t think so. Did you read Lord of the Flies?”
Annabelle tilted her head. “It’s not about children,” she began. “It’s an allegory for—”
Charlie groaned. “You really are a librarian.”
“Because I would lie about that?”
They laughed.
Nevada relaxed for the first time in days. Here she could escape the complications of her life and just hang. Was that why men liked bars?
She studied the three women at the table. Heidi was casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, as suited her goat-girl status. Her long blond hair hung in a thick braid. She had a fresh, clean kind of pretty. Annabelle, on the other hand, was a petite redhead who favored delicate prints and wore dresses with puffed sleeves. A little fussy for Nevada’s taste, but they suited her. Charlie was at the other end of the spectrum. Nevada had always considered herself pretty casual, but compared to Charlie, she practically wore couture. Charlie’s off-duty uniform consisted of cargo pants and a big, open shirt over a tank top. Her short-cropped hair looked as if she’d cut it herself because it was easier than going to a salon.
Jo walked over to the table. “You drinking today?” she asked Nevada.
“No. I’ll have a Diet Coke.” She glanced at her friends. “Want to split nachos? These chips have put me in the mood.”
Annabelle groaned. “I love nachos. And they love my thighs. Sure, I’ll share.”
Heidi and Charlie both nodded.
Jo looked at Heidi. “Want me to use some of that cheese you brought me?”
“Sure.” Heidi smiled. “I’m bringing samples to all the businesses in town. To get some interest going. With a big ranch comes a big mortgage.”
“I’m not sure I want to know how the dry cleaner is going to use cheese,” Charlie muttered.
“You never use the dry cleaner,” Nevada reminded her.
Charlie grinned. “A point of pride with me.”
Jo looked at Nevada. “Is it true? Was your mom really going at it with Max Thurman on the kitchen table?”
Nevada winced. “Which of my sisters told you?”
“Both of them.”
So typical. No one kept secrets in this town.
“I have to say,” Jo continued, “I’ve always liked your mom, but now I have complete respect for her. She’s raised six kids, survived the death of her husband and now this. I hope I’m just like her when I’m her age.” She winked. “You have a great gene pool. I hope you’re grateful.”
“Yes, but oddly traumatized by the sight of my mother having sex.”
Jo laughed, then returned to the bar.
“Did you really see Denise like that?” Charlie asked. Her voice was more “you go, girl” than shocked.
“Why is everyone taking her side?”
“Because I don’t have it in me to have sex on a kitchen table,” Heidi admitted. “Wouldn’t it be cold and uncomfortable?”
“It depends on the surface,” Annabelle said. “Glass could be freezing, but wood isn’t….” She cleared her throat. “Theoretically, of course.”
Charlie raised her eyebrows. “Someone has a past.”
Jo returned with the soda, then went back to the bar.
“How are things out at the ranch?” Nevada asked Heidi.
“Good. We’ve nearly finished repairing the barn. The goats are great. The cheese takes time to produce, so what I’m selling now I made before we moved here. Next year we’ll do much better with the cheese. Until that happens, cash is going to be tight. We’re thinking of boarding a few horses. Do you think there’s a market for that?”
“I’m looking for a place to put my horse,” Charlie said.
The three of them stared at her.
“You have a horse?” Nevada asked, trying to imagine Charlie riding.
“Sure. I like horses, I like being outside.”
“I’ve never seen you on a horse.”
“I board him at a place about thirty miles from here. I’d like to get him closer. I’m not the only one. Morgan just bought his granddaughter a pony and they’re keeping it in the same place.”
Heidi grinned. “Thanks for telling me. The barn is ready to go. Seriously, why don’t you come by and look it over?”
“I will.”
They set a time for the following afternoon.
Jo arrived with the nachos. Conversation shifted to the Fall Festival and what was going on in town.
“I got the paperwork on the blasting permits,” Charlie told Nevada.
“Good. Are you going to be our fire department representative?”
Charlie grabbed a chip covered in cheese. “I’ll be there, keeping you in line.”
“I don’t plan to cross the line, believe me. We want everything to go smoothly.”
“Oh, look.” Annabelle shifted in her seat and pointed toward the door.
Nevada turned around and saw Will walking in. He crossed to the bar and waited for Jo to notice him.
“They were fighting in the alley the other night,” the librarian said. “Well, not fighting exactly, but having a heated discussion.” She lowered her voice. “He really wants to go out with her and she keeps telling him no. I’m not sure why. He’s cute and he seems nice.”