Maxine Morrey - Second Chance At The Ranch

Still, putting that aside, they lived in completely different worlds. Nick’s involved other people and, as far as he was concerned, Hero’s only involved herself, perhaps Juliet, and now Joe. When it came to those two, she certainly gave the appearance that nothing was too much trouble. Anyway, the sooner she went, the better he’d feel. As a rule, Nick knew he was pretty easy on people, so having to work at something like this was a new experience, not to mention distracting. He was looking forward to getting station life back to its normal routine.

Hero moved again as she mentally tried to push the unexpected and entirely unwanted thought of Nick Webster naked in a bed out of her mind. Her gaze lifted as she did, and she found that very man watching her. She stopped mid-shift. Even with her make-up and the soft lighting of the dining room, Nick could see it. She was blushing. A smile slid onto his lips. This might be fun. He sat back in his chair, tipping it until it balanced on the two back legs.

‘I reckon with me being best man and you being chief bridesmaid, we probably ought to have at least one dance together tomorrow.’

Hero smiled back sweetly, wondering if it was bad that she was secretly hoping his chair would tip over, just to wipe the smug look off his face.

‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of women clamouring for your attention already, Nick.’

‘Probably,’ he agreed languidly, his broad shoulders lifting in a shrug, ‘but I’m sure I can make space for you.’

Hero’s eyes widened in disbelief at his arrogance. Under the table, he got a hard kick from his older brother. Pete knew Nick was only winding her up, but it was obvious to everyone this wasn’t a game Hero Scott had ever played.

Make space! She could have slapped him.

‘Well, I’m sure that’s very kind of you but I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.’ She purposefully kept the tone light. Only two more days and she’d be gone, back to civilisation and her own world. She ignored the fact that, for some reason, she didn’t feel as happy about that as she probably should have. But on the plus side, it did mean she only had two more days to put up with Nick Webster and his judging looks and suppositions about her and her life. For Juliet, Hero was prepared to be civil and play along with his silly little game.

Nick shrugged and smiled as he bounced the chair back onto the floor, garnering a reprove from his mother about the furniture as he did so. He apologised politely to her with a smile, then glanced back to their guest. She was listening to his brother rattle on about her sister. Nick smiled to himself. No matter how well she covered it, he’d got a reaction. Maybe there was hope for Hero Scott after all.

***

Hero was enjoying the wedding celebrations far more than she had expected to. What she was most thankful for was the fact that hardly anyone seemed to know, or care, who she was, outside of being the bride’s younger sister. The relief in that alone was almost like a physical burden had been lifted. The only attention she’d felt unsure about was from one of the waitresses. A blonde, busty woman of a similar age to her, she guessed, whom she recognised as a barmaid from the local pub. Hero had noticed a few looks come her way from that direction when she’d been into town with Juliet. Her stomach tensed at the thought of this woman posting something on social media about her being here. Hero had always been so careful to protect Juliet’s identity. The world could judge her, but her sister was entirely out of bounds. The world’s obsession with social media had definitely made protecting her more difficult but, so far, Hero had managed it. The last thing she wanted now was someone giving out information about her, and the location of the Websters’ place.

She’d mentioned her concerns to Juliet, who had apparently then mentioned them to her new family, as the subject had soon come up one night over dinner. Hero had given Juliet a bit of a look, feeling awkward and worrying that the Websters might think she was spoiled and full of herself, assuming people would automatically want to talk about her. She could understand an outsider thinking that. But she operated within that world, and she knew how it worked.

Thankfully, the Websters had been very understanding, telling her not to worry about it, and that they would do their best to make sure everyone’s privacy was protected. That was apart from Nick. Throughout the whole conversation, he’d kept his eyes down, concentrating on his food, staying out of the conversation. It was clear that he was as keen for her to leave as she was.

Pete’s parents had been very kind at introducing her to people at the wedding venue and then again this evening, but it was their son’s wedding and they had plenty of their own mingling to do. The Websters were well known and well liked in the area, and Juliet was already becoming a favourite in her own right.

Glancing around the room earlier, Hero had noticed a few jealous looks being thrown her sister’s way. It was understandable. Pete was handsome, solvent and a decent man – an ideal combination, and one that wasn’t always that easy to find in a busy city, let alone in a remote location like this, she imagined. Even if she saw them, Juliet wouldn’t take it to heart. She understood that all they saw was that an outsider had come along and snapped up one of the few eligible men in the area. In time, they’d get used to it, and her. Hero had pulled a face at her answer when they’d talked about it yesterday, wondering at the ability her sister had to always see the best in people. Hero’s nature and life path had combined to make her see things differently. It was one subject that they had agreed to disagree on, several times:

‘The trouble with you, Jules, is that you think everyone is like you.’

‘And the trouble with you is that you don’t.’

The reception was heaving, and Hero took the opportunity to step outside, breathing in the warm air of the evening as she looked up, gazing at the huge sky, stars now appearing, sparkling like diamonds on the deep blue canvas of twilight. It was years since she’d last looked up at the stars and really been able to see them as she did now. The light pollution in London, and all the other major cities she’d worked in around the world had meant she’d almost forgotten they were up there. But there they were. Hero breathed in deeply, as if by doing so she would be able to take away some of the peace and beauty with her when she left. As if by photographing this moment in the camera of her mind, she’d hold on to the feeling of calm she felt settling around her as she gazed up at them.

She jumped as a door burst open behind her, the sounds of the party within tumbling out in the night.

‘All right, love.’ One of the many people Gill had introduced her to earlier tapped her on the shoulder as they passed, before taking one of the chairs under an awning nearby. Next she heard the click of a lighter, and then the rhythmic movement of an ash glowing, then cooling as it moved up and down in the smoker’s hand. She was thankful he’d not stopped to chat, as unsociable as she knew that sounded. Hero had never been good at small talk, a quirk that worked fine in her usual surroundings. Most people, she found, were more than happy to talk about themselves ad infinitum. Their compliments about her being such a good listener, which Hero always waved off with a smile and a headshake, felt unwarranted. She knew the truth was that she should be thanking them. The less she had to talk about herself, the better. Magazines and social media, not to mention Anya, had told her that apparently she was looked upon as mysterious. Hero knew that others were less kind, thinking her behaviour spoke more of snobbishness and that she considered herself far too high and mighty to ever engage with those outside her immediate circle. If only they knew, Hero thought. What she’d give to have the easy-going, sociable nature of her sister, instead of the awkward, shy confines of her own.