Suzanne could pull herself together to respond to Samantha’s offer, Jessica stood and leaned over to whisper in Cal’s ear. He stood also, and followed her from the table.
Everyone stared at Samantha.
“What’s going on?” Mac asked.
“Is something wrong?” Ryan asked.
Suzanne didn’t ask anything. She thought she might even be able to guess what had just happened. She waited.
“So, is everything ready for the wedding?” Samantha asked. That took Suzanne by surprise. “How did you—”
“Florence is my mother-in-law.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize everyone was connected in this town.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. Have you figured out what to wear yet?”
“No. I’m not even sure I can go through with it,” Suzanne said without thinking.
Ryan protested indignantly, “Hey!”
“You said we could discuss it again!” she reminded him. “I don’t think marriage is necessary.”
“I don’t know,” Mac said slowly. “We’re a pretty conservative town. Living together isn’t very accepted.”
Suzanne turned a bright red. “No! I mean, I intended to be his housekeeper, but I would go home to the children’s house each night.”
“It won’t work,” Ryan said flatly, staring at her.
“I still don’t see why,” she said.
“Because of the kids. They all need a permanent situation to make them feel safe,” Mac said. “And you need a permanent solution to the ranch problem. Cal told me that you fired all your men and hadn’t found anyone to replace them.”
She knew he was being kind in not adding that she wouldn’t know a good cowboy from a bad one.
“Yes, but—okay, maybe you’re right, but what if Ryan meets his soul mate next year, when he’s married to me? What happens then?”
“Well, he can divorce you. In which case, hire me as your divorce attorney and we’ll strip him bare,” Mac promised, with a chuckle. Everyone laughed except her and Ryan.
Cal and Jessica returned to the table, and Jessica asked, “What are you laughing about?”
“We’re planning how Suzanne and I will take Ryan to the cleaners if he tries to divorce her next year,” Mac explained cheerfully, as if that were normal conversation.
Jessica looked at each of them. “Oh. But he’s a very nice man, Suzanne. Are you sure you want to divorce him?”
“You didn’t hear about him and Lola? I thought gossip was rampant in Cactus,” Suzanne said, getting into the spirit of the conversation.
Jessica looked from Suzanne to Ryan and said, “Oh, you and Lola, huh? I’m on your side, Suzanne.”
“Wait a minute. It was Lola’s fault!” Ryan protested, going along with their teasing. “She seduced me!”
“Just like a man,” Suzanne said, “always blaming it on the lady.”
Everyone chuckled.
“But seriously, Suzanne, have you figured out what to wear?” Samantha asked again. “Because we all have dresses and we’d be glad to loan you one.”
“Well, I do have a very nice cream suit. Would that do?”
“A suit?” Ryan asked, unhappy with her choice.
“Yes. It’s a nice suit.”
“I think that sounds lovely,” Samantha said. “And I have a cream hat with a small veil. I’ll bring it out to you tomorrow after office hours.”
“Oh, thank you, Samantha.”
“Who are you going to have as your maid of honor?” Jessica asked. “I’ll volunteer. After all, I’ve known you five minutes longer than Sam.”
“I’d be pleased if you would,” Suzanne said, feeling much better.
“What’s your favorite color?” Jessica asked.
“Blue,” Suzanne replied, careful not to look at Ryan’s eyes. She certainly hadn’t chosen that color because of his eyes. Of course not. “Could Mandy and Beth be flower girls? And Josh the ring bearer?”
“Perfect!” Samantha said, clapping her hands. “Now, we need someone to give you away. Cal? You’re the law in these parts. Do you feel up to the job?” She suddenly turned serious. “Unless your father…” she said, looking at Suzanne.
“No. If Cal doesn’t mind, that would be wonderful.” She looked at Ryan, who seemed uninterested in their discussion. “Who will your best man be, Ryan?”
“Well, I was going to ask Mac, but if he’s going to be your divorce attorney, I don’t know.” Ryan lifted an eyebrow in her direction, drawing attention to his blue eyes.
“Oh, all right, I’ll find another divorce attorney.”
“You can have Alex. She’s a damned good attorney. And she’s my partner.” Mac looked at Ryan. “You may regret that decision, because Alex might be even more vicious.”
“Naw. I’d rather have a male attorney. Besides, there won’t be a divorce,” Ryan said.
“By the way, I ordered for us when Cal and I were in the kitchen. We have something to celebrate tonight,” Jessica said, changing the subject. “We’re having another baby.”
Even Suzanne cheered that announcement. It was clear how much they cared about each other.
“Cal said no more babies, but I wanted to have a little girl. So keep your fingers crossed for us.”
They all cheered. Dinner was much more enjoyable than Suzanne had expected. When they left to head home, she felt that she had made two good friends. In the truck she said, “Everyone is so friendly here.”
“You met some of Cactus’s best people tonight. There are some others, too. We all went to school together,” Ryan said. “I was a few years behind them. And then I married Tiffany.”
“Is that Beth’s mother?”
“Yeah.”
“Beth is such an old-fashioned name compared to Tiffany.”
“That’s because Tiffany didn’t have any interest in naming our baby. She was mad because she’d gotten pregnant. I named her after my mother.” The bitterness in his voice was clear.
“I’m sorry,” Suzanne murmured.
“You’d
