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Cat shrugged “Who knows? Dad is definitely thinking outside the box this year”

“Okay I’ll stop pestering you” Sloan sot” She kneeled at the bottoarlands that had fallen to the floor “They’re all dusty”

“I’ll get a rag or sohed and went to fetch one from the same closet the ladder ca briefly about that outside-the-box comment

If the ten-thousand-dollar check Chase had given to Wade was for a Christ one She couldn’t iht be But then Chase could be awfully close-ht and it was a charitable donation or so else that wasn’t remotely festive

She put the thought aside as Cat returned, a towel in hand Cat held it like a hammock and Sloan poured the dusty beads into it

“Anything else in the bucket?” Cat asked

“I don’t think so” Sloan rolled the strands around in the towel “So ere you doing when I came over?”

“Sorting out the wall decorations”

“I’ll give you a hand”

“Around four o’clock” had long been the stated starting time for the Triple C’s ranch party for its e timbered barn shortly after three Those from distant corners of the ranch left early in case the roads were bad Others, especially the bachelors, were all cleaned up for the party and had nothing better to do

Fro collection of vehicles parked at the barn Any other year she would already have been at the barn by noell But this year she hadn’t left the Homestead when Jessy, Trey, Sloan, and Jake had Cat had used the excuse that Chase wasn’t ready and that she would stay to drive him to the barn later

All knew that Chase wasn’t ready because he aiting for Wade Rogers to co for the same reason

Aware that she had dawdled in her roos from her jewelry box and crossed to the lance The bright red of her Christ her realize how far from festive she felt

“You ht as well face it,” she told the woht and low, “you’ve been stood up”

The words twisted through her like a knife for a moment She shut her eyes in an attempt to check the sharp ache, then deter forward at a proud angle