Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

B elle had never felt more out of place and simultaneously right where she was meant to be. Dressed in her floral-patterned dress, she stood amidst a crowd of mostly strangers, all gathered on the sprawling Kentucky farm to witness the union of Kassie Goodman and Reggie Avery.

The wedding, an elegant affair set against the backdrop of the Goodman estate’s horse racing legacy, buzzed with anticipation and joy. Belle’s presence felt like an anomaly, a guest of neither the bride nor groom, but of Harry Young. As if he had that much power and presence.

Which he obviously did.

The ceremony unfolded like a dream painted in broad, emotional strokes of blue sky, white picket fences, and the crimson love of happily-ever-after. As Kassie walked down the aisle, radiant and full of a smile, an unexpected knot formed in Belle’s throat. Perhaps it was the palpable emotions floating in the air, or maybe the realization that life offered moments of such unguarded beauty and connection.

Belle’s gaze drifted to Harry, who stood as part of the wedding party, his usual reserve melting away in genuine happiness for his friends. She wondered what the weekend would hold for the two of them. She hadn’t seen Harry in person in months, though his reception of her only a half-hour ago sure had brought butterflies to her ribcage. The sight of him now made her breath clog somewhere in her lungs, because he was cowboy perfection from head to toe.

She looked at Adam, the man charged with guarding Harry. She had no doubt Harry would make room for her wherever he wanted, but that didn’t mean Adam would agree. Right now, he was probably checking everything about Belle, from her previous names to all of her addresses, to her credit history.

You should be glad of that , she told herself as the vows started to be exchanged. With Adam at his side, Harry didn’t have to worry about falling onto a moving baggage claim as people mobbed him. Of course, he also didn’t have to do his own grocery shopping anymore, and if he needed a toothbrush, Adam would simply go get him one.

Belle had no idea what that kind of life looked like. Nothing like hers, she knew that.

The throb of emotion pounding through her pinched slightly at how she and Harry sure seemed to be on different paths. Perhaps he’d spoken true months ago. When he’d said he “sort of” lived in Coral Canyon, and he didn’t know what the next year held for him.

They were only a few months into that year, and Belle had no idea what tomorrow at breakfast would even look like. She and Harry hadn’t actually been out on a date yet. Just because they called or texted didn’t mean they were dating.

The ceremony concluded with a very baseball-like whoop and Reggie taking Kassie into his arms and kissing her. When they turned and lifted their joined hands, Belle clued in and started clapping along with everyone else.

Kassie hugged her mom while Reggie stepped into his sister’s arms—Harry’s mother—and then she and Reggie started down the aisle, their faces shining with nothing but joy and happiness.

Belle wanted that. She wasn’t one for big parties or large crowds, but she wanted the glow of a woman in love, and she wanted a man to look at her the way Reggie looked at Kassie. The way Bryce looked at Codi.

She sighed as the applause died and the guests started to flow after Reggie and Kassie. They had the barn set up for lunch and dancing already, and Belle honestly felt like a boulder in a raging river.

People moved around her while she stood in place, not sure how to get her legs to take that first step.

Then Harry appeared in front of her. Belle blinked. “Hey.”

“Are you comin’?” he asked, offering her his arm. “Bryce said he made sure there was room for us at his table.”

Belle slid her hand easily into the crook of his elbow. “Yes,” she said. “Sorry, I just got lost there for a second.” She hadn’t even realized the whole garden had emptied. Almost. A few stragglers walked slowly toward the barn, and Belle finally got her feet to move as Harry tucked her arm close, close, close to his body.

“There’s a lot going on,” he said easily, taking her to the end of the row and then down the aisle toward the barn. If he noticed anyone watching them, he acted like he didn’t. Belle wasn’t used to having eyes on her, and she squirmed internally at the thought.

Once they entered the barn….

“So you know Codi and Bryce, huh?” Harry asked.

Belle sensed the underlying current of curiosity in his voice, and she dared to look at him. Attraction sparked through her in a powerful jolt of electricity, and it infused into her voice as she said, “Yes, a little. Codi and Kassie more than Bryce. We, uh, girls text a little bit.”

“I see.”

“I’m not saying anything bad about you,” she said quickly. “I’ll show you my texts.”

Harry smiled and ducked his head. “I don’t need to see them,” he said quietly. “I trust you.” He just said it out loud, just like that. “Now, we’re getting dangerously close to the barn, and I don’t know who you’ve met and who you haven’t. My family…is….”

Belle smiled to herself and didn’t offer him a way out of the sentence he’d started .

“Well, they’re big,” he said. “And loud. And like, not just big in numbers, but big in personality. My daddy?—”

“I’ve met your parents,” she said.

His hand dropped from his pocket, and his fingers slid between hers. “But not with me at your side.” He squeezed her hand. “Not like this.”

“No,” she murmured. “It was a little different.”

“My aunt and uncle are here,” Harry said. “My grandparents.”

Suddenly the pressure on her shoulders seeped down into her lungs, where it made breathing hard. The doors to the barn loomed, and Belle matched her step to Harry’s, which didn’t slow a bit.

They entered the magnificent barn, full of tea lights and greenery and soft, petally roses. They came in all colors, but mostly yellow, white, and pink. Not much red, and Kassie didn’t seem like red-roses type of person anyway. Belle wasn’t sure what type of flowers she’d have at her wedding, but she imagined light colors and fairy dust, so much like this barn.

Soft music played from overhead, and Belle came to a stop to bask in all of it. “This is so beautiful,” she said.

“ You’re beautiful,” Harry whispered. “Tell me where you’re staying and what time to get you for breakfast.”

Belle looked at him, magic flowing through her veins. She smiled, glad when Harry ducked his head and used his big ole hat to shield them from the rest of the barn. He swept his lips across her cheek and murmured, “I will get up at any hour to see you. ”

“Any hour?” she whispered back. Harry stayed up late and slept late, she knew that. So him saying he’d come to her at the time she said meant a great deal to her. “I think nine is early enough, don’t you?”

“How long will you be in town?”

“Just until Tuesday,” she said. “Bryce and Codi have a dinner planned tomorrow night.”

“But you’re free all day.”

“Yes,” Belle said. “I’m free all day.”

“So nine for breakfast,” he said. “Adam and I will come get you.”

Belle grinned as he looked back to the barn. She found Adam standing over by a table close to the long row of seats where Kassie and Reggie would obviously sit with their families. In fact, Harry’s father had just sat down in his spot, and Belle didn’t see his mom.

“Does Adam come on your dates with you?”

“No,” he said. “He delivers me where I need to be, and that’s that. He won’t sit down to pancakes with us or anything.”

“Good,” Belle said. “Because I don’t like pancakes.”

Harry blinked and swung his attention back to her. “That’s very good information to know for a breakfast date.”

“Come on,” Belle said. “I’m staying at The Brown Hotel, along with everyone else.”

Harry whistled. “Nice place.”

“Of course you’ve stayed there.”

“So I’ll find us a nice place for breakfast,” he said, moving again. “And then we’ll go back to the hotel for lunch. It’s the origin of the Hot Brown sandwich. Did you know that?”

“I did not know that,” Belle murmured as more people looked their way.

Adam met them about halfway to the table, and he nodded to both of them without saying anything. He turned and walked between Harry and everyone else, and Belle liked his subtle way of taking care of the country music star.

“Right here, sir,” Adam murmured as he pulled out Harry’s chair. Harry moved to the one next to him and pulled it out for Belle first.

“Everyone,” he said as she sat down. “This is Belle Graves. She’s…with me.” He sat down and nodded across her to Codi. “You know Codi and Bryce. Then that’s his momma and daddy, Abby and Tex. My grandparents over there—Cecily and Jerry. And my brother and sister.” He grinned at the two kids seated at the table. “Clay and Keri.”

Adam sat down beside his grandfather as Belle said, “So great to meet all of you.” She smiled, and as they grinned back and Codi asked her something, Belle felt the strangest sense of…belonging.

Belle hadn’t packed adequately to go on three dates with Harry in one day. She had brought a dress for dinner that night, but she’d been planning to hang out in the spa and the pool at the hotel during the day.

“So the dress will have to do for breakfast too,” she muttered to herself as she slipped it over her head. With her dark hair and features, she looked good in blues and purples. Today, she’d brought a plaid dress in the cooler colors—green, blue, purple, white.

It fell over her curves, and she tugged it to her knee. She wasn’t much of a dress wearer, and she felt so out of her element in the dress. Give her a pair of black jeans and a T-shirt, and she’d be more comfortable. She’d feel more like herself.

Sighing, she stepped out of her dress and sank onto her mattress. She dialed Codi, desperation clawing at her throat.

“Heya,” Codi chirped into the phone. “You’re going out with Harry, right? Because Bryce and I just left, and….”

“Right, right,” Belle said. “I’m going out with him. I’m just wondering…I hate the dress I brought, and I didn’t account for a breakfast date.” All at once, she realized she wasn’t anywhere near the same size as Codi. She probably stood five inches taller than her, had a larger chest and shoulders, and it took a special blouse to cover her barrel-shaped torso.

“I don’t know why I called,” Belle said. “I just want to wear my travel clothes to breakfast. Would that be okay, do you think?”

“Sure,” Codi said. “Wear what you want, Belle.”

“It’s our first date,” she whispered. “I just want to be comfortable.”

“They’ve got some cute tees in the gift shop in the lobby,” Codi said. “If you’ve got fifteen minutes, it might be worth running down there. ”

Belle got to her feet and picked up the jeans she’d discarded over the recliner the first night she’d arrived here in Louisville. “I’ll run and check right now,” she said. “Thanks, Codi.”

“Remember one thing, Belle,” Codi said. “Harry’s just as nervous and excited to see you as you are to see him, okay?”

Belle paused in pulling on her jeans. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“Trust me on this,” Bryce called, and Belle smiled.

“Okay,” she said. “I don’t have much time.”

“Good luck,” Codi said. “We’ll pray they have the perfect shirt for you.”

And because that was the kind of people Bryce and Codi were, Belle knew they would. She let them hang up as she buttoned herself into her jeans and pulled on the tee she’d worn on the plane here. Then she grabbed her thread wallet, made sure she had her room keycard, and hurried for the elevator.

“Lord,” she whispered as the car descended at a painfully slow pace. “I just need one shirt I feel comfortable in. That’s not too much to ask of a whole gift shop, is it?”

As the door slid open and a bell dinged, she added, “And make Harry just a little late, please. He doesn’t like to get up early, and it would be fine if he overslept today.” Then she hurried toward the gift shop, her prayer running through her mind the same way her pulse sprinted through her veins.