Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Trevor laced his fingers in Clara’s as they watched the parade kick off the first day of the Dogwood Trails Festival. “My mama and daddy brought me and all five of my brothers to town for this festival every year. I’ve probably been coming to it since the spring after I was born.”

“Mama Lizzy has pictures of me and Sophia in one of those double strollers,” Clara said. “But by that time, you must’ve been about four years old. Did I ever tell you that I had a crush on you back in high school? Maybe I should say when you were a senior and I was a freshman.”

Trevor squeezed her hand. “Honey, I’ve always worn glasses and had thin hair, and you were so beautiful that I would never have thought about asking you out in those days.”

“Why not?” Clara asked.

“Fear of rejection,” he answered with a chuckle. “I’m the luckiest man in the whole great state of Texas to have you on my arm today. And I intend to show you just how much I love you for the rest of your life.”

“I love you too,” Clara said and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“So, how did the wedding cake stuff go yesterday?” Trevor asked.

“Better than I thought it would.” Clara went on to tell him what they had decided. “I was afraid that I might have to take you up on that offer to fly to Vegas for the weekend, but Sophia finally came around. She really wanted a big fling-ding wedding that would last a week, something in a fancy venue with golden chandeliers.”

“And you wanted a simple ranch wedding. I’m amazed that y’all can agree on anything.” Trevor nodded toward a taco vendor. “Let’s go get a snack over there when the parade ends.”

“Sounds good to me,” Clara said, “and then we’ll have snow cones for dessert.”

“Hey, we located the cutest little handmade jewelry vendor,” Sophia said as she and Lizzy joined them. “I bought a pair of earrings for each of my bridesmaids to wear to the wedding. They’re different shapes, but all in shades of green like their dresses. Have you bought your gifts yet?”

“I have only one attendant,” Clara answered. “I asked Trevor’s grandmother to be my maid of honor because you’re already taken as a bride. She’s going to wear a green floral dress and emerald earrings that her husband gave her on their first anniversary. I thought I might give her a framed picture of me and Trevor as a thank-you gift.”

“She would love that,” Trevor said. “I’ve always hated pictures of myself, and being the baby of six boys, there aren’t a lot of me. But honey, if you’re in the photo, I’ll feel like a king.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “How we can be twins is a total mystery.”

“Amen to that,” Trevor agreed.

“They are named after my sisters,” Lizzy explained. “Sophia is the image of my oldest sister, Clara, and Clara looks just like my younger sister, Sophia. I should have switched their names at birth, but they were both bald-headed at that time. And I couldn’t tell what color their eyes were. Both of my sisters were gone before the girls were born, but I wanted to honor them by giving them namesakes.”

“Did your sisters get along?” Clara asked.

“Lord, no! None of us could go half a day without an argument,” Lizzy answered. “Thank goodness for that, because it fitted me for what I was about to go through raising you two. Come on, Sophia. Let’s go see about that vendor over there with the purses. I could use a new little clutch bag for the wedding.”

“Mama Lizzy!” Clara said as she shook her finger at her grandmother. “You’ve been on so many committees and were even president of the Chamber of Commerce. I bet you have a dozen bags in your closet that would work for a wedding.”

“Probably twenty or more,” Lizzy told her. “But not a one of them matches the dress I have picked out for that day. You and this good-looking fiancé of yours enjoy the day. Have her home by midnight, Trevor.”

Trevor tipped his cowboy hat toward her. “Yes, ma’am. See y’all tomorrow morning in church. Reckon it would be all right if I stole her away for a family dinner at the ranch? We’d be glad if you and Sophia could join us.”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to turn you down, son,” Lizzy said. “I’ve promised my friend Marlene that I would go to lunch with her after church, but I’m sure Sophia will be glad to have a good meal rather than eating sandwiches or leftovers.”

* * *

“Yes, I would,” Sophia muttered, and then wondered why she’d said such a thing. She didn’t want to go to church, pretend to listen to a boring sermon, or go out to the ranch to smell fresh cow patties. Give her the scent of hot concrete and greasy burger joints any day of the week over cows and hay. “Why don’t y’all pick me up at the hotel after church?”

“I’ll wake you up in plenty of time to go to the services with us,” Lizzy told her. “I’ll drive us, and then you can go out to the ranch with Trevor and Clara.”

And that’s the reason I moved away from this area and vowed to never come back, Sophia thought as she and her grandmother headed toward the vendor with the purses. Mama Lizzy wants to micromanage every minute of my time.

“Why don’t you call Hunter and see if he wants to come up here and go out to the ranch with you tomorrow?” Lizzy asked.

“Good grief, Mama Lizzy,” Sophia gasped. “It’s a three-hour drive up here, and then another three for him to get home.”

“Doesn’t he love you enough to make that effort?” Lizzy asked but didn’t wait for an answer before she went on. “Or maybe he could get that little company plane to bring him up here like y’all did at Christmas. You can pick him up at the airport and take him back after supper. That way, you four could spend a little time together. He doesn’t even know Trevor.”

Sophia didn’t roll her eyes, but it took a lot of willpower and effort not to do so. “They can get to know each other later.” She couldn’t imagine “The Cowboy,” as she called him when she talked to Hunter about Trevor, and a man who wore three-piece suits and ties to work having any more in common than she and her sister did.

“He is coming a couple of days before the wedding, isn’t he?” Lizzy persisted.

“He’ll be here on Wednesday before that Friday,” Sophia answered, and picked up a cute little navy-blue purse. “What do you think of this one?”

“I know you’re changing the subject,” Lizzy said, “and that purse looks downright dowdy. Let’s go sit at a table with an umbrella over it and enjoy a pi?a colada.”

“It’s a little early to start drinking,” Sophia said.

“Honey, you ain’t in Houston,” Lizzy said with a giggle. “And after putting up with you two all morning, I think I’m entitled to a drink.”

Sophia pulled out her phone and found the icon that showed her how many of her points a drink would cost. She’d already done some damage to the count with a breakfast the size of the one she’d eaten.

“Maybe you could have something this next couple of weeks without looking up the calories and fat grams,” Lizzy said.

“Why are you always fussing at me?” Sophia put the phone back in her pocket. “I just want to be beautiful for my wedding day.”

“Does Hunter think you are beautiful?” Lizzy asked.

“Of course he does,” Sophia answered.

“Would he love you if you gained twenty pounds or were hugely pregnant?” Lizzy persisted.

Sophia frowned. She couldn’t lie, but how could she tell her grandmother that she and Hunter hadn’t even talked about children?

“Uh-huh,” Lizzy said.

“What does that mean?” Sophia asked.

Lizzy got in the line of people waiting to buy a frozen pi?a colada. “It means that Clara and Trevor want four kids and have already picked out names for them, and from the expression on your face, you and Hunter haven’t even discussed the idea of a family. That scares me. You have your mother’s genes, whether I like it or not.”

“I want a family,” Sophia said, “but not for a couple or three years, and I am not my sister. You should know that by now.”

“Oh, honey, I may not be real smart, but I’ve managed a hotel since I was twenty years old, and I know you two girls very well,” Lizzy said. “You are jealous of Clara because she’s small and cute. She envies you because you are tall and beautiful.”

Sophia put her phone away. “I’m not so sure that my laid-back sister could ever be jealous of me, but on another note, I’ve changed my mind. I do want a drink.”

“Good girl,” Lizzy said. “We’ll sit over there and watch the people for a spell. It’s been a year since I took time off from work just to enjoy the afternoon. I’m glad you are here to share it with me.”