“I think Finn will love it. So will I. I’m looking forward to seeing the specs.”

  “Great.”

  Owen liked that Casey wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, or experiment. They’d started out small, but now that they had a steady flow of customers, they also had a lot of client requests for different types of beers, and they kept track of those requests to see what was the most common. Owen kept his eye on the bottom line, of course, but it didn’t hurt to branch out. That was how they were growing.

  He spent the day doing supply inventory, then took a couple of hours off to go to the gym. After he’d finished his treatment last year, his primary goal was to gain back the weight he’d lost, to get strong again and work on his health. He started eating better, and working out every day—or at least as much as he could. Sure, he’d drink beer—after all, it was his livelihood—but other than that, he took good care of himself.

  Except for that wild drunken night in Vegas with Honor.

  He paused as he racked the weights, thoughts of Honor creeping into his head. After they’d driven home, they’d gone their separate ways and hadn’t spoken since, apart from exchanging a few text messages about choosing a lawyer. But now that the wheels in his brain were turning, he really wanted to contact her.

  Hey, our meeting with the lawyer is coming up.

  She texted back. Yes, it’s on my calendar.

  He waited a beat, then typed a response. Why don’t we have dinner tonight? We can discuss everything and prepare for the meeting.

  He stared at the phone, not knowing what he expected. He knew she was busy during the day, but he saw the dots, so he thought she was going to reply. But then the dots disappeared and nothing came through.

  He frowned.

  Okay, so this was complicated. He got that. But they were still friends.

  And maybe a lot more than that, though the details of their wedding night were still fuzzy in his head.

  Finally, a message popped up.

  Are you sure that’s a good idea?

  Damn. Not exactly the answer he was looking for.

  He typed a response: I don’t know. I like to eat. Don’t you?

  She replied with a laughing emoji and a text that said, I do like eating. But what if someone sees us? Aren’t we doing low key?

  He typed his reply: How about my place? I’ll cook.

  She responded right away: You cooking? This I’ve gotta see. What should I bring?

  Now he smiled and replied with: Just bring yourself. I’ll take care of everything else. How about seven?

  She replied with: See you then.

  He slipped his phone back in his pocket and couldn’t contain the grin on his face. Okay, they had a date. Sort of. Or at least they were going to share a meal together, and that was a start. And he’d get to see her, which was really what he wanted.

  Now he had to figure out what he was going to cook for her.

  He pondered that while he picked up the next set of weights.

  * * *

  • • •

  “HONOR, ARE YOU even paying attention?”

  Honor blinked and looked up at her sister Erin. “Of course I am. The budget for the Meyers and Pearson wedding.”

  Erin looked over at their sister Brenna, who just shrugged and said, “That was two topics ago.”

  “Oh,” Honor said. “Sorry, I was thinking about something else.” Like those text messages she’d been sharing with Owen, and the fact that she’d agreed to have dinner with him. At his place. And why did she feel so ridiculously giddy about that? After all, she was only going to discuss their annulment.

  “Honor!”

  She jumped when Erin yelled her name. “What? What did I miss?”

  Brenna gave her a casual arch of her brow. “Two conversations, apparently, because you’ve been on your phone and not paying attention. New guy?”

  Her eyes widened. “No. Of course not. Why would you ask that? It was just a . . . a new florist I’m working with. Flower things, you know?”

  Erin gave her a dubious look. “Flower things make you blush like that?”

  “Maybe the new florist is a dude,” Brenna said, giving her a knowing smile.

  “Ooh,” Erin said. “Do tell why the florist guy is making you blush. What did he say in those text messages?”

  She pushed her phone to the side and covered her cheeks with her hands. “I am not blushing. And the florist is not a dude. It’s just hot in here.”

  She took a long swallow of her iced tea, hoping to cool down her cheeks.

  “It’s not hot in here,” Brenna said. “Your head hasn’t been in the game since you got back from your Las Vegas trip. Is there anything you want to tell us about?”

  “Maybe she met a guy in Las Vegas,” Erin said, giving her a once-over like she was inspecting her for evidence of I Met Someone Hot disease.

  She coughed and put her tea down. “No, there is absolutely nothing I need to tell you about, and I did not meet a new guy in Las Vegas.”

  Which wasn’t a lie since Owen wasn’t new. She was dying to tell her sisters everything that had happened. But there was no way she was going to open that ticking time bomb of a secret. And now she was having dinner with him? At his place? Probably not a smart move.

  “I have a few agenda items, if we’re ready to get back to the meeting.”

  Honor shifted her gaze gratefully to Mae Wallace, their new assistant and her personal lifesaver, and not just right this moment. With their parents out of the country on an extended and well-deserved vacation to Ireland and Italy, they’d all had to pick up the slack. Brenna was doing full-time duty in the vineyard and winery, Erin was handling all of Mom’s duties overseeing the business and Honor was dealing with all the wedding planning for Bellini Weddings. Even their cook and housekeeper, Louise, and her husband, Marcus, the property carpenter, had taken off on a vacation, after much insistence from Mom and Dad. So they were shorthanded all around. Having Mae to assist with, well, everything wedding related had been a godsend. She had helped in ways Honor couldn’t begin to list. She’d jumped right in from day one as if she’d been doing this all her life, and Honor was so grateful.

  Too bad Mae didn’t stick around after hours to cook, because Honor really missed having Louise’s homemade meals. Salads and microwave dinners just weren’t cutting it.

  “What’s on your list, Mae?” Erin asked, pulling Honor away from her personal woes about food.

  Mae looked at her laptop. “For Friday evening’s wedding, I noticed in a flurry of group email exchanges that the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom have gotten—let’s just say—more than a little snippy with each other. Now it might be pre-wedding stress, but there also could be some underlying hostility, too. No clue what’s going on there, but I thought we should be aware in case we need to run interference on the day.”

  “Oh,” Honor said. “Let me check that.” She quickly pulled up and scanned several weeks’ worth of group emails for the wedding party, then nodded. “Yes, I see where that could be a problem. Great catch, Mae.”

  “It looks like way more than just pre-wedding nervousness to me,” Erin said.

  “Agreed,” Brenna said. “More like they hate each other.”

  Honor nodded. “We’ll need to keep those two occupied and separated.”

  Mae jotted down notes. “I’ll alert the photographer as well so he’s aware and doesn’t position the two moms next to each other during photos.”

  And this was why Mae was worth her weight in gold.

  “Okay, what else?” Honor asked.

  “The bridal salon called. Your bridesmaid dress for Alice Weatherford’s wedding is in, Erin, and ready for your final fitting.”

  Erin spouted a smile. “Really? I can’t believe I missed that call. I’ve been so busy with Mom being gone, it must have slipped past me.” She started scrolling through her phone.

  “Hey, no worries,” Brenna said. “Take a minute to call them back so you can book an appointment for the fitting.”

  “We could all go with you,” Honor said. “Our favorite pizza place is in the same area.”

  “I’m always up for pizza,” Brenna said.

  “Fine, then. Shoot me your open dates and I’ll make an appointment. You, too, Mae.”

  Mae’s eyes widened. “Ooh, thanks. I love pizza.”

  “I can’t believe Alice’s wedding is coming up so soon.” Brenna leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath.

  Erin scrolled on her laptop. “I know. Which makes me so happy that Jason and I got married last fall instead of this spring. If I was trying to juggle my own wedding, plus being in Alice’s? Yikes. I don’t even want to think about that stress.”

  “You did the right thing,” Brenna said. “Plus, you had a beautiful fall wedding. It turned out perfect.”

  “Thanks. I think so, too. And speaking of weddings, have you and Finn set a date yet?”

  Brenna shook her head. “Right now we’re more interested in the plans for the new house. A wedding can come later.”

  “And how are the plans coming for the new house?” Mae asked.

  “Good. We’ve bought the land, and the architect and construction company are sketching out ideas that we’ve given them.”

  Erin grinned. “This is all very exciting, Brenna. I know you can’t wait to get out of that one-room house on the property.”

  “I actually like it there. Plus, I can just walk a quarter mile and be here at the house. But I can’t deny I’m super excited about building a house. And having land. And being able to have my own place to plant flowers and vegetables.”

  Erin looked around at the dining room table. “Before long this place will seem empty.”

  “Before long?” Honor looked at them both. “It’s empty now. When we were little it seemed crowded. Now you’re gone, Brenna’s gone and I’m all alone here. With Mom and Dad and Louise on vacation, I’m like an old lady wandering around a dusty mansion. All I’m missing is a rocking chair and thirty cats.”

  Brenna snorted out a laugh.

  “Aww, poor baby,” Erin said, giving her what Honor knew was fake sympathy.

  “I’m sure you’re not upset at all about having the entire upstairs to yourself,” Brenna said.

  Honor laughed. “Okay, that part isn’t terrible.”

  “There really is nothing better than all that space to yourself,” Mae said. “I don’t know why I even considered getting married. Having to share a room? A closet? A bathroom?” She shuddered for effect.

  “I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you, Mae,” Honor said.

  “He wasn’t the right one for you anyway,” Brenna said.

  “That’s an understatement,” Mae said.

  “Having been there with the wrong guy,” Erin said, “I will tell you that when the right guy comes along, you’ll feel differently about sharing space.”

  Mae shrugged. “Doubtful. I like my independence. And my huge closet.”

  Honor laughed, and inwardly cringed at Erin’s comment about Owen having been the “wrong guy.”

  But here she was, accidentally married to Erin’s wrong guy. And now she was going to have dinner with him tonight.

  What was she thinking?

  That you want to see him, that’s what you’re thinking.

  True. He’d been on her mind—a lot—since she’d gotten back from her trip. Maybe having a meal and a conversation about their annulment would get him out of her head so life could go back to normal.

  She could use a bit of normal right now.

  CHAPTER

  seven

  OWEN HAD SHOPPED, come home and put the groceries away, then headed outside to take care of the horses, cattle and chickens.

  When the twenty-acre ranch had come up for sale last year, he hadn’t even hesitated. After being stuck in that small condo for so long, he knew he wanted land, and this deal had been exactly what he wanted.

  Exactly what he’d needed, too, he thought as he breathed in the air, looked up at the clear blue sky and walked the distance back to the house.

  He straightened the place up, cleaned, then showered. He made snacks, got the menu together in his head and then wondered why the hell he was nervous.

  Because it’s Honor, and you want it to be right.

  Yeah, yeah.

  He should have a beer, sit down and take a breath. Because it was just Honor, someone he’d known most of his life. They’d been good friends long before they’d inadvertently gotten married. She had always been the one he’d gone to when he needed someone to talk things over with. She was his go-to person.

  Until their epic blunder. Which didn’t mean anything was going to change between them, right? It was all going to work out.

  Except that kiss. He might not remember the wedding, but he could remember the kiss, the taste of her, the way she had felt when he’d laid her down on the blanket, the way she’d responded to him. His body still reacted to the memory of it, still tightened as he recalled the feel of her underneath him.

  He wanted a lot more of that. Which was so wrong.

  Or was it?

  The doorbell rang, so he went to answer it. Honor stood there looking fresh and beautiful in a pale green dress, her gorgeous hair blowing in the spring breeze.

  “Come on in,” he said.

  “I realized earlier I haven’t been to your new house yet, so I brought you a housewarming gift.” She handed him a plant.

  He lifted it up and smiled. “Thanks.”

  “It’s a succulent. Don’t overwater it but make sure it gets light.”

  He liked how serious she was about it. “You can help me figure out the best spot for it.”

  “Okay.” She wandered around and surveyed the house.

  It wasn’t huge, but a lot bigger than the condo he’d moved from.

  “I like this house, Owen. I was so happy to hear you bought it from the Gannett family last year.”

  “Yeah, the timing was right. Though I was sorry about Lee’s passing. He and Vera had put a lot of love into this place, especially the renovations.”

  She smiled. “I remember all their kids talking about the sweat equity. But they got a few years of enjoyment out of it. It’s too bad Lee died so quickly after Vera.”

  “Yeah. And the kids all scattered about, none of them wanted to keep the ranch. Bad for them, good deal for me.”

  “It was. And it’s the perfect size ranch for you. What is it, twenty acres?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  She nodded as she moved farther into the kitchen. “Manageable. And this kitchen is the perfect size. It’s all so open, too. A great entertaining space.”

  It was one of the first things he’d thought about when he’d come to look at it. He had imagined having friends over, some sitting in the kitchen at the island, some at the table and others spilling out into the living room, but all still connected. It was perfect.

  “Not as big as the Bellini mansion, but it’ll do.”

  She set the plant on the windowsill that looked over the backyard. “That’s a nice spot where it’ll get enough light, I think.” She turned to face him. “And we don’t have a mansion, Owen. It’s just a big house. It seems overly big these days without Erin and Brenna there.”

  He stepped fully into the kitchen, which seemed even brighter than usual with Honor in it. “I’m sure you miss them.”

  She shrugged and ran a fingertip over the small island. “Some days. Okay, most days. It’s not the same without them there, even though I’m happy for both of them.”

  “I get it.” He moved around the island so he was closer to her. “It won’t be long and you’ll be gone, too.”

  She tilted her head back to look up at him, one brow arched. “Is that right? Where do you think I’ll be going?”

  He shrugged, itching to put his arms around her and pull her close. Instead, he jammed them into his jeans pockets. “I just meant, I don’t know, that someday you’ll move out.” He fumbled for the right words, realizing he was assuming, which made him an ass. “I should shut up.”

  She laughed and reached up to lay her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I was teasing you.”

  He huffed out a relieved breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  “Why would you think I’d be insulted? I will move out one day. Either I’ll decide to get my own place, or I’ll get married. Or maybe I’ll buy a ranch, too.”

  Now it was his turn to arch a brow. “You? Buy a ranch?”

  She shrugged. “I might want a llama or two.”

  “I never knew you had a thing for llamas.”

  “My preference would be unicorns, but those are in high demand. Llamas would do.”

  He laughed. “Unicorns, too, huh?”

  “One should always dream big, Owen.”

  He moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. Pinot grigio, which he knew was Honor’s favorite. He popped the cork and poured a glass, handing it to her.

  “Thank you.”

  He grabbed a beer for himself and led her into the living room.

  “I imagine you like having the space here,” she said as she sat on the sofa. “Along with all the land.”

  He nodded. “Not the main reason I ended up getting this place, but yeah, having the land is a definite bonus.”

  She shifted to face him. “What’s the main reason?”

  “I needed to get out of that condo. It’s where Erin and I were going to live together. I needed to move past that part of my life and start fresh. And after my treatments were finished I figured a fresh start all around would be good for me, ya know?”

  “I think that was a good choice. So when should I move in?”

  He blinked. “What?”