Always A Bridesmaid: A Whiskey Ridge Romance Read online

  Yet he couldn’t stop staring at her. Their night of watching funny TV shows and stuffing their faces with doughnuts had left him more confused than ever.

  And she snored. Softly, but it was definitely there. Should have been a turnoff, but it wasn’t.

  “What time is it?” Samantha asked groggily, her voice hoarse from sleep.

  “Eight twenty,” Tucker replied as he stretched his neck around in a circle. The sofa was comfortable for sitting, but definitely not for sleeping.

  “Jeez, I’m sorry for keeping you here. Don’t you need to work?”

  “Don’t worry. I texted my techs last night. I’m going in after lunch.”

  Samantha looked at him gratefully. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  “It’s been fun, surprisingly.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, it actually has been. But I need to get out of this house today.” She sat up and stretched her arms out wide. “And I need a shower.”

  Tucker chuckled. “Can’t really help you with that.”

  “No. You can’t,” she said as she slowly stood up. Tucker stood too, just in case she was still a little woozy. But she seemed fine, as if nothing had ever happened.

  “I’ll straighten up. Why don’t you go get a nice, hot shower? I bet you’ll feel good as new then.”

  Samantha nodded her head. “I bet you’re right.” She turned to walk up the hallway.

  “And Sam?”

  “Yeah?” she answered, turning back around.

  Tucker stalled for a moment, unsure of why he even called her name. “I, uh, just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re okay. Your clients need you.”

  What? Why had he said something so weird?

  She smiled slightly. “Right. My clients.” And then she rounded the corner to the bathroom.

  Samantha stood in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Gosh, she looked awful. Makeup worn off, hair a mess. She was almost embarrassed that Tucker had seen her this way.

  What he’d said to her in the hallway lingered in her mind and bothered her more than she’d want to admit. Her clients? As if they were the only ones who needed her?

  And then she thought about it. Who else really did need her? Maybe her sister, but that was it. And even she had a husband now.

  Her eyes watered as she realized that she really had no one who needed her. Just the people that were paying her for her legal services, and even that was replaceable. They could find an attorney anywhere.

  She sat down on the edge of the tub and allowed a stray tear to fall. What had become of her life? Had she been so blind that she’d allowed her life to become all about work and money and achievement? Where was the balance everyone talked about?

  She had no one to go home to. No one to rub her shoulders after a long day at work. No one to sit by the fire with on cold winter nights. No one to watch the sun set or the sun rise. No one who wanted to merge bank accounts and DVD collections.

  She was alone.

  The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. And while she wanted to believe this was all brought on by the romance of her sister’s wedding, she knew it wasn’t. She’d long been bottling up these feelings of loneliness, and now they were smacking her straight in the face.

  Even watching Clark and Monica made her jealous. What was it like to wake up in the morning and see the same face everyday? The face of the person she’d spend the rest of her life with?

  What was it like to be the bride and not always the bridesmaid?

  Ugh. She hated when she fell into the hole of dark thoughts. In reality, she was living the life a lot of people dreamed of. Plenty of money. A successful career. A killer apartment overlooking the city. A nice car with heated seats.

  But it all seemed so empty lately. Her soul longed for more, and maybe that was selfish when so many people had so little. Even in Whiskey Ridge, there were lots of people who didn’t have anywhere near the material wealth that she did, yet they seemed happier. More fulfilled.

  She stood up and looked in the mirror at herself. For the first time in a long time, she saw the unvarnished version of Samantha looking back at her. Not the made up, fake version that she presented to her clients. Not the bulldog, steely determination face she made when her competition stood in front of her.

  No, this was just Sam. And that was both scary and invigorating to her. In Whiskey Ridge, she could just be herself. Even if that only lasted for another three weeks or so, she was going to take advantage of it and find out who she really was once and for all.

  The next couple of days consisted of Samantha getting back to regular life. Well, whatever that meant when she wasn’t living in her own space.

  Her sister had texted how much fun they were having on their honeymoon. Samantha was happy for Katie yet envious at the same time.

  Tucker had been checking in on her frequently. Sometimes he would drive over on his lunch break just to make sure she was alright. Her ribs still hurt when she moved wrong, but for the most part she was back to normal within two days of tumbling down the stairs.

  She’d had a long talk with Sophie, who seemed to be settling into her new routine too.

  Samantha stood in the kitchen of her sister’s cabin and surveyed her surroundings. It was a nice place, although a bit more rustic than she normally liked. Still, the place had a homey feel. It was nice to be away from the sounds and smells of the big city. The more she was away, the less she missed it, a fact that shocked her to her core.

  She smeared mayo on some bread and slapped a piece of ham on it before sliding it onto a small white plate. She decided she had to go grocery shopping soon or else risk starvation. This elementary school cafeteria diet she was eating wasn’t what she was used to at all. She missed Andre, her personal chef.

  “Knock knock.” Tucker rarely actually knocked on the door. He just poked his head in the back door and yelled the words.

  “I’ve got to start locking that door,” Sam called back as Sophie sprinted past her and jumped up on Tucker’s side.

  “Yeah, I’m a real threat. How’s the patient?”

  “I’m not a patient anymore. I’m perfectly fine.” She took a bite out of her sandwich and smiled.

  “Good, because I’m here to drag you out of this cabin to have some fun. Now, put that juvenile, fairly disgusting, sandwich of yours away and grab your shoes.”

  Samantha stared at him for a moment. “Where are we going?”

  “Just wear something you don’t mind getting wet.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Tucker sat down across from her. “Do you trust me?”

  “Only slightly,” she replied with a grin.

  “That’s good enough. Wear sneakers,” he said before getting up and grabbing a couple of water bottles.

  “I don’t like surprises, Tucker.”

  “Trust me, Miss Ryan…” he called from the refrigerator. “And also, you really need to go to the grocery store.”

  Samantha walked down the hall to get her shoes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was busy bonking my head.”

  Tucker laughed. “You should really be more careful. You might break a hip next time.”

  She was starting to love their constant banter. “Are you calling me old?” Samantha said from right behind him, causing Tucker to jump a bit.

  “Jeez!”

  “Yeah, it’s startling when someone walks up right behind you, isn’t it?” she teased.

  “I feel guilty enough.”

  “Don’t feel guilty, Tucker. I’m just joking.”

  “Okay, let’s go,” he said as he struggled to hold the water bottles and some snacks he’d grabbed from the pantry. Samantha pulled out a reusable shopping bag and he tossed them in.

  “Fine. But if this results in another ER visit, I’m suing you. I know a very good lawyer, you know.”

  “Noted.”

  Chapter 10

  As they drove down the long gravel road, Samantha wondered where they were going. She’d never really been an o
utdoorsy gal, but she had to admit this area was beautiful. With huge trees surrounding them on all sides, and the blue tinged mountains dotting the landscape around them, she felt peaceful. Safe. Calm. It was both soothing and scary at the same time.

  “Here we are,” Tucker said, as he pulled down a steep, rocky driveway and stopped the truck. Sam looked around.

  “We’re nowhere, Tucker. Literally. There’s nothing here.”

  “Oh yes there is. Come on. And grab the bag.”

  She opened her door to find him already standing there waiting to help her down. Her ribs were still sore, so she carefully stepped down onto the leaf covered ground below.

  “Careful…”

  “I feel like I’m going to fall.”

  “I won’t let you fall again, Sam. Never.” The way he said it made her tingly all over. She believed him more than she’d ever believed anyone in her life.

  Once they were out of the truck, Tucker led them down a narrow path. It seemed to go straight downhill. She could hear water in the distance.

  After pushing back a stray tree limb so they could walk under, the landscape gave way to the most picturesque scene. The river, calm and serene, flowed before them. Jagged rocks, some that soared high above them, surrounded the water. And beside the shore was a canoe built for two.

  Samantha smiled. “We’re going canoeing?”

  “Yep. You ever been?”

  “No, I haven’t. I always thought I’d do it in Venice, though.”

  “Well, Whiskey Ridge is better than Venice, if you ask me.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “No pesky American tourists,” Tucker said with a smile.

  “True.”

  “Come on.” He held out his hand. She took it, unwilling to fall again and risk a major injury this time. The leaves were slick from overnight rain, and she almost fell in before they could get to the canoe.

  Tucker eased it into the water and helped Samantha inside before joining her. He pushed it off into the water, and they immediately started moving.

  “How will we get back to the truck?”

  “Don’t worry, Sam. I’ve got this.”

  “Who’s canoe is this?”

  “Mine.” He used the oars to move them further down the river.

  “Who’s property is this?”

  “My uncle’s. You’re full of questions.”

  Samantha laughed. “Sorry. It’s a symptom of the job I do everyday.”

  “Do you like your work?”

  “I love it.”

  “What do you love about it?” Tucker asked as he took a break from rowing for a bit and let them float along the calm water. It was really more of a large creek than part of the river, she realized.

  “I love helping people get what they deserve. I believe in fairness and doing what’s right, so I get to help people fight for that everyday. What about you? Do you love your job?”

  A smile spread across his face. “You know I adore my job. I’d do it for free.”

  “Really? I don’t know if I’d say that about my career.”

  “I love animals. Anything I can do to help them is a privilege to me.”

  “Do you plan to stay here forever?”

  Tucker chuckled. “You act like this is a step down or something, Sam.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “I think you did, actually. And that’s okay. You just haven’t seen it yet.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Seen what?”

  “The reason people stay here,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. He had dimples that made her swoon a bit.

  “And what is that reason?”

  “It’s different for everybody, I guess. Some people come here because their family is here. Others come because they want to get away from the hectic pace of city life. You have to find your own reason.”

  Samantha laughed. “I don’t need a reason because I’m not staying, Tucker. Remember?”

  He looked at her for a moment before making an almost imperceptible sound. “Right.”

  “You think I’m staying here? Seriously? Why would I do that? My whole life and business is in Atlanta.”

  “Never say never, Sam. Whiskey Ridge has a way of changing folks.”

  She shook her head and chuckled. As she looked around at the scenery, she had to admit it was breathtaking. The sky was so blue today that there wasn’t a cloud to be found anywhere. And the water below them was surprisingly clear. She could even see the fish swimming around them.

  “My family used to come camping here when I was a kid. I remember fishing off that old dock over there.” Samantha looked at where he was pointing, but all that remained was a ramshackle structure that could no longer be called a dock. “We stopped coming when I was twelve.”

  “Why’d you stop coming?” Samantha asked as she dug through the bag looking for a snack. Since he’d snatched her sandwich away, she was starving.

  “That’s when we lost my sister, Janie.”

  Samantha stilled in her seat. He wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was staring at the decrepit little dock.

  “I’m so sorry, Tucker. How old was she?”

  “Fourteen.”

  “Wow. Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

  He took in a deep breath and blew it out. “She was riding her bike over a bridge near our house. Drunk driver hit her, and it threw her into the lake below. Took them two days to find her body.”

  Samantha’s stomach churned. She didn’t know what to say. The pain in Tucker’s eyes was almost unbearable to see.

  “Oh, Tucker, I can’t imagine what that was like for you and your parents.”

  “After we lost her, they couldn’t bear to come back to Whiskey Ridge. Camping together was a huge part of our family, and we’d just gotten home the day before. So this place brought back a lot of good memories that were just too painful for them.”

  “So why did you decide to move here?”

  “Janie was my reason. This was the last place we made memories together as brother and sister. Moving here and giving back to this community she loved keeps me close to her. She loved animals, especially dogs. She’d gotten a puppy for her fourteenth birthday. Named him Fluffy McFlufferson, or Fluff for short,” he said with a smile. “I took care of him until he died when I was twenty-one.”

  Instinctively, Samantha reached over and touched his hand as it rested on the side of the canoe. Tucker looked at her, an appreciative smile on his face.

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “But I know the pain never goes away.”

  He squeezed her hand before letting it go. “True. I miss her everyday.”

  Samantha felt the loss of his hand. She hadn’t wanted him to let her hand go, a thought which made her uncomfortable.

  They continued moving down the still waters until Tucker steered the canoe toward the side of a little inlet.

  He grabbed hold of a tree root and pulled the canoe to shore before tying it off to the same root.

  “Where are we?”

  “I want to show you something,” he said as he stood up and stepped out onto the grassy spot. He reached a hand down to Sam, and she slowly pulled herself up, being careful not to wrench her side all over again. “Follow me.”

  She followed behind him, trying in vain not to notice how great his butt looked in the jeans he was wearing. What was wrong with her? Obviously, she needed to date more or something.

  “Look,” he said, pointing ahead to a clearing that was just steps from the water.

  “It’s beautiful land. What is this place?”

  “It’s my lot. I bought it a few weeks ago, and construction starts on my house next month.” The pride he felt was evident on his face.

  “Oh, Tucker, it’s gorgeous. You’re going to love it here, I’m sure.”

  He looked at her for a moment and swallowed, as if he was thinking something but didn’t want to say it.

  “Yeah, I’m
looking forward to it. Of course, I’m going to have to hire a decorator so this place doesn’t look like a seventies bachelor pad or something.”

  Samantha laughed. “I can help you if you want.”

  “You won’t be here, Sam. Remember?”

  She took in a breath. “Right. Well, you can email me or text me photos…”

  “Sure.”

  A moment of silence hung between them. Samantha didn’t know why she felt a sadness, almost, at the thought of him building a house there.

  “You know, there’s a great website about home decorat…” Samantha started to say, but a rogue wasp buzzed by them and landed on her chest. Given that she was terrified of any flying insect, especially one that could sting her, she ran in a circle swatting her hands in the air before running directly into Tucker’s arms and pressing herself to his chest.

  “It’s okay, Sam,” he said with a laugh. She didn’t move. She didn’t know why she didn’t move. She just didn’t. It felt good to be there in his arms. It felt safe and warm and right. And she just stood there like an idiot, her cheek pressed to his firm chest.

  And just as she was about to pull away and apologize profusely for acting like a six year old, Tucker wrapped his arms around her.

  It was a familiar embrace, like two people who’d been together forever. It felt like two halves of a whole. Her eyes began to water as emotions erupted just under the surface.

  She stood there, wrapped in his arms, confused and full of questions. Why wasn’t he pulling away? Why wasn’t she? What did he think of her right now? Did he think she was weak? Damaged in some way? Why was he holding her so close? Was he just trying to be a friend?

  One of his hands trailed up her back and stroked the back of her head before pressing his lips to the top of her head.

  She wrapped her arms around him instinctively, still unsure of what any of this meant. It couldn’t mean anything anyway. She was going back to Atlanta soon, and even though Whiskey Ridge was just a couple of hours away, she wasn’t into long distance relationships. Lately, she wasn’t into relationships at all.