Ryann met her eyes, unwavering. “I do just fine, thank you.”

  “Hmm…I bet you do. You are really attractive. I don’t usually go for a femme type—”

  “Or any lady at all,” Janet broke in.

  “But you’re really something,” Jos continued. “Still, you could do a lot better right here, you know. Maddie likes you, and you like her. I can tell.”

  Jos’s expression was a little too sincere for her liking. They’d been joking around before, but she was clearly at least half-serious now. She tried to think of some cutting comeback, something lighthearted enough to come off as a joke, but stern enough to get Jos to drop this line of questioning, but she didn’t get the chance. Maddie came out in her wedding outfit then, and Ryann’s mouth snapped shut audibly.

  Imagining her dressed like this and seeing her dressed like this were entirely different. The jacket was a lovely dark red, inlaid with braided silver thread and buttoned at the top across her chest. Part of the waistcoat showed on her stomach, an off-white with silver braiding, the knee-length pants a bright, floral, decorated silver, the stockings a blinding white. She had an old-timey, scarf-like white necktie (cravat, some deep part of her brain tossed in) and black buckle shoes. With her messy short, blond waves completing the style, she was, in a word, gorgeous.

  “So how do I look?” Maddie finally asked, her eyes meeting Ryann’s, specifically.

  “Check out Ryann’s face for an answer,” Jos said.

  She elbowed Jos hard, and everyone laughed, finally breaking the tension.

  “Is it totally silly?” Maddie asked, clearly uncomfortable. She plucked at the buttoned lapels a little, rocking back and forth on her heels.

  “You’re hot as hell,” Jos said. “Isn’t she, Ryann?”

  She had to shake herself into reality. She cleared her throat. “It’s really…nice.”

  “High praise,” Maddie said. “Oh, well. I guess it’s what the guys want, so it’ll be fine for a day. At least it’s more comfortable than I thought it would be. Let me change, and we can get out of here, Ryann.”

  Maddie disappeared in the back, Joan following for some further measurements. Ryann took a moment to gather her wits, finishing her champagne and desperate for another.

  “You’ve got it bad, girlfriend,” Jos told her.

  Ryann didn’t argue.

  Chapter Eleven

  Once in the Bronco with Maddie, Ryann found herself struggling to make conversation. Maddie didn’t seem to mind her silence, humming along with the radio (Bach) and watching the road. On Ryann’s end, however, it was a nightmare. More than wanting to make an effort at being polite and friendly, she had a desperate need to get her mind off what she’d been thinking about earlier. She absolutely did not need to encourage herself in any more lustful thoughts about this woman. It was ridiculous. Every time her mind wandered back to the memory of Maddie in that suit, she became hot, uncomfortable, and her stomach and guts twisted with something like excited dread. Each time this happened, the words she was reaching for died in her throat, until they’d been driving in complete silence for several minutes.

  “How was the studio today?” she finally managed to ask.

  “Great. I’ve been doing the fur for the last two weeks and am finally in the last stretch.”

  “Fur?”

  Maddie laughed. “Oh, right. You’ve never seen my work. I do animals, mostly. I’m on a commission right now for the City of Longmont, which is south of here. The piece is two dogs—a kind of fuzzy mutt and a Lab-mix. They’re actually based on real shelter dogs. I even got to meet them. Anyway, they’ll be outside the new dog park that’s opening this spring.”

  She was surprised. Stuart’s work was more conceptual and abstract. He’d done some public commissions, too, but all had been in his usual vein. She’d assumed, for some reason, that Maddie did something similar.

  “I’d love to see your work some time,” she said.

  “And I’d love to show you.” Maddie paused, looking around. “Actually—I can show you one right now. It’s a public piece. We’ll have to drive by, since we’re short on time.”

  She signaled at the next block, and they turned, coming up on a traffic circle a couple of blocks later. There, in the center of the circle, was an enormous sculpture of several geese bursting into flight. They were connected in a way that made it appear as if some of them were actually in the air, while others were merely getting ready to jump off the ground. Even from here on the road, she could see individual feathers on each of the birds and their beady, eager eyes as they reached for the sky. She craned her head around as they drove the full circle before heading back the way they came.

  “It’s incredible,” she finally said. “Really beautiful.”

  Maddie glanced at her, slight color in her cheeks. “You like it?”

  “I do. It’s amazing. Why do you sound so nervous?”

  Maddie chuckled weakly, her eyes rooted on the road. “Well, it’s just…I mean, Stuart’s art is nothing like mine. His work is so, you know…well, he’s been compared to Calder and Picasso, for God’s sake. His art is…well, anyway, different from mine. I guess I thought you preferred his more abstract style.”

  This was the first time she had heard Maddie sound anything but sure of herself. Stuart was like this about his work, too, she remembered. No matter how many people told him how great his pieces were, he always doubted himself and needed constant reassurance. Maybe all artists are like that, she thought.

  She put a gloved hand on Maddie’s arm, and Maddie glanced over at her and away again, still appearing uncertain, nervous.

  “I really love it, Maddie,” she said. “Honestly—it’s gorgeous. I want to see more of your work.”

  Maddie beamed at her this time. They were waiting at a red light, and Maddie grabbed her hand. She squeezed it back, returning the smile as warmly as she could.

  Maddie wiped her brow, dramatically. “Whew! I was really nervous about showing you.”

  “You shouldn’t be. You’re incredibly talented.”

  Maddie kept smiling, her face very red now, and someone honked behind them. The light had turned green.

  “Whoops,” Maddie said, and returned her attention to driving.

  “Are your other pieces like that?” she asked.

  Maddie shrugged. “Most aren’t that big, but yes, like I said, I do a lot of animals. All my public pieces are animals, anyway. I have a family of deer here in the Benson Sculpture Garden, a big grizzly bear in downtown Denver, an elk in Aspen, some otters in Anchorage, some quail in Cheyenne, and now there will be the dogs in Longmont. I can usually do a commission once a year or so.”

  She took a moment to absorb this information. She’d learned the sculpture foundries here in town were famous and that Stuart had been very excited to be selected to work here, but she hadn’t given much thought to the other artists. Of course they, too, would be as talented as he was, and of course they would likely have different styles. Not everyone could or wanted to do the same kind of art. When Stuart had started working in bronze and other metals about a decade ago, it had been such a big production to get his works cast. Here, apparently, artists had space for both the molding and the casting.

  “I’d love to see the studio sometime,” she said. “If I’m allowed to visit.”

  “You certainly are. One of us can take you over there while you’re in town.”

  “Or both of you?”

  “Sure. We can ask Stuart about it when we get there.”

  “What? Where? I thought we were going to a venue.”

  “We are. He’s joining us. There was some kind of delay on something he’s working on, so he has the afternoon free.”

  She was glad she would be seeing him, but she also couldn’t help a slight stab of disappointment that only she and Maddie weren’t doing this. She didn’t exactly know why, or, to be more precise, she didn’t want to examine why she felt this way, and she suppressed the thought.

  They had been driving away from the mountains this time—east, according to the compass, and were far out of town now. They’d turned off the bigger highway they were on and onto a small frontage road, well in the country again, with few houses or buildings visible. The sun was so blindingly bright off the snowy expanses, she was squinting even with her sunglasses, but it was incredibly pretty nonetheless. She saw some hopping animals in the distance—deer-like, but not quite—but before she could point them out to Maddie, they’d disappeared.

  “Pronghorn, probably,” Maddie said after she’d described them. “Some people call them antelope, though that’s not technically correct. Like how some people call bison buffalo.”

  “Antelope,” she said. She was still peering that direction, hoping to see them again. “I’ve never seen them before. Or bison, for that matter.”

  “All sorts of interesting animals out here on the plains,” Maddie said, smiling slightly. “It seems empty, but it’s teeming with life.”

  Maddie would know all about this, being interested in animals, and Ryann liked it when people shared their enthusiasms. She had so few interests herself outside of work, it was refreshing to hear someone talk about something else that mattered to them. She continued to stare into the snow, hoping to see something new.

  A building finally appeared in the distance, sitting atop a slight bluff. Raised above the plains, it stood out in sharp contrast with the snowy mounds around it.

  Maddie pointed. “That’s where we’re headed.”

  She squinted a bit. “It looks like a barn.”

  “It is a barn,” Maddie said, laughing lightly.

  She was stunned. Never in a thousand years would she have thought Stuart might consider something like this for his wedding venue. Sure, it was gorgeous out here, but they were so far outside of town, she couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to get married here. Maddie had clearly seen her expression, and she laughed again.

  “We don’t actually have that many venues here in our little town, if you can believe it.” She spoke with a slight hint of sarcasm.

  “Ha, ha. I mean, I guess I realize that now, but…a barn?”

  Maddie’s eyebrows furrowed.

  Ryann had the distinct impression that she’d upset her, somehow. Maybe insulted her. Perhaps this place was as good as it got out here in no-man’s-land.

  They pulled off the frontage road a few minutes later, drawing closer to the barn on a snowy side road, and soon they were in a surprisingly large parking lot. Two other cars were here—Stuart’s and one other. Stuart and a much older, much shorter man appeared, coming from inside the barn as she and Maddie climbed out of the car. The older man stayed by the door, and Stuart walked directly over to meet them.

  “So, what do you think?” he asked, waving at the barn.

  She held her tongue, trying not to let her thoughts reflect on her face, but she obviously failed. Stuart laughed.

  “I know, I know—it’s not the Ritz, but wait until you see the inside.”

  “It’s not just the inside I’m worried about,” she said. “I mean, look at where we are.” She gestured at the nothing around them.

  “Don’t be such a snob,” Stuart said.

  Both Maddie and Stuart were basically glaring at her now. She took a deep breath and pressed on. “I mean, don’t get me wrong—it’s gorgeous out here. Really very pretty. But we’re so far outside of town. It took forever to get here from downtown. If you have the wedding at the festival, and the reception way the heck out here, how will people get back and forth?”

  “I was planning to hire buses,” Stuart said, still frowning. Maddie still seemed put out, and Ryann finally held up her hands.

  “Okay, okay—I’m sorry. Let’s see the inside.”

  Stuart brightened at once, dragging her forward, and Ryann threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Maddie had stayed where she was, still obviously upset, and she followed the two of them more slowly.

  The inside was bright and spare, and the space had been insulated nicely so that it was very warm once they were inside. She and Maddie took a moment to hand the proprietor their coats and other winter wear. He excused himself to give them all some privacy, and Stuart walked to the middle of the wide-open floor, raising his hands.

  “Look how open it is!” he said, his voice echoing.

  “Yes.” She agreed. “It’s very open.”

  He laughed and gestured her forward. It seemed to take a long time to get to him. She walked through several bright spots of sunshine, and when she peered upward, she saw that several skylights had been installed above. The rafters were high and dark, a pretty contrast with the lighter wood of the ceiling. The floors were also made of polished pinewood, and she slid a little walking in wet shoes.

  Stuart pulled her into a twirling dance step when she made it to him, and she barked a laugh before letting him lead her into a slow two-step, swaying softly, faces close. They’d taken dance lessons together a few years ago, and he’d clearly kept up. She was no slouch herself and had even followed their partner lessons with some of her own.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  She paused, making both of them stumble before they found their footwork again.

  “It’s really pretty in here. Like you said—very open. And the floor is great for dancing.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

  “But we’re in the middle of nowhere. And also, it’s open and lovely, but it’s a little too open, if you ask me. Where is the bar? Where are the tables? Is there even a kitchen here? Toilets?”

  He grimaced a little. “It has toilets and a kitchen, but you’re right about the rest. We’d have to rent everything—tables, chairs, linens, a bar…the list goes on.”

  She could tell he was disappointed, and she stopped dancing, stepping away to consider him. His gaze was darting around the room, suggesting he was nervous and upset. She spun slowly, taking in the space again. Truthfully, it was very nice. It smelled like fresh wood and clean air, and it was bright and warm and inviting. It was a surprisingly large space—much larger than most event venues, in part because nothing was in here. That said, even with a bar set up on one side, it could likely fit a significant number of tables and still have room for a large dance floor in the center or on the side, depending on how he wanted it set up.

  She turned back to him, and he was biting his lip, his face twisted with anxiety—a little like a kid that wanted something he thought he shouldn’t have.

  “You really like this place, don’t you?” she asked him.

  He hesitated before nodding. “It’s my number-one pick.”

  “You’ve been here before?”

  “Yes. At a reception for an artist I know. When Jai proposed, this was the first place I thought of.”

  She still didn’t understand his enthusiasm for this barn, but she needed to get past her own misgivings. His eyes were already dancing with joy, and now he seemed excited rather than disappointed.

  Maddie was leaning up against a wall some twenty feet away, and Ryann gestured at her to join them. When Maddie reached them, she still seemed a little reserved, a little angry even, and wouldn’t meet Ryann’s eyes.

  Ryann clenched her hands, starting to lose patience. “Okay, Maddie, here’s the deal. Stuart very clearly wants to rent this space. Now that I’m here, I can see the attraction, but the real question is: can it be done?”

  Maddie immediately brightened and moved closer to her. She dropped her arms to her sides to give her more room, and Maddie stepped even closer, grabbing one of her hands. Maddie grabbed one of Stuart’s too, squeezing both of them.

  “Okay, listen,” Maddie said. “I know you said you wanted to see a bunch of places, Stuart, but I also know how excited you were about this one. I mean, you spent half an hour talking about it the other day before even mentioning the others. I could tell you really wanted this space, so I called around. Basically, if you book today, Ryann and I can get everything else lined up tomorrow with a party-rental place. They do chairs and tables, linens, bars, the whole nine yards.” Maddie smiled at her. “So—to answer your question, yes, it can be done.”

  Ryann gave Stuart her widest smile. “That settles it, then! Go pay the man and book it.”

  Stuart whooped, jumping into the air before pulling her and Maddie into a crushing hug. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then dashed away, calling for the proprietor. He disappeared a moment later, and she and Maddie were left alone.

  Maddie was smiling at her, and she had to look away, that tight, nervous heat rising in her chest again.

  “Shall we?” Maddie asked, holding out a hand. “I have to try it out, too, you know.”

  She took Maddie’s hand and let herself be pulled into Maddie’s circle. They started dancing, slowly, as she’d done with Stuart, but of course it was different with Maddie. It shouldn’t be, but it was. This closeness seemed intimate, and she was suddenly hot, awkward.

  “You seem…happier now,” she said, forcing herself to peer up into Maddie’s eyes. “Why were you so upset earlier?”

  Maddie lifted her shoulders, clearly at a loss for words. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again before speaking.

  “I…I was pissed, actually.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you dismissed this place without seeing it. Because you seemed to have an idea of what Stuart wanted, like you knew better than either one of us.”

  “How could I know what he wanted? You didn’t tell me anything before we got here.”

  Maddie met her eyes, that blue troubled, stormy. “Exactly. And I should have told you how much this place meant to him. But I didn’t. Instead, I sort of let you flounder. No—that’s not even it. I made you flounder by not saying anything. I wanted to see what you would do without any influence. Almost like I was trying to…I don’t know, catch you out or something.”

 

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