Forever Burning, page 22
“He’s a good kid,” Cade agreed. Kid seemed to be the wrong term though. Kori looked to be in his late twenties.
“And we figured it would be safer than calling Nash or Kale since they’d tell their wives, and well, you know news like an engagement would spread like wildfire,” Marshall explained.
“Good point,” Colton agreed. “But, how did you get this all done? We were only gone for an hour.”
Cy grinned. “We all have our secrets.”
“I think we’re all forgetting something,” Pierce said. “One, Cole didn’t ruin the surprise,” he said, teasing his brother-in-law who gave him the middle finger in return. “And two, congratulations! We’re very happy for you, Colton.”
Colton shook hands with his uncles and hugged his father. His eyes kept straying to where Cady was surrounded by the women of Keeneston. She looked over her shoulder at him, winked, and he excused himself. He had a fiancée to be with.
Chapter 29
Four weeks later . . .
* * *
Cady left the laboratory with a huge smile as she tried to remain calm for the walk to her car. She didn’t want to seem crazy running, screaming, and waving her hands in the air like she wanted to.
She slid behind the wheel, closed the door, and pounded the steering wheel in excitement when her phone rang.
“How’d it go, angel?” Colton asked the second she answered.
Finally, Cady screamed. “Oh! It went so well! It took us all week, but we got it. It’s sheer perfection. They took pictures and want their PR person to work with Morgan to get people excited for the MacLeod and Barrel Creek limited edition even though it won’t be ready for years. Tasting the past and the future in one glass. That’s how they want to market it. Sippy was there and he brought a picture of him and my father. It’ll all be part of the marketing along with pictures of Conroy and me. The great master distillers of the past and the future greats. Can you believe he’s including me in that?”
“You’re not a future great. You’re already great. Did you see the news today?” Cady was surprised by the change in subject but then heard her text alert go off. “It hit the press thirty minutes ago. I sent you a link. Check it out.”
Cady pressed on the link to the largest news site in the country. It was a picture of Secretary of State Sutton Ramsey presenting a bottle of bourbon to the Prime Minister and the Emperor of Japan to celebrate a new technology deal between the two countries.
“That’s my bourbon,” Cady gasped.
“Not only is there a picture, but there’s a video of them toasting with it and the prime minister declaring it the best bourbon he’s ever had, to which Sutton Ramsey replied, that’s why she brought it.”
Her phone began to ring and Cady saw Harlan was calling. “It’s Harlan. I’ll see you back home in an hour.”
“Drive safe, bourbon master. Remember, I’m doing that thing right now. Love you.”
“Love you too,” Cady answered Harlan’s call via her car and started the drive back to Keeneston. “Hey Harlan. What’s up?”
“Um, Cady, I don’t know what to do.”
“What’s wrong?” No, don’t let anything go wrong. It had been nice and quiet since the conference and she didn’t want reporters showing up for interviews now that Isaac was in jail and Bruce and Jordan were headed to trial.
“We’re in the middle of an international dispute,” Harlan said with a disbelieving laugh.
“I think I need more information, Harlan.”
“Did you see Sutton Ramsey gifted a bottle of your bourbon to those folks in Japan?” Harlan asked.
“Yes, Colton just told me. Did something happen?”
Harlan laughed again. “You could say that. After they tasted it, a distributor from Japan placed a major order for your bourbon. You know bourbon is a huge market over there, but they want to buy all unsold barrels on top of the future order they placed.”
Cady’s mouth dropped. There were no words. She sold out this year’s barrels? No way. “That’s fantastic! What’s the problem?”
“Well, at the same time the biggest distributor in the United Kingdom was on hold and they want to buy all the remaining barrels—you know the ones Japan wanted. Somehow Japan found out and offered ten percent above whatever the UK offered. Now the UK is offering you your own store in London and Japan is up to twenty percent above the UK’s offer and then the UK distributor, who is friends with the King, is threatening the Japanese office and it’s spiraling.” Harlan sounded simultaneously thrilled and petrified. “They’re both on hold and I don’t know what to do.”
“How many barrels are left in stock?” Cady asked.
Harlan told her and also rattled off what would be available in three months when the next batch was mature. “Got it, add me into the call.”
Mediating and diffusing an international incident over her bourbon while driving home through the Kentucky countryside was not something she ever expected to do. In the end, she reached the most lucrative deal she’d ever made and both countries were happy. They each got half of the current inventory and then half of the next batch, including locking down orders for the next five years.
“Cady,” Harlan said after ending the conference call. “We need to expand. We have emails inquiring about the next ten years of our inventory. I think we’re going to sell out next year’s inventory by the end of the day.”
Cady just laughed. Colton had been telling her she was going to expand and she’d thought he was being a nice boyfriend. “I think we need to expand too, Harlan. Let’s open warehouses four, five, and six. That’s all we have left on the property. We might have to look into building more. And we need to hire more people.” Cady began rattling off a list of employees they’d need.
This was happening. She was expanding. All her dreams were coming true. Her bourbon, finding love, and having a place where she belonged.
* * *
Cady was almost home when she got a call from a number she didn’t recognize. She was about to let it go to voicemail but thought it could be something important, so she answered it. “Hello.”
“Cady! Hi, we met really quick at some Davies family weddings, but I’m Colton’s cousin by marriage,” the beautifully feminine voice said over the phone. “Skye Jessamine.”
Cady burst out laughing. “Sure, America’s Sweetheart is calling me.” Cady was about to hang up but the woman stopped her.
“No, really we’ve met. I’m married to Trent Faulkner. Colton’s grandma is Aunt Marcy with the apple pies. I was there for Landon’s wedding. Wore a champagne colored dress.”
“Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry.” Cady said, now feeling pretty embarrassed. “Hi. How are you?”
“I actually need your help with two things,” Skye told her. “I’m in Los Angeles shooting a movie and there’s not a store in a hundred-mile radius that has any of your bourbon in stock. My character is a bourbon drinker and I want to use your bourbon in the movie. So, my first favor: can you send me a bottle overnight?”
“Seriously? How much will it cost me?” Cady knew about product placement in movies. It wasn’t cheap. But she’d just sold a lot of barrels of bourbon so she might be able to afford it now.
“Nothing. Blue Stone Distillery had paid for the spot, but seeing what’s going on with the tax fraud and the whole trial business, the producers decided to refund their money. That’s when I suggested my cousin-in-law’s bourbon. Then we saw Sutton Ramsey on the news with the bourbon and my producers want it. We start filming tomorrow, so it needs to be overnighted.”
“Done. Text me the address and I’ll send several bottles.” When it rained it poured. Cady had thought that always meant bad news, but today it was nothing but good news. “What’s the other favor?”
“I’m doing a photo shoot for the top fashion magazine and Sydney’s designing the outfits for it,” Skye said of Colton’s cousin here in Keeneston. She was a former model turned designer and custom made dresses for Skye during award season. “I’m sure Syd will ask you, but I thought since I was on the phone, I’d try my best to get you to agree to let us shoot the spread at your distillery. I’ve seen pictures and it’s perfect. Plus the tie-in with my character in this movie makes it ideal.”
“Of course! There’s actually a photo shoot going on right now,” she said with a grin as she pulled up to her distillery. “Just text me or have Sydney call me with when you’d like the shoot to be. But now I have to go. I think they might need me for this shoot.”
“Great! Talk to you soon.” Skye hung up and Cady got out of the car to watch the photo shoot in action.
Sydney was crouched on the ground. Conley stood half naked in front of the distillery holding a puppy. Colton was holding the hose up in the air so the water arched and rained down on Conley.
“You need to make love to that water. It’s caressing you like a lover,” Sydney called out.
Cady was struggling to hide her laugh, but then Conley narrowed his eyes, bit his lip, and ran his hand over his chiseled body and Cady stopped laughing. Goodness. Who knew Conley could be sexy?
“Perfect!” Sydney called out. “You’re done. Colton, you’re up, Mr. December.”
“How’s it going?” Cady asked as she stopped where Sydney was changing lenses.
“Great! Colton said he had something planned, but I’m slightly worried. He won’t tell me what it is but said we had to wait for you to get your approval.”
Cady shrugged. “No idea what it is, but what I do know is I hear you’re going to shoot a fashion spread at the distillery.”
Sydney smiled and nodded. “If it’s okay with you. It’s an international fashion magazine. But how did you know?”
“Skye called me. Speaking of which, I need to text my shipper to send two bottles of bourbon to Skye to use in her movie.” Cady shot off the text with an URGENT flag on it. Two minutes later she got confirmation that it would be shipped out in the next thirty minutes. Good. Now she could focus on Colton’s shoot.
“Are you ready?” she heard Colton yell out from behind the fire truck that had been moved to directly behind the Barrel Creek Distillery sign.
The firefighters were all gathered behind Sydney. By the way they were chuckling, Cady knew Colton had something up his sleeve.
“Ready!” Sydney called out.
Cady saw the Santa hat first. Then she took in his bare shoulders. Her eyes dropped down to his chiseled abs and . . . “Oh my gosh, you’re naked!”
“That is way more of my cousin than I ever wanted to see,” Sydney grimaced.
“I’m wearing one of those cock socks,” Colton defended. However, he still kept his hands over his package, so Cady couldn’t tell for sure if he actually had one on or not. “Nolan, got my costume?”
“Sure do. Did my mom get the bow right?” Nolan asked as he walked over holding a bottle of Cady’s bourbon with a huge red bow on the neck of the bottle. The ribbons curled perfectly down the sides so you could still see the label. “Looks great,” Colton told him, taking the bottle with one hand while his other still tried to cover himself.
“This is your costume?” Cady asked, still wide eyed at the fact Colton was standing here almost completely naked.
Colton put the bottle right in front of his present and smirked at Cady. Sydney snapped the picture. “I thought this was a declaration as to who the only woman allowed to see me is.” Colton winked at Cady and Sydney snapped another picture.
“You do look good only wearing my bourbon.” She couldn’t take her eyes off of her bottle being held right there. “You might sell more of my bourbon than Sutton Ramsey just did,” Cady called out.
Dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, horses, cows, and even a lizard had been posed with the firefighters. All the animals were up for adoption and were promoting the rescue center.
“Mrs. Chief!” Flint called out.
“Not Mrs. yet,” Cady replied.
“Okay, one week away Mrs. Chief,” Flint corrected.
Cady laughed. She’d known the firefighters before. But now that she was engaged to Colton, she had gotten to know them a lot better. She felt as if she had a whole firehouse full of brothers. “Yes?”
“We need a picture with you,” Flint said. He looked innocent, but she knew better.
However, she couldn’t contain a startled squawk when Jack picked her up from behind and carried her over to where the firemen were lined up. He handed her to Colton who was now wearing pants at least.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she giggled.
All the guys scooched in closer and soon she was lying horizontal as they held her. Sydney ran forward and handed her the bottle of bourbon Colton had used.
“Perfect!” Sydney took a couple of shots and then paused. “Hmm, it’s missing something. I know! Where is the station dog?”
Colton puckered his lips and whistled. “Princess!”
Princess ran from where she was relaxing in a truck bed. Sydney posed her and more pictures were taken. “I still think something is missing. I got it!”
Cady was sure the guys would get tired of holding her, but they didn’t so much as waver with exhaustion. Sydney set up the camera and then stepped away from it. “I believe it was this lever.”
Suddenly water was shooting out at them. Cady gasped at how cold it was. The guys laughed as Princess barked and jumped as if she were eating the water.
The guys set Cady down and stepped away. However, Princess and Colton remained. “I love you, angel,” he said a moment before kissing her drenched lips.
When all the photos were done and processed, it was the picture of Cady and Colton kissing in the rain with Princess in the middle of a shake that was framed in their house.
Epilogue
Colton stood at the front of the church with Father Ben and his groomsmen. His whole world stopped as Cady stepped out in the gown Sydney had designed for her. Cady was on the arm of Uncle Ollie, who beamed with pride and love for his best friend’s daughter.
Colton had gotten to know Ollie very well during the five weeks since their engagement. He was a great guy and had been hanging around Keeneston more and more. Colton would like to think it was because of him and Cady, but it was really because Annie had introduced him to the AP history teacher at the high school. The two had hit it off and were not so secretly dating.
Colton took Cady’s hand in his as Father Ben began the ceremony. Colton would like to think he heard every word, but he didn’t. All he could think about was how much he loved Cady.
Before he realized it, he was speaking his vows, sliding the ring on her finger, and finally, kissing his wife.
Cady laughed as their friend and country superstar singer Holt Everett, very dramatically announced them as husband and wife. With their hands held tightly, Colton kissed her at the entrance to the distillery before they walked into their reception.
Holt shifted gears and began to sing the song for their first dance. Colton swung her around on the dance floor and paused. He pulled her close and held her tight. “I guess the sight of me in a tuxedo has your panties falling off.”
Cady laughed. “Melted off more like it,” she whispered as everyone began whispering around them and pointing.
“No, angel. I mean literally falling off. Your panties are caught on your heel.”
Cady gasped and looked down. Sure enough, a thong was hooked onto her heel and every now and then poked out from under her wedding dress as they danced.
Cady stopped dancing and kicked her foot out, sending the thong flying. It arched through the air and smacked Ahmed in the face before dropping to the ground. “That’s not mine! I’m still wearing my panties,” she called out, causing Holt to crack up in the middle of their romantic song.
She was met with disbelieving looks.
“I swear, I’m not the panty dropper!”
“That’s true,” Sydney called out. “I helped her into her wedding dress and those are not her panties.”
The murmurs rose as bets were being placed and as women were swearing they still had panties on. Holt cleared his throat to get their attention and his band began to play again. Colton took her in his arms and they restarted their first dance. “Well, that was memorable,” Colton said with a huge smile. “I’m kind of disappointed they weren’t your panties. I liked thinking of you naked under that dress.”
“That could easily be arranged.” Cady tipped her lips toward her husband and that was all it took for Colton to kiss her in the middle of their dance. Their friends and family cheered and Cady had never been happier.
“Ladies!” Annie said, raising her champagne glass triumphantly. “We did it. My last child is married. I am out. Now I can focus solely on grandbabies.”
Kenna Ashton, one of her best friends, cheered as she brought out a pen and handed it to Dani Ali-Rahman, who pulled out the old notebook the Rose sisters had passed down to them. Inside the notebook were the names, notes, and ideas for making the best matches for the people of Keeneston. So far, Kenna, Dani, Bridget, Annie, and the rest of her sisters-in-law had been very successful in matchmaking for their children. Bless their hearts, if their kids only knew the lengths they went to help them find their true love.
“I must say, this was rather easy,” Paige said.
“Colton was finally ready. We hardly had to do a thing,” Gemma agreed.
“I would say put down Andy and Tandy,” Kenna said as they all turned to look at the happy couple dancing. “But, we missed out on that one. They’re already in love and I’m sure an engagement will come any day now.”
“I can’t believe we missed that one. It was right there in front of us all along,” Paige said with a shake of her head.
“Don’t feel bad, even Chrystal missed it,” Annie told them about her cousin who was also Andy’s mom. Annie smiled as Andy bent down and kissed Tandy in the middle of the dance floor. While they weren’t engaged yet, after his injury and Tandy’s obvious concern, they’d stopped hiding their romance and were full steam ahead. Apparently, many times when Andy had to scoop up a fart-tased Nikki, it was Tandy who had helped him get her home. Then they’d spend hours talking in his squad car and love had bloomed.
