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  “I can hold her if that will help.”

  Casey looked at him as if he’d suddenly grown a second head. “You…you want to hold her?”

  Standing, Ryder came around the desk and held out her arms. “Sure. I’ll admit that I haven’t held a lot of babies, but I have held a couple in my time. Plus, you’ll be right here if she absolutely hates me.”

  Warily, Casey stood and placed Savannah in Ryder’s waiting arms. The baby cooed up at him, and while she was still occupied in sizing up the newcomer, Casey made quick work of her calls. The manager of each venue had no problem with them stopping by for a tour, and when she hung up the phone, Casey couldn’t help but smile at Ryder making goofy faces to keep Savannah smiling. Her first instinct was to say that he was a natural, but it seemed far too intimate a comment, and if she was going to survive the afternoon with him, she knew she was going to have to keep herself in total professional mode.

  “Okay, I have arrangements made with each of the locations, and we have our first appointment at three today.”

  Ryder nodded but didn’t look up; the baby’s big blue eyes held him mesmerized, but no matter how hard he studied her face, he didn’t see a trace of Casey there. “She must favor her father,” he said as casually as he could.

  Glad that Ryder wasn’t looking at her, Casey wondered at his odd comment before she realized that he must think that she was Savannah’s mother. She did some quick thinking. It might be just the thing to make sure that Ryder kept his distance and didn’t tempt her. “She does, actually,” she said and then rose to take the baby from him. “It’s barely one; why don’t you meet me back here at two thirty and then we can head over to the first venue?”

  Ryder didn’t want to leave; suddenly he wanted—no, needed—to know what had been going on in Casey’s life since he had moved away. “Have you had lunch yet?” he asked, grasping at straws.

  “Um, no. Savannah had only just woken up when you arrived, and I needed to get her changed and fed first. I was going to call in something to the deli and go pick it up.”

  Ryder waved a hand at her. “Tell you what, tell me what it is that you’d like, I’ll go and pick up lunch for the both of us, and then you can fill me in on my cousin’s wedding. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I don’t want to look like a complete idiot when we tour these places today.”

  “There’s not that much to know—” she began, but Ryder cut her off.

  “When I’m at a wedding, all I pay attention to is whether there’s an open bar or not. I have no idea about seating arrangements or acoustics or if there’s someplace nice for pictures. Please, Case, I don’t want to let Mac or Gina down.”

  How could she possibly argue with that?

  “All right,” she sighed as she placed Savannah down in the portable crib and found her notepad to write down her lunch order. Handing it to him, she smiled weakly. “I appreciate you doing the run for me. It’s not always easy getting in and out of the deli quickly with a baby in tow.”

  Not trusting himself to comment on that, Ryder simply smiled and said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Chapter 3

  “I cannot believe there is this much to know.”

  “And believe me, I’m just giving you the Reader’s Digest version.”

  Shaking his head, Ryder took a minute to let the information sink in. For ninety minutes, he had listened to Casey talk about all the features that are important to a bride and groom for their wedding venue. He was going to get even with Mac at some point, of that he was certain. Between the number of tables versus the number of guests, table placement, band placement, acoustics, flowers, and bridal party accommodations…his head was spinning. Who knew that so many ridiculous considerations went into planning a wedding?

  “Okay, so this first place,” he began as he rubbed his temples, “this is the one that has better beach access for the actual ceremony—”

  “But—” Casey interrupted.

  “But,” he cut her off, “has the smaller deck area for the cocktail hour, right?”

  Casey nodded her head with approval. “Impressive. You were paying attention.”

  “It’s my job to pay attention to details—no matter how monotonous,” he mumbled. “So the issue with the deck could lead to them either having to shave the guest list a little or risk having people feel like sardines.”

  “Exactly. However, the main banquet room is exquisite, and both Mac and Gina loved the menu.”

  “So they’ve already toured both of these places and tasted the food, but couldn’t decide on which one they liked better?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Crafty bastards,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Excuse me?” Casey asked with a giggle.

  “Well, it occurs to me that for all we know, there are no emergencies to deal with, but they just don’t know how to break the damn tie.”

  “Ryder, trust me when I tell you this—no bride would willingly walk away from her wedding plans three months before the wedding if it weren’t an emergency. I’ve been doing this for eight years; I know what I’m talking about.”

  He supposed she was right. Women took weddings very seriously, and although he had never met his cousin’s future wife, Ryder was sure Gina would be no exception. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Good.” They pulled up to the large oceanfront estate. It was once a private home but had been transformed into a catering venue. “The event coordinator’s name is Martin, and he’s been doing this for twenty years. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, and he has already agreed to hold the date for us so that you’ll have a little time to decide. Just don’t take too long; he’s really only giving you until Sunday.”

  “But it’s already Thursday,” Ryder said, his voice laced with panic.

  They were walking up the large front steps when Casey, against her better judgment, reached out and touched Ryder’s arm to stop him. “We’re seeing both places today. That will give you a couple of days to mull it over. Trust me, it’s not going to be that bad.”

  “Easy for you to say. If it wasn’t so bad, then Mac and Gina wouldn’t have me here doing this because the decision would have been made already.”

  “Touché.”

  They were greeted at the entrance by a well-dressed man in his fifties wearing a perfectly tailored suit and a big smile. “Casey,” he said, shaking her hand warmly with both of his. “It is always a pleasure to see you.”

  “Same here, Martin,” she said with a smile. Introductions were made, and then Martin took them on an extensive tour of the estate. The final room was Martin’s office, where he offered them each something to drink while they made themselves comfortable. When he left the room to fetch their beverages, Casey turned to Ryder.

  “So? What did you think?”

  “It’s amazing,” he said with just a hint of uncertainty.

  “But?”

  He shot her a sideways glance at her perceptiveness. “But…I’m not one hundred percent convinced that this is the place. I mean, it all looks great when the place is empty and everything is neat and set up like a display. What does it look like when there’s an event in progress? How is the service? How do they organize the transition from wedding on the beach to cocktail hour to reception?”

  “Wow, you really have been paying attention. Again, I’m impressed.”

  “I told you,” he said, holding out his hands, “I’m a detail-oriented guy.”

  Just then, Martin returned with their drinks and sat down behind his desk. “Well, Mr. Montgomery, any questions?”

  “Do you have any events this weekend that we can maybe…observe?”

  “Ryder!” Casey hissed at him and then turned and smiled apologetically at Martin.

  “It’s all right, Casey,” Martin assured. “I can understand that this is a bi
g decision and he wants to make the best-informed one he can. We have an event here tomorrow. The ceremony will take place at six p.m. on the beach, cocktails begin at seven, and dinner will be served at nine. You are both more than welcome to come and observe.”

  “Thank you,” Ryder said, relieved that he hadn’t committed any kind of faux pas. “I appreciate your willingness to let us crash.”

  “Well, I prefer to not think of it as crashing. You’ll be able to observe the ceremony on the beach and walk around during cocktails, but after that, you’ll have to watch from afar for dinner. We respect our bride and groom’s privacy and the fact that they paid for the event, and we don’t wish to take advantage. We can arrange for a tasting for you both with each course—set up in a separate room, of course—this way you can see for yourself how the food is presented.” He looked expectantly at both Ryder and Casey. “How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like you’ve done this before,” Ryder said with a big grin. “And it is exactly what I’m going to need in order to make sure that I do the right thing by my cousin. Thank you.”

  * * *

  The drive to the second venue was made in silence. Casey knew that Ryder didn’t need any more coaching, and honestly, she was more than a little on edge at the thought that they were going to have to go and observe an event the next night.

  Who knew his attention to detail would be so annoying and yet so arousing? How was she supposed to keep her professional shell in place when they had to spend so much time together?

  “Ready?” Ryder asked, effectively snapping Casey out of her own reverie. She nodded, and together they headed for the entrance. This facility was an exclusive hotel resort; everything was all-inclusive. “So guests can stay right here on site and not have to drive, right?” Casey simply nodded again. “That’s a definite plus in my book; no need to have an open bar all night and then send everyone on their way to drive under the influence.”

  “Casey! So glad to see you!” They were greeted by a wiry, handsome man who was close to their own age, and Casey was wrapped in a friendly hug.

  “How are you, Tyler?” Casey said with a big smile. She introduced Ryder and noticed that he wasn’t as friendly as he had been earlier with Martin. She looked at him quizzically, but quickly returned her attention to Tyler. “So, are you ready to give us the grand tour?”

  An hour later, they found themselves in Tyler’s office, and Casey was a bit unnerved by how quiet Ryder had been on the tour. At the sound of Tyler’s phone ringing, he excused himself and left Casey and Ryder alone.

  “I’m guessing that you hate this place,” she said bluntly.

  “What? No, why?”

  Casey gave him a look of disbelief. “You’ve been quiet and reserved the entire time we’ve been here, while you were a chatterbox at the last place. So what gives? What don’t you like about this place?”

  Ryder raked a hand through his hair in agitation. “Honestly? I think the place is great. I like that the ceremony isn’t out on the sand, and yet the deck is large enough to seat everyone and still give a spectacular view of the water. The rooms for both the cocktail hour and the reception are the perfect size and the hotel rooms for the guests are top quality.”

  “But…?”

  “But…I don’t know. I have to wonder, again, how it all actually looks while an event is going on. Is it going to be like pretty-boy Tyler and just all be a facade?”

  Casey couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  Ryder leaned in close and kept his voice down just in case Tyler reappeared. “Guys like Tyler are all the same: impeccably dressed and with all the right things to say. But at the end of the day, they’re all just a pack of smarmy jackasses who probably hit on the guests or…I don’t know. He just rubs me the wrong way.”

  “So this has nothing to do with the actual facility,” she stated just to be clear, “and simply about your dislike of Tyler. Do I have that right?”

  “Well, when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous.”

  “That’s because it is ridiculous, Ryder. I’ve worked with Tyler dozens of times, and he is a quality guy. He does an impeccable job on each and every event and pays attention to detail, and I’ve never seen or heard of him hitting on anyone. Actually, I believe that he’s been involved with someone for years.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Ryder said begrudgingly. “Plenty of people are involved and yet screw around. How do you know he’s not going to go hitting on the bridesmaids?”

  “Because he’s more likely to hit on the groom or the groomsmen,” she said as her lips began to twitch. The look of shock on Ryder’s face was priceless.

  “You mean he’s…um…so Tyler’s…”

  “Gay? Yes. Do you feel better now?”

  He relaxed visibly in his seat. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. Just then Tyler walked back in and apologized for leaving them alone. “No worries, Tyler,” Ryder said with more enthusiasm than he had shown on their entire tour. “Do you happen to have an event this weekend that we can come and scope out? I’m more of a visual guy, and I want to see it all in action before making my decision.”

  Tyler was thrilled that they wanted to come back and gave them information on a wedding they were hosting on Saturday. “This one’s going to be a little different than what your cousin is wanting to do,” he began. “The ceremony is going to be at four in the afternoon, cocktails at five, and dinner will be served at seven.” He looked up and addressed Ryder. “They’re an older couple and a lot of the relatives are seniors, so they wanted the event to be over by ten.”

  Ryder nodded in understanding. “Sounds perfect to me. As long as I can get a general feel of how the rooms will look and how the spot for the ceremony will be laid out, I’ll feel better informed to make my decision. I appreciate you letting us come back and do that.”

  “No problem,” he replied. “I would much rather you be comfortable with your decision so that you’ll be confident when you tell your cousin why you chose us.”

  Casey smiled at the confidence in Tyler’s words and saw that Ryder did not take any offense to them. They each thanked him for his time, and soon they were back in Casey’s car and heading to her office. Once again they drove in silence, and when they arrived, she was surprised that Ryder didn’t immediately leave. He followed her inside.

  Realizing that she wasn’t getting rid of him anytime soon, she simply headed into her office and got herself situated behind her desk. “So? Are you leaning toward one or the other?” she finally asked, her tone neutral.

  Ryder took a seat across from her and made himself comfortable. “I can see why Mac and Gina weren’t able to decide. They’re both great places. I think it’s going to come down to the presentation of everything this weekend.” He looked around her office as if searching for something.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “I was just looking for all of the baby stuff that was here earlier.” When Ryder had left earlier to pick up their lunches, Julie had come back and retrieved her daughter and all of her equipment. Casey had simply said that her business partner had Savannah, and Ryder hadn’t questioned it. “I’m sorry I kept you out so long. Will you have a problem going to these events this weekend? I didn’t even take your schedule into consideration when we were making arrangements with either of those guys. I’m sorry.”

  She was touched by his concern. “If I couldn’t make it, I would have spoken up earlier. You happened to catch me on a weekend where I personally do not have any events to cover.” Glancing at the calendar on her desk, Casey picked up a pen and marked their appointments on the appropriate dates.

  “I wasn’t just referring to other events,” he said quietly. “I don’t mean to take time away from…your family.” Casey could tell he was fishing for information. Well, she wasn’t going to
make things easy on him.

  “No worries. Like I said, if I wasn’t able to do it, I would have spoken up earlier. If you don’t mind,” she said as she rose again from her seat, “it’s been a long day, and I do have some calls to make before I can leave. I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon at our first wedding. How about we arrange to get there at five, so you can observe some of the preparations?”

  “Why don’t I just pick you up? You only live up the road from me or, if you prefer, I can meet you here.”

  A realistic excuse refused to come to her mind, and before she could overthink it and make herself crazy, she said, “We can meet here.”

  There was no denying the pleasure on Ryder’s face. “You won’t need to go home and get ready first? Do we need to dress like the other guests so that we blend in?”

  She nodded. “I’ll make sure to bring a change of clothes with me. Believe me, this isn’t my first time being an innocent wedding crasher.” She chuckled at the thought and soon Ryder joined her. “I appreciate you making the time to do this for Mac and Gina. I promise that after Saturday night, you’ll be off wedding planner duties. Your uncle said that he was going to clear a couple of days from his calendar so that he can drive down here and take care of the rest.”

  * * *

  The thought of only having until Saturday night to spend with Casey had Ryder feeling panicked. He’d have to do his best to convince his uncle that his time was far too important to Montgomerys to take off and deal with this, and that he, Ryder, was more than capable of taking care of all of the details.

  He just hoped that Casey would warm up to the idea as he had.

  And that maybe, just maybe, she’d finally feel comfortable enough to start sharing a little bit of her personal life with him so that Ryder could get his head on straight and know where he stood with her.

  Chapter 4

  Friday at five o’clock arrived much sooner than Casey was prepared for. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror in her office, checking her appearance. The simple hot-pink sleeveless dress was the perfect choice for what they were doing tonight, and yet as she stared at her reflection, Casey couldn’t help but frown.