he caught sight of movement farther down, in Mrs. Hild's yard. The old woman knelt on her grass, trimming the bushes around the Cloverville city limits sign.
Thai wasn't unusual, since Mrs. Hild always rose early to tend her flowers. Seeing her wasn't what jolted Clayton so much that coffee sloshed over the rim of his cup and scalded his hand.
Someone was helping the older woman, bending over to pull weeds from the dirt. That someone wore short shorts that exposed toned legs—surprisingly long legs for such a petite woman. When she straightened up, a curly blond ponytail swung down across the back of her white tank top.
"Damn you, Abby." He shifted the cup to shake the coffee off his burning hand. What the hell was she doing up so early? Hadn't she been able to sleep, either? Had their kiss kept her awake, too?
God, he hoped so.
A shrill whistle drew his attention from Abby to the man who stood next to him, peering through the wooden slats, as well. "Is that the blonde you were kissing last night?" Nick Jameson asked. Having slept in his tuxedo pants and pleated dress shirt, the doctor looked pretty rumpled.
Clayton wasn't the only one who'd had a rough night. "You saw that?"
"Only because I was dancing near you."
"You were dancing?" Clayton hadn't realized the best man had brought a date to the wedding.
"With your sister."
For a second Clayton's heart eased with relief, then he realized Nick was referring to Colleen and not Molly. Molly was still gone. "Damn."
"Yeah, damn." the doctor agreed as he stared through the blinds at Abby in her shorts. "So she's your girlfriend?"
Clayton tilted the slats. "No, she's an old friend of my sisters'."
Nick nodded. "Right, that's why Molly left the note for her. What did it say in it?"
He wasn't about to admit he hadn't seen it. He'd berated himself already, and he didn't need to listen to anyone else's recriminations. Besides which, he believed Abby had shared everything that was important. "She read what it said, that Molly wanted some time alone to sort things out."
"So you and the blonde, that kiss on the dance floor... You were trying to get it out of her where the bride ran off to?"
"What?"
"You were turning on the charm."
He hadn't tried charm. Threats, yes—at the church he'd threatened to wring her neck. But the kiss? He wasn't sure what the kiss had been besides a moment of insanity. "That wouldn't work with Abby."
"I don't know. She seemed into you."
Abby Hamilton into him? "Yeah, right."
"Too bad."
Regret tightened Clayton's chest. He shouldn't be disappointed. He didn't want Abby Hamilton "into" him. He didn't want to be into Abby Hamilton, either. But he itched to open up the blinds again and watch her as she helped the older woman in her garden.
"Not too bad at all," Clayton insisted. "Abby Hamilton has never been anything but trouble."
"But she's an old friend of your sisters'?"
"Yeah."
"I saw all the women—Colleen, the blonde and the maid of honor—huddled together for a while last night."
Memories flashed through Clayton's mind of all the times he'd found those friends together over the years, the girls and the one nerdy boy who'd hung out with them. "Nothing unusual about that."
"They've been close a long time, huh?"
Clayton nodded. "Yeah."
"Then they know where she is."
"What?" Unable to help himself, he tilted open the blinds again and gazed down the street to where Abby squatted on the grass, her thighs and calves flexing.
"Josh and I are that close," the best man shared. "If he ran off I'd know where he went, even if he didn't tell me." Nick sipped at a cup of coffee.
Clayton should have known where Molly had gone, too. He'd always thought they were close, but now he realized he didn't know his sister at all. He hadn't known face-to-face what Abby had realized in Chicago, that she'd had doubts about her wedding. So Abby probably did know where Molly was. He sighed. "It doesn't matter. She wants to be alone for a while."
Nick
Thai wasn't unusual, since Mrs. Hild always rose early to tend her flowers. Seeing her wasn't what jolted Clayton so much that coffee sloshed over the rim of his cup and scalded his hand.
Someone was helping the older woman, bending over to pull weeds from the dirt. That someone wore short shorts that exposed toned legs—surprisingly long legs for such a petite woman. When she straightened up, a curly blond ponytail swung down across the back of her white tank top.
"Damn you, Abby." He shifted the cup to shake the coffee off his burning hand. What the hell was she doing up so early? Hadn't she been able to sleep, either? Had their kiss kept her awake, too?
God, he hoped so.
A shrill whistle drew his attention from Abby to the man who stood next to him, peering through the wooden slats, as well. "Is that the blonde you were kissing last night?" Nick Jameson asked. Having slept in his tuxedo pants and pleated dress shirt, the doctor looked pretty rumpled.
Clayton wasn't the only one who'd had a rough night. "You saw that?"
"Only because I was dancing near you."
"You were dancing?" Clayton hadn't realized the best man had brought a date to the wedding.
"With your sister."
For a second Clayton's heart eased with relief, then he realized Nick was referring to Colleen and not Molly. Molly was still gone. "Damn."
"Yeah, damn." the doctor agreed as he stared through the blinds at Abby in her shorts. "So she's your girlfriend?"
Clayton tilted the slats. "No, she's an old friend of my sisters'."
Nick nodded. "Right, that's why Molly left the note for her. What did it say in it?"
He wasn't about to admit he hadn't seen it. He'd berated himself already, and he didn't need to listen to anyone else's recriminations. Besides which, he believed Abby had shared everything that was important. "She read what it said, that Molly wanted some time alone to sort things out."
"So you and the blonde, that kiss on the dance floor... You were trying to get it out of her where the bride ran off to?"
"What?"
"You were turning on the charm."
He hadn't tried charm. Threats, yes—at the church he'd threatened to wring her neck. But the kiss? He wasn't sure what the kiss had been besides a moment of insanity. "That wouldn't work with Abby."
"I don't know. She seemed into you."
Abby Hamilton into him? "Yeah, right."
"Too bad."
Regret tightened Clayton's chest. He shouldn't be disappointed. He didn't want Abby Hamilton "into" him. He didn't want to be into Abby Hamilton, either. But he itched to open up the blinds again and watch her as she helped the older woman in her garden.
"Not too bad at all," Clayton insisted. "Abby Hamilton has never been anything but trouble."
"But she's an old friend of your sisters'?"
"Yeah."
"I saw all the women—Colleen, the blonde and the maid of honor—huddled together for a while last night."
Memories flashed through Clayton's mind of all the times he'd found those friends together over the years, the girls and the one nerdy boy who'd hung out with them. "Nothing unusual about that."
"They've been close a long time, huh?"
Clayton nodded. "Yeah."
"Then they know where she is."
"What?" Unable to help himself, he tilted open the blinds again and gazed down the street to where Abby squatted on the grass, her thighs and calves flexing.
"Josh and I are that close," the best man shared. "If he ran off I'd know where he went, even if he didn't tell me." Nick sipped at a cup of coffee.
Clayton should have known where Molly had gone, too. He'd always thought they were close, but now he realized he didn't know his sister at all. He hadn't known face-to-face what Abby had realized in Chicago, that she'd had doubts about her wedding. So Abby probably did know where Molly was. He sighed. "It doesn't matter. She wants to be alone for a while."
Nick
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