Walker Bride by Bernadette Marie Page B

her wine.
    Glenda had made a cake, salad, and bought a
gift when Pearl graduated from high school. Her father had
forgotten to show up, and her mother drank wine.
    Maybe it wasn’t too late to ask to be
adopted.
    The thought made her laugh and she
desperately needed to laugh.
    By the time she’d returned home the tears had
dried. There was a reason she lived alone in town and owned her own
business. It proved that she could be her own person and didn’t
need the Walker name or her parents to help her with anything.
    Soon, she and Lydia would be business
partners, and it would be one more notch in her success belt. They
were going to pool their resources and buy a venue that would house
all elements of bridal planning. There would be a kitchen for Susan
to work out of. Bethany had agreed to give floral design a try.
There was a banquet hall where they could have receptions and a
quaint garden where they could have wedding ceremonies.
    Pearl had been in touch with a photographer
friend who was interested in renting a space as well. The
possibilities were limitless and the more she thought about it, the
giddier she became. Timing was just right too. Her lease on her
shop was up, and she hadn’t renewed it because Lydia said nothing
could go wrong. Pearl felt that in her heart too. This was the time
to change everything.
    As she put the car in park outside her house,
she let out a long cleansing breath. Though her mind zipped about
with possibilities for her and Lydia, her body was exhausted. She
was ready to rest her head on her pillow and forget the day.
    But as she stepped out of the car and locked
the doors, she thought about Sunshine walking into her store. A
pang of jealousy ripped right through her, stealing the momentary
delight she’d just had envisioning the future.
    It was wrong to envy Sunshine, but she
couldn’t help it.
    Pearl realized that she wanted to feel as
connected to her family, as Sunshine was to hers, that to lose one
of them would shatter her. And wouldn’t it be nice to be loved
enough by someone, that they’d marry you the next day if you wanted
to?
    Sunshine was a very lucky woman, and she knew
it too.
    The weight of the day landed on Pearl’s
shoulders. She’d never have a relationship with her parents like
Sunshine had with hers. Not everyone was meant to, she supposed.
And she was damn sure no man would ever want to marry her. Walker
women were messes.
    With that sad thought, she unlocked the front
door to her quiet and dark house.
     
    ***
     
    Tyson sat on the tailgate of the farm pickup
and watched the sunrise with a mug of coffee in his hands. He’d
been getting up long before the rooster for most of his life, and
his payment had been watching sunrises.
    There was something tranquil in watching a
dark sky lighten and then glow in bright hues of reds, oranges, and
yellows. The sound of footsteps drew his attention away from the
glorious painting happening before him.
    The approaching figure didn’t startle him. It
had grown to be an often event that his sister walked up on him and
shared in the silent glory with him.
    “I thought you were in town at Mom’s.”
    She cradled a mug in her hands. As she neared
the truck, she handed him the mug and in one quick jump, she landed
next to him on the tailgate. Taking her mug, she sipped the coffee
that steamed.
    “I was. Couldn’t relax. Couldn’t sleep. So I
drove back out here very, very, early this morning,” she
groaned.
    “I never heard you.”
    “I said it was early.”
    Tyson watched as the grand ball of yellow
began to encompass the horizon. Soon the sky would just be light,
and the magnificent color celebration would be over. Usually, he’d
watch and talk later, but he wondered what had his sister so
tense.
    “What’s on your mind?”
    She sipped her coffee again as if she were
gathering her thoughts. “The new property we’re acquiring.”
    It was nature to shake his head. “This is the
one you and Pearl are