Thunder Canyon Homecoming / A Thunder Canyon Christmas. RaeAnne Thayne
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shifted on the seat so that she was pressed against the side of the car. But she could still feel the heat of his body and smell a hint of his aftershave, and she couldn’t help but watch the smooth, efficient movements of his hands as they peeled the foil off of a chilled bottle of champagne.
He unfastened the wire and popped the cork while Dillon struggled to unwrap the straw on a juice box for his new daughter. Erika reached for the drink, obviously trying to help, but her groom was determined to master the task. The bride shrugged and settled back against the cushy leather seat, content to let him.
Erin felt a little tug of envy again but pushed it aside. Maybe Erika did have it all, but getting it hadn’t been easy for her. She’d had her heart broken when Emilia’s father walked out on her, and then she’d had to tackle the trials and tribulations of single parenthood. From Erin’s perspective, her friend had done a wonderful job, and if she’d lucked out when she’d fallen in love with Dillon Traub, well, no one de served it more.
Corey had finished pouring the champagne and passed the crystal flutes around to the adults.
“To the bride and groom,” he said, lifting his glass.
Erin joined in the toast but only took the tiniest sip. Although she was sure the bubbly wouldn’t be nearly as po tent as Corey’s proximity, she didn’t want to take the chance of alcohol further compromising her judgment.
“To Erika,” Dillon said. “Not only the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen and the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, but also the one who has given me the greatest gift I could ever hope for by becoming my wife today.”
Erika’s eyes were misty with tears when her new husband brushed his lips against hers.
“To my daughter,” the groom said, tapping his glass against Emilia’s juice box. “One of those greatest gifts.”
The little girl beamed at him and slurped down more juice.
“And to my brother,” Dillon continued. “For always being there for me when it mattered, and especially today because it mattered most of all.”
Corey grinned. “I’ll remind you of those words the next time you grumble about me being underfoot.”
His brother smiled back before he shifted his attention. “And to Erin—”
“Wait,” Erika interrupted.
Dillon’s brows rose.
“As the bride, I should get to toast my maid of honor,” she said.
Her husband gestured for her to continue.
Erin’s fingers tightened around the stem of her glass as she felt the attention focus on her.
“To Erin. I know you were surprised when I asked you to stand up with me at my wedding, and more than a little reluctant, and I want to thank you for saying ‘yes’ because although we’ve only known each other for a few months, I feel closer to you than all of the people that I grew up with here in Thunder Canyon. More, I feel accepted by you and appreciated for who I am rather than judged by what I’ve done, and I will always be grateful for your unwavering sup port and your unconditional friendship.”
“Hey, can you say something about me?” Corey asked his new sister-in-law. “Because that was a lot more eloquent than what Dillon came up with.”
Everyone was laughing as the limo pulled up in front of the resort.
Erin slipped away from Corey’s side soon after they entered the ballroom.
The bride and groom had opted for a champagne reception rather than a formal meal, so there was no seating plan and guests mingled freely while waiters circulated with trays of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. Erin decided it was wise to do her mingling as far away as possible from the best man.
It was a strategic retreat. She simply didn’t know how to deal with the feelings that stirred inside of her when she was near Corey. During the brief time that she’d dated Trevor, she’d been aware that something was missing. She’d liked him well enough and they’d shared some common interests, but there was no spark between them.
When Corey Traub had walked into the rehearsal the night before, she could hardly see for the sparks. She’d al ways thought she should feel more, but she had never guessed how much more there could be—or how unsettled the more could make her feel.
She had no experience with this kind of immediate and intense attraction. But she was certain that Corey did. That he had this effect on women all of the time and no doubt knew exactly how to handle it. How to handle her. And as intrigued as she was by the idea of being handled by the sexy groomsman, she was even more wary.
She didn’t do a lot of mingling, but she made a point of chatting with the people she knew and spent several minutes talking with Haley Anderson and Marlon Cates, Haley’s now-fiancé. When she turned away from the couple, she found herself face-to-face with Corey.
Actually, it was more face-to-chest because, even in heels, she was several inches shorter than he. And it was quite a chest, the breadth and strength of it evident even through the shirt and jacket he wore. She forced her gaze to lift to an even more impressive face.
Was it any wonder the man took her breath away? He had a look that could sell…anything, she decided, and managed to hold back a sigh.
He had a strong forehead, sharp cheekbones, a slightly square jaw. His brows arched over dark eyes surrounded by thick lashes, his lusciously curved mouth was quick to smile, and when he did, her knees simply went weak. The slight bump in his nose was the only imperfection, but it didn’t detract from the overall effect.
But he was somehow more than the sum of all of those parts, and the devilish charm that sparkled in his eyes and winked in his smile was just one more weapon in his overstocked arsenal.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Corey said, sounding more curious than offended.
“I have not,” she denied, though not very convincingly.
“Prove it,” he challenged.
She eyed him warily over the top of her glass. “How?”
“Dance with me.”
Erin took another tiny sip of her champagne as she considered how to respond. She knew she should refuse, that getting closer to the groom’s brother was not a good idea when he could make the nerves in her belly quiver from clear across the room. But how could she refuse? What excuse could she give for declining a seemingly innocent request? Especially when he’d already guessed that she was avoiding him.
Thankfully, before she could say anything, another woman approached from the other side and latched on to him, deliberately rubbing the curve of her breast against his arm as she leaned close. “Hey, cowboy, you promised me a dance.”
When she’d been waitressing at the Hitching Post, Erin had gotten to know Trina as one of the Friday night regulars. Trina frequently came in with a group of girlfriends and often left with a man—and not usually the same one as the week before.
At the resort, Erin frequently worked at check-in with Trina, as had Erika. No doubt it was their working relationship that had compelled the bride to invite the other woman to her wedding despite the fact that Trina had been instrumental in churning the gossip mill when Erika started dating Dillon.
Erin didn’t know whether Trina had attended the event with a date, although she knew the presence of an escort wouldn’t inhibit Trina from flirting with anyone else who caught her eye—as the groom’s brother had obviously done.
To his credit, Corey didn’t roll his eyes, though Erin didn’t miss the quick desperate plea in them before he shifted his gaze from her to the other woman.
“But I already promised this particular dance to Erin, didn’t I, darlin’?”
She had the power to save him. She simply had to agree that he had promised this dance