Wedding at Wildwood by Lenora Worth Read Free Book Online Page B

help Mama with her dress. Told me to come and keep you company.”
    “How very thoughtful of my dear old grandmother.”
    He gave her a sideways glance. “I thought so. Took her right up on her suggestion.”
    “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
    “I’ve made a few calls, done my work for the day.”
    Catching up to him, she asked, “And just what is your line of work these days?”
    He turned serious then. “I run my own company, so I can set my own hours.”
    “Really?” Surprised at this revelation, she asked, “What sort of company?”
    As smooth as the flattened red clay underneath their feet, he changed the subject. “I don’t want to talk about work. I want to enjoy what’s left of the day.”
    Isabel sensed his withdrawal, remembered it all too well from their years of growing up together. “Okay. You want to be irresponsible and play, right?”
    He gave her that classic Dillon salute. “Right. It’s what I do best, or so they tell me.”
    She didn’t miss the sarcasm or the tinge of pain in his words. But she wouldn’t press him to talk. That had been one of the things between them way back when, that is, when he hadn’t been ribbing her or pestering her. Sometimes, they’d just sit quietly, staring off into nowhere together.
    “Race you to the branch,” she said, her long legs already taking off, her baggy walking shorts flying out around her knees.
    Dillon was right on her heels. Just like always.

     
    The branch was a shallow stream of clear, cool water that ran through a pine-shaded forest toward the back of the estate. The path to get there took them through the rows and rows of cotton just beginning to bud white on ruffly green vines.
    “Eli and his cotton,” Dillon said, the note of resentment in his voice echoing through the trees. “Our ancestors raised cotton on this land, but we quit growing it years ago. They say cotton’s making a comeback, though. A good moneymaker, I reckon. And Eli sure likes his money.”
    “Is that so wrong?” Isabel questioned as she settled down on the same moss-covered bank she’d sat on as a child. “I mean, do you resent your family’s wealth?”
    Dillon snorted, then picked up a rock. With a gentle thud, he skipped it across the water, then plopped down beside her. “No, I don’t resent my family’s wealth. Thanks to my mother, I certainly spent my share of it before I settled down. It’s just that Eli puts money and prominence before anything else.”
    “And you don’t?”
    “Not anymore.”
    Isabel glanced down at him, her heart skipping like the rock he’d thrown earlier. He looked so at home, lying there on a soft bed of pine straw in his faded jeans and Atlanta Braves T-shirt. She hadn’t realized until this very moment how much she’d missed Dillon.
    And he chose that very moment to look over at her, his eyes meeting hers in a knowing gaze that only reminded her of his kiss, his touch, his gentleness.
    “You’re pretty, Issy,” he said, his voice as low and gravelly as the streambed.
    To hide her discomfort, she said, “Don’t sound so surprised.”
    “I am surprised,” he admitted, his gaze moving over her face. “I don’t remember you being so attractive.”
    No, he didn’t remember much about her, Isabel thought. Even though he’d seen her every day of their growing up years, Dillon had taken her existence for granted. To him, she’d always be the poor kid next door. A fixture in his mind, just like his precious wildflower patch. Well, the wildflowers were the same. But she wasn’t.
    She looked away, out over the flowing water. “I don’t remember me being so attractive, either. I was all legs and teeth.”
    “Not anymore,” he said as he lifted up on his elbows. “I mean, you’ve still got legs, that’s for sure, and when you smile—well, you have a pretty smile.”
    “Thank you, I think,” she replied, her words lifting out over the breeze. “I guess the braces paid off after all.” She took