Tied Up, Tied Down(39)
“Yeah? Wanna bet?”
“I’d hate to take your money, Aunt Kimi, but I will. Twenty says Cash and Trevor win.”
“You’re on.”
Chassie cocked an eyebrow at Skylar. “Not gonna bet on your man?”
Was Kade her man? A possessive little voice piped up with a firm yes, so Sky said, “Bring it. Twenty on the McKays.”
Kimi whooped, “That’s my girl.”
“You heading to the reunion , Aunt K?”
“Yeah. We’ll see you in there.”
They wound their way through the crowd, stopping on the edge of the bleachers. Kimi passed Eliza back to her and fussed with the collar of Sky’s shirt. Smoothed a flyway strand from her cheek. Acted very motherly, which just made her like Kimi McKay all the more. “You are pretty as a picture. You ready?”
Skylar blushed. “Ready for what?”
“To meet the West family.”
“But I thought we were meeting the McKay family?”
“That’s later tonight and tomorrow. Lucky you gets a double whammy this weekend. This is my side of Kade’s family, the West side. You’ll probably recognize some McKay family members, since my sister Carolyn married Carson McKay, Calvin’s brother, making our kids double cousins.” She grinned. “Confused yet?”
“Yes. No wonder Cord said you should all wear name tags.” Skylar squinted at the large cluster of people milling beneath a big tent. “Maybe you should point out which ones are family members.”
“Honey, they’re all family members.”
There had to be at least fifty people in there. “Oh. My. God.”
“Smile. And when Genevieve West starts talking about quilting, run like hell.”
Talk about being in a fish bowl. Skylar wished Kade would’ve been there, helping her navigate the waters. Faces blurred. She’d never remember all their names. And this was only half of Kade’s family.
After an hour passed, a feeling of panic started. A sense she was an interloper, even when everyone was friendly and went out of their way to include her. She and Kade and Eliza must’ve gotten fifteen invitations to dinner. Several women promised to check out her Sky Blue products. It was unusual in that…no one thought it was strange to automatically embrace Skylar and Eliza as part of their family. Their immediate acceptance made her feel humbled. Grateful. Swamped by so many conflicting emotions, Sky feared she’d break down, and wouldn’t that leave a great first impression? Instead, she reverted to her normal behavior, keeping a polite distance as her eyes searched for an escape route.
Then Kimi was by her side again, soothing her, rescuing her. “Looks like you could use some fresh air, sweets.”
“Yes, I could. Thank you.”
Outside, Kimi said, “What happened? Did Janet harangue you about you and Kade livin’ in sin?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
Before she schooled her tongue to stay still, Sky blurted out, “I’ve never met so many genuinely nice people in my life and it was like they were happy to meet me, not giving me the evil eye wondering who the hell I was crashing their party.”
Kimi chuckled. “Not used to that?”
“No. I’m used to people ignoring or sucking up because they want something from me.”
“I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like growing up, always questioning people’s ulterior motives. Must make it hard to trust not only yourself, but everyone around you.”
“It does.”
“Whatcha see is what you get with us, honey.” Kimi tucked a loose hair behind Skylar’s ear and murmured, “I’ll be damned. You are a little shy, aren’t you?”
“About some things.” She studied Kimi’s kind eyes. “Is it obvious?”
“Only to me.”
Skylar gave her a skeptical look and Kimi cracked.
“Okay, it’s partially mother’s instinct, and partially Kade making me promise to look out for you because he can’t be with you. He’s worried about leavin’ you alone to deal with our crazy family.”
That man embodied sweet and something undeniably warm moved through Sky.
Kimi squeezed Sky’s shoulder. “Even knowing that, and as much fun as we’re having, I’m afraid I’ve gotta leave you to your own devices for a bit. The rodeo is about to start. You better get settled and I’ll meet you later.”
Skylar climbed the stairs in the grand stand. Clouds covered the sun, blocking some of the heat. She secured her sleepy baby in the Snugli, strapping it to her chest and stood next to the railing. The noise or the crowds didn’t bother Eliza. Sky took a minute to breathe it all in. The scents, the sights, the sounds of rodeo. Nothing like it in the world.