One More Taste (One and Only Texas #2)(34)

They loved each other in their own ways, and even though they’d bickered a fair amount, his dad had always waved it off by telling Knox and his siblings that they were just two very different people trying to make it work, just like all people who married. Neither had liked to talk about their wedding, and the only memento of the occasion they’d kept was a framed photograph tucked on a bookshelf in the family room. In the photo, the two of them were standing together after the ceremony at the altar, dressed in their Sunday best and looking as solemn as dust bowl farmers.

After Remedy Lane had excused herself to get back to the wedding prep, Haylie turned to Knox. “I was thinking we’d swing through housekeeping headquarters so you could meet the Martinez ladies, Yessica and her daughter Skye. Their family has been working for the resort for more than thirty years, so they’re practically family. And then I thought we’d head to the golf course to say hi to Wendell.”

Everywhere Knox went inside the resort and out on the grounds, he ran into members of the Briscoe tribe, as he was starting to think of the collection of Briscoes and people who’d worked at the resort for decades and were now more honorary family than employees. The property was starting to feel like a family commune as much as a tourist destination. “Everywhere we turn, we see someone you know. Is it always like this at Briscoe Ranch?”

Haylie beamed at him. “You bet. That was the fun of growing up here. It’s like one big happy family.” Her face fell. “No offense, I mean.”

There it was again, the acrid taste of resentment creeping into his mouth. Briscoe Ranch Resort—one big happy family, except for the black sheep and his brood who would have starved in the streets, for all the rest of the Briscoe family cared. He fought against a scowl. “It’s not your fault.”

The opening notes of a horn honking La Cucaracha echoed through the amphitheater, followed by the hollered words, “Blessed serendipity!” in a now-familiar voice. Of its own volition, a smile spread on Knox’s face at the sight of Granny June, sitting on her motorized scooter at the top of the amphitheater as though she was a queen and it was her throne.

“Hey, there, Granny June!” Haylie called back. She and Knox started up the amphitheater stairs in her direction.

“Didn’t expect to see you two out of the office,” Granny said. “I was just comin’ to see if Remedy needed any decorating advice.”

She said it as a jest, but Knox had to wonder if there weren’t a grain of truth in it. Poor Remedy.

“We’re on a tour,” Haylie said. “I’m showing him all the good spots. But you’ve got great timing because we have a question. Did Knox’s parents meet at the resort? He can’t remember.”

As Haylie finished asking the question, Granny June had pulled her smartphone from her pocket and started scrolling. She didn’t look up or acknowledge Haylie’s question, so Haylie touched her shoulder and repeated it louder, as though Granny June were hard of hearing. Which Knox was fairly certain she wasn’t.

Granny swallowed hard. She tore her attention from the phone, but wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. For the woman who’d spent an evening availing Knox of story after story of Briscoe family history, she sure seemed uncomfortable. “They did. Yes. Your mama used to come around the resort to see my boys. Lots of local girls did.”

His mom’s oft-spoken refrain echoed through his mind, Those Briscoe boys are charmers, always were.

Haylie clapped, seemingly oblivious to Granny June’s discomfort with the line of questioning. “Then the Briscoe magic continues! Tell us everything about Clint and Linda’s romance. I’m sure Knox wants to know, too.” She gently pushed Granny June’s phone down and presented her with a well-practiced pout. “Don’t make him wait and ask his mom.”

“There’s not much else to say. Linda was a grade lower than Clint. They went steady for more than a year before getting married in October of her senior year.”

Haylie’s eyes went wide. “When she was still in high school?”

Granny June stuck her nose in her phone again and scrolled through Facebook like her life depended on it. “It was a different era.”

Knox was against causing Granny June any more anguish by questioning her further, but the need for the truth compelled him onward. “I thought they got married in November.”

For a split second, Granny June seemed genuinely confused and panicked about it. After a series of rapid eye blinks, she seemed to regain her senses. “That must be it. Did I ever tell you that my memory’s going? Maybe I did tell ya, and I can’t remember. See what I mean?” She chuckled at her own joke and tapped her temple.

Knox gave her an indulgent smile. “I think that’s enough of a walk down Memory Lane. Would you like to join us on the rest of our tour?”

Granny June sat back down in her motorized scooter and held the handles like she was getting ready to rev the engine, motorcycle style. “I’d be delighted. In fact, some folks around here consider me the ultimate tour guide. Did you know we’ve got the largest stable of horses south of Forth Worth?”

*

Emily was four hours into a whirlwind of a morning in her kitchen at the resort. New ideas for menus and meals for Knox were popping into her head so fast, she hardly had time to make note of them. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so inspired. The more she learned about Knox, the deeper into his mind she delved, the more brilliant her creativity became. And the bonus was that the busier in the kitchen she kept, the less she thought about him or the bevy of inappropriate feelings he’d reawakened in her.