Rory: Hope City, Book 7 by Maryann Jordan (uplifting books for women txt) 📕

but she was still tiny. Considering the other bridesmaids were his sisters, he tried to convince himself that was the only reason he noticed Sandy. Shaking his head, he grimaced.

He had never been able to get her parting words to him out of his mind, and sometimes at night, they rolled around in his head. You took in other people’s opinions and made them your own. Ever since the previous evening during the rehearsal and accompanying dinner when he’d had to be around her a lot, her accusations haunted him. He had always prided himself on forming his own opinions about people.

During the past months, he’d seen her occasionally at the pub, sitting at the bar with Harper and more recently with his sister, Caitlyn, and Bekki King. Always looking gorgeous. Always with a huge smile. Usually with a circle of men around her. Never with any one man, though.

The previous evening, he’d spent more time in her presence than he had in months. She was friendly to everyone although she avoided him. A whirling dervish when it came to making sure Harper had everything she needed, she’d taken her Maid of Honor duties seriously, and from what he could see, Sean and Harper lacked for nothing. She’d gotten along with the rest of the McBrides and Kings, but when her gaze turned toward him, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. No one else would notice the coolness, but he’d felt her warm gaze on him in the past and knew the difference. I guess I’m just the only man that doesn’t give in to her. At least that’s what he told himself, trying to ignore her presence.

Grimacing, he shook his head. Not wanting to admit he might have been wrong about her, he clung to his earlier opinion. With a diamond bracelet around her wrist and matching earrings dangling, he was surprised she’d come unaccompanied. He figured a woman like her would want a certain type of man on her arm if for no other reason than to make a statement.

The others had gone into the reception tent erected behind the church, but he watched as Sean and Harper finished the photographs. They walked hand-in-hand, eyes only for each other toward the tent.

“Are you coming?”

He turned toward Caitlyn’s voice and smiled. “Yeah, I was just keeping an eye on the happy couple.”

“It’s about time to go through the serving line, and Brock will make his toast. I didn’t see you inside, so I wanted to make sure I found you.”

He threw his arm around his sister, and they walked together toward the reception tent.

“This day has gone perfectly,” she said. “I know Harper and Mom hired a wedding planner, but I swear Sandy has done most of the work. She’s great at organizing, has an eye for detail, and seems to know exactly what needs to be done to keep things running smoothly.”

“Uh-huh,” he grunted. “Rich girl like her is probably used to making sure things are done a certain way.” He inwardly winced at how petulant his voice sounded, hoping that Caitlyn didn’t notice. He should’ve known he couldn’t be that lucky.

“I think she’s wonderful,” she defended. “Sweet, nice, smart.” Looking up at him, she poked him in the stomach with her finger. “I’ve seen you look at her sometimes when we’re in the bar. I don’t know why you don’t ask her out.”

“Somehow, I don’t think a woman like her would be interested in someone like me.” His arm was still around Caitlyn, so when she came to a sudden halt, his body jerked to the side. Looking down, there was no mistaking the narrow-eyed glare facing him.

“I never knew you could be so judgmental, Rory. She’s an absolute sweetheart, and I have no idea why she's single.”

Not wanting to mar the day, he said, “Come on, Tiger. Let’s get something to eat.” He hoped his mention of food would encourage her to drop the litany of Sandy’s virtues. They stepped inside the tent, and his gaze landed on Sean and Harper moving through the buffet line, followed by family.

Sandy stood to the side, her gaze on the servers. It didn’t escape his notice that she was beautiful, didn’t seem to be searching for the limelight, and was making sure everything ran smoothly. As Caitlyn stepped away, he pushed down the charitable thoughts, mumbling to himself. “With a rich daddy and used to a fancy life, an event like this is probably an everyday occurrence for her.” Not willing to decipher why those words rang hollow, he headed toward the buffet.

Sandy was exhausted. The reception was coming to an end, and from all accounts, Harper’s wedding to Sean had been flawless. The band was nearing their final song before everyone would gather to say goodbye to the couple as they left for their honeymoon. She had joined in the dancing, a few of the fast songs where she and the others could dance without anyone being partnered. During the slow songs, she generally stepped to the side, except for a dance with Bill and another one with Sean’s detective partner, Jonas.

As hard as she tried to keep her attention focused on Harper’s happiness, her gaze would often drift in search of Rory. He hadn’t brought anyone to the wedding, and she wished that did not please her so much. Telling herself it didn’t matter, she knew having to watch him and another woman cozy up all day long would have made the happy event less joyous.

“Here you are!”

She turned to see Caitlyn sliding up next to her. Smiling, the two women hugged. They stood for a moment, both quietly enjoying the view of the wedding reception slowly winding down.

“I loved watching Sean get married today,” Caitlyn admitted.

Sandy met her smile. “It was lovely. I really like Sean for Harper.”

“He’s the oldest sibling, and I’m the youngest. I think I’ve always been a little bit in awe of Sean. He was always so capable. He certainly