Free Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin

before…” She swallowed, cleared her throat. “Before we lost Wes, Mama and Daddy actually made a halfhearted attempt to maintain things. If for no other reason than appearance. Now?” She shrugged. “They simply don’t care.”
    â€œThis house is your inheritance as much as it was Wes’s.”
    â€œYeah, well, tell them that.”
    The same anger that had grabbed him by the throat on the stairs snaked through him again. Why didn’t Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont get down on their knees and thank God they still had one child? How could they be so careless with her? He tamped down the mad. It wouldn’t do any good. No sense wasting energy on it.
    For now. There’d come a time, though, when it could be addressed. Till then, he could show her he valued her—if she’d let him.
    â€œPaper? Pencil?” he asked again.
    â€œSure.” She dug a small tablet and the nub of a pencil out of her back pocket.
    â€œHow you get anything in those pants besides you is a mystery only Mother Nature could explain.”
    She threw him a saucy grin, and he instantly felt better. This was the kid sister he knew so well.
    Except, hell, she wasn’t a kid anymore. And she definitely wasn’t his sister. Not by a long shot. And thank God for that! Jenni Beth Beaumont had grown into one incredible woman.
    Why hadn’t some guy snapped her up by now, claimed her as his? And why did the idea of that happening not sit well with him? Was it because of their history together?
    No, it was just his protective side, he argued. Nothing more. Yet when Laurie, his own kid sister, had announced her engagement, he hadn’t even flinched.
    That was different. He’d known the guy. Sort of. They’d been in a couple classes at college together.
    And none of this mattered, did it? He’d help her with the house as much as he could. He’d keep his promise to Wes. Maybe make up for what he’d done to Jenni Beth in Savannah. Get Mr. and Mrs. B. through this. Then he could sleep easy again. End of story.
    They went through several more rooms with Jenni Beth chatting about the minimal amount of work needed.
    â€œSince nobody but family will be in this area, I’ll pretty much ignore these rooms and concentrate on the public area until I get the business up and running. I want to make the space comfortable for my folks, but I’m hoping to get by with fresh paint and some furniture rearrangement.”
    Cole nodded. “They can use downstairs for any entertaining they might do.”
    â€œExactly.”
    One door on the left stood closed. Hand on the jamb, he asked, “What’s in here?”
    The instant he turned the knob and pushed open the door, he wished he hadn’t. It was a punch to the gut.
    Wes’s room. Looking like a memorial—or a tomb. The drapes were closed, but even in the dim light, Cole made out a pair of boat shoes kicked off haphazardly at the foot of the bed. A pair of worn jeans draped across the back of a desk chair. A room waiting for its owner.
    An owner who wouldn’t be coming back.
    â€œWhat the heck?” Pain rushed through him, violent and new. Involuntarily, he took a step back.
    She laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. You didn’t give me a chance—”
    â€œIt’s been a year and a half, Jenni Beth. This is insane.”
    â€œI know.” Tears formed in her eyes, and she blinked at them. “My mother—she can’t deal with it. Can’t let him go.”
    â€œThen somebody else should. This—” He stared at his friend’s room. He wanted to drop to his knees. Wanted to howl with pain.
    His breath hitched. How could they live like this? How could Jenni Beth stand to come back here? To walk past this room every day knowing what was behind the door?
    â€œYou don’t understand. Daddy and I tried to talk to her but finally gave up. She’d never forgive anyone who