“Nervous?”
Mel looked at Zoe without moving her head. “Excited.”
Zoe’s cell phone buzzed, sitting next to her. Carefully making sure she didn’t scuff her freshly polished nails, she checked her text messages.
The reception tent is up, the tables are set . . . the flowers have arrived and the florist is spreading them everywhere. Tell Mel not to worry.
“Who was that?”
“Luke, he wants you to know everything is on time and set up or close to it.”
Mel grinned ear to ear. “Eeek! I’m getting married today!”
Jo blew on her fingers. “You’re such a dork, Mel.”
There were four of them on the porch. Along with Wyatt and Luke, Wyatt’s father sat drinking coffee, and Mark was drinking a beer.
“Is this considered supervising?” Luke asked.
Bill glanced over the paper in his hand, then ducked back to whatever he was reading. “You wanna jump in that and help, go right ahead. When someone shoots your head off for doing something wrong, you’ll be back.”
“Sounds like too much trouble for me,” Mark said.
Wyatt slouched down in his chair and closed his eyes. “Someone wake me by two.”
Luke looked at his watch. “I guess that would be my job.” Damn it . . . he could use a nap, too. But someone needed to stay awake to get the groom showered and ready on time.
“Do we have everything?” Mel asked.
They had a makeup bag, extra hair spray, and an emergency repair kit in case one of them should break a nail in the next hour.
All three of them were still in sweatpants and button-up cotton shirts. That way they wouldn’t mess up anything removing clothes to put on their dresses. Dresses that were hanging in Mel’s room at the inn.
“Oh, shit,” Jo exclaimed and then ran into her bedroom.
When she returned, she held a holstered gun the size of her palm.
“What do you need that for?” Mel asked.
Jo walked past them and out the door. “Don’t worry, it straps to my thigh. No one will know I have it.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Dork.”
Luke swiveled his head when the screen door opened.
Miss Gina poked her head out and motioned toward the sleeping Wyatt. “Don’t let him in here.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, the girls just arrived, and Mel doesn’t want to see him until she walks down the aisle.”
They both glanced at the sleeping groom.
“I don’t think she needs to worry.”
Miss Gina shook her head. “I’ll let you know when it’s clear.”
It took every effort and muscle under her skin to not leave Mel’s side when the trucks arrived with the food.
In their strapless gowns the color of dusty pink with silver sequins adding drama to the bodices, Jo and Zoe stood side by side, taking in the bride.
Mel’s eyes sparkled brighter than the diamond drop earrings she’d borrowed from Zoe for the day.
The photographer snapped pictures of Melanie framed by the lace-covered window.
“Spectacular.”
Jo nodded her agreement, and someone knocked on the door.
Zoe peeked out, making sure it wasn’t Wyatt.
Felicia, Mel’s mother, stood in the doorway, holding Hope’s hand.
Zoe ushered them in and quickly closed the door.
Hope wore a princess-cut dress in the same color as Zoe’s and Jo’s. With curls in her hair and flowers in the barrettes, she was a smaller version of the adults. The eyes in the room focused on Hope as she walked up to her mother and placed her hand on Mel’s dress. “Oh, Mommy, you’re beautiful.”
Mel knelt down and placed a hand on Hope’s face. “Thank you, sweetheart. And look at you. Did Grandma help with the flowers in your hair?”
Hope glanced at Felicia and nodded.
Another knock on the door announced Miss Gina and Felix, who brought with them the flowers the bridal party was going to carry.
Zoe grinned. “Not long now.”
Luke nudged Wyatt awake. “Dude.”
Wyatt blinked a few times and stretched from his chair. “Time to shower?”
“Probably not a bad idea.”
Wyatt and Luke made their way up the back stairs while Mark and Bill went around the front.
The water pressure in the inn kinda sucked, but at least it was hot.
The mothers left with the photographers, and Hope bounded down the stairs with her newest best friend, Felix.
Zoe just hoped someone had the good sense to tie up the dog far enough away that they wouldn’t hear him barking throughout the night. The image of Sir Knight frolicking through the catering trays was nails on a chalkboard in her head.
Jo glanced out to the yard below. “Looks like people are starting to arrive.”
“Do you see Wyatt?” Mel asked, several feet from the window.
“Nope.”
“He’s here, don’t worry.”
Mel placed a hand to her stomach. “Oh, God.”
“Finally nervous?”
Mel shook her head. “I think we forgot to eat.”
Luke straightened Wyatt’s tie. “You know, you clean up pretty good, Gibson.”
Wyatt slapped the side of Luke’s arm and winked. “Not too bad yourself, Miller.”
Luke glanced at his watch. “Now what do we do for thirty minutes?”
Wyatt pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves. “I say we sneak a few shrimp thingies before everyone eats them all.”
“I like the way you think.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Luke always thought it would be him standing in the number one spot and Zoe in white.
His heart kicked so hard when she rounded the corner and walked down the aisle he thought he might pass out.
Zoe Brown dominated the space she carried herself through. Her dark hair was piled high, the bodice of the gown dipped just enough to be classily sexy.
She smiled at familiar faces as she took her time walking up and rolled her eyes at Felix, who dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief.
Then she looked at him and her smile turned radiant.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he knew they were on the same page.
It was Jo’s turn in the spotlight, and Luke had to admit . . . the town sheriff cleaned up really well. Is that cleavage? He’d never noticed Jo having a rack.
Many of the people in the crowd lived in River Bend, and he was fairly certain they were all muttering the same thing.
Holy, shit . . . that’s Sheriff Ward.
Obviously Wyatt wasn’t looking at the bridesmaids. He leaned in and whispered, “You have the ring, right?”
Luke let his smile drop and his eyes grow wide.
He knew he gave his friend a tiny heart attack before he winked with a smile.
“Fuck you, Miller,” he whispered.
Mark, who stood beside Luke, chuckled under his breath.
“Not my type, Gibson.” And Luke’s gaze once again landed on Zoe. Her profile, her beauty, her poise. He wanted to call her his . . . like really call her his.
Hope was next, tossing rose petals as she walked a little too fast in front of her mom.
Once Hope made it to the podium, she walked right up to Wyatt.
He leaned down to hear her words.
“I do, too.”
There were plenty of ahs and ohs before the music changed and everyone stood.
When Mel turned the corner, she received the reaction she deserved.
She was beautiful, and blushing, and smiled all the way to Wyatt’s side.