Holly glanced at Alice, who looked just as surprised to see him. She lifted her palms in a helpless shrug. Holly had planned to tell Chris about the marriage; she’d just decided to tell him with a ring already on her finger. To avoid a situation like this.
“Chris, how did you get here?” Holly finally asked.
“Through your father. He told me you were one legal document away from eloping and I should come and knock some sense into you.” He was smiling. A smile he reserved solely for moments when he thought he was the funniest guy in the room. “I’m kidding,” he added when he realized he was the only one amused. “He just mentioned it was a small wedding and you weren’t sending out invitations, so I figured I’d save you the phone call.”
“How thoughtful of you,” Holly said. As usual, he didn’t listen closely enough to catch her sarcasm.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alice mouth, Do you want me to—? followed by a finger-slitting-across-the-throat gesture. Holly snorted a laugh, which made Chris look. Alice folded her arms and covered her tracks quickly with, “So what’s this emergency?”
“Oh. Well, Mr. Wright has regretfully sent me in his stead. Big, overseas meeting. Germany. I’m sorry, Holl.”
He gave Holly’s shoulder a squeeze; he knew how much her father’s lack of time for her got to her. The news did sting; unfortunately, Chris was also the last person she wanted comforting her. “It’s fine,” she said, brushing him off.
“Who’s going to walk you down the aisle?” Alice asked, the sudden disruption of the wedding plans making her voice reach an octave too high.
“Oh. Well, if you need a strong male figure in your life, I can do it,” Chris offered casually. As though that hadn’t been his plan all along.
“Oh, hell no—” Alice started.
“Alice,” Holly interrupted, eyes pleading. “Can you give us a second?”
Alice looked reluctant, but then gave a nod and left. Not without shooting Chris daggers on her way out. “She’s charming. As always,” Chris scoffed as the door closed behind Alice. When he turned back to Holly, however, his voice softened. “So is that a yes?” He stood close enough for her to smell his cologne—a muted, perfumed smell, like flowers pressed in the center of an old book.
“Yes, of course,” Holly said. Her voice was nearly breathless.
A grin cut across his features. “Good.”
Chris swiveled around on his polished shoes and walked out victoriously. However, before he could make it out the door, Holly spoke out. “Chris.”
He turned. She stepped over to meet him, her heels clicking on the wooden floors, and looked him dead in the eyes. “If you stand up and object or in any way try to ruin this wedding, I swear, my soon-to-be husband will tear your throat out. Understood?”
Chris’s mouth opened, and then shut, like a fish on a hook. Outside, she heard the piano music start up. Her cue. She nodded with a curt, professional, “Good,” and then turned to face the doors. “Keep up, please.” She was glad he couldn’t see her face, because she was secretly grinning like she’d just won the lottery. Had she really said that? Maybe she was going to like Mrs. Holly Westmore after all.
Holly reached for the door handle and, in one moment of decisiveness, pushed through. The view on the other side nearly took her breath away.
This was not how she’d thought her wedding would go down, in the middle of a ranch farm, thrown together at the last second by Jacob’s family. But she’d tried it her way once before. In a church, surrounded by flowers, white walls and high ceilings. Didn’t work out so well the first time. And this—the rustic benches, the fresh air, the arbor entwined with lilies—it just felt right.
And then there was the man (oh, the man) grinning crookedly at the end of the aisle.
Her breath caught when she saw him. He wore black slacks and a formal black jacket, with a crisp white shirt and smart navy vest underneath. And, of course, that damn John Wayne-style Stetson hat that he’d worn the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Who knew that she would be in a wedding dress, only a week later—?
The look on his face when he saw her was equally priceless. He didn’t take his eyes off her—not once—as she walked down the aisle. She could feel Chris’s unease beside her, but she no longer cared. Out of the corner of her eye, in her row (her side was nearly empty while Jacob’s was very filled), she could see Alice, blubbering as promised.
Finally, she stepped up beside Jacob. Her heel caught on the stand, however, and she nearly tripped backwards. Two hands reached out for her—Jacob caught her first. “I’ve got her from here,” he said to empty-handed Chris and flashed him a smile. Holly could have sworn he’d extended his canines just for that smile. Chris muttered something congratulatory under his breath and backed away onto the bench. Holly settled in beside Jacob and bit back a smile.