The wedding would be held right there in the compound. Jenna and Kirk, Cook, and the staff at the boys’ home, they’d all be there. And, of course, the boys. Everyone would share in the celebration. Stone’s parents, his brother and sister and their families, and a few of his closest friends would be flying into Johannesburg and then would be coming to the compound on the morning of the wedding. The minister would drive in from a nearby township and Cook had identified a catering company who would supply all the food and drinks they’d need. It would take a lot of coordinating. Indie couldn’t wait for Tessa to arrive. This sort of thing was her cup of tea.
Finally the day dawned when Tessa would come. Indie knew what time the flight was scheduled to arrive and she estimated how long it would take her friend to check through and then be transported out to the compound. She kept running to the cottage door to check if she saw the Jeep in the distance. At last, a distant cloud of dust appeared and then she heard the truck as it got closer and closer to the compound.
When Tessa finally arrived and hopped out the friends hugged and kissed and laughed at being together again.
“I missed you a lot,” Tessa said, stepping back to look Indie up and down. “And you’ve changed since I saw you. You’re glowing.”
“I feel like I’m glowing,” Indie said with a grin. “I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
Tessa smiled at her and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Indie. So happy.”
Indie got Tessa settled in her cottage then she took her for a tour of the compound. Then she looked at her watch. “Stone should be back by now. He’d gone with some of the men to check out a new pipeline they were running. Come on, let’s go over to his place.”
Stone was indeed there. He received Tessa warmly and even complimented her on her choice of friends.
Indie leaned over to Tessa. “He’s biased,” she said in a staged whisper that drew a laugh from both Stone and Tessa.
And as Indie laughed with them she could only give thanks that with her were the two people she loved most in the world. She was blessed.
******
Stone decided he hated weddings. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married. That went without saying. He wanted Indie as his wife. There was no question about that.
What he hated was all this planning and organizing and rushing around. He liked order in his life. Regular, boring days, not this running around like a chicken without a head. Indie was forever giving him tasks, things to do with the wedding, and as much as he loved her he couldn’t help wishing it was all over and done with. She and Tessa were excited, having endless meetings with decorators, but he wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing. Now he was heading over to Indie’s cottage to get an explanation on the note she’d left him. This was the day before the wedding and he wanted all his tasks over and done with so that he could relax. Unlike the fairer sex which seemed to thrive on turmoil, he was looking forward to a day of rest and recuperation before all the celebrations began.
Stone was surprised when he got to Indie’s cottage and found the door wide open. He frowned but then he shrugged. They’d probably gone out onto the back porch for some fresh air. The days had gotten a bit muggy lately.
He stepped into the living room and, not surprisingly, there was no sign of them there. The back porch it was, then.
He was heading through the living room on his way to the back when he heard Tessa's high-pitched laugh and then Indie’s lower-pitched one, and the sounds were coming from the bedroom. He smiled and changed direction, heading there instead. Women and their girl talk, he could bet.
He opened his mouth and was just about to call out to Indie when her words stopped him in his tracks.
“I’m finally going to get the money. Can you believe it, Tessa? Who would have known that l’il ole me could have gotten a man to propose in less than a month? With all that money I can do whatever I want. Isn’t it great?”
What the hell? Stone felt like a wrecking ball had just slammed into his gut. Gotten him to propose? All that money? If they cut him right then no blood would flow. Everything inside him had turned to ice.
Indiana Lane, the woman to whom he’d declared his love, had seduced him so she could marry him for his money.
Stone’s shock turned to hurt. And then it turned to a rage that crept up his entire body. He clenched his teeth and his nostrils flared. He’d gone down that road with a woman before, but never again. He would throw Indie out on her rear before he let her use him like that.
He marched over to the bedroom where the door stood slightly ajar. He pushed it open and stood in the doorway.