by Megan Ryder
"I could always wait to pick it up until that storms dumps three feet of snow then your wedding will have a pile of junk just outside the door. Besides, who says I even want your junk," Gene growled.
"We’re handing you a crapton of prime junk for your art or whatever you call that metal stuff you’ve been decorating your front yard with. Most of the rest of us call it a junk yard. You’re lucky you don’t have to go digging for it," Chase grunted.
Gene glared at him. “It’s art not crap.”
"Whatever. It's all out here."
He led Gene outside and they surveyed the pile of metal. "Can you take it all?"
Gene poked around the old equipment, making weird noises, pulling things aside and inspecting some of the pieces. Finally, he stood with a put-upon sigh. "Yeah, I can use this. What do you want for it?"
Chase looked over at West who had joined them. "I don't know."
Gene shook his head. "Amateurs. Look, Tara asked me to make a few signs and stuff for the wedding. I'll make them and take this stuff and we'll call it even okay?"
West narrowed his eyes and rubbed his jaw, studying the pile of metal. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah, that works. Need help loading up?"
Gene eyed the sky. "Yeah, it's going to be dark soon. I'll bring the truck around." He disappeared around the corner, leaving Chase and West alone.
"Tara going to be okay with that deal?"
West shrugged. "I'm sure he got the better end of the deal but what the hell. I just want this shit gone. And it's Gene. He's one of us."
Chase nodded. "About this storm..."
West looked worried. "We're getting some snow tonight but they're forecasting a big storm for next week. Right before the wedding. It could change. It's still a week away."
"Shit. Don't tell Hailey." Chase's mind started whirling with contingencies even as they loaded the truck with the junk.
Hailey leaned back in the massage chair and moaned. God, why didn't she do this more often? Pedicures, massages, facials. Spa days were pure bliss. And she kept putting it off, saying she was too busy, it was too expensive, or it was too frivolous. The glass in her right hand jiggled and she opened one eye to see the golden liquid magically refilled.
This was the best bachelorette party ever.
"Not even one stripper, porn flick, or sex toy in sight. Lame," Emma grumbled.
Tara reached out and punched her in the arm. "This was Hailey's choice."
Hailey rolled her head to the left and opened one eye. "When you have a six-year-old, a business to run, and a fiancé, you'll treasure these quiet moments. Besides, with a guy like Chase, I don't need strippers, porn or sex toys."
Emma choked on her wine. "I didn't need to know that. He's almost like a brother to me."
"You asked." Hailey resumed her blissful enjoyment of the kneading of the chair's rollers and the masseuse's digging in her arches, with her eyes closed. She might need to be carried out of here.
"I wanted a stranger, not someone I basically grew up with. Is that too much to ask for?"
"It is in Granite Junction," Tara replied. "Is there anyone in this town you don't know?"
"Tara, you need to get Sierra out to the ranch. She needs to open a spa there."
Sierra laughed. "Once she gets the ranch up and running and we see what kinds of guests are coming, we'll see if it's worth my time. But for now, I'll stick to the biddies in the town and you three to keep me in business."
Sierra stood. "Now, we'll practice your hair and makeup for next week. Molly Brennan is here to work on your hair, and I'll do your makeup."
"Do I have to move? Or stop drinking? Because honestly, I don't think I can do either. I haven't been this relaxed since...ever."
Sierra laughed. "Nope. We can work with you like this. For now."
That wasn't entirely accurate but within an hour, Hailey was staring at a different woman in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back into an intricate bun at the nape of her neck. A red flower, silver comb secured the bun with holiday decorations including holly-berries, winter evergreens, boxwood, and baby's breath. She held her breath as she moved from side to side, expecting the hair to fall apart but it wasn't going anywhere, especially with the half a can of hairspray used to secure it. Her makeup was subtle but emphasized her eyes so beautifully, highlighting her deep blue eyes and making her sexy, not the tired mother she always thought she appeared to be.
"Oh my God. Chase will be all over your ass tonight," Tara breathed. "Not that you don't usually look great but wow."
"No, I never look like this. Holy crap, Sierra. You're going to need to show me how to do this." Hailey stared at herself, stunned.
"She’s going to need to show all of us," Emma said. "Maybe someone might reconsider being so damned stubborn."
Both Tara and Hailey lifted their heads and stared at Emma who refused to meet their gazes. “Not talking about it, not now.”
Tara and Hailey exchanged glanced over her head then Tara took the ball and ran with it. “Is it possible that Cameron is just not that into you?”
Emma hissed like a pissed-off cat but, before she could speak, Hailey held up her hand. “I don’t think that’s it, Tara. We’ve all seen how Cam watches her at The Rock. And he certainly has taken good care of her when there’s been incidents at the bar. No, I think there’s more going on. More that Emma isn’t telling us, her best friends.”
Emma glared at them. “What part of not talking about it do you not understand?” She stared straight ahead for a few seconds, a muscle in her jaw pulsing then she slumped in the massage chair. “He’s just super protective. If only it was something more.”
Tara and Hailey both laughed. “Yeah, he looks at you like a starving calf looking for its momma at dinner time.”
Emma wrinkled her nose. “Charming analogy. I could do without that. I don’t want be his momma.”
“Nope, you want to be his love machine,” Tara teased.
Hailey threw a towel over Emma and hit Tara. “That’s so not an image any of us needed. But there’s one thing I do know. I can't go home looking like. Not until the wedding. I want Chase to be surprised. But it's so pretty."
Sierra just shook her head but looked pleased at their reaction, as was the hair stylist, Molly. "No worries. Enjoy your wine for a little longer than we'll take it all off."
Hailey sat back in the chair and smiled in the mirror. Now she felt like a bride. This wedding business was kind of fun.
Chapter 5
The next week leading up to the wedding was filled with barn preparations, dress fittings and more stress than Hailey ever wanted. Since the guys had cleaned out and ensured the barn was ready for the wedding, it was up to Hailey and Tara, and anyone they could corral, to do the decorating. The guys were increasingly worried about the projected snowstorm and wanted to be sure the cattle were settled in the winter feeding ground, closer to the ranch for easy access. They hadn't had to do much supplemental feeding yet, as there had been little snow, but this storm was predicted to lay down a couple of feet and the cows would need more. While Hailey was worried about the cows, since they were their livelihood, she had a more immediate concern.
The wedding was Saturday. The day after the big storm was supposed to hit.
"Talk to me. Your thoughts are keeping me up." Chase rolled over in bed and propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at Hailey, his eyes a little sleepy in the darkness.
"How can my thoughts keep you awake? They're inside my head."
He stroked a finger down her cheek to her lips, making her shiver a little. "You're also restless, your legs kicking me and you're tossing and turning like A.J. when he sneaks into bed with us. So, tell me, what's going on inside your brain?"
She turned her head and faced the window, staring out at the clear night. Clear for now. "The storm is going to be bad, Chase, isn't it? I mean, we've weathered many snowstorms in Montana but this one is going to be the worst in a while. Maybe we should postpone the wedding. Just
for a few days or a week or so. This way, no one has to drive in it."
He sighed. "You know we can't do that. Nancy Parsons, our justice of the peace, is traveling for three weeks. We could see if someone else if available but it's Christmas weekend. Most people have plans. And then your parents are leaving to spend a few weeks with your brother in Seattle. We could wait but we'd probably run into a similar situation with snow then too. No, I want to marry you, Hailey, and I want it this week. I've waited long enough."
She rolled her eyes. God, she had forgotten about her parents and the holiday and everyone traveling. "Well, at least we kept the wedding small."
Chase lowered his head and kissed her until she moaned, all thoughts of weddings, snow, and disaster completely gone from her head. He tilted his head. "Better?"
She cocked her head and twined her arms around his neck. "Not quite. I'm still picturing accidents and piles of snow everywhere."
"Well, let me try again," he chuckled and lowered himself onto her and proceeded to make love to her until she was too exhausted to remember what she had been stressing about.
Chase and Hailey hunkered down in the main guest house to weather out the storm. He had gone out earlier in the morning with West and Ty and the other hands to feed the cattle and the horses in the barns. They'd go out again later in the day to ensure everything was all set. But for now, they were curled up on the couch in the living room, the light from the Christmas tree shining from the corner. A fire crackled in the fireplace and they were drinking hot chocolate, all in an effort to take their mind of the howling wind and blowing snow outside. Even A.J. was uncharacteristically quiet, not asking to go outside or hanging on Hailey, asking for stuff to do. Instead, he quietly colored and read his books.
As the day drew on, Hailey's nerves drew more and more taut, while Chase tried to help calm her. By the time he went back out to feed the stock, she was a bundle of nerves and Chase felt guilty leaving her. But she had insisted on sticking to the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the wedding. He was staying at the main house for the night before the wedding, along with A.J., while Tara was coming over here. Emma was supposed to stay there too but he doubted she'd be able to make it.
The snow was still coming down when West plowed down the driveway and stopped in front of the main house. The passenger door opened and Tara, bundled up in a bright yellow puffy jacket, hopped down and headed for the house, her arms laden with bags and assorted items. Chase got into the passenger seat and shivered, holding his hands in front of the heater.
"Horses are all taken care of here. The barns are fine. It's fucking cold out."
West nodded to him. "The roads suck. Thank God we have plows. But it's going to be tough to get everyone here from town for tomorrow. Especially if this snow doesn't stop any time soon."
"We'll figure it out. Somehow. For now, let's keep up with this snow as best we can."
"Not worth it. Besides, it looks like it might be dying down, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up with clean up later. Let's head back to the house and hunker down for the night. It is your bachelor party after all." West grinned at his brother.
"I kind of expected something a little wilder. Not snowed in with my brothers."
West clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Chase, we ALL expected something a lot wilder. Then again, none of us expected you would ever marry, so..."
Chase grinned and stared out the window, unable to hide his excitement. He didn't give a rat's ass about the snow. Tomorrow, no matter what, if he had to ride a horse into town and get the justice of the peace, he was marrying Hailey. Nothing was going to stop him. Not even Mother Nature.
Chapter 6
Hailey woke the morning of her wedding to a winter wonderland. The windows were frosted with ice and snow piled on the sills. Hailey rubbed on the glass to see out at the white blanketing her front yard, at least three feet deep. Way more than what was forecast. She could tell based on the path plowed in the driveway already. The guys had already been up, busy clearing the way so they could feed the stock and open the roads. She heard a rumble and a plow truck with police lights at the top barreled down the drive to stop in front of the house. Emma popped out of the passenger side and hurried around the front to head into the house, with a backwards wave to her brother, Nathan, the sheriff who had driven her. He drove away, with a quick couple of beeps.
Hailey rested her head against the glass and gazed down to the barn where a figure had emerged, dressed in jeans, a burly, sheepskin jacket and cowboy hat. She still couldn’t believe that she was marrying Chase Summers today. After all these years, she was finally getting her dream. She loved Adam, but Chase had been her first love. Now she was going to have her fairytale with him.
Thank God they didn’t go to Vegas. Having her friends and family around her, small though it may be, was too important for them, for the next part of their lives. She needed them there, needed them around her. Both she and Chase had spent too much of their lives alone, fending for themselves. They should have known a quickie wedding, by themselves, was not the way to start their lives together.
She headed down the hall to begin getting ready and met a worried Emma.
“We have a problem. Several in fact.”
A.J. was curled up on the couch, sleeping, having been dropped off earlier by Chase when they started clean-up. So, Hailey took Emma and Tara into the kitchen for some coffee. “What’s the problem?”
“The roads are a disaster. Accidents everywhere. In fact, some of the roads out of town are closed. I only got here because Nathan brought me on his patrol. But I don’t think anyone is getting here for the wedding. Especially not Sierra and Molly for hair and makeup.”
Chase stretched from the shoveling around the barn where the wedding was going to take place. He and his brothers had cleared as much as they could to ensure people could walk and park in the area. The wedding was in a couple of hours and everything was as good as it could get. But Hailey still had a distance to walk from the house. Maybe she could drive.
Of course, that was assuming people could even get there from town and that was a big assumption. Right now, word from Nathan was the main road was closed down for a major accident and wasn’t expected to be open anytime soon, meaning Hailey’s parents, the justice of the peace and everyone else wasn’t getting there for the wedding.
West clapped Chase on shoulder. “We’ve done enough for now. We have to get ready.”
Chase gave West a bitter look. “Ready for what? No one can get here. The roads are blocked. How are we getting married without the justice of the peace? Hell, the plow trucks have barely plowed our roads to our driveway yet, even if they could get past the accident.”
Ty walked over to them and laid a hand on Chase’s other shoulder. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe if everyone can get to that point, we could meet them there and transfer people around the accident. Fortunately, there weren’t fatalities so Nathan wouldn’t worry about anyone seeing anything. It’s just a couple of cars and a truck blocking the main road.”
Hailey came out of the house, wrapped in a big, puffy winter coat, her eyes red from crying. Chase strode over to her and hugged her tight. “Hey, I don’t think I’m supposed to see you before the wedding. It’s bad luck, isn’t it?”
“I think we’re having our bad luck already, don’t you think?” Her voice was muffled in his coat.
“Nah, this is just a little hiccup. We’ll get everyone here. Ty already has an idea and we’re getting married today.”
She lifted her head and peered around him to look at his brother who had a slightly panicked look. Chase glared at him and Ty nodded, trying to appear confident. “Oh yeah, we’ve got this, Hailey. No worries.”
She narrowed her gaze, clearly not believing him completely. “Chase, we could always wait…”
He took her face in his hands, cupping her cheeks tenderly so she faced him. “I told you that I wanted my family for Christmas. We�
��re doing this. Now, go inside and we’ll get this handled. Trust me.”
She sniffled and nodded, turning to head inside. Once the door closed behind her, he turned to his brothers. “Okay, let’s do this. Call Nathan and see if we can do the transfer around the accident scene. Or if there’s another way.”
West shook his head. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” He pointed down the road at a truck moving down the driveway.
Gene rumbled down the driveway and pulled up to the barn. His truck was battered and older than shit and had something covered in the bed of the pickup with an old tarp. Gene climbed out of the driver’s side and three people got out of the passenger side.
“Chase. Nice day for a wedding. Thought I’d check in and see if you needed any help. And look who I found on my way here.”
Hailey’s parents and the justice of the peace got out of the passenger side. Hailey’s dad held her mother’s hand around the truck. “We were setting out early because of the weather and picked up Nancy because our car is better in the snow, or so we thought. But we got stuck. Gene found us and offered us a ride.”
“What about the accident?” West asked.
“Nathan had cleared a small way around it so we could get through. They’re still discouraging people from going that way but he’s letting people through for emergencies. I guess this counted,” Gene said.
Chase let out a deep breath. “Thank God. Gene, how can we ever thank you? You’ll stay, won’t you?”
“Got my suit in the truck. Got something else for you.” He lifted the tarp off the object, revealing a sleigh. “I’d been working on this for the Christmas display in town. It’s fully functional. Thought it might be a nice way for Hailey to get from the house to the barn. She shouldn’t walk in this snow.”
Chase grinned and hugged the other man. “This is fantastic, man. Really. We were just thinking about something for Hailey. She’ll love this. And I think we have just the horse who can pull that sleigh.”
