by Janie Crouch
Bree held the older woman’s hand as Cheryl and the other seamstresses gently removed the bodice of Mrs. Little’s gown from the skirt portion.
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride, dear,” she said.
The commotion continued around her and all Bree could do was watch and smile. Eventually she started serving food and coffee to the women who were working so hard for her.
It was nearing dawn when she found Cassandra on one side of her and Marilyn on the other.
“You okay?” Cassandra asked.
“I’m getting married in a few hours and it’s going to be perfect.” Bree had no doubt about it.
Cassandra nodded and put an arm around her.
“You were wrong when you said the church would tip over with Tanner’s family,” Cass whispered, looking around at the beautiful chaos surrounding them.
“I know. Because they’re my family too.”
Bree sat down in the booth where she’d first sat that day with the twins.
She’d been exhausted, at her lowest, empty.
And oh, so alone.
They’d helped her that day too, the people of this town. Her family.
She laid her head down on the booth table, just like she’d done that day. Her eyes closed as the sounds of laughter, talking and fellowship surrounded her.
Her family was here.
She woke to a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Bree,” Marilyn whispered. “The dress is done. It’s time to get ready.”
Bree looked out the window. The sun was already shining brightly.
“What time is it? How long did I sleep?”
How unfair was it of her to fall asleep while everyone else was working hard.
“I don’t know. I conked out too.”
Bree looked around. It was much quieter now, much less frantic. Three different sewing machines were still set up in the middle of the diner, but most of the women were now sitting around, drinking coffee and chatting.
Bree looked over at Cheryl. “I’m so sorry I fell asleep. I should have stayed awake and helped.”
“Do you know how to sew?” Cheryl asked.
“No, but—”
“Then there wasn’t any point in you being awake.”
“Plus, we all know my brother is not going to let you get any sleep tonight!” Cassandra yelled from across the room. Even Mrs. Little chuckled.
“Come try on your dress,” Cheryl said softly. “It’s hanging in my office.”
Cheryl kept her office purposely dim as she and Cassandra helped Bree put on the gown, the tiny buttons traveling all the way up her spine taking the longest time to fasten. With every second Bree got more and more nervous.
Finally, they were finished, and Cheryl ran a smoothing hand over Bree’s shoulders.
“Okay, let’s go see if this was more like what you’d envisioned when you’d never envisioned what your wedding dress would look like.”
Bree took a deep breath and followed Cheryl and Cassandra out of the room. It didn’t matter. No matter what the dress looked like, Bree was going to smile and act like it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
The women had the full-length mirror set up in the middle of the dining area. Sniffles and murmurs broke out as soon as Bree stepped foot inside. She looked at Marilyn, knowing how much the woman had loved the other gown, trying to see if there was any hint of disappointment at seeing this one.
Marilyn was crying. That probably wasn’t a good sign.
I love it. It’s absolutely perfect.
She rehearsed the words in her head. No matter what, she would smile and tell them she loved it.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror and promptly burst into tears.
She was immediately surrounded by a gaggle of women.
“No crying on your wedding day.”
“We know it’s not as gorgeous as that other gown, but Tanner will be thrilled to see you in this.”
“I think you look lovely.”
Everyone was talking so fast and all over one another that Bree couldn’t even pick out who was saying what.
“Ladies, give Bree a little space,” Cheryl finally said. It was her diner, after all.
They quieted and stepped back so Bree could once again see herself in the mirror. She trailed her fingers from her shoulders down over her chest to her waist and hips.
Her dress was a rainbow of white. No one piece matched exactly with the next.
Her eyes met Cheryl’s in the mirror, then Cassandra’s, then Mrs. Little’s.
“It’s absolutely perfect. It’s what I never even knew I wanted.”
“Now there’s a beautiful bride, right there.” Mrs. Little stood beside Bree, looking at her in the mirror, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“There’s a lot of love sewn into the dress you’re wearing,” the older woman continued. “Love the brides had for their grooms when they were first worn, and love for you, and what an important part of our community you’ve become. Now let’s finish getting you ready, because I’m pretty sure there’s a deputy captain who will arrest us all if you’re not on time coming down that aisle.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
By the time Tanner got to the church he was feeling a little like a zombie. Murder was a messy business in every possible way. Not just the physical part of it, although that was bad enough in this case. Making sure all the evidence was gathered properly, then working with the coroner’s office to have the body removed.
Even in a cut-and-dried case such as this one, it was still labor intensive. Particularly since it was a murder that also involved a hostage situation in a separate county. So lots of hours of extra communicating and paperwork.
Whitaker showed up right before dawn to take over everything. Tanner let out a sigh of relief. He really hadn’t wanted to miss his own wedding and honeymoon.
“Thank you, Richard,” Tanner said as he shook the man’s hand. He hadn’t been required to come, since this wasn’t the normal section of the county he worked in. He’d done so without anyone asking him to.
“I figured it was better for me to miss the wedding than you. But seriously, the next dead body? Please do not let it have anything to do with you or your bride.”
“Deal.”
By that point, there hadn’t been any point in trying to get any sleep. Tanner tried to call Bree, to make sure she was okay.
He had no idea what he was supposed to say to a bride a few hours before her wedding when there was a dead body on top of her wedding dress. Even when he knew that bride probably better than anyone else in the world.
He just wanted to assure her that he was willing to do whatever she wanted to do. If she wanted to reschedule the whole thing, he would do that. If she wanted to get married in their jeans and T-shirts, he would do that. If she wanted not to have a big wedding at all, he would drag her in front of the judge in the next five minutes.
He just wanted her to know that he loved her.
But he didn’t get to talk to Bree. Cassandra had answered the phone and explained to him what the women of the town were doing. She told him to hang out with Noah and to be at the church on time.
His breakfast with Noah had been pretty somber. A man was dead. And neither of them felt bad about it.
“Do you think Marilyn is going to be okay?” he asked in between bites of the breakfast food they had to get at the next town over because the Sunrise was currently a wedding dress factory.
“She’ll have her ups and downs. Even knowing this was the only way she and the kids would truly be safe, it will still weigh on her. Make her wonder if there might’ve been a different way.”
“Not in the eyes of the law. Ellis had every intent of hurting her and Bree, or worse.”
Noah nodded. “That doesn’
t mean someone as tenderhearted as Marilyn won’t still struggle with it. I would’ve taken that burden from her if I could.”
Tanner wondered how long it would be before his brother realized he was in love with this woman. “I know you would, bro, but believe it or not, not all burdens are meant for you to carry.”
“That woman has carried enough. She damn well doesn’t need to carry any more.”
Neither did Noah, not that he was going to be able to hear that. “Take a word of advice from your wise younger brother.”
Noah snickered. “And what’s that?”
“You two find a way of sharing the burden. I know that was one of the most fundamental lessons your time in the Special Forces taught you. A shared burden is easier to carry.”
Noah nodded, then sat back and stared at him. “Dude, you’re getting married in a couple hours. You nervous?”
“No.” Tanner didn’t hesitate. Didn’t have any doubt. There was nowhere on earth he’d rather be than at that church watching Bree walked down the aisle.
And that was where he was two hours later when the wedding march played and Bree walked toward him slowly, escorted by Dan and Cheryl on either side of her.
Tanner knew he should look at her gown. Knew the women of the town had worked all night for Bree to have something to wear. But all he could see was her. It wouldn’t have mattered what she’d been wearing—hell, it could’ve been a ten-thousand-dollar gown or a trash bag and he wouldn’t have noticed.
She was stunning. She was perfect.
She was his.
And with every step she took toward him he was more in awe of that fact. When Dan flipped her veil over her head and she turned to him, trust and love shining out of those green eyes, Tanner felt it in every fiber of his being.
The minister said words, and Tanner repeated what he was supposed to and completed the tasks he was asked.
His eyes never drifted from Bree’s face.
Only when it came time for the vows did he get snapped back into the ceremony. Bree had been nervous about this. With everything that had happened, they hadn’t had much more time to talk about it.
He wanted to reassure her now that it didn’t matter. That no matter what she said, he understood. That if she couldn’t say anything at all, he would still know.
As Noah handed them both the rings, Tanner grabbed Bree’s hands.
“We don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” he whispered. He should’ve made this offer months ago and saved her so much stress. “We can just slip the rings on. You and I will both know what we’re saying to each other without words.”
Bree’s smile was dazzling. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this, Hot Lips,” she whispered back.
The reverend indicated it was time for Tanner to say his vows.
It was easy for him. “You’re every part of me I never knew was missing. Your intellect is astounding, but it’s dwarfed by your beauty, your courage and your passion. I vow to cherish, honor and protect you all the days of the rest of our lives.
“You are my other half, my perfect fit, my forever partner. You are my greatest risk, my greatest reward, and I will thank God every day that you wandered into this town and not another.”
A tear leaked out of Bree’s eyes, but she was still beaming.
The reverend indicated it was her turn for the vows. She slid the ring onto his finger, but hesitated.
Tanner rubbed his thumb across the back of her small hand that was holding his. He would stay here as long as she needed him to. Or would help her out if she wanted. But mostly he would trust.
She said she had this, so he knew she did.
When the words came, there was no quaver, no problem being heard, no sign of nervousness. He would never have thought she could sound so confident in front of so many people.
He should’ve known better.
Her green eyes met his. “We both have known much loss in our lives, but we both found so much more. You are who I choose. You are who I choose to stand beside me when I need a partner, in front of me when I don’t need a shield but you insist on being it anyway—” there were more than a few chuckles at that “—who I choose to stand behind me when I need support.
“I will fight back-to-back with you when our enemies surround us. I will fight shoulder to shoulder with you when injustice surrounds us. And I will fight face-to-face with you when you’re being a jackass.”
More laughs, and even he had to chuckle this time. Only his Bree could incorporate a mild swear word into her wedding vows so perfectly.
“You saved me in every possible way a person can be saved. You are my hero. And I know whatever risks the future brings, we will be fine.”
She squeezed his hands, and her words slowed, took on depth. These were the words she’d found in the wilderness, he knew. “I don’t care what all the different variables are, as long as the constant is us.”
He kissed her. He was supposed to wait for the minister to say something, but he didn’t care. She was his and he was hers.
The minister said something behind them and the entire church broke into applause. The organ started playing the song they were supposed to exit to.
But it was only when Cassandra snickered and said, “Get a room,” did Tanner finally let go of Bree’s lips and open his eyes, finding her grinning just as hugely as he was.
He grabbed her hand and turned, walking her down the aisle to their forever.
* * *
Don’t miss the previous books in USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch’s miniseries,
The Risk Series: A Bree and Tanner Thriller:
Calculated Risk
Security Risk
Constant Risk
Available now from Harlequin Intrigue!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Cold Conspiracy by Cindi Myers.
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Cold Conspiracy
by Cindi Myers
Chapter One
“Come on, Donna. We need to head back to the house or I’ll be late for work.” Rayford County Sheriff’s Deputy Jamie Douglas turned to look back at her nineteen-year-old sister, Donna, who was plodding up the forest trail in snowshoes. Short and plump, her brown curls like a halo peeking out from beneath her pink knit cap, cheeks rosy from the cold, Donna reminded Jamie of the Hummel figurines their grandmother had collected. On a Monday morning in mid-January, the two sisters had the forest to themselves, and Jami
e had been happy to take advantage of a break in the weather to get outside and enjoy some exercise. But now that she needed to get home, Donna was in no rush, stopping to study a clump of snow on a tree branch alongside the trail, or laughing at the antics of Cheyenne, one of their three dogs. The twenty-pound terrier-Pomeranian mix was the smallest and easiest to handle of the canines, so Donna had charge of him. Jamie had a firm hold on the leashes for the other two—a Siberian husky named Targa, and a blond Lab mix, Cookie. “Donna!” Jamie called again, insistent.
Donna looked up, her knit cap slipping over one eye. “I’m coming!” she called, breaking into a clumsy jog.
“Don’t run. You’ll fall and hurt yourself.” Jamie started back toward her sister, but had taken only a few steps when Donna tripped and went sprawling.
“Oh!” It was Jamie’s turn to run—not an easy feat in snowshoes, though she managed to reach Donna’s side quickly. “Are you okay?”
Donna looked up, tears streaming down her plump cheeks. “I’m all wet,” she sniffed.
“Come on, let’s get you up.” Jamie took her sister’s arm. “It’s not far to the car.” Though Down syndrome had delayed her development, Donna was only a few inches shorter than Jamie and outweighed her by twenty pounds. Getting her to her feet while both women were wearing snowshoes made for a clumsy undertaking. Add in three romping dogs, and by the time Donna was upright, both sisters were tired and damp.
Once she was assured Donna would stay on her feet, Jamie took charge of Cheyenne, adjusting her grip on all three leashes. But just then, something crashed through the undergrowth to their left. Barking and lunging, Targa tore from her grasp, quickly followed by Cookie and Cheyenne. All three dogs took off across the snow, on the trail of the mule deer buck who was bounding through the forest.
“A deer!” Donna clapped her hands. “Did you see him run?”
“Targa! Cookie! Come here!” Jamie called after the dogs, even as the clamor of their barking receded into the woods. Silently cursing her bad luck, she slipped off her pack and dropped it at Donna’s feet. “Stay here,” she ordered. “I’m going after the dogs.”
