by Elle James
“Damn.” Casey’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Surely, after what happened last night, she won’t make another attempt to stop the wedding.”
“You never know,” Jacob said. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…or something like that.” He kissed the tip of Casey’s nose.
Casey reached up and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. “Did I tell you how wonderful you were last night?”
His eyebrows waggled. “Are you talking about Tijuana? Or are you talking about this morning in my hotel room?”
She laughed. “I forgot. It was this morning. But yes, you were pretty wonderful on both counts.”
“You weren’t half bad yourself.” He pulled her close and tipped her head up so that he could kiss her thoroughly. “Care to make a repeat performance?”
“Would love to, but I’d prefer to take a raincheck for after the reception.”
Jacob kissed her again and set her at arm’s length. “Gotcha. Go do what you do. I’ll take care of Mr. Parkman. Let me know when you’re ready to go get your vehicle.”
Casey spent the next hour on the phone with the various vendors, ironing out delivery details and making certain they were on their way to the chapel and reception hall to set up for the celebration.
At noon, she stopped by Kalea’s room. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” she said. “Thank you for having food delivered to my room.”
Casey looked past her into the room. “Where’s Hawk?”
“He left me to get ready in my own time. I plan on taking a long hot bath, filled with essential oils, and shaving my legs. Then I’m going to wash my hair and blow it dry.”
“Take your time, relax and have a glass of that wine I sent up.”
“I plan on it,” she said. “After all that happened yesterday, I refuse to be rushed or stressed.”
“Good.” Casey hugged her friend. “I’ll be by to pick you up at two-thirty. I’ve scheduled the hair and makeup artist to be there close to three. I think you’ll like her.”
“I’m sure I will. If she can do miracles, and I don’t have to do my own hair, I’m happy.” Kalea walked her to the door. “Now, go. My tub is filling.”
Casey went in search of Jacob and found him in the hotel bar with Hawk, Mr. Parkman, Hank and Maddog.
She smiled at Hank. “What happened to your Deltas?”
“They’ve never been to San Diego,” Hank said, “so they’re out playing tourist, until this afternoon, when they’ll show up clean and pressed for the wedding.”
“We’re all very familiar with the area,” Maddog said with a grin. “Been there. Done it. Have the scars from BUD/S training to prove it.”
Jacob slipped off the bar stool. “Ready to get your vehicle?”
She nodded. “I’ll see the rest of you later. If you could be there around four-thirty, that will give you enough time to dress and for the photographer to get pictures while you’re getting ready.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hank said. “We’ll be there.”
Jacob dropped her off at her SUV and followed her out of the apartment parking lot, before he went one direction and she went the other.
Casey dropped off items at the wedding venue where she supervised the finer details of the decorations, making certain the florist had placed the arrangements in the chapel and the reception hall exactly as Casey had envisioned. She checked with the venue’s sound guy to make sure he had the correct music loaded and ready to go when the bride walked down the aisle. Kalea had gone with pre-recorded music instead of a vocalist or string quartet. She’d chosen the songs she wanted, including a traditional Hawaiian song called “White Sandy Beach.”
When she was sure everything was in order, she hurried back to the hotel to collect Kalea.
She wore the silky robe Casey had left for her. They sneaked out through a side door to keep the men from seeing her before the wedding.
They arrived at the chapel twenty minutes later and entered the rectory where Mina had set up shop for the afternoon. They spent the next two hours on makeup for Kalea and Casey. When Mina finished, Hank’s wife, Sadie, and little girl, Emma, showed up to help them get dressed. The photographer arrived early, snapping pictures of Kalea at various stages of preparation. When the bride was dressing, the photographer had Casey and Sadie pose with Kalea in place of her mother.
Casey hugged her friend. “Your mother would be so proud of you. You’re absolutely stunning.”
Kalea blinked back tears.
“Don’t cry,” Casey exclaimed. She grabbed a tissue and held it out for Kalea. “You’ll smear your makeup. And Mina did a wonderful job.”
After the bride was dressed in her simple white dress, Mina appeared carrying a beautiful white Haku Lei, the traditional Hawaiian headdress worn by Hawaiian brides.
Again, Kalea’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t know…”
“Your mother would have insisted,” Casey said.
Mina settled the wreath of flowers in Kalea’s dark hair, blinking back her own tears.
Casey grabbed several tissues and passed them around to all the ladies, including herself. “You’re beautiful,” she said and sniffed. “Hawk is a very lucky man.”
The photographer snapped photos of the bride and the ladies assisting her. “I’ll be back. I need to get photos of the men getting ready.”
Casey held Kalea’s hand. “At this point, I always ask the bride if she’s absolutely sure this is what she wants to do. But I can see by the happiness in your face, this is so right.”
Kalea nodded. “Hawk is the man for me.” She squeezed Casey’s hand. “I hope to be at your wedding next.”
Casey wrinkled her brow. “I’m not even engaged.”
“I think it’s only a matter of time.” Kalea winked. “Rooster only has eyes for you.”
Casey’s stomach filled with butterflies.
“And how can he resist you when you look so beautiful in that dress?”
The reflection in the mirror showed two beautiful women. “You’re the beauty today. This is your day to shine the brightest.”
Kalea laughed. “Sadie McClain is here.” She smiled at Hank’s wife. “No one can compete with you.”
“Honey, there is no competition here,” Sadie said. “You’re absolutely stunning.” She lifted Emma in her arms. “You’re the star of this show, sweetie.”
Emma stared at Kalea, her eyes wide. “You’re a princess.”
Kalea laughed. “I feel like one.”
The door opened, and Sylvia Rodriguez, Casey’s potential client, entered. “I hope you do not mind, but I could not resist. I had to see what was going on behind the scenes.”
“Please, come in,” Kalea said. “Casey has done a fantastic job pulling this wedding together. You can’t go wrong with her as a wedding planner. She goes above and beyond the call of duty.” Kalea winked at Casey, sharing their secret.
Casey glanced at the clock on the wall, and her heart skipped several beats. “It’s time.”
As the words left her mouth, Kalea’s father appeared at the door. “The groom is in place. Is the bride ready?” He stopped when he spotted his daughter, and tears filled his eyes.
Casey handed him a tissue.
He wiped his eyes as he held his daughter’s hand. “You’re beautiful. Just like your mother.”
Kalea hugged her father.
The music started. The cue that the wedding was about to begin.
Casey handed Kalea her bouquet of white flowers that matched her headdress. She took her smaller bouquet and handed the basket of rose petals to Emma.
Sadie left the room, holding Emma’s hand. She would escort Emma down the aisle as the little girl spread flower petals in front of the bridal procession.
Casey was next. “Remember to breathe and look around. Commit this moment to memory. Otherwise, it’ll all be a blur.”
Kalea nodded. “I’m ready.”
Casey left the rectory and walked do
wn the aisle toward Hawk and the best man.
Instead of the black tuxedo that had been ruined by the cartel, he wore his US Navy Dress Blue uniform, with its shiny gold buttons and several rows of ribbons hanging on the left side of his chest. Jacob stood beside him, also wearing his Dress Blue uniform, clean shaven and standing at attention.
She’d never seen more handsome men.
Their Navy teammates filled the chapel pews, also wearing their dress blues, hair neatly combed and all brass shining.
Casey’s heart swelled with pride and gratitude for these men, who’d given so much to the defense of their country.
She stopped at the front of the chapel as the wedding march played, and Kalea appeared at the end of the aisle on her father’s arm. Her hair was wreathed in flowers, and her face was wreathed in a huge smile. Her gaze locked with Hawk’s as she walked the aisle, and then her father gave her over to her soon-to-be husband.
As the preacher looked out at the audience consisting mostly of SEALs, he cleared his throat and started, “We are gathered today to join this man and this woman in holy—”
A piercing screech echoed from the back of the chapel, drawing all gazes toward the sound.
Casey spun toward a woman flying down the aisle her hands outstretched like claws.
“Camila,” Kalea cried out.
Anger erupted inside Casey. “Oh, no, you don’t.” She flung down her bouquet like a gauntlet and leaped into the aisle, ducked her shoulder and plowed into Camila, tackling her to the ground. She straddled the woman, pinned her arms to the ground then spoke through gritted teeth, “You will not ruin my friend’s wedding.”
Navy SEALs leaped to their feet and helped Casey rise. Hank and Maddog escorted a kicking and screaming Camila out of the chapel.
Sylvia Rodriguez rose from her seat. “Miss Wesson, you’re hired!”
Grinning, Casey smoothed her dress down over her legs, lifted her chin, patted her hair and returned to the front of the chapel where she retrieved her bouquet, and took Kalea’s from her for the duration of the ceremony.
The rest of the wedding went perfectly.
Hawk and Kalea shared vows they’d each written for the other, and they exchanged rings. It was all beautiful and poignant. And it all passed in a blur for Casey.
She didn’t breathe until the preacher pronounced them husband and wife, and they were on their way back down the aisle together.
Jacob approached her and held out his arm.
She’d never been so happy to lean on someone as she was at that moment. Casey was glad Jacob was there, and that he would escort her back down the aisle.
As they waited for the bride and groom to leave the chapel, Jacob smiled at her, that one gesture making everything right with her world again.
“You are a remarkable woman,” he whispered. “I don’t think an NFL linebacker could have pulled off such an incredible tackle as you did today. And in a dress, no less.”
Casey fought a hysterical giggle. “It was an instinctive reaction. I didn’t even think.”
“Your instincts saved the day. The rest of us were too stunned to move fast enough.”
Her cheeks burned as she imagined what she must have looked like flying down the aisle at Camila. “Any one of you would have stopped her.”
He shook his head. “Not in time.” Jacob squeezed her arm against his side. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how beautiful you are, Casey Wesson.”
She smiled up at him. “You look amazing in your uniform. You took my breath away when I came out of the back. A man, dressed like that, could sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Then I’m glad I chose to wear this.” He leaned close. “Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?”
Casey shot a glance toward him, her gaze meeting his. “You’re kidding, right?”
Jacob shook his head. “No. I never believed in love at first sight…until I met you.” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer me yet. I can see you need time to get to know me. But I’m sure you’ll learn to love me. I’ll make sure you do. Because I know in my heart, you’re the woman for me, and I’ll do everything in my power to prove to you that I’m your guy.”
Casey’s heart pounded against her chest, and her vision blurred. “Jacob, I don’t need time to get to know you. I love you now, and I know in my heart I always will.”
Jacob smoothed his hand down her arm to grasp her hand.
They’d been speaking in whispers, but now that the bride and groom had left the chapel, all eyes were on them.
Casey’s face heated, and her heart swelled. “How fast can you run?”
“Faster than you. I’m not wearing heels.” He winked. “Ready?”
She nodded.
Holding hands, Casey ran down the aisle and out of the chapel, eager to start her new life with the Navy SEAL of her dreams. Who knew she’d fall for a military guy?
Hell. She of all people should have known.
Who could resist a man in uniform?
Epilogue
Jacob rolled onto his side, pulling Casey with him. They lay naked in the bed in Casey’s apartment after hours of exploring every inch of each other’s bodies. Yeah, he could see himself with her for the long-term. He could get used to waking up every day with her beside him.
The wedding reception at McP’s had been rowdy with lots of beer and many toasts to the bride and groom. They’d seen Hawk and Kalea off in the rented limousine. The bride and groom’s next stop had been the airport for their flight to their honeymoon in the Crazy Mountains near Eagle Rock, Montana.
“Mmm.” Casey moaned. “What a night.”
“Which part?” Jacob asked. “The part where you tackled the woman who was ruining your wedding plans? Or the part where we ditched the wedding party and came back to your place?”
She chuckled. “Both.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then each of her eyelids. “Did I tell you Hank spoke to the police and the DEA after the wedding?”
She leaned up on one elbow, a frown furrowing her pretty brow. “No, you didn’t.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I guess I forgot.”
She playfully slapped his bare chest, her hand coming to rest over his heart. “How could you forget something that important?”
“I had my mind on something else…rather…someone else.” He pulled her over until she lay on top of him and then kissed her thoroughly.
Casey returned the kiss, breaking it off first. “You’re stalling. What did Hank say?”
“He said Camila’s brothers confessed to the kidnapping, and that Camila put them up to it.”
“I thought they were a tight-knit family.” Casey’s brow wrinkled. “How did they get her brothers to confess?”
Jacob’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “In exchange for leniency on their drug trafficking charge.” His grin broadened. “They said they were tired of her loco behavior.”
Casey’s frown melted away, replaced by a smile that lit the room. “That’s funny. I think we were all tired of her crazy obsessiveness.”
Jacob’s grin disappeared. He reached up and brushed his thumb across the bandage on her temple. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt any more than you were. I kinda like having you around. Think you could put up with a frogman for the long term?”
She stared down into his eyes for a long moment, making him wonder if she was having second thoughts.
“I don’t think…” she paused.
His breath caught and held. Had she changed her mind?
Then she continued with, “I don’t think I could live without this particular frogman. I kinda like having you around, too.” Her lips curled upward. “Is it too soon to say yes?”
Jacob’s heart swelled. “No, ma’am,” he said and crushed her in his arms, kissing her until he had to let go so that they could breathe.
When she was settled beside him in the curve of his arm, he asked, “Does this mean you’re going to be planning another wedding?”
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“Could be,” she said, running a finger over the hard muscles of his chest. “Have you thought of a date?”
He touched his lips to her bandaged temple, careful not to hurt her. “How’s tomorrow sound to you?”
She laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“You’re the expert wedding planner.” He leaned back and gave her a narrow-eyed glance. “Are you telling me you can’t plan a wedding in a day?”
“I could do it, but I’d like to take it a little slower.”
His stern glance turned into a worried frown. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No. Not at all. But I’ve found my prince, who happens to be a frog. Or frogman.” She grinned. “I’d kinda like to have the fairytale wedding to go along with that scenario, if that’s all right with you.”
“Darlin’, whatever your heart desires. As long as I’m part of what it desires, I’m okay with anything.” Again, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, long and hard.
When they came up for air, Jacob pressed his forehead to Casey’s. “As for the bachelor party, do you think you could get that same cake? And the stripper…yeah…the same stripper.”
She smoothed her palm across his cheek. “It’ll cost you.”
“A price I’m willing to pay,” he whispered, and kissed her again.
SOLDIER’S DUTY
IRON HORSE LEGACY BOOK #1
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Chapter 1
“As you all know, William Reed escaped from a prison transport yesterday.” Sheriff Barron stood in front of a group of men and women who’d gathered around him at the side of the highway in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains on a blustery cold day in early April.
He continued, “We have security camera footage showing him stealing a car from a convenience store in Bozeman. The license plate of the vehicle he stole matches the license plate of the vehicle behind me.” Sheriff Barron turned to the side and waved toward a vehicle half-hidden in the brush behind him. “The state police are on their way, and they’re also sending a helicopter from Bozeman. But they aren’t as familiar with the mountainous terrain as you are, and the weather might keep them from using the chopper. That’s why I’ve asked you to bring your horses and ATVs. All of you know these mountains better than anyone. And you are the select group of people I trust most to handle this situation.”
