THE BEST MAN

by Linda Turner

  Given the choice, he would have liked something simple and old-fashioned, and Merry thankfully agreed. She'd already planned one elaborate wedding, not because she'd wanted all the pomp and circumstance, but because Thomas—and his mother—tended to be snobs when it came to that kind of thing. They'd both insisted that nothing less than the most sophisticated wedding the town had ever seen would do for a prominent lawyer and the daughter of one of the biggest ranching families in the state. So for the sake of peace and unity, Merry had given up her dream of a simple wedding and gone along with them, only to have the whole thing blow up in her face.

  Never again, she promised herself. Like Nick, she just wanted the two of them to get married. She didn't need expensive flowers flown in from California or ten attendants in designer dresses. All she needed to make her happy was Nick standing at the altar, waiting for her as she walked down the aisle.

  He would be there for her. Deep in her heart, she knew she could count on him, but the closer they drew to their wedding day, the more anxious she became. A knot of nerves tightened in her stomach, and every time the phone rang, she jumped, afraid it was Nick calling to tell her he'd changed his mind. He had no intention of doing such a thing, of course—she knew that, dammit!—but she was helpless to control her fears. She had a horrible feeling history was going to repeat itself, and if it did, she didn't think she would be able to bear it.

  Feeling guilty for doubting Nick even for a second, she tried to hide her fears from him, but he knew her too well. He didn't say anything, but she saw the understanding in his eyes. And with every passing day, he made a point to spend as much time with her as possible to alleviate her fears.

  The week before their wedding, however, she was a basket case. Thankfully, there were hundreds of last-minute details left to take care of and only so many hours in the day. Rushing around trying to get everything taken care of before the big day on Saturday, she had little time to worry about whether Nick would be a no-show.

  Then, before she knew it, it was Friday night, time for the rehearsal dinner, and she couldn't help but think about Thomas. He'd been sick at their rehearsal dinner, unable to appreciate the gourmet meal his mother had had catered, and at the time, Merry had been afraid he was coming down with some kind of stomach bug. Now, in hindsight, she realized that even then, he'd known he wasn't going to go through with the ceremony. And he'd never said a word.

  Her second rehearsal dinner, however, was nothing like the first. There was no caterer, no huge wedding party, no wine or long-winded toasts. It was just her and Nick and her family at Ed's, enjoying his Friday night special of fried fish, French fries, and hush puppies. Anyone who came into the diner for dinner and cared to join them was welcome, and before too long, everyone in the place was celebrating their upcoming wedding with them.

  And Nick loved it. Merry watched him laughing and talking with her brothers and some of the unexpected guests, and she didn't think she'd ever seen him more relaxed or happy. Every chance he got, he touched her or nudged her foot under the table just to let her know he was close by. And when it came time for dessert, his eyes met hers over Ed's fantastic chocolate pie, and she knew that he, too, was thinking of the night of their first real date, when he'd taken her dancing under the stars at Tony's, then brought her to Ed's for dessert. When he'd finally taken her home, he'd kissed the stuffing out of her on her front porch, and she'd been walking on air ever since.

  Her eyes darkening at the memory, she smiled at him and rubbed her foot against his under the table. Grinning, he rubbed back and started to lean over to whisper something in his ear when he suddenly glanced past her to the diner entrance and stiffened. Between one second and the next, his expression turned stony as all around them, people abruptly seemed to forget what they were talking about.

  Her heart sinking, Merry didn't have to ask him what was wrong. Only one person could bring that look to his face and turn an entire diner full of people silent as a tomb. Thomas. Her back to the entrance, she knew the exact moment he found her and Nick in the crowd and started toward them.

  What was he doing here? she wondered wildly as she felt him draw closer. He'd left town right after word of her and Nick's engagement had hit the streets, and they hadn't heard from him since. And they hadn't really expected to. In spite of the fact that they'd been friends forever, she'd felt it would have been in poor taste to include him in the wedding, so she hadn't sent an invitation to either him or his mother. It was the last break of ties that went back to childhood.

  Considering that, there was no reason for him to come back to town the exact same weekend of her and Nick's wedding—unless he meant to cause trouble.

  Nick, reaching that same conclusion, ground his teeth on a oath and said grimly, "I'll handle this." Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, he rose to his feet just as Thomas reached their table. "I don't know what you're doing here," he told him coldly, "but this is a private party, Thomas. I don't want to be ugly, but you're not wanted here."

  Braced for a scene, Merry half expected him to bristle and tell Nick to go to hell, but surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he was unusually meek when he said, "I know I'm intruding, and I'm sorry about that. But I'd like to apologize to you and Merry if you have time to talk to me for a few minutes."

  There'd been times in the not-too-distant past when Thomas would have said just the same thing and not meant a word of it. A born charmer, he knew when to be humble and just what to say to get people to drop their guard when they were angry with him. Over the course of their friendship, Merry had seen him do it more times than she could remember. He'd apologize with all the sincerity of a monk, act contrite, and worm his way back into the good graces of whomever he'd offended. And all without feeling even a touch of remorse.

  But studying him now, Merry couldn't believe he was pulling some kind of ruse. His eyes were direct, his face flushed with embarrassment, and there was no question that he was uncomfortable apologizing in front of an entire diner full of people who had been in the church three months ago when he'd left Merry literally at the altar. He had no friends there, no sympathetic ears, no voice to champion him, and he knew it. Still, he stood there, humbling himself in front of a hostile crowd, in order to apologize.

  After what he'd done to her, Merry had never expected to feel a lick of sympathy for him ever again, but at that moment, she truly felt sorry for him. Pushing to her feet, she took Nick's hand. "Why don't we go outside and discuss this? Excuse us, everyone."

  Not waiting for Nick's reaction, she pulled him outside with her and turned to face a very grateful Thomas. "Thank you, Merry," he said huskily. "I know I have no reason to expect any kind of consideration from you, but I appreciate that. I really wanted to talk to the two of you in private."

  "So why didn't you call ahead of time and set something up?" Nick retorted. "You didn't have to do this tonight of all nights. Though I guess we should be grateful for small favors, shouldn't we? You could have shown up at the church tomorrow."

  "I wouldn't have done that," he said stiffly, "but I can't blame you for thinking I would. I acted like an ass, and you both have every right to hate my guts."

  He sounded so disgusted with himself that Merry flinched. "Thomas—"

  "No, let me finish," he insisted. "This isn't easy for me to say, but I've had a lot of time over the last month to think about the three of us and my behavior, and I've got a lot to answer for."

  His voice hoarse with a rare show of emotion, he swallowed thickly. "I did this to the three of us. I destroyed our friendship. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I knew all along how Nick felt about you, Merry, and suspected that my feelings for you weren't strong enough for marriage."

  Nick cursed, and at his side, Merry did the same thing. "Then why didn't you say something?" she demanded. "Why did you humiliate me in front of the whole town?"

  "Believe me, that wasn't what I wanted to do! It just happened. The plans for the wedding took on a life of their own, and before I
knew it, you were waiting at the church for me. I meant to tell you weeks before that I couldn't go through with it, but I knew if I did, Nick would step forward and tell you how he felt."

  "And then you would lose her to me and you couldn't stand the thought of that, could you?" Nick said, challenging him angrily.

  To his credit, Thomas didn't try to deny it. "There'd always been a special closeness between the two of you, and yes, I had a feeling that once I was out of the picture, Merry would see that and fall in love with you. I'm not proud of myself for that," he said stiffly, "or any of the other things I did. I was wrong. And if you never speak to me again, it's no more than I deserve. But I had to let you know before you got married that I really do wish you both all the happiness in the world."

  If he was lying, the man was a sociopath. There was true regret in his eyes and a sincerity that not even a charmer like Thomas could fake. Touched, Merry really felt sorry for him. If he hadn't inflicted such pain on her and Nick, an apology might have been all they needed to let bygones be bygones. But he'd destroyed so much trust, and that wasn't something that could be rebuilt with just a few simple words. He'd have to work hard to earn that back.

  He was, however, making an effort to mend fences, and Merry was grateful for that. He'd been a part of their lives for too long for either one of them to write off his friendship for good. "Thank you, Thomas," she said huskily.

  For a minute, she didn't think Nick was going to cut him any slack, but he obviously thought better of that and unbent enough to offer his hand. "Thanks, man. This took guts."

  Relieved, Thomas shook his hand and very nearly cried. It wasn't world peace, but it was a start.

  * * *

  What a difference a few months made, Merry thought, as she checked her appearance in the dressing-room mirror. For her first wedding, the one that never came to pass, she'd arrived at the church in a limo. For her wedding to Nick, she rode with Janey and her mother in Janey's Jeep. In June, she'd had an elaborate wedding dress that had to be specially ordered and cost the earth; now she wore a simple princess design that she'd bought off the rack right there in town. Comparing the two in her mind, she had to admit, simple was better.

  But it wasn't just her dress and transportation that had changed—everything was different. This time, she'd gone with spring flowers instead of white roses and gardenias; and instead of mailing out elaborate engraved invitations, she and Nick had sent out handwritten notes to just about everyone in town.

  The biggest difference, however, was in herself. Before, while everyone else was frantically getting ready and worrying about Thomas's tardiness, she'd stupidly been as calm as the proverbial cucumber, sure he would be there any second. Obviously, he'd never put in an appearance, which was just one more reason why she shouldn't have wasted a single second worrying about whether Nick was going to show up or not today. He was honest and dependable, and she could count on him to be there for her. A man of his word, he'd promised to meet her at the altar, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would do exactly that.

  So why, then, was she a nervous wreck?

  Cursing her doubts, she thought she hid them well—until Janey teased, "Is something wrong with your watch, Mer? You keep checking it."

  Caught red-handed, she grinned sheepishly. "Okay, so I'm a little nervous. Can you blame me? Wait till your wedding day, and we'll see how calm you are, missy."

  Janey, who at thirty-six had never had a real romantic relationship, had long since given up hope that Prince Charming was going to come riding into town for her. Some things just weren't meant to be. "Me? Get married?" she laughed, truly amused. "Yeah, right. Maybe in my next lifetime."

  "Don't be too sure of that," her mother said gently. "None of us knows what life has in store for us."

  "That's right," Merry agreed. "Who would have thought last Christmas, when Thomas and I announced our engagement, that nine months later I'd be marrying Nick instead? If he shows up," she added under her breath.

  "Stop that," her mother scolded, hugging her. "You're tying yourself in knots for nothing. Nick's never let you down in his life, honey. He's not going to start now. He loves you. You have to have faith that he'll be here."

  It sounded so easy. Have a little faith. With the logical part of her brain, she did. But logic couldn't stifle the feeling of déjà vu that pulled at her like a riptide. Unable to resist, she glanced at her watch again. In fifteen minutes, the ceremony was scheduled to start. What was she going to do if history repeated itself?

  * * *

  "Is Merry okay? Has anyone checked on her?" Nick asked worriedly as he adjusted the bow tie of his tux. "She didn't eat much last night—"

  "What are you talking about?" Zeke laughed. "She had two slices of pie! And did Ed let anyone else have seconds? No! I know because I asked and he told me he was saving what he had left for Merry to take home with her in case she had an attack of nerves in the middle of the night and needed a chocolate fix to calm her down. The old goat—he always did have a soft spot for her."

  "Jealousy rears its ugly head," Joe retorted, his brown eyes glinting with humor. "If I remember correctly, little brother, you could have used a little chocolate yourself the night before you married Lizzie. I don't even think you slept that night, did you?"

  Zeke couldn't deny it—there were too many witnesses. "Okay, so I was a little nervous—"

  "A little?"

  "All right, I was a basket case—"

  "Hey, guys," Nick cut in, "we're talking about Merry, remember? How was she this morning? Did she look like she slept last night? When I talked to her on the phone earlier, she said she was fine, but this has got to be hard for her. Everything's just like before. It's spooky."

  Joe couldn't argue with that—he'd been looking over his shoulder for Thomas ever since they got to the church—but that wasn't something the best man told the groom on his wedding day. "It just seems that way because it's the same church and the same crowd of friends and family out front," he said. "But what happened before was a mistake, Nick. Everyone knows that. It was the right bride but the wrong groom. This time, everything's right, and Merry knows that. I'm sure she's fine."

  "She has your cell phone number, doesn't she?" Zeke asked. "She'd call you if she was really worried."

  Nick wanted to believe them, after all, they were her brothers and unlike him, they'd seen her this morning. They knew her state of mind. But he knew how uncomfortable Merry had been at the idea of arranging another church wedding. Once she agreed to marry him, she'd planned everything with her usual enthusiasm, but he'd known that deep down inside, she'd been afraid he was going to pull a disappearing act on her, just like Thomas. He'd done everything he could to reassure her that that wasn't going to happen, but actions spoke louder than words. The only way she would believe they were actually getting married was when she saw for herself that he was really there at the church.

  "I've got to see her," he announced.

  "You will in fifteen minutes," Zeke retorted. "When she walks down the aisle to you."

  "No, I mean right now."

  "Whoa!" Joe exclaimed, stepping in front of him when he turned toward the door. "You can't do that. What are you trying to do? Jinx this marriage before you even say, I do? C'mon, Nick, be reasonable. It's only fifteen minutes."

  "We can even move the time up if everybody's ready," Zeke suggested. "Why don't I go check with Reverend Peters—"

  "I'll go check," Nick said stubbornly, "on Merry. Don't try to stop me, guys. I know I'm going against tradition, but this is the most important day of our lives and I want her to enjoy every single part of it, including the anticipation of walking down the aisle. The only way she's going to do that is if I tell her I'm here."

  "So call her."

  "A call can be made from anywhere. She needs to see me."

  "We'll tell her we just saw you—"

  "I'd rather do it myself," he insisted. Without another word, he stepped around Joe, pulled op
en the door, and went in search of Merry.

  * * *

  Merry can relax. He's here! Someone tell the organist to get ready. This time, there really is going to be a wedding.

  The second Nick stepped into the church vestibule, the whispers started and spread through the crowd like wildfire. Everyone who was anyone had turned up to see if he was anything like Thomas, and Nick couldn't say he blamed them. When a woman was jilted in full view of the rest of the town, it was no surprise that the next man who got involved with her would find himself the center of all eyes. And when the woman was someone like Merry, who was held in so much affection by just about everyone, that same townful of people was going to expect him to prove himself. He didn't have a problem with that.

  "Hey, Nick, good to see you. Glad you could make it!"

  "Me, too," he chuckled, accepting a handshake from Martha Hoffsteader's youngest son, Lance, who'd just arrived. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Glancing into church, which was already overflowing, he grinned. "Hope you can find a seat—it looks like we've got a full house."

  "Nobody deserves it more," Lance assured him. "How's Merry holding up?"

  "I'm just about to find out," Nick replied, and excused himself to knock on the door of the choir's dressing room.

  Janey answered his knock, took one look at him, and immediately moved to shut the door before he could see Merry. "Just what do you think you're doing, Nick Kincaid?" she hissed through what was little more than a crack in the door. "Have you lost your mind? You can't come in here."

  "Yes, I can," he replied. "Open up. I need to talk to Merry."

  "Do it after you're married."

  "No. I'll do it now, Janey."

  She hesitated, surveying him with a scowl through the inch-wide gap she'd left in the door. In spite of the fact that she'd never dated a man in her life, she was a die-hard romantic who believed in happily-ever-after. And Nick's appearance at the door to her sister's dressing room on her wedding day totally bucked the rules set down in the fairy tales. She wanted to send him packing, but something in his expression warned her he'd never let her get away with that.