"It's like I have a family again."
"Well, that's because you do. And we're going to make it all legal too. I love you, baby."
"I love you too." Jessie fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Chapter 6
Jessie, Linda, Becca and Kayla walked into the fourth store of the day and headed for the wedding dresses. After no luck in the first three, they had stopped for lunch and a glass of wine and discussed their strategy. Jessie had begun to feel bad about the shopping going on for so long and suggested that maybe she was being too picky. Linda reached over and took her hand as Becca shook her head.
"Don't even think that, " said her future mother-in-law. "When you see the right one, you'll know it."
Becca chimed in, "She's right. I went through exactly the same thing. Mom and I shopped four different days before we found mine."
Jessie looked alarmed at the prospect, and Kayla was quick to join the other two women.
"They're right, Jess. It was the same for me. I found mine on my third trip shopping."
The look on Jessie's face was pure dismay. "But I don't even like shopping that much!"
The others burst out laughing.
"Not even with us?" Becca asked, still laughing.
"Well, it's a lot more fun with you than without you."
And so, she found herself walking into the fourth store. A saleslady began showing them dresses after looking Jessie over critically.
"I think you want something simple, am I right?" she asked.
Jessie brightened a little. "Yes, you are right."
"Good. And it's a Christmas wedding?"
"Yes, it is."
"And how much do you love Christmas? It's not the choice for a lot of brides."
Now Jessie's face became animated. "I adore Christmas; it's the best holiday of the whole year."
"Give me a few minutes. I need to go into the back."
The saleslady disappeared and the four women looked at each other.
"Well, she seems a lot more intuitive than anyone who's helped us today," Linda said.
Becca nodded. "I agree."
Jessie sighed and said, "I don't want to get my hopes up."
Finally, the woman emerged with a gown draped over her arms. She walked over to a rack set up to hold one dress and carefully hung it up, then she stepped back, out of the way. Jessie's eyes widened and she took a deep breath. The dress was exquisitely simple, white with a narrow edging of soft white fur at the neckline, sleeves and hem. It narrowed at the waist and flared gently at the hip and the back pooled softly in an abbreviated mock train. All four women were absolutely silent, gazing at the dress.
Jessie rose from her chair, her eyes fixed on the gown. "Oh, I think I really like that," she said in a breathless voice.
"Well, I say try it on," Kayla said. "It's beautiful."
Jessie went to the dressing room with the saleslady, and several minutes later, she emerged, stepping up on the little dais. Her companions sat in silence, staring at her. Finally, they all started chattering at once.
"Oh, Jessie, that's the one!" Kayla said, beaming.
Linda and Becca agreed in a babble of delighted comments. Jessie's smile was radiant.
"It is the one, isn't it?"
Becca crowed, "I knew we'd find it!"
The saleslady was looking her over critically. "It only needs a couple of minor alterations. I'll call the seamstress."
Kayla and Becca were taking pictures with their phones and Linda said, "Don't you two forget, those pictures are strictly private, not to be seen by anyone else. Wedding dresses should be a surprise to everyone else."
Becca looked affronted. "Well, of course, Mom! But I want to be able to look at it again and I bet you will too."
Linda had to agree. The seamstress arrived with measuring tape and pins, and half an hour later, she and the saleswoman helped Jessie out of the dress. The salesclerk had brought out a pair of shoes that all of the women gasped over and they put them with the dress after finding the correct size. Jessie paid a deposit, and they were finished.
"Tonight, we have to look through all those magazines for bridesmaids' dresses," Becca said.
Jessie laughed and asked, "Do you think we can all handle another glass of wine before we start home?"
Linda looked at her watch and said, "Absolutely! We've got plenty of time and it's been hours since lunch and wine."
The four of them sat at a small table in a classy little bar and toasted their successful shopping trip. Jessie still found it hard to believe that she had found the perfect dress, and she couldn't keep the smile from her face. They made the waitress laugh with their enthusiasm and they liked the wine that she suggested for them so much that Jessie insisted on buying a bottle for each of her companions to take home.
"It's a small thank you for today," she said happily. "I'd like to have another toast, please."
"Of course, sweetie, what is it?" Linda asked.
They all raised their glasses as Jessie spoke, her look a little faraway. "I'd like to drink to my brother, Jake. He's the reason I met Brady in the first place, and I hope he's watching us now."
They all drank to Jake, with a few tears wiped quickly away.
Linda looked at Jessie and said, "I have every confidence that he's watching and loving what's happening to you."
Jessie's smile was a little sad but peaceful. "I believe he is too. He would have loved you all."
The ladies lingered for a little longer, their happy conversation soon back, and then they decided they should head back home. Linda had driven there, but Becca was driving back, and they talked nonstop all the way back. Jessie called Brady to have him put the casserole in the oven and Kayla was staying for dinner and browsing for bridesmaids' dresses, since Caleb was at his grandparents' house for the whole weekend.
All of them enjoyed dinner together, and then they settled down to leaf through the bridal magazines and discuss dresses and flowers. It was late when they finally decided they'd better get some sleep. Brady had gone to bed a couple of hours earlier, and they all gave Kayla hugs, with Jessie offering a bed on the sofa if she didn't want to drive home. But Kayla insisted she'd be fine; it wasn't far, and she said her goodbyes and promised to text Jessie when she got home.
Once Jessie got her text, she turned off the lights and went to bed.
Linda and Becca stayed for a couple of hours after breakfast the next morning, hating to leave but knowing they had to get back home. Jessie thanked them over and over for the help they'd given her in organizing her plans and taking her shopping. Brady loaded their things into the SUV, and after hugs all around, the ladies started back to Wyoming.
"Well, baby, did you get everything accomplished that you wanted to?" Brady asked.
"Even more than I hoped," Jessie said happily. "It's the perfect dress, and now all my plans are down on paper and in order."
"It was fun to have them here. Next time, maybe Dad can come," Brady commented.
"That would be great."
"Well, I know I don't normally work much on Sunday, but I have some things I really have to do before tomorrow. We're moving some of the herd to the far pasture, and there's some fence I still have to check and a few other things I can get ready."
"Okay, hon, I have some things to catch up on too, so that works out fine. Do you want a sandwich to take out with you?"
"That sounds good, and a thermos of something cold."
Jessie turned her head up for his kiss and said, "I'll get it ready."
The house was quiet with their guests gone and Indy seemed to miss them too, pacing to the window every time she heard a sound from outside. Finally, she settled down for a long nap while Jessie stripped the beds and washed the sheets. The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, and Jessie and Brady were in bed early that night, tired from the busy weekend. Jessie drifted off to sleep with her head on Brady's chest and his arm holding her close. When Jessie dreamed of Jake that night, he was smil
ing.
Jessie and Brady went to the monthly town meeting the next evening. The little town and its surrounding community had become important to them over time as they built up the ranch and settled into what was likely to be their home for the rest of their lives. The community had abruptly become even more—a sort of extended family after they'd been through a real scare a few months before. Jessie had been injured and her life endangered, and the people of the community had come together to help rescue her. The young couple had never missed a town meeting since then.
There wasn't usually a lot of complicated business to discuss, but there was one item the town had been working on diligently since Jessie's close call. The town had formed an emergency network and they had even held a drill after they'd gotten it fairly well organized. There was a small group of people who were notified by phone when an emergency happened that called for help from the community. Those first few citizens were each assigned a couple more people to call and each of them a couple more and on down the line. The whole community could be mobilized in a very short time and the word spread like wildfire without rumor and speculation when there was an emergency.
The townsfolk who participated were diligent about informing the sheriff's department of any changes, such as someone moving away or being out of town for an extended period so that alternate arrangements could be made. It was an efficient and wholly voluntary way of spreading the word, and the community supported the network enthusiastically. So far, the emergencies had consisted of Lester Johnson's lost horse, which they had used as their drill, and the network had worked smoothly with few problems. Jessie and Brady were grateful every time they discussed the project, knowing that without the community's help, Jessie could have lost her life that day.
The mayor, Jim Haley, led the meeting. The town was run by the mayor and the town council, which consisted of twelve members who carried out various duties for the town. Most of them volunteered their time, one exception being Fred Decker, who was in charge of city utilities. The council presented their reports and updates and a few things were discussed and voted on with little argument coming from anyone except Annie Richards, who always seemed to have a different point of view to bring up. Annie was blessed with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and she thought most people were a little on the foolish side. So, she usually had some sort of argument to present to most issues that the little town faced. The thing was, though, she usually had a point.
Mitch Crager, one of the council members, made an announcement. "For all you folks who bought a space on the board for when Brady Jensen and Jessie Mills would get married, the answer is officially Christmas Eve."
The room erupted into laughter and applause, and Jessie's face turned bright red. There were some handshakes and pats on the back, and Kayla gave Jessie a fierce hug while Annie Richards gave her a thumbs up and a wink.
"And the winner of the pool is Kayla Wagner. Kayla was first, guessing Christmas."
Now there were good natured catcalls, giving Mitch grief about the winner being his girlfriend.
Mitch spread his hands and shook his head. "No, no, it was all fair and square. The board's been on public display at the bar, no tampering."
When the room had quieted, the sheriff stood and said, "Let's discuss the safety network. Our drill went well, and if Lester's horse had really been lost, he'd have been safely returned."
There was some laughter at that.
"But, seriously, with our limited police resources, I'm really glad to have this network in place. It makes you all part of keeping our little community safe and my hat's off to all of you. We have a new resident and we need to approach her to see if she'll join the network."
Brady spoke up. "Jessie knows her; she'd probably be a good one to talk to her."
"All right. Jessie, that okay with you?"
Jessie nodded. "Sure, I'd be glad to."
The sheriff said, "Okay, see me after the meeting, and I'll give you a little paperwork for her."
Soon the meeting concluded, and the people started to wander out, some of them having a last cookie or swig of coffee as they talked. Jessie and Brady got a lot of congratulations and Jessie showed off her ring.
Annie Richards nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the ring. "Not bad, Brady," she commented. "You make sure you do right by this girl. And how's that dog doing?"
Brady had bought Indy from Annie as a puppy when he'd first introduced himself to Jessie, per her brother's instructions before he died. It might have been the first inkling to Jessie that Brady was someone she could trust, when he'd presented her with the puppy.
Jessie's face brightened even more. "She's awesome, Annie, the best dog I've ever been around. She's so smart, and I love her."
Annie said, "No surprise, I figured she'd be a good match for you."
"Well, you were right. I don't know what I'd do without her." Jessie gave Annie an impulsive hug and the older woman patted her on the back before she extricated herself from the hug.
"Well, I'd better get myself home. I've got dogs to tend to."
The sheriff came over with some papers in his hand and said, "Congratulations, you two. So, you know Devon Bridges, Jessie?"
"I do. I've been to her house, and we had lunch together one day."
Sheriff Danvers raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I've heard she keeps to herself, doesn't really interact with anybody on a personal level."
"That's true; she's very private, but I like her."
"Well then, you're the right person to talk to her about the safety network. Think she'll be up for it?"
"I'm not sure, but she does have a little boy, so the emergency network would be important for her too. I'll see what she says."
The sheriff nodded. "Good enough. Here's the paperwork; it just explains how the network works, and there's a list of the participants and their phone numbers and a short form to fill out if she's going to sign up."
"Okay, I'll try to see her tomorrow," Jessie promised.
Brady and Jessie discussed the meeting on the way home and watched the news before they went to bed. Jessie sighed happily as she snuggled close to Brady in their bed and heard Indy yawn from her rug beside the bed. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, and her last thought before sleep took her was of how happy her life was.
Chapter 7
Jessie was looking over the papers the sheriff had given to her for Devon. She thought that because Devon had a child, she would probably have a favorable reaction to the emergency network. It was their own local safety measure; if a child was lost, for example, they didn't have to wait for twenty-four hours or get any government approval to immediately start a pretty well-organized search. Even though Devon liked to keep to herself, Jessie couldn't imagine that she wouldn't be willing to participate in such an important part of their community. She waited until midmorning and called her, to ask if she could stop over.
Devon sounded harassed on the phone, and when Jessie pressed her a little, she finally snapped, "Fine. But you'll have to make it tomorrow morning. I have too much going on right now."
Jessie said calmly, "That's fine. What time would work best?"
Grudgingly, Devon said, "Make it ten o'clock. I'll have a few hours work in, and I can take a break."
"Great!" Jessie said brightly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The next day, Jessie got out of her truck in Devon's driveway and walked to the door with her papers in hand. She was right on time, and it only took a moment for Devon to answer the door.
"Good morning!" Jessie said with a smile. "It's beautiful out here."
Devon gave her a slightly baffled look and opened the door. "Good morning. Come in."
Jessie chattered as the other woman led her to the kitchen, which was now drywalled and ready for cabinets. There was a small table in there with two chairs, and Devon gestured toward it. She got two bottles of water out of the cooler and joined Jessie at the table.
"What's this all about?" she asked, passing a
bottle to Jessie.
"Well, I know you're just crazy busy and you like to keep to yourself as well, so I wanted to tell you about the emergency network that has been started in Jasper. We had the monthly town meeting, and the sheriff asked me to talk to you since I already know you, at least a little."
Devon frowned in confusion. "The sheriff? What is this emergency network?"
Jessie proceeded to explain about the network and how it worked. In conclusion, she said, "So all you'd really have to do would be to be willing to call a couple of people, and then your part would be done, and the information would keep spreading throughout the whole community."
Devon was quiet, thinking it over. She took the papers that Jessie offered to her and looked through them carefully. She looked as if her brain was working double time as she thought about it. She looked at Jessie for a long moment after she was finished reading the paperwork.
"What exactly started all this? It looks like there was some kind of an event that triggered it."
Jessie shifted in her chair and sighed. "There was, and it involved me. It was a few months ago, not too long after the Christmas holidays. There was this guy in town who was basically stalking me. He had this idea that I should go out with him, and after Brady moved in, he just kind of went off the deep end. Anyway, to make a long story short, he broke into my house and made me go with him. Some of the guys in town were helping Brady and the sheriff keep an eye on him, and when they found out that he'd grabbed me, they spread the word as quickly as they could, but by the time they got to me, it was almost too late."
Devon was staring at her, shocked, and there was a look in her eyes of something like sympathy.
Jessie took a deep breath. "When they got into the motel room where he had taken me, I was tied to the bed and almost unconscious from him hitting me. He kicked me while I was on the floor and broke several ribs. I had a punctured lung and was in the hospital for a couple of days. They had to put in a chest tube."
Devon was clearly shocked, and Jessie raised a hand and said, "He didn't attack me sexually. They got there before that happened. Anyway, there was a lot of discussion after it was all over and the plan was formed to make this network, so that information could be shared as quickly as possible and help could come quickly. We even had a drill last month. They set the network in motion to spread the word that Lester Johnson's horse was lost. You know, just to see how well the network would perform and how fast the word would spread. It went really well; it's much better than just hoping that people are listening to the radio or TV or something."
A Dusty Dreams Wedding Page 5
