A Dusty Dreams Wedding

by Kat Carrington

  "I'm just glad they were okay, and this network ran pretty smoothly, didn't it, Sheriff?"

  The sheriff nodded. "It really did. I'm glad we set it up. Thanks for being part of it, Ms. Bridges."

  "Not a problem. Now it's time to go get my own son. I think I'm going to give him a few extra hugs tonight."

  She took her leave and started back to her car, never noticing that Jessie had been standing nearby. Jessie watched her thoughtfully, glad to see her participating in the network. She decided that there might be a chance yet to form a friendship with Devon. Maybe a little patience was all that was required. Little Jacob had had such a good time when they'd come for dinner, and if there was one way to Devon's heart, she was pretty sure that her son was the key. And Jessie had loved seeing the little boy having so much fun.

  When Brady got in for the evening, Jessie told him all about the lost boys. Brady gave a low whistle and said, "Boy, my dad would have warmed my butt good for that one!"

  Jessie laughed and said, "The first thing Donnie said was that they were going to be grounded forever."

  "I don't doubt it. But it seems like the emergency network really worked. That's good to know."

  "It sure is. And I'm so happy that the emergency turned out to be no harm to anyone. I hope it stays that way forever."

  "Me too, baby. One real emergency was more than enough for this town."

  "Devon was the one who found them. I called her and she held up her end, called her contacts and then came out to the search."

  Brady said, "Well, she's a mom. She can imagine if it were her son who was missing. Just because she keeps to herself, doesn't mean she wouldn't want to help with something like that."

  "My thoughts exactly. I'm not giving up on her yet, Brady. Maybe it's just going to take more time and patience. I still say everybody needs a friend."

  Brady gave her a long look and said, "Just be careful. There's no way to know if she'll ever be open to really being friends. I hate to see you get hurt."

  "I'm not worried about that. If she doesn't, she doesn't. I'm just not giving up yet."

  "Okay, as long as you're not counting on it."

  "Hey!" Jessie's face brightened. "I almost forgot to tell you. When your mom and Becca come in two weeks, your dad is going to come with them. He said it's a good chance to get away for a couple of days and he's been so busy on the ranch that he needs a break."

  Brady gave her a big grin. "Damn, that's good news! It seems like I haven't seen him in forever. Talking on the phone just isn't the same."

  "Well, we're going to be working on flowers and menus and catering, so you two will be free to do whatever you want for most of the weekend. I thought it might be fun to just get pizza and wings on Friday night. Does that sound good to you?"

  Brady gave her a wink and said, "That sounds really good. You can forget about cooking for a change and just enjoy the company."

  Jessie gave him a warm smile. "That sounds really good to me too. I love cooking, but it would be nice to have an evening to just enjoy. I'll make a cake or pie or something in the afternoon for dessert."

  "Perfect. Maybe Dad and I can go fishing on Saturday. We haven't done that in years and I know a great place." Brady was excited about having his dad visit for the weekend and Jessie loved seeing his reaction.

  A few days later, Jessie was in the farm store picking out a new bird feeder for her backyard when she saw Devon loading a cart with paint and painting supplies. Devon looked up and gave her a little wave, so Jessie decided to approach her.

  "Hi, Jessie. What do you think of this color?" Devon asked, studying the paint chip she was holding.

  "Which one?" Jessie asked. Devon held it out to show her the color in question and Jessie asked, "Which room is it for?"

  "It's for the kitchen. The floor is a quarry tile. Look; it's like this picture." Devon showed her a much-folded magazine picture of a kitchen with a western theme and lots of wood.

  "Wow, I really like that. I probably wouldn't choose that paint color anywhere else, but it'd look great in a room like this. Is that the look you're going for?" The paint was a warm terra cotta shade.

  "Yeah, not quite so pronounced but kind of a southwestern feel. Eventually, the kitchen will open out onto a patio with the same kind of effect."

  "I think it'll be beautiful and warm, like you want to spend time there."

  "Exactly what I was going for. How are the wedding plans coming?"

  Jessie grew animated talking about the wedding and Devon had to laugh as she asked, "You're not excited, are you?"

  Jessie laughed and said, "I have to admit, I'm beyond excited. I just can't wait to be married to Brady."

  "Good for you; you're going to have a good life together. I like him."

  "How's Jacob?"

  Then Devon's face lit up. "He's great; he's going to start playing tee ball this week. It's all he can talk about."

  "I'd love to see him again. Bring him by sometime if you like."

  Devon's face was inscrutable. "Maybe. He'd like to see all the animals again."

  "Just give me a call and we'll do it." Jessie didn't push any further and Devon nodded.

  "We'll see. Well, I should get going, I have a lot to do. It was nice to see you."

  "You too." Jessie watched her go and then turned back to the bird feeders. She wondered if she'd hear from Devon. There wasn't a trace of what she was thinking on her face. The woman had a great poker face. Oh, well, all she could do was wait and see. Jessie paid for her purchases and went on to the grocery store, still thinking about Devon. She'd been surprised by her willingness to have a conversation and decided to take it as a hopeful sign.

  Devon was wondering what she'd been thinking of by stopping to talk like that with Jessie. She'd made up her mind to stay away from her, but here she was, waffling on her decision again. Nothing had turned out to be what she had expected when she came to Jasper, Nebraska, and sometimes she thought she should have just gotten the hell out of town when she realized it. Instead, she'd bought the place that caught her eye and moved right into the community. She wondered if she'd made an awful mistake. Then she pictured how Jacob had settled in and thrived in the little rural setting. She knew that wasn't a mistake. She sighed and resolutely pushed the worry away for later.

  Devon picked Jacob up from daycare that afternoon and decided to treat him to pizza that night for dinner. They went to the pizza parlor in town where they could watch the pizzas being made. Jacob chattered nonstop until their dinner arrived and he bit into his first slice with a blissful look on his face. Watching him, she couldn't figure out why she didn't do this more often. She was letting herself get too tied up with work and not enough with spending time with her son, and she resolved to do better. Maybe it would be a good idea to visit Jessie again. It wasn't as if they had to make it a regular occurrence. She immediately wanted to kick herself for even considering it. She was playing with fire and she had to stop it.

  Devon concentrated on nothing but Jacob for the rest of the evening. She had to smile when she saw the Martz family eating pizza across the room. Joey Martz had apparently survived the torture of being grounded and was having a great time with his parents and little sister. It made her even more determined to give Jacob more of her time. They took their leftover pizza with them and she drove them home and sang silly songs with her son the whole way. That night, she lay awake for a long time worrying over what to do about Jessie Mills. When she finally fell asleep, she wasn't a bit closer to a decision.

  The Jensen clan pulled into the driveway at Dusty Dreams and piled out of the big SUV. They were all there except Becca's husband, Tim. Tim was a veterinarian and hadn't been able to get away for the weekend. Becca was finishing her degree in veterinary medicine and she would soon be joining her husband's practice. Jessie rushed out of the house to meet them and Indy danced around in joyous excitement at having more people to fuss over her.

  "I called Brady as soon as I saw you pull in.
He's on his way up to the house. He's so excited that you're here, especially you, Pete." Jessie flashed a grin at her father-in-law to be.

  "I brought my fishing gear," Pete said, giving her a hug. "Hopefully we'll have a mess of fish for dinner tomorrow."

  "That sounds great, although I don't know a thing about cleaning fish."

  "That's okay, Pete and Brady are old hands at it," Linda said. "I've never cleaned a fish in my life."

  Becca nodded in approval. "That's the way it's always been. If they kill it, they clean it."

  "I think that's an excellent tradition," Jessie declared. "And tonight, we're ordering pizzas and wings so we can concentrate on the company, not the cooking."

  "Oh, good," Linda said. "I haven't had a pizza in ages. We don't get delivery out at our place, and by the time we drive home with one, it's cold. So, we have to go out for dinner if we want pizza."

  "We're lucky we're just close enough to town to have that little benefit. Sometimes you just want dinner to show up at your door with no fuss," Jessie said. "Would you like something cold to drink? I've got tea and lemonade freshly made."

  "We could go for that." The women trooped into the house and Pete lingered outside for a minute, gazing around at the little ranch in appreciation. Things had changed since he'd been there last, and the place was looking good.

  Before Pete could start into the house, Brady roared up on the four-wheeler. He hopped off and gave his dad a bearhug, clapping him on the back and beaming his welcome with a huge grin. "Let's unload the car and then we can go look over the ranch. I need a sandwich too; how about you?"

  Pete said, "Sounds good to me. It's looking good around here, son." He opened the back of the SUV and the two of them hauled out the bags and the fishing gear. They left the fishing gear in the mudroom and took the bags on into the house.

  Brady hugged and kissed his mom and his sister and draped his arm around Jessie. With a broad grin, he said, "This is a good-looking group, isn't it, baby?"

  Jessie hugged him and agreed. "And I bet you're hungry, aren't you?"

  "Yes, ma'am, and Dad is too."

  Jessie went to the refrigerator and pulled out a platter of chicken salad on croissants. Linda got up to help her and they loaded the table with sandwiches and freshly made salads. Brady opened a bag of chips and got out a couple of beers for himself and his dad. The group shared a noisy lunch and then Brady and Pete excused themselves to go and check out more of the ranch.

  "You want to go on horseback?" Brady asked and Pete nodded. The two of them went to the barn to saddle up and the women went outside to watch them ride out.

  Devon slowed her truck and watched the group of people laughing and talking in the barnyard. The man was clearly Brady's dad and the family was obviously close and enjoyed each other's company. She had planned to have a talk with Jessie, but after seeing the group of people, she drove on. It wasn't the time, and she'd have to put it off until later. She couldn't stop thinking about the happy group as she went about the afternoon. For the first time in a long time, she missed having family around. She was even more torn about what she should do. She'd been ready to talk to Jessie, but was she wrong? If she were, she'd be making everything worse. Frustrated, she went to find something to demo. She was going to have to make a decision and then stick to it.

  Chapter 12

  Kayla joined the rest of the ladies the next day, to discuss wedding plans, and Jessie thought that her friend looked different somehow. She couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, but Kayla seemed just a little brighter somehow. When she got the chance, she pulled her aside and asked her friend, "What's going on with you? You seem…different. Did something happen?"

  Kayla gave her an impish smile and said, "Well, I had this promise to keep."

  Jessie's eyes widened and she said softly, "You did it! You kissed Mitch!"

  Kayla grinned and said, "Boy, did I!"

  Jessie laughed and said, "So I take it that there's no more worry about not getting along that way."

  Kayla looked victorious. "Oh, no. I can't wait to get that man to Sea Island. I've waited a long time for this, and I can tell you right now, it's going to be worth the wait." She had made a complete transformation from nervous and anxious to a supremely confident woman, ready and eager to be with her man.

  "Oh, boy, Mitch isn't going to know what hit him, is he?" Jessie was thrilled for her friend. Just then, Linda and Becca came into the kitchen to see if Jessie needed any help with lunch and Kayla winked and turned away to get out a pitcher of lemonade.

  "Let's have a quick lunch, and then it'll be time to go to the florist," Jessie said.

  By the time the four ladies returned to the ranch, they had all the arrangements made for the wedding flowers. The ceremony was going to be beautifully simple, and the flowers Jessie had chosen were perfect. The bouquets were little cascades of tiny white and red flowers to match the deep red dresses the bridesmaids would wear. The reception would be held at the community center and all the plans were made except to finalize the menu. With a little luck, by the time Linda and Becca went back to Wyoming, they would be finished with that and all the big preparations would be set. They all loved the choices Jessie had made and they were more than ready to see her join the family.

  Brady and Pete were back from their day of fishing and were in the backyard cleaning their catch when the ladies spilled out of the SUV. They waved triumphantly and called out to greet the women. "Fish for dinner!" Brady said with a grin.

  "Wow, you two had a great day, didn't you?" Becca was impressed as she surveyed the mess of fish they had caught.

  "We sure did," Pete said. "We're going to have our fill of fresh fish tonight. I brought my big iron skillet so we can fry them over a fire."

  Jessie stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "My kitchen is going to love you for that."

  Pete grinned at her and said, "My wife trained me well. Fish gets cooked outside."

  Linda gave her husband a kiss and said, "Well, we've got a menu to choose. You two carry on."

  Jessie asked, "Do you boys need a beer or anything?"

  Brady looked insulted. "We've got our cooler here. We're not beginners at this, you know."

  "But we sure wouldn't turn down a snack," Pete said hopefully.

  Jessie laughed and said, "I'll cut you up some summer sausage and cheese."

  "That sounds great, thank you."

  Jessie brought out a plate of sliced sausage and cheese and a box of crackers and got a kiss from Brady before she went back to the house to look at menus. Linda had sliced up another plateful for the ladies and Jessie set out crackers and a bowl full of fresh grapes before they settled around the table with glasses of wine and the menus from the caterer Jessie had chosen. By the time the men had finished cleaning all the fish, the ladies had all agreed on Jessie's selections for wedding day food. She had opted out of a sit-down dinner and decided on hors d'oeuvres and tiny sandwiches. The whole thing would be simple and Christmassy.

  After the plans were all made, noted, and set into place, Kayla said her goodbyes. "I'd love to stay for fish, but I have a hot date tonight, so I'll have to bow out."

  Linda said, "Hot dates definitely come before fish fried over a fire."

  Becca said, "Hands down."

  They all exchanged hugs and Kayla waved as she drove away. The fish were all in the cooler on a bed of ice and the men were nearly finished cleaning up. The new smells fascinated Indy, and Jessie offered to bake cornbread to go with the fish and fried potatoes that the men were planning to prepare over the fire. Linda made a bowl of her tried and true coleslaw and mixed up tartar sauce for the fish while Becca cut up two juicy cantaloupes from Jessie's garden, and their part of dinner preparation was done.

  The five of them ate outside that evening, and after they were all stuffed with all the fish they could possibly consume, they sat around the fire talking. Brady and Becca told the same ghost stories they had told as kids when they sat around a
fire, and Jessie laughed until she cried at one point and sat with wide eyes and open mouth at another story.

  "How could you go into the cemetery at that time of night?" she asked in horrified fascination. "Weren't you scared to death?"

  Becca said, as if it were a simple fact, "It was a double dog dare. I had to go."

  Brady grinned and said, "Becca could never turn down a double dog dare. It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull."

  Linda shook her head at her kids. "It's a wonder the two of them never got into any real trouble."

  "When this moaning started from way back in the graveyard, it was all I could do to keep from turning around and running. Then there was this faint, flickering light."

  Jessie's eyes were huge. "And you didn't run?"

  "Nope. Couldn't. I kept going, just creeping along, and hearing every little sound like it was broadcasting through a microphone. Then there was this awful scream, and a minute later, it sounded like several people were yelling and screaming. I ran closer and shone my flashlight up ahead and there were three of Brady's friends jumping around and hollering for dear life. Turned out, they'd been squatting down behind the headstones and this little snake slithered right up Brad Thompson's pant leg. He was screaming like a girl and he scared the other two so badly that they were screaming along with him." Becca grinned at the memory and Jessie dissolved into helpless laughter.

  Brady said, "They tried their best to make Becca swear to never tell anybody, but they never did quite live it down all the way through school."

  Jessie was wiping her eyes, and Pete said, "Brad swore up and down that the snake bit him but they took him to the clinic, and they couldn't find a trace of a snakebite. I ran into Brad's dad a couple of days later. All he could do was shake his head, and he said Brad was going to be mucking out stalls for the whole summer to pay him back for the bill from the clinic."