by Donna Ball
“Me, too.” He tucked a kiss behind her ear.
She smiled, lacing her fingers through his and bringing them to cradle her cheek. “What do you think is going to happen to us, Kev?”
He drew her closer. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Because …” He kissed her. “This is enough.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling as she looked into his eyes. “It really is.”
~*~
When Dominic arrived with his daughter Cassie at noon, he had more than one surprise waiting for him. The first was when the car turned into the drive and he saw a horse trailer parked behind the barn, and two familiar-looking horses munching grass in a corner of the pasture beyond. Lori, after teasing Noah about his buzz cut and admiring his service uniform, had demanded, “Now, go get on some real clothes. You’re not afraid of horses, are you?”
To which Noah, with an air of resignation that accompanied every party the ladies had ever given, replied, “It beats washing dishes.” And, with the help of Dominic’s sons, they had managed to get the horses in the trailer and into a cross-fenced corner of the pasture only moments before Dominic was scheduled to arrive.
His second surprise was when he opened the car door and a big golden retriever came bounding toward him, tongue lolling, eyes shining happily. Rebel barked furiously from the barn. “Because,” Lindsay explained, running to intercept the dog’s enthusiastic greeting before more harm was done to the recovering patient, “we clearly don’t have enough chaos around here!” She embraced her husband while the dog tried to wriggle between them, and she added, “And because Lori insisted on everything being perfect by the time you got home.”
He laughed, guarding his injured ribs as he stooped to return the dog’s greeting with an equal amount of enthusiasm. When he looked up he got his third surprise. Private Noah Wright stood square-shouldered and tall, his hand extended in greeting.
“Welcome home, sir,” Noah said. He added, “I’m glad you’re okay. And congratulations.”
Dominic shot a glance of amazement and delight to Lindsay, whose smile could not get any broader. He straightened up and shook Noah’s hand in a firm grip. “I could say the same to you, Private. On all counts.”
Lori came bouncing down the steps from the house, her hair in a curly ponytail, the sleeves of her turtleneck sweater—which she had finally found time to retrieve from the attic—pushed up to the elbows. “Welcome home!” she called. “I was going to make a sign but Mom thought it would be too much. Lunch is all ready, but we’re not having much because we have got to start setting up for the party. Ida Mae says you have to have yours on a tray in the sick room, but I wouldn’t listen to her if I were you. You can’t let her start bossing you around or you’ll never have a chance around here. Hi,” she said, extending her hand to Cassie. “I’m Lori. Are you Cassie? Aunt Bridget says for you to come right in and have lunch and leave the boys to unpack the car. And when you get a chance, I want to talk to you about the California Riesling.”
Dominic and Lindsay laughed. Cassie assured Lori she couldn’t wait to talk about Riesling with her, and the three of them started toward the house just as Kevin came down the steps to help unpack the car. Lori took a potted plant from the backseat and handed it to Noah, who passed off a suitcase to Kevin. Lori went back in and carefully edged the giant poster print out of the car. Kevin looked at it skeptically. “Somebody’s idea of a joke?”
“I like it,” Lori said, thrusting another potted plant toward Noah. “Take these to The Tasting Table,” she advised. “We need more decorations. Put them on either side of the back door.” She handed the poster print to Kevin. “Put this in the sunroom with Dominic and Aunt Lindsay.”
Noah said, “Good to see you’re still as bossy as ever.” Then he said, “So are you two getting married or what?”
Both Kevin and Lori stared at him.
He frowned. “What? Everybody’s talking about you guys. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything. Anyway, let me know what you decide because I need to know where to put my stuff.”
He carried the potted plants toward the restaurant and Kevin, with a twinkle in his eye, turned to Lori. “So,” he said, “are we getting married or what?”
Lori lugged a box full of miscellanea out of the backseat and looked at him, balancing the box on her hip, her head tilted beguilingly. “Of course we are,” she said. “Otherwise little Sebastian, Gabriella, and—”
“Ishmael,” he supplied.
“Nathaniel,” she corrected, “will be at a disadvantage when they try to enroll in private school. So when do you want to?”
He juggled the poster and the suitcase to look at his watch. “Well, let’s see. It’s noon now. How about five o’clock?”
“Today?”
“I am not,” he told her sternly, “going to spend another night sneaking into your room. Besides, Noah needs to know where to put his stuff.”
Lori looked at him for another moment, fighting with the corners of a grin, and then she said, “Well then. We’d better hurry.”
~*~
“We don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Lori rushed into the stunned silence at the lunch table five minutes later. “Just something quick and simple after the party, or maybe even during it if we have time.”
Cici choked, “If you have time? You’ll get married if you have time?”
Lindsay kicked her under the table.
“We really hope we have your blessing,” Kevin went on, looking from Bridget to Cici, “but if we don’t, we hope to earn it. Meantime …” he glanced at his watch. “It’s Saturday, and the County Clerk’s office closes at two so we have to get into town and get the license.”
“Kevin’s kind of a stickler about legalities,” Lori explained, and she did not appear to be joking.
“But Kevin,” Bridget said helplessly, “you don’t even have a…”
Lindsay kicked her under the table.
Lori said, “Really, we don’t want to cause anyone any stress. It’s just that everyone we love is already here and the party is ready to roll and we knew you’d be mad if we eloped—”
Bridget and Cici gave muffled exclamations of agreement.
“So this just seemed like the easiest way. We have to go into town for ice anyway,” she added, “so we might as well pick up the license. Does anybody need anything else while we’re out?”
Into the stunned silence that followed, Kevin said to Lori, “Baby, we’d better get going. There’s an awful lot to set up for the party before four.”
Lori said cheerfully, “Okay, back in an hour. Don’t worry about a thing—we’ve got it under control!”
And they were gone before anyone could draw another breath.
Bridget sank back in her chair weakly. “What does a heart attack feel like?”
“It’s not that I object to the marriage,” Cici began.
“Of course not!” Bridget put in quickly. “I love Lori. It’s just so sudden—”
“We didn’t even know they were dating until last night!”
Noah said, “Could somebody pass the potato salad?”
Dominic did so politely. “Great roast beef,” he said.
“Sure tastes like home,” Noah agreed.
Neither Bridget nor Cici appeared to have heard them. Cici’s face was torn with distress. “It’s just that—it’s her wedding! She doesn’t have a dress, or flowers, or music, and don’t you kick me!” She glared at Lindsay.
Lindsay said mildly, “Ladies, have we learned nothing?” She gave that a moment to sink in, and then added, “It’s Lori and Kevin’s wedding. These will be their memories.” She glanced at Dominic and smiled. “And sometimes the best memories are when everything doesn’t go perfectly. Meanwhile, Lori’s right. The party is in place. We’ve got flowers everywhere, and plenty of food, and we’ve already hired the band …” She looked suddenly at Bridget. “Bridget, what happened to my dress?”
Bridget fluttered her hand distractedly, trying to
focus. “Oh, Lindsay, I’m afraid it’s ruined. The whole bottom front is kind of a faded blue …”
Lindsay said, “What if we cut off the ruined parts?”
Bridget’s eyes widened. “Cut up a Vera Wang?”
Cici objected, “We can’t make a wedding dress! We have signs to make and food to stage and—”
“I can sew,” Cassie volunteered. “I’d be glad to give it a try.”
“Come on.” Lindsay pushed up from the table. She turned back, kissed Dominic’s cheek, and commanded, “Rest, or I’ll sic Ida Mae on you.” She grabbed her sandwich and gestured to Cassie. “I’ll show you the sewing room. Bridget, where’s the dress?”
Cici got up to follow. “Lindsay, are you sure you want to …?”
Bridget hurried after them. “You know, it’s really only the bottom eight inches …”
When they were gone, Noah helped himself to another sandwich. “Do you reckon that Kevin fellow knows what he’s getting into?”
Dominic just grinned. “Son, I don’t think it would matter.”
~*~
The first guests were thirty minutes away from arriving when Kevin came into the winery office. The golden retriever woofed softly from underneath his master’s chair, then laid his head between his paws again. Kevin stopped short when he saw Dominic. “Oh, hi. I didn’t know you were out here. Lori sent me for another case of wine. She likes to be over-prepared.”
“To tell the truth, all that busyness up at the house was wearing me out,” Dominic said, removing his glasses. “I got more rest in the hospital and that place was a zoo. There’s a nice case of white merlot I was saving for a special occasion,” he added, “and I guess this is it. It’s behind the New York cabernet.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Getting nervous?” Dominic asked when Kevin returned from the storage room with the case of wine in his arms.
Kevin set the box on the conference table and smiled. “No sir, I’m not. I’d be more nervous if we weren’t getting married. I know it caught everyone else by surprise, and probably seems a little impulsive, but you know how people talk about the overnight success that only took twenty years of hard work? Well, for us this is an impulsive marriage that was our whole lives in the making and I’d feel like the world’s biggest idiot if I waited another day.”
Dominic smiled. “I know exactly what you mean.” He nodded his head back toward the desk. “I appreciate all the work you did while I was gone. I’m afraid I’m not much of one for paperwork. When I worked for the county I had an assistant who did all that for me, and I haven’t quite gotten used to having to run the back office myself.” He kept his expression bland. “I’d kind of hoped Lori would be able to help me out on that end when she got home, but I guess now you all have other plans.”
Kevin said, “Excuse me, sir, but that would really be a waste of Lori’s talents. She’s way too creative to be stuck behind a desk. You need to put her in the field when she’s not making wine. She’d make a hell of a saleswoman and marketing is second nature to her. I’d hire an office manager if I were you, even if you could only afford one part time. Maybe Aunt Lindsay could learn to do it, or Mom or Aunt Cici.”
Dominic looked skeptical. “I don’t mean to diminish any of the ladies’ considerable talents, but this is specialized work. You need a background in business management.” He held Kevin’s gaze steadily. “Maybe even law.”
Kevin smiled a little uncertainly. “I know you don’t want to lose Lori, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep her here because that’s what she wants too. But we have to think about our future, and …”
Dominic raised a hand to stop him. “I understand. But it’s an offer. This is a family business, and for the first few years most of your salary would be in stock. You’ve seen the figures. You know what we can afford to pay. But the office job would only be part time, and if you’re interested in supplementing your income I have a little pull with the head of the Business Management Department down at the junior college.”
Kevin looked interested. “Really?”
Dominic nodded. “I talked to him this afternoon. It happens he’s looking to replace an instructor winter quarter.”
A slow grin crossed Kevin’s face. “You really do want to keep Lori.”
Dominic said simply, “It’s a family business.”
“Sounds like I’m lucky to be marrying into this family.”
“My friend,” replied Dominic, smiling, “we both are.”
~*~
“Oh, my darling girl!” exclaimed Paul when all the hugs and congratulations were finished. “It’s not that we’re not just ecstatic for you, but …” he stepped back and eyed her critically, his index finger pressed to his lips. “Aren’t you going to do anything with your hair?”
“Love the hair,” Derrick defended her, beaming like a proud parent. “All wild and woodland nymph. However, the manicure could use a touch-up.”
Lori glanced distractedly at her nails and then gave herself a shake. “Thanks, Uncle Paul, Uncle Derrick. But if we don’t get the bar set up I won’t even have time to take a shower.”
They were in the restaurant, where platters of cold hors d’oeuvres and sliced cheese had already been set out, the candles lit, the warming trays plugged in. Lori was behind the table that flanked the door, still in her jeans and sweater, unpacking glasses and uncorking bottles. It was three forty-five. Through the open doors they could hear the band warming up.
“But it’s your wedding day!” Derrick cried. “You should be in a bubble bath, followed by a massage, followed by a mani-pedi …”
Lori looked again at her nails, frowning a little.
Paul said. “Let us do whatever it is you’re doing. Go pamper yourself.”
Lori said. “Thanks, I will in a minute. I’ll tell you what you can do, though.” She handed them each a collection of whimsical card stock cut-outs in the shape of wine glasses with suggestions like, “Pairs well with Ladybug Farm Ruby Red” and “Pairs well with Ladybug Farm Crystal Rose” written on them in Lindsay’s beautiful scroll. “Go put these in front of the serving dishes.”
Paul sorted through his collection. “But we haven’t brought down the hot dishes yet. We won’t know what to pair.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Lori assured him. “Everything goes with Ladybug Farm wine. That’s the point.”
“Lori, aren’t you dressed yet?” Cici said from the door.
Lori looked up and clapped her hands together in surprise and delight. “Mom! Aunt Bridget! You look so pretty!”
“My girls!” declared Paul. “Look at you! Angels, perfect angels!”
Cici, in garnet, gave a curtsey, and Bridget, in rose, did a little pirouette. “We got to wear our dresses after all,” she said. “Although not exactly the way we’d planned.”
“They are even more perfect for the mother of the bride,” Paul assured them, and added quickly, “and groom.”
Derrick pressed his steepled fingers to his lips, fighting back bourgeoning emotion as he looked at Cici. “Our baby is getting married,” he said. And then he looked at Bridget and corrected, “Our babies.” At which point the emotion seemed to win, and he turned away.
Lori looked at her mother with a helpless shrug.
Just then Lindsay peered around the open door. “Is everything about ready in here?”
“Almost,” Lori assured her. “We need to bring down the hot food and open a few more bottles. Do you think you could finish up here while I run up to the house and change into a dress or something?”
“Happy to,” Lindsay said, and she stepped into the room carrying a garment bag on a hanger. “In fact, I brought a little something for you to consider changing into.” She unzipped the bag.
Paul clutched Derrick’s arm as the gown was revealed. “Is that the …?”
Derrick placed a bracing hand on his shoulder. “Hold on to me,” he whispered.
Lori came from behind the bar, her expre
ssion filled with hesitant wonder and question. “Aunt Lindsay … that’s your wedding dress. Isn’t it?”
“Well, it was,” Lindsay admitted. “It’s undergone a few alterations.”
The exquisitely designed gown had been trimmed to a length of two inches above the knee in the front and two inches above the floor in back. The bow had been removed, and so had the lace panels that had enlarged it to Lindsay’s size. It was barely recognizable as the same dress they had started out with. Paul took a single staggering step forward; Derrick tightened his hand on his shoulder. Cici encircled Bridget’s waist with her arm, smiling at the expression on Lori’s face.
“Wow,” Lori said. She turned the dress around to look at the back. Paul smothered a groan. “It’s really cute.”
“Cassie did most of the sewing,” Lindsay said. “It fit you the first time you tried it on, so it should be fine now. But only if you like it,” she added hastily. “We’re not trying to force anything on you.”
Lori examined the gown from front to back again, thoughtfully. She held it up to herself, molding it at the bosom and waist. “Actually,” she decided, “I do like it. And it would be nice to wear something pretty for Kevin.” She broke into a smile and hugged Lindsay. “Thank you!”
Cici and Bridget shared a delighted look, and Paul bit his knuckles.
Lindsay hugged Lori hard. “It’s your day,” she whispered in her ear. “Treasure it!”
She broke away, took Lori’s shoulders, and turned her toward the door. “Go get ready. I’ll take over here.”
Lori took the dress and hurried toward the house, and Paul tried hard not to cry.
~*~
The bride wore a strapless Vera Wang in a high-low skirt with a denim jacket and stacked-heel ankle boots. Cici bit down hard on her lip when she saw the boots, but Bridget said, “I think they look cute.” Paul was drinking heavily.
