Brody’s fiancee was an incredibly beautiful woman, and he was lucky enough to have won her heart. Luscious and generous curves, ivory skin with a smattering of freckles on her face, shoulders, and chest, gorgeous and full auburn hair, and green eyes he could get lost in for hours all combined to make most men take an appreciative look. And she was all his—every delicious inch of her.
Fancy smiled at him then reached for her pad and pen. When she sat back up, he noticed she was a little pale and took them from her again. “You’re pushing yourself too hard, sweetness. Everything is going to go like clockwork knowing my family. Why don’t you lie down and take a nap for a bit? We have just over an hour before we land.”
“But—”
He cut her off. “No buts. Lie down and relax—that’s an order. There will be plenty of time to go through your checklist when we get to the ranch. Don’t make me spank you.” His threat was said in a low, soft tone so Jenn and Alyssa didn’t overhear. While they were fully aware of the BDSM club, The Covenant, that was located in the Trident Security compound, they’d never been in it and didn’t need to know what went on behind the closed doors. Alyssa was still a teenager and twenty-two-year-old Jenn didn’t want to imagine her surrogate uncles and godfather, Ian, having sex, as she’d told them on numerous occasions. Brody didn’t care if Harper or Kat heard him, though, since they were in the lifestyle and knew as well as Fancy did that a spanking could be for a punishment, pleasure, or stress release.
Grabbing a nearby throw pillow, he placed it on his lap and patted it. Sighing, Fancy swung her feet up onto the couch and laid her head on the pillow. “Fine. But when we get to the ranch, I’m sure I’ll be running around like a chicken without a head, even with your sisters and mom helping.”
Brody ran his fingers up and down her bare arm. “Which is all the more reason for you to sleep now. I don’t want you so stressed out that you can’t enjoy the wedding . . . and the wedding night,” he added with a grin.
Fancy climbed out of the SUV Brody had rented at the airport, as Harper parked the one she’d gotten next to it. They’d needed all the space they could get to transport everyone, the luggage, and the bridal party’s dresses. It was a beautiful afternoon at Paradise Pastures, the Quarter Horse breeding ranch on 200 acres of land that the Evans family owned. In addition to the normal bustling activity on the property, there were vans and people prepping the large area behind the main house where the wedding reception would take place.
The ceremony itself was being held in the one of the ranch’s many meadows. It’d been kept clean of the animals for the past six weeks according to Brody’s father, Gerard, so no one would be stepping on poop. He’d been seeding and watering the fenced-in area so the grass would be nice and plush. A trellis was being set up and decorated with flowers to serve as the dais where the family’s priest, Father Cartwright, would marry the couple. Instead of chairs, bales of hay, covered with soft throw blankets, would be the seats for the guests who’d been encouraged to wear comfortable, western clothing and cowboy boots. Brody would be in his Navy whites for the ceremony before changing into a new pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. As for Fancy’s dress, it had a simple, country flair to it and she’d be able to wear it all day in comfort.
This would be so different from Fancy’s formal wedding to her first husband, who’d been killed in a car accident several years ago, with a huge ball gown at a catering hall. But it was perfect for Brody and the woman Fancy had become since meeting him. He’d been the final piece of the puzzle she’d needed to pull her from her grief back into the land of the living, and she loved him with all her heart.
Leaving the luggage in the vehicles for now, she and Brody took out the boxes of pastries they’d brought, then led the way to the front door. Although all of the Alpha Team had been to the ranch on many occasions, most of their women hadn’t been there before. Harper was pointing out all the animals in the pens and pastures to the east of the main house to Mara who was clapping and babbling with delight. Jenn was telling Alyssa and Kat all she knew about the ranch, having visited several times with her uncles and deceased parents.
Before they reached the door, it swung open and Brody’s mom and sister Doreen came out with open arms, hugging everyone they already knew and introducing themselves to the newcomers. Elise gave Fancy an extra-long hug—she’d loved her future daughter-in-law from the moment she’d met her, knowing she was the perfect mate for her son. “I’m so glad you’re finally here! I hope you love how we set everything up.”
“I’m sure I will, Elise. We can’t thank you enough for all the work you’ve put into the wedding.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure.” She released Fancy and gave her a stern look. “Now, remember what I told you. If there’s something you don’t like or aren’t happy about, I want you to tell me so we can change it. It’s your wedding and you deserve to have it exactly as you want it. I promise I won’t be insulted.”
“I’m sure everything is perfect. The only thing that would make it not perfect is if Brody doesn’t show up.”
The women all laughed as Brody gave her a loving swat on the butt. “Like that would ever happen. You, sweetness, are not going to be the one who got away.”
As everyone followed Brody into the house, they chatted with each other like a bunch of hens. There were at least three different conversations going on at the same time, and Fancy found herself trying to follow them all. After dropping the bakery boxes onto the large island in the kitchen, Brody grabbed Fancy’s hand and brought her out the backdoor with the rest of the women on their heels. The massive tents were being set up, and there were stacks of chairs and round folding tables waiting to be placed under them. The area had been spruced up for the occasion and Fancy noted a few new trees and flowering shrubs had been added since last October.
Brody’s dad was explaining to the men from the party-supply company where he wanted each tent erected, but glanced up when the small crowd on the back porch caught his attention. His eyes lit up, and with a few final words to the workers, he strode across the expanse. Brody met Gerard at the bottom of the steps and gave him a hug and some back slaps, which were returned in kind. The older man then climbed the stairs, pulled Fancy into a warm embrace, and kissed her cheek. “Hey, beautiful! It’s great to see you. How was the flight?”
“Great. I think the Trident jet has ruined me for commercial flights though.”
“I have no doubt,” he responded with a chuckle. Letting her go, he grinned at Mara in her mother’s arms. “Hey there, sweet pea. You’re getting big. Remember me?” The little girl clearly did as she reached out, wanting him to hold her, which he did. She’d been fascinated with Gerard for some reason when he, Elise, and Brody’s eldest brother, Brett, had flown down to Tampa when Fancy’s former brother-in-law had tried to kill Brody during an insane, jealous rage. Corey Maguire had developed a sick obsession with her and had caused the car accident that’d killed his brother and put Fancy into a coma. He’d gone out of control after Fancy had started dating Brody, and had kidnapped his perceived rival and tried to torture him to death—coming very close to succeeding. He’d then been shot and killed during Brody’s rescue.
“Fancy, come here.” Brody gestured to where he was standing at the fence to the meadow where they’d be saying their vows in a few days. The trellis had already been set in place, but was currently bare. The florist would be putting the fresh flowers on it early Saturday morning while the ranch hands arranged the bales of hay for the makeshift pews.
Descending the steps, she joined her fiancé with a smile on her face. “What?”
He pulled her in front of him, facing the trellis, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt him exhale softly against her ear. “That’s where I’m going to be standing, waiting for you to meet me so we can become husband and wife. I love you, sweetness, and I plan on telling and showing you that every day for the rest of my life.”
The next day
, while Fancy was out with his sisters, Kat, Harper, Jenn, and Alyssa, running errands and picking up the last of the bridesmaids’ dresses, Brody had gotten together with his brothers, Brett and Brian, to take care of a list of things to do that their father had given him. Gerard and Elise were happily babysitting Mara and a few of their youngest grandchildren who weren’t in school yet. Brody’s siblings had all taken a few days off work to help get everything ready for the wedding—it was what they did for each other. They were such a close-knit family, willing to drop everything and come running when one of them needed the others. He wished Fancy’s family was as close, for her sake, but his family was more than willing to make up for what she was lacking in that area.
Fancy’s parents had never married and had separated when she was little. Her father had then relocated to California where he’d married another woman and started a new family. After that, Fancy’s contact with her father had been mostly via phone and emails over the years, with a few, rare visits when his business brought him east. Unfortunately, his wife had resented Fancy and refused to acknowledge her husband’s eldest daughter. As a result, Fancy had never met her teenage half-sisters. But that was going to change on Friday. After discussing it with Fancy’s Aunt Denise, Brody had contacted her father, had a heart-to-heart talk with the older man, and managed to convince him it was not too late to be a part of his daughter’s life. It wasn’t the first time he’d talked to the man. Brody had called him months earlier to ask permission to marry his daughter, holding onto the traditions and values he’d grown up with. His words must have struck a chord because Glenn Robertson had accepted the invitation Fancy had extended with little hope that it would be acknowledged. She’d been shocked and elated to learn he’d be attending the wedding with his middle daughter, seventeen-year-old Natalie, who’d always wanted to meet Fancy. The youngest sister, Nicole, however, was siding with her mother and refusing to come. But that was all right. Two out of three was better than none.
Brody had also called his future mother-in-law and Fancy’s Aunt Denise. The latter was extremely close to her niece, and he’d known it would please them both for her to be included. As for Fancy’s mother, Diane Bayles-Wilford, well, she was coming with her third husband. The woman had done her best for Fancy and her brother, Richard Bayles, but working two jobs as they were growing up meant she’d relied on her sister, Denise Bayles, to help raise them. As a result, the siblings usually went to their aunt for advice or help, rather than their own mother, who never really learned how to cope with their everyday problems or, God forbid, a life-altering crisis. Richard also didn’t know or care to know how to be there for his family, either. In fact, he’d declined to fly from Hawaii to Texas for his sister’s wedding, citing he was too busy with work to attend.
Paying the dry cleaner for his father’s dress shirt and pants for the ceremony, Brody grabbed the plastic covered clothing and headed to the parking lot where Brett and Brian were waiting for him in the latter’s red pickup truck. He climbed into the rear bench seat and placed the hangers on the hook above the opposite door. “What next?”
Brian put the vehicle in drive and steered toward the exit. “We’ve got to get the citronella oil for the torches. Dad said we were running low from the last party.” When the sun went down on Saturday, thousands of tiny, white Christmas tree lights and dozens of glass-enclosed torches would illuminate the festivities.
While his brother drove, Brody sat back in his seat and glanced around North Dallas where he’d grown up. He liked seeing his old haunts and always had a sense of sadness when he discovered one of them had been sold and renamed or torn down. As they passed his former high school, Brody’s cell phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he glanced at the screen. Harper. He connected the call. “Hey, Harper, what’s up? Don’t tell me there’s a problem with the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“Uh, no.” Those two words were spoken with tone of worry and distraction which immediately had him gripping the phone tighter as he listened. “Brody, Fancy passed out at the dress shop. All of a sudden, she got pale and slid to the floor. The paramedics are loading her into the ambulance now. You have to meet us at Medical City Hospital.”
“What? Is she okay?” Both brothers spun their heads toward him at his panicked voice.
“I don’t know, Brody. By the time the medics got here, she was conscious but disoriented. They think she might be dehydrated. I don’t know. We’re getting ready to follow the ambulance. Kat’s in there with her. Meet us at the ER.”
“We’re on our way.” He hung up and looked at Brian. “Medical City ER, get there fast. Fancy fainted or something and they’re transporting her by ambulance.”
“Is she okay?”
“I don’t know, damn it, just get us there.” He hadn’t meant to bark, but his stomach clenched in fear. Try as he might to reassure himself it was a simple case of dehydration and stress, he was terrified something was seriously wrong.
Holding on to the “oh shit” handle above his head as Brian broke a few speed limits and traffic laws on the way, Brody prayed like never before. It felt like the trip took hours, when in reality they pulled into the hospital’s emergency room parking lot in under fifteen minutes. Brian had barely parked when Brody yanked the door handle and jumped out, running toward the entrance. The automatic doors flew open when he stepped on the black mat in front of them, and he hurried inside with his brothers on his heels. He immediately spotted the women huddled together in a corner of the waiting room.
Harper was the first one to notice him as he rushed over. She held up her hands. “Calm down. She’s okay. They started an IV of fluids in the ambulance and she’s making more sense now. Kat’s still back there with her. They’re running some tests, but it looks like it’s just stress and dehydration.”
His sister Deanna put a hand on his shoulder. “I think it’s the same thing that happened when Nana was dehydrated and her sodium levels got so low it made her all loopy.” Brody had almost forgotten about that. His grandmother had been in the hospital for a few days last year and hallucinating until they’d gotten the sodium levels back up. Deanna pointed to a nearby wooden door. “Why don’t you go back and talk to the doctor?”
Moments later, he peeked around the curtain to the cubicle he’d been directed to by one of the nurses. Fancy was lying on a gurney, her red hair a sharp contrast to her pale skin and the white sheets. Her eyes were closed, but an EKG monitor was beeping with a steady rhythm. She wore an oxygen cannula in her nose and an IV had been started in her left arm. Kat stood up from the bedside chair she’d been sitting in, gave Brody a hug, and whispered. “She’s resting. The doctor will be back in a bit; he’s just waiting for the blood results, but thinks her sodium was too low.”
“Yeah, that’s what Deanna said. Has she woken up?”
At the sound of his voice, Fancy’s eyelids blinked open. “Hi. I’m awake. Sorry about this.”
Seeing she was no longer needed, Kat left the two of them alone, heading for the waiting room. Brody grasped Fancy’s hand as he sat on the chair, relief seeping into his veins. “Nothing to be sorry about, sweetness. I’m just glad you’re okay. How do you feel?”
“Tired. Confused, but that’s going away.”
“That’s good.” He gently brushed the hair on her forehead to the side. “Why don’t you close your eyes and rest until the doctor comes back?”
“’Kay.”
Brody stayed by her side as she slept, ignoring everything else going on outside the cubicle. The only thing that mattered right now was his woman. He was kicking himself for not noticing the toll the stress of planning their wedding had taken on her. But that stopped now. Until she woke up on Saturday morning, put on her wedding dress, and walked down the aisle to meet him, she wasn’t going to be allowed to lift a finger or stress over anything. He was certain their family and friends would have no problem finishing all the little details that needed to be taken care of. As of now, Fancy was on bed rest.
/> He wasn’t sure how long it was until the curtain was pulled open enough for a gray-haired man dressed in scrubs to enter and yank it shut again. With a clipboard in his left hand, he extended his right. “I’m Dr. Erikson.”
Standing and shaking the man’s hand, he responded, “Hi, I’m Fancy’s fiancé, Brody Evans.”
“I understand the wedding is this Saturday. Congratulations.”
“Yeah, it is. Thanks.”
Fancy’s eyes fluttered open and focused on the newcomer. “Hi, Doctor.”
“How’re you feeling?” He smiled as he leaned against the bed railing.
“Better. Just tired.”
“Well, that’s perfectly understandable. You’ve got a lot going on, and I have a feeling I’m going to add to it.” Brody and Fancy narrowed their eyes in confusion as the man’s smile grew bigger. “Since you didn’t tell me earlier, I’m going to assume you didn’t know you’re pregnant.”
Brody’s jaw dropped as fast as his stomach did. His knees went weak, and he couldn’t stop himself from plopping down in the chair. While they hadn’t exactly been trying to get pregnant, they’d gotten rid of the condoms the night they’d gotten engaged months ago. Fancy had gotten pregnant with her first husband, but had lost the baby in the car accident that’d killed Patrick Maguire. Her GYN had been hopeful and nearly certain Fancy was still able to have children, but there’d always been a sliver of doubt in his fiancée’s mind. Well, the question of whether she could or couldn’t was now answered. Holy shit. I’m going to be a father!
Dumbfounded, his gaze met Fancy’s and he found her just as stunned, but then concern appeared on her face. “Doctor, is the—the baby okay? I—”
The man held up a hand, cutting her off. “The rest of your blood levels are good. The sodium is low, as I expected it to be, but not critical. With the IV, it should be back to normal in a little while. Do you have any idea how far along you might be? When was your last period?”
Salvaging His Soul: Trident Security Book 8 Page 22
