“You certainly are a large man,” the older gentleman who was currently pinning the bottom hem of Bo’s pants said. “You’re fortunate that we carry a full line of big and tall clothing, or you wouldn’t have a suit here in time to be altered and ready for your wedding.”
Bo grunted. He had no idea where his build came from, but at a little taller than six-four and over two-sixty, he readily accepted his ball-team nickname of “Big Bo Daniels.” He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he pictured his beautiful, petite bride-to-be. She probably looked like a porcelain doll next to him.
“Will my last name be Daniels?” Seth, standing and waiting for his turn to be poked and pinned, suddenly asked him.
“What?”
“When you and Aunt Jan get married, you guys will both be Daniels’. If you’re going to be my mom and dad, shouldn’t I be Seth Daniels?”
Bo wanted to tell him yes, but he had to be honest. “I’m not sure how that works, Seth.” When he saw the teenager’s crestfallen expression, he continued, “I’ll have Brody check into it, though. How’s that?”
Seth grinned. “I’d like to be Seth Daniels.”
“I’d like that, too, but remember we’ll have to see what we can do. There are all kinds of laws about it,” Bo cautioned him.
“It’ll work out,” Seth spoke confidently.
Bo hoped so.
“This blouse will look gorgeous with your hair.” Emily held a sparkling gold top against Jan’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen auburn that dark…it’s stunning.”
The two of them were shopping at Rivets, spending the gift certificates Emily and Joni had given her. Joni had already compiled a rack of clothing in the dressing room for Jan to try on, and Emily was adding to it. Since Jan refused to give in to her mother and chosen a simple wedding dress that needed very few alterations, she only had to shop for her “honeymoon.” Emily suggested this excursion.
Jan had worked all day and was tired, but it was actually fun to pick out clothes simply because she liked them.
“I’m going over to check out the dresses. You’ll need a little black dress,” Emily informed her. “Every woman needs one in her wardrobe.”
“I just want to finish looking through these tops first,” Jan told her. “I’ll be over there in a few minutes.”
“No rush.” Emily disappeared behind a rack of clothes.
“Aren’t you Janet?” A woman with long, black hair and sparkling blue eyes made Jan jump by speaking closely to her ear. Where had she come from? She sure couldn’t be doing much sneaking around with that chest size.
“I’m sorry, but have we met?” Jan politely inquired. The other woman looked vaguely familiar.
“Not officially, but we have something…rather large in common.”
“Since when do you deign to shop in our common, everyday, retail store?” Joni, having appeared at Jan’s side to address the other woman, sounded very unfriendly.
“Hello, Joni. Do you greet all of your customers this way?” the woman asked.
Joni smiled sweetly, her eyes shooting sparks. “Only the snakes that slither in here. What can I help you with, Liz? Or are you just here to harass Bo’s fiancée?”
Liz? And Joni just pointed out that Jan was engaged to Bo! As far as Joni knew, she and Bo were in love. Where was Emily?
“Fiancée?!” If glares were guns, Liz had just shot Jan dead. “Since when?”
“Since he realized he’s in love with a real woman, instead of hanging around with the wicked witch of the jewelry stores. It’s too bad you’ll be missing their wedding on Saturday.” Bo hadn’t exaggerated; Joni obviously had no feelings of friendship toward this woman.
“Married this Saturday? I doubt that!” Liz was practically apoplectic.
“You can doubt all you want, but Bo is marrying Jan in two days.” Emily’s calm voice came from behind Liz. “Really, Liz, can’t you get a life? Must you always try to disturb somebody else’s?” Emily Taylor’s class made the other woman seem even more like a shrew. “We all know the only reason you came in here was to try and make Jan miserable. Since the man who loves her is marrying her in a couple of days, you’re wasting your time. We have a lot of shopping to do before their honeymoon, so why don’t you go back to your daddy’s store and string a few pearls?”
With Joni in front of Liz, and Emily behind her, she would practically have to push her way past one of them in order to leave the store. She turned her gaze back to Jan.
“We’ll see about a wedding,” she snarled.
“No, we won’t. You’re not invited. Remember?” Joni smiled sweetly again. “Would you like me to get security to help you locate the exit?”
At that, Liz huffed and shoved her way past Emily, who stepped just far enough to the side to let her pass. They all three stood and watched until she left the store.
Joni put her hand on Jan’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jan. If I had seen her coming, I would have stopped her before she made it to you.”
Jan was shell shocked. She had just realized how great of an enemy Liz Zimmers was, and the extent of the damage she would undoubtedly inflict if she even had the tiniest smidgeon of a chance. None of this was Joni’s fault, though.
“That’s okay. I didn’t even know who she was until you said her name.” Jan’s eyes met Emily’s.
“Let’s not let that hag spoil our shopping.” Emily nodded resolutely. “Are you ready to try on clothes? I’ve found the most perfect dress…”
She grabbed Jan’s hand and led her toward the selection of dresses.
Jan pushed the image of the vindictive female out of her mind and made a conscious effort to enjoy shopping with her new friends.
She just couldn’t quite get rid of the small bit of worry about what Liz Zimmers might be capable of.
Bo swept the last bit of debris into the dustpan and stood back. He was getting married the next afternoon, and his house was ready for his new family.
When Logan helped him design his home, Bo hadn’t been thinking about anybody ever living here with him. He just wanted space. The result was large, open rooms. His dining room held a brand new table and chairs, with tons of extra space left. When he arranged the sofa and chairs, there was still a lot of empty space in the living room. The kitchen turned out just fine. Since he hadn’t planned on using it that much, he’d just stuck to the basics and put in all the latest gadgets. Of course, he bought the largest refrigerator-freezer he could find.
His…and now Jan’s…bedroom came out about right, too. The walk-in closet turned out to be almost as huge as the master bathroom. Bo had planned on using one of the extra rooms as a man-cave and the other as an office of sorts, just to keep his computer and filing cabinet in. Since Seth was moving in, he set up his desk in the smaller of the two and designated the other one as the teenager’s bedroom. They could all share the office, and Seth could fix his room up however he wanted.
All of Jan and Seth’s stuff was there, except for some of their clothes and a few odds and ends. He was leaving a key with Emily, and she was making sure all that, as well as wedding presents, would be in their new home before he and Jan were back from their honeymoon.
Bo wasn’t a rich man, but he’d managed to save a decent amount of money. He planned for Jan to make use of some of that to fill the empty spaces in their home with things women liked. She protested when he first told her his plans, but when he pointed out he’d just have to do it himself if she didn’t—and who knew what it would turn out like—she finally agreed.
He’d caught her with a stack of catalogues just the day before, looking at something she called a sideboard buffet. Bo finally wrangled it out of her that she wanted it for the dining room. They ordered it. He was determined for this house to be their home…as long as they were a family. However long that may be.
“You are beautiful, Janet Marie.” Patsy straightened Jan’s veil and stepped back. “Just look at yourself.”
Jan turned and looked into t
he large mirror on Logan and Emily’s bedroom wall. Since the wedding was in their backyard, and they were standing up with her and Bo, the couple insisted Jan use their bedroom as her dressing room.
Her dress was a simple, white, floor-length gown with a princess waistline. The lace covering the bodice fell from the back to form a short train. Her veil was made from matching lace.
The only jewelry she wore was a set of pearl earrings her mother insisted were a “Christmas in July” gift. The bouquet she would carry was a small one comprised of miniature white roses with golden baby’s breath laced in.
Emily’s dress matched Jan’s, except it was light gold like the baby’s breath. The men and Seth were wearing black suits and ties with gold shirts. At least she talked her mother out of putting them in tuxedoes—although, she couldn’t quite get the image of Bo in a tux out of her mind.
A knock sounded at the door before Seth’s red head appeared.
“It’s time, Aunt Jan. Are you ready?”
Jan took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“I’ll just go have that handsome Brody get me seated.” Her mother patted Jan’s shoulders and, obviously fighting tears, left the room.
Seth walked in with Emily right behind him. She looked stunning.
“Nervous?” she asked.
Jan nodded. “A little.”
Seth grinned. “You shoulda seen Bo pacin’ in circles. Logan told him if he asked what time it was again, he was gonna duct tape the cuckoo clock to Bo’s wrist. He can’t wait to marry you, Aunt Jan.”
She couldn’t keep the feeling of guilt from hitting her. Were she and Bo doing the right thing, or were they going to end up making things worse for Seth? He was buying into their love story—hook, line, and sinker—and was happier than she’d ever seen him.
“It’ll be fine.” Emily spoke so softly only Jan could hear her. “Trust Bo.”
Jan nodded. She took Seth’s arm, the way they had practiced the evening before.
“Lead the way,” she told Emily.
She and Seth followed Emily down the stairs and through the house. They were soon walking into the backyard, where white chairs had been arranged for the guests, leaving an aisle down the center. Her mother had hired a wedding planner, who took care of the entire arrangement.
After Emily walked down the white cloth-covered aisle and took her place in front of the large group of people, the harps began playing the traditional wedding march. Everybody stood up as Seth began escorting Jan down the aisle.
She scanned the crowd. All the Slammers and their “women” were there. Their “little brothers” and their own families had come. Tears came to her eyes when she saw all seven of her residents from Mercy House seated with Teresa, Sammi, and Lance. She half expected Leonard to let out a wolf whistle, but Lance must have warned him ahead of time.
Then her eyes met Bo’s, and a sense of peace suddenly came over her. She knew no matter what, he would take care of her and Seth. They were going to be okay. She was going to be okay.
Jan couldn’t keep the smile off her face—not the rest of the way down the aisle, nor when Seth lifted her veil and stepped around to stand on the other side of Logan.
She stood face to face with Bo, both of them smiling at each other, as they repeated vows as old as time and slid plain gold wedding bands onto each other’s fingers.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
“What God has joined together, let no man put asunder,” gave her a slight twinge of guilt. Then she remembered Bo’s words. She didn’t know what would happen during the next five years. They might not be lying.
When she heard, “You may kiss the bride,” Bo leaned down and gave her the most gentle kiss she could ever imagine. He smiled and winked at her as he straightened back up.
“I now present Mr. and Mrs. Bogard Daniels,” the minister announced, as she and Bo turned to face their friends.
Jan saw her mom, as well as several other women, wipe tears from their faces.
Bo gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
They had done it. She was Janet Marie Daniels, Bo’s wife. They, with Seth, were a family. And her mom—her mom could be a real grandma, visiting or having Seth stay the night once in a while.
For the first time, Jan felt like maybe she and Bo were doing the right thing after all.
“Wait a minute. Let’s do this right.” Bo leaned down and, placing his arms under Jan, lifted her. After shoving the door to the honeymoon suite at Butlers Inn the rest of the way open with his foot, he carried her across the threshold, amazed by how light she was.
“You can put me down. There’s nobody watching us anymore, you know,” she told him, laughing.
“You never know,” he said mysteriously. “Your mom might have the place wired.”
She giggled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she booked the honeymoon suite for us tonight, or I’d have tried to talk her out of it.”
After he closed the door, he set her down and walked over to the table. “Look at this bowl of fruit.” He indicated a bottle chilling in a bucket of ice. “And I’m no wine expert, but I don’t think this is the cheap stuff.”
He looked around the room. Besides the large bed, there was a sofa and two easy chairs, arranged in an intimate setting, with the table in front of them.
“I can sleep on the couch,” she told him, obviously having looked the room over, too. “You’ll never fit.”
His brows lifted. “I could fit half of me. I can sleep sitting straight up, or on my back with my legs straight up in the air.”
She giggled again. He loved hearing her laugh.
And when they said their vows—at least when he said his—it hadn’t felt like he was lying. Who was to say they couldn’t build something real and solid? Heaven knew how attracted he was to her. When he first saw her in that wedding dress, she had literally taken his breath away. Then a calmness came over him, and he hadn’t been able to keep the smile off his face.
The two of them—the three of them—were going to do just fine.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. The fancy little pieces of bread posing as sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres hadn’t made a dent in his gigantic appetite. “I could use about half a dozen Big Macs, myself.”
“They have room service.” She looked up from the paper by the phone. “Or do you want to run to McDonald’s?”
“I’d better call room service.” A small smile came to his face. “It wouldn’t look very romantic for the newlyweds to be making a fast food run on our wedding night.”
She nodded and grinned. “You know we’d get caught, too. With our luck, the whole team will be having a Big Mac attack.”
He thought about that for a second. Most likely his buddies hadn’t been satisfied by their “meal” any more than he had. “You’re probably right.” Then he smiled at her. “You should have crammed about half of that whole cake in my mouth. Maybe that would have filled me up.”
There was surprise in her eyes. “Bo, you’re talking about a three-tier wedding cake. I was afraid I had too big of a piece for you the way it was.”
He shook his head. “I was the one who had too much cake in my hand. I should have just pinched a little piece off for you. I was afraid I ruined your dress.”
“At least Lance caught Leonard before he made it around the table.” The mischievous man’s intentions were clear. “I guarantee he would have goosed me, and I would have dumped the whole glass of cider down the front of my dress.”
“Does Leonard do that a lot?” He found himself chuckling at some of her residents’ antics during the reception. At one point, he thought a lady was going to whack another woman over the head with her cane. If that man—Lance—hadn’t stepped in and danced her away, there might have been a free-for-all.
She shrugged. “In his mind, he’s twenty-nine most of the time. He tells me I have a nice tush, so he has trouble leaving it alone. He’s given me bruises before.”
“Why do you let him get
away with it?” Bo didn’t like the idea of Jan being hurt.
“It’s not that bad. I bruise easily. Leonard’s just acting like an amorous man, and for some reason, I’m usually the object of his affection when I’m there.” She walked over and sat on the couch.
“I can see why you’d be the object of his affection,” he said, his eyes following her curves. Then he realized what he was doing. “I better call down and order my food before the kitchen closes. My stomach’s liable to growl loud enough to keep both of us awake all night.”
After he called room service and ordered three quarter-pound hamburgers with the works, he took off his jacket and tie before he sat on the chair closest to the phone.
“You’re really a beautiful woman,” he observed.
Her face turned red. “Thank you.” She smiled shyly. “You’re not too hard on the eyes yourself.”
He stood up and moved over to sit beside her on the couch.
“I’m just practicing,” he murmured, as he pulled her onto his lap. “Just practicing.” His lips found what was quickly becoming their favorite place—her mouth. As they kissed, his brain shut down and let his libido take over. His hand traced her contours and lingered at the side of her breast. He could feel her heartbeat quicken and both of them were breathing harder. Bo felt his arousal press against her hip.
Evidently, so did Jan, because her eyes flew open and she quickly broke off the kiss before she pulled away, sliding back onto the couch.
“Sorry about that.” He stood up and walked over to the bed. “I…it’s been a while, and you’re so beautiful…I got carried away. It won’t happen again.”
She hadn’t stopped blushing. Just as she seemed about to say something, there was a soft knock at the door.
Bo opened it to find a bellhop delivering his burgers. When he tried to tip the man, he refused, saying all expenses were being taken care of by Mrs. Edwards. Bo thanked him and took the sandwiches before closing the door.
Just Practicing (Hearts for Ransom Book 2) Page 12
