by Judy Duarte
Doris smiled. “I understand. But you can’t help me for being a little starstruck. I mean, the Chesterfields are almost royals in the U.K.”
Toby didn’t know about that, but at least Doris seemed to support his and Angie’s union.
“Do you think it would be all right if I stopped by to see Jeanne Marie and Deke after I get off work today?” Doris asked. “I’d love to offer my services—and to do whatever I can to offset the cost of the wedding. I’m not rich, either, but I did set aside some cash for my baby girl’s big day.”
Toby didn’t dare tell her that Sawyer had already offered to do the same thing. Or that Sawyer’s dad, James Marshall Fortune, had agreed to pay for their honeymoon in San Antonio, the flight courtesy of Redmond-Fortune Air.
Doris might accept that Toby wasn’t as rich as some of the other Fortunes, but she’d certainly place a boatload of value on his family connections.
“I’m sure my parents would be glad to have you stop by this evening,” Toby said, as he stood, preparing to leave.
His talk with Doris had gone better than he’d hoped. She seemed to be looking forward to the wedding.
He just hoped she wouldn’t place any unnecessary stress on Angie, especially on their special day.
* * *
Angie, Stacey and Delaney were going to shop for dresses in Vicker’s Corners on Tuesday afternoon. Angie’s mom, who’d been both supportive and excited about the upcoming ceremony, was coming along, too.
Who would have guessed that Doris would actually be looking forward to her role as mother of the bride?
Angie had a feeling her excitement might have something to do with knowing that there would be quite a few Fortunes present and that one of Toby’s handsome brothers would be walking her down the aisle. But either way, it would make the day go by a whole lot smoother.
Her mom was also planning to purchase the bridal gown, which was nice. And as long as Stacey and Delaney were there to prevent her from going tulle-crazy, it should work out okay.
Before driving to the bridal shop to meet everyone, Angie stopped at Mr. Murdock’s house to tell him about the upcoming wedding and to let him know that she’d be moving out in less than a week.
“So that Fortune Jones boy has finally talked some sense into you, did he?”
Angie smiled at the old man she’d grown so fond of in the past couple of months. “Yes, he certainly did.”
Mr. Murdock turned and headed to the lamp table, where he kept his telephone.
“What are you doing?” she asked, a little disappointed that he’d walked off while she was still sharing the news of the biggest and best decision she’d ever made in her life.
“I need to call Pete,” he said.
“Your VFW buddy? Why?”
“Because I told him you’d be tying the knot by the end of the month. But he thought those young’uns would scare you off. So now Pete owes me five bucks and two of his lucky bingo cards.”
“Oh, no. Please tell me you didn’t make a bet on my love life.”
“Girly,” Mr. Murdock said with a big ole grin, “I’d bet on you any day of the week.”
Coming from him, that was a huge compliment.
He picked up a glass of amber-colored liquid from the table. “Can I get you some Scotch?”
“No, thanks. And you shouldn’t be drinking it, either. You really need to cut back. Remember what your doctor said?”
He glanced at the glass, scrunched his face as though he was really giving it some thought, then returned the drink to the table.
She didn’t think he’d go so far as to pour it out, though. She suspected that he was going to finish it as soon as she left.
“Listen,” she said. “There’s something else, Mr. Murdock. I’d like to ask you to be in our wedding.”
“Huh?” He scrunched his craggy face, as if thinking it over, then pointed an arthritic finger at her. “I know you young kids today are all okay with this gender-role-reversal business, and I’ll go ahead and be your brides-man or man of honor or whatever you equal-rights hippies are calling it nowadays. But I ain’t wearing no pink tuxedo.”
Angie suddenly wished she’d accepted the glass of Scotch so she could lift it to her face and camouflage her twitching lips. “I wasn’t asking you to stand up with me in the bridal party, Mr. Murdock.”
“No?”
“I want you to walk me down the aisle.”
Chapter Twelve
Saturday finally dawned, bringing a cloudless sky, a lazy breeze and a buzz of excitement. It was a perfect day for a wedding.
As two o’clock approached, the guests began to arrive and mingle. Toby stood off to the side, taking it all in and feeling as though he’d been blessed beyond measure.
He surveyed the once-familiar yard, which had morphed into a festive, ranch-style setting for the outdoor ceremony, thanks to the rented lattice gazebo, the white chairs lined up on the freshly mowed lawn and the small stage where the DJ was setting up his equipment next to the portable dance floor.
Marcos and Wendy Mendoza, who planned to open The Hollows Cantina at the end of June, had volunteered to cater the event as a wedding gift. They’d flown in from Red Rock two days before and were already laying out their spread on the linen-draped tables that had been adorned with the bouquets of flowers Angie and his sisters had created yesterday.
Come to find out his new bride had once worked for a florist in Vicker’s Corners. With all the random skills Angie had acquired at her temp jobs, she was proving to be surprisingly handy.
As Toby marveled at all the work everyone had done in order to get the family homestead ready and decorated for a wedding, he shook his head in amazement.
Last night, his parents had hosted a rehearsal dinner with many of the Fortunes in attendance. Not all of his newfound relatives had been able to drop everything and come to Horseback Hollow, but quite a few from Red Rock and Atlanta had actually made the trip. Even Amelia Fortune Chesterfield had flown in from England.
But there was one family member noticeably missing—his brother Chris.
Toby had planned to talk to Sawyer, but a few minutes ago, his cousin had stepped away from the crowd to take a phone call. When Toby saw that Sawyer had put away his cell, he crossed the yard and made his way toward the man whose charter service had been busy all week flying guests into town.
“You’re just the guy I wanted to see,” Sawyer said.
“Same here. Did you talk to my brother?”
Sawyer reached into his lapel and pulled out what appeared to be a greeting card. “He asked me to give you this before the wedding.”
Toby studied the pale blue envelope, then slipped his finger under the flap and tore it open. After removing the card, he read the printed words that wished the bride and groom all the best as they started their lives together. It was signed: Love, Chris.
Sawyer again reached into his lapel. This time, he withdrew a white business envelope. “He also wanted me to give you this. Open it.”
Toby did, finding ten crisp one-hundred dollar bills inside. The amount of the gift was staggering, and while he appreciated his brother’s generosity, he actually would have preferred just the card and having Chris attend the wedding in person. But he wouldn’t mention his disappointment to Sawyer.
Instead, he said, “Chris must be doing well in Red Rock.”
“I think so. And he’s sorry he couldn’t be here, but he figured, under the circumstances, his presence would only put a damper on your special day. And that’s not the kind of wedding memory he wanted you and Angie to have.”
As much as Toby would like to argue, Chris had a point.
“He also said to tell you that, if you ever need anything, he’s just a phone call away.”
Toby nodded, knowin
g that his brother’s heart was softening. And that it was in the right place. “Thanks for being the go-between, Sawyer. I really appreciate it.”
“I just wish I could have done more to help smooth things over.”
“He’ll come around. Eventually.” Toby folded the envelope in half and slid it into his own lapel pocket.
“Would you look at all of this?” Sawyer lifted his hand and gestured to the decorated ranch and to the happy people milling about. “Who would have guessed that you and Angie could have pulled off something like this so quickly?”
“She worked her tail off,” Toby said. “We both did. But we had a lot of help. And we appreciate your contribution, too.”
“Flying you to San Antonio for your honeymoon was the least Laurel and I could do. I just wish you and Angie were able to stay for more than a few days.”
“Our attorney said we need to demonstrate that we’re the best caretakers for the children, so we didn’t want it to look like we were ditching them the first chance we got. Four days will be enough.”
Plus, they would miss the kids while they were gone. Maybe, in late summer, the five of them could take a family honeymoon to Six Flags.
“When my dad offered to pay for your hotel room,” Sawyer said, “he hoped you’d choose a more exotic locale for your honeymoon.”
“San Antonio is a beautiful city. Besides, we won’t have to leave the state. And if we need to, we can get home fairly quick.”
“That makes sense.”
“But speaking of San Antonio,” Toby said, “it’s only a short drive from there to Red Rock. I think Angie and I will rent a car and stop by the Fortune Foundation to see Chris while we’re in the area. It’s time I talked to him in person.”
That family rift had gone on too long. And it was time to mend fences.
“Uh-oh,” Sawyer said. “You’re being paged.”
Toby scanned the grounds and spotted Jude, who was motioning for him, indicating it was time to get this show on the road.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Toby said. “Thanks again for everything.”
Sawyer placed a hand on Toby’s shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Congratulations, cousin. I hope you and Angie will be as happy as Laurel and I are.”
“I’m sure we will be.”
Toby crossed the yard, then took his place at the gazebo, near the minister. His brothers—minus Chris—and Brian followed behind him, lining up at his side.
* * *
Just as Angie had promised, the kids all played a special part in the ceremony. Brian took pride in his role as a junior groomsman, while Justin felt honored to be the ring bearer, especially since it had been explained that his was the most important job of all. And Kylie, of course, was delighted to be the flower girl.
Now all the hard work and last night’s practice was coming into play.
As the music began, signaling the start of the processional, Justin started down the aisle, balancing the small white satin pillow that had been in the Jones family for generations in one hand and tugging Kylie’s flower-bearing arm with the other.
The guests laughed at the struggling pair of redheads who eventually took their positions in front of the minister.
“There’s still flowers left in my basket,” Kylie stage-whispered to Justin.
With that, her brother snatched the basket out of her grasp and emptied it, dumping rose petals all over Toby’s black cowboy boots. Then he pointed to the pile and smiled. “Now when Angie walks down the aisle, she’ll know where she’s supposed to end up.”
Several of the guests covered their mouths to hold back their giggles. But apparently Doris Edwards didn’t find it funny, because she turned her “grand-dame of Lubbock” eyes on anyone who seemed to be laughing at her daughter’s expense.
Doris hadn’t made it out to the Double H for a visit yet, but she’d purchased Angie’s wedding dress and had paid the extra fees for the rush alterations. So she was definitely coming around.
Of course, she’d been on her best behavior last night at the rehearsal dinner. She’d also just happened to bring along some colorful brochures of houses and various other properties she had listed for sale. Apparently Toby’s soon-to-be mother-in-law was in her element socializing and networking with his Fortune family members.
Next in the procession came the bridesmaids—Julia Tierney, who was engaged to Liam, and Gabi Mendoza, Jude’s fiancée, followed by Toby’s sisters, Stacey and Delaney.
But all thoughts of in-laws and family members dissipated in the light afternoon breeze when the first chords of the bridal march were played.
The moment Toby spotted his bride, his breath caught at the sight of her. She wore a strapless, formfitting satin gown that hugged her womanly curves, and when she flashed him a dazzling smile his lungs filled with so much pride he could have floated to the moon and back.
As she began her walk down the aisle on Mr. Murdock’s arm, he realized his life was about to change in the most amazing way ever. And he couldn’t wait until they became one—from this day forward, now and forever...
When Angie reached the gazebo, Mr. Murdock, who wore his much-too-snug dress uniform, handed her off to Toby.
“Who gives this woman away?” the minister asked.
The retired marine, who’d stepped back to his place of honor in the front row, drew up to his full five feet four inches, placed his hand on Doris’s shoulder and roared out in his best drill-instructor voice, “Her mother and I do.”
Toby had to bite back a laugh when Angie’s mom leaned away and looked at Amelia Fortune Chesterfield, who represented the British Fortunes, as if wanting to silently communicate that she wasn’t even remotely related to the elderly man.
Yet when Angie slipped her hand in Toby’s, when she gazed into his eyes, all thoughts of laughter ceased. He was about to marry the most beautiful, loving woman in the whole world. And when she smiled back at him, he didn’t think he could say “I do” fast enough.
* * *
Angie had never been happier. And her confident smile lasted all through the minister’s opening words and continued through their vows. She’d just married the most perfect man ever made, and she’d never been more certain of a decision in her life.
The moment they were finally pronounced man and wife and Toby kissed her, the Hemings kids, dressed in their bridal finery, let loose with whoops, hoots and whistles.
If anyone thought the outburst was out of place, it would be her mother. But when Toby’s family joined in with cheers and applause of their own, Angie couldn’t see how her mom could possibly complain.
As the happy guests finally quieted down, the minister said, “May I be the first to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Toby Fortune Jones.”
Again, the applause and cheers rang out.
The music began, signaling it was time to proceed back down the aisle, and Angie blew a kiss to her mom.
As soon as she and Toby had cleared the last row of chairs, he asked, “Are you glad it’s over?”
“The ceremony? Yes. But our lives are just beginning, and I’ve never been happier.”
“Neither have I.”
“For the record,” she admitted, “I’m looking forward to saying goodbye to our guests and having you all to myself, though.”
Toby stroked his fingers along the delicate satin on her back. “That dress is beautiful, and it couldn’t look better on any other bride. But I can’t wait to get you out of it.”
As he brushed a kiss on her lips, and the photographer snapped another picture, Angie wholeheartedly agreed. The wedding night couldn’t come quickly enough.
While the photographer went to gather up all the family members for some formal shots, Toby pulled her behind an elm tree, not far from the tree fort.
“Listen, about our honeymoon,” he started.
Oh, no. Would they have to cancel? Had something come up with the kids or the babysitting arrangement? Oh, well. They’d just have to make do. She refused to be disappointed on the happiest day of her life.
“Since we’ll be so close to Red Rock,” Toby said, “I thought we could take one afternoon to visit Chris.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Toby told her about the card and the monetary gift. “I think it’s time to find out how he’s doing and how he’s feeling about things. He isn’t the black sheep some people see him as.”
Angie glanced down at the platinum band sparkling on her finger. She was Toby’s wife now—and as much a part of the Fortune clan as everyone else. So she was doubly invested in making sure all members were happy and getting along.
“Maybe Chris would just like to get to know his uncle better,” she said.
“You might be right. But he’s probably also attracted to a new and different lifestyle. He went to college, so he has ideas on new ways to do things. And my dad’s an old-school sort. Chris doesn’t think Dad respects him. And my dad thinks Chris has gotten too big for his britches. In reality, they’re probably both right.”
“Do you think you can help them make peace with each other?”
“I’m sure going to try.”
A snapping twig sounded, and the photographer called out. “Here they are.”
As the rest of the family followed behind, the photographer asked them to gather in the shade of the tree, but he continued to snap random shots at the crowd anyway.
“Is this everyone?” the photographer asked.
No, it wasn’t everyone, but that was okay. With all the couples who’d been hooking up lately, there was bound to be another wedding and reception soon. And they could get a bigger group photo then.
Jeanne Marie moved in next to Toby and, between smiles for the camera, whispered, “I’m so sorry Chris isn’t here. I feel as though a part of me is missing.”
