“You got me. Grady and Jesse aren’t too far from you in Oklahoma, and are leaving the kids with Grandma for a long weekend. Cooper and Millie, too—but heads up. He’s pissy about you not having called. He didn’t even know you were in the state. Wiley and his girl, Macy, even want to come. It’s a freak of nature that we can all get away.”
“Cool.” Marsh inwardly groaned. How had a simple courthouse ceremony blossomed into a circus? If he’d wanted to see his old gang, he would have called them. Rowdy was a good guy—the best. But he had been on the beach the day Tucker died, and Marsh didn’t need that kind of reminder showing up on the ranch that had become his safety zone. How did he tell his old friend thanks, but no, thanks? He’d just as soon they all cancel.
“So I’m flying into Colorado Springs Thursday morning. I know that’s a long-ass trip for you, so I’ll rent a ride. Everyone else is driving.”
“Where are you staying? Pretty sure my bride and her grandmother booked the whole town.”
“True.” Rowdy laughed. “But it’s cool. Jesse’s folks have an RV the size of Rhode Island. I assume your granddad won’t mind if we park at your place?”
“That’ll be fine.” On the way to the grain bin, Marsh’s head pounded. The familiar scents of straw and leather tack and sweet manure that usually comforted him instead brought on a headache. Why hadn’t he told his friend no?
Because he was too chickenshit to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Kind of the same way he felt about this ceremony. Oh, sure, he wanted to be with Effie and her kids. But he’d never wanted to make a big deal out of their union. He still wasn’t entirely sure he was good enough for any of them.
“Awesome. Look,” Rowdy said, “the CO’s giving me shit, so I’ve gotta bounce. But I can’t wait to catch up. It’s been too long.”
“Definitely.” But not quite long enough. Marsh disconnected the call, then pitched his phone at a stack of hay bales he’d been assigned to haul over to the Grange Hall for Effie and her grandmother to partially cover with fabric, then arrange for seating. The task sounded awful enough that he might rather get snake bit again.
He fed the ponies, let them out to pasture with the horses, then mucked their stalls.
The whole while, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to talk to Effie about how he was feeling—as though he’d made promises he maybe couldn’t keep. He wanted to, but what if he couldn’t?
Right now, she’d be busy getting the boys off to school. But later, once they met up to do the hay, he’d talk to her then.
“There you are.” Wallace moseyed into the barn. He already held a beer. “Just got off the phone with my betrothed, and we’d like you to plan a surprise for Effie with the twins and their ponies. We think if they rode down the aisle, holding both of our rings, that’d be just too darned cute for words. What do you think? Can you make it happen?”
“Yep.” But don’t you think this is a smidge over-the-top? Wouldn’t our time be better spent focusing on our vows? Marsh seriously needed to have that talk with Effie. Wedding hoopla was making him lose sight of his end goal—once again being part of a family.
* * *
MARSH’S EYES TOOK longer than he’d have liked to adjust to the Grange Hall’s dim lighting, but he eventually found Effie high on a ladder, nailing one end of two orange-and-white streamers to the north wall. Her friend Patricia stood on the floor holding the other end.
Mabel and her crew sat at the back of the vast room, messing with what he could only guess were part of the table decorations.
Toby Keith crooned about red Solo cups, and the whole place reeked of pumpkin and cinnamon he suspected came from the mounds of potpourri bags resting on a side table.
“There you are,” Effie said upon spotting him. “Did you bring the hay?”
“Sure. But how come you’re doing all of this so early?”
“With all of Mabel’s plans, it’ll take a good three days to complete this place and the chapel. Plus, Patricia’s been kind enough to throw me a shower Thursday night, and I want time to spend with both of our families when they get to town.”
“Right.” He scowled. He’d forgotten about his parents being tossed into the mix. “Speaking of which, Mom called my old roomie and told him about the wedding. Hope you don’t mind, but him and some other couples we know are coming.”
“Why would I mind? That’s wonderful.” She descended from the ladder far too fast for Marsh’s liking. The last thing he needed was for her to get hurt.
Her hug reminded him why he was putting himself through this fiasco—for her. For Cassidy and the twins.
“You do know it’s supposed to rain tonight?” he said. “Instead of arranging the bales outside, would you rather I park the trailer under the picnic pavilion so they stay dry?”
“That’s a great idea,” Patricia said. “If we run short on time, I can always have our yard crew pitch in to help. The PTA moms want to help, too.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Now Effie was hugging her friend. She was all teary eyed and gushing and made Marsh feel like shit for having a lousy attitude toward the event that would forever seal their fates.
He had to talk to her—now.
“Babe,” he took her hand. “Mind if I steal you for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Patricia, could you please finish? I’ll be right back.”
“Take as long as you want. I need to check my email.”
“Great. Oh—and would you pretty please call Dave at the Pumpkin Shack. He promised to be here two hours ago. Four hundred pumpkins aren’t going to unload themselves.”
“True...” Patricia nodded. “I’ll call now.”
“Sorry, where were we?” Effie blasted Marsh with a smile. “You needed to talk?”
“Yeah...” He drew her outside where fall sun had already melted the morning frost. Where did he start? Or did he keep his damn mouth shut and let her enjoy her big day?
Her smile took his breath away. “It’s crazy how much has happened in the last twenty-four hours. I feel like this wedding is on steroids. Part of me is screaming, how can I be marrying you when I hardly know you? But then another part of me quietly reminds myself that deep down, I feel like my soul has always known you.” She tipped her face up, and he couldn’t help but kiss her.
She looked so pretty with her hair in a loose bun. She wore denim overalls that hugged her in all the right places and her red long-johns shirt left little to his imagination. What was wrong with him? Not only was she sweet and smart and funny, but a great mom to her three children. In the short time he’d known her, thoughts of her—of all of the Washington clan—consumed him.
Was this wedding out of hand? Sure.
But would he suffer through?
With her as the prize on the closing end? Absolutely.
“What did you need to talk about?” she asked.
Crap. What did he say? His palms were sweaty.
“Hon?” she asked. “Everything okay?”
“Sure.” Liar. “I, ah, heard from Wallace that Mabel wants the kids to ride their ponies down the aisle as a ring-bearer stunt. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I’m not sure if either of them is ready to tackle those few stairs at the back of the chapel, so I wanted to run it by you first.”
“Oh.” She cocked her head while thinking. “I see what you mean. Thanks for the heads-up, but they should be fine. It would be adorable. I mean, who’s ever seen anything so cute? I’m sure if you have them practice a few times, they’ll be fine. Mabel’s got the chapel key. Today’s nuts—after this, we’re finding my wedding dress. But how about tomorrow you bring the ponies and I’ll bring the boys and we’ll meet at the chapel? Sound good?”
“Yeah.” No. But for her, he’d make it work.
* * *
MONDAY
AFTERNOON, AT THE same bridal shop where Mabel had purchased her gown, Effie stood in the dressing room, knowing this dress was the one from the moment she slipped it on. The ivory satin design was simpler than her grandmother’s, yet had an old-fashioned glamour she couldn’t resist. Strapless, the bodice hugged her in all the right places, making her waist appear smaller. Swirls of beading hopefully gave it the sheen Marsh said he liked.
“As I live and breathe.” When Effie left the dressing room to show her grandmother, Mabel instantly teared. “It’s perfect. How are you wearing your hair? I think up—and you need pearls. I have just the thing. My mother gave them to me for my first wedding.”
Effie wrinkled her nose. “I thought Grandpa was a cattle rustler. And didn’t your marriage only last a year?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She waved off Effie’s concern. “The necklace is still gorgeous.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Laughing, Effie gave her grandmother a hug, glad Wallace had convinced them to leave Cassidy with him and Marsh so that she and Mabel had quality girl time. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t mean for just the necklace, but...” Her eyes welled again. “Everything. You were right about me marrying Marsh. At first, I wasn’t sure. I thought it was too soon. But now I think the timing doesn’t matter if it feels right.”
“Amen.” Mabel’s big smile was contagious. “Now, go ahead and change so we can get to the mall. Wallace still hasn’t told me where we’re going for our honeymoon, but he hinted I should pack a couple bathing suits. First of all, where am I going to find a swimsuit in Colorado in October? And second, who wants to see this old body showing so much skin?”
“Apparently, Wallace.” Effie winked.
* * *
THE ROCK CHAPEL where Wallace and Mabel would say their vows—him and Effie, too—had been built around the turn of the last century at the end of a box canyon that had been turned into a state park. The chapel’s pine floor had to be constructed in two parts to accommodate different levels of its sandstone foundation. Because of that, stone stairs connected the two sections.
Honestly, Marsh didn’t figure the chapel’s caretaker would go for the whole pony thing, but he and Wallace were old friends, and since Wallace had donated enough money to more than cover the chapel’s upkeep for the next twenty years, the man must have turned a blind eye to the unorthodox request.
In the shade of three cottonwoods, he unloaded the ponies from their trailer, then saddled them while waiting for Effie to bring the boys.
The day was warm, and the canyon’s sunbaked rocks smelled of piñon and sandy soil.
Even he had to admit Colt and Remington would look darned cute riding down the chapel’s center aisle.
His cell rang. He assumed it was Effie, but caller ID showed his mother’s image. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Surprise! We’re at the ranch, but where are you and your grandfather?”
Marsh explained the pony rehearsal. “Wallace and Mabel are at her place with the baby.” He gave them directions.
“Mmm...a baby. Hard to believe you’re about to be a dad again with a ready-made family. How does that make you feel?”
“Mostly good.”
“Mostly?” She sighed. “That doesn’t sound right. Is something going on you didn’t tell me about?”
“Not at all. This just all happened fast. My head’s swimming—in a good way. Effie and the boys are amazing. I’m just not sure I’m ready.”
“You were a wonderful father to Tucker. How could you not be ready?”
“You know what I mean. I should’ve paid closer attention. I should have—”
“Stop right there. Honey, we’ve been over this a hundred times. What happened was a fluke. A one-in-a-million freak accident that neither you nor Leah could have avoided. Give yourself permission to be happy. From what Wallace has told me, your Effie is beyond perfection. Your dad and I can’t wait to meet her, so let’s have dinner tonight.”
“Okay, sure. I’ll call you as soon as we’re finished here.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you then.”
As soon as Marsh ended the call, Effie’s SUV rolled down the blacktop lane. On weekends, the chapel was open for tours, but it was closed during the week, which was good. The last thing Marsh needed while teaching the boys how to ride their ponies up and down stairs was an audience. If he got lucky, the little critters would carry the boys on autopilot through the church, but if one of them turned cranky in front of an audience, all bets were off.
As soon as their mom parked, Colt and Remington hopped from the backseat to run toward him.
Effie followed.
“Mr. Marsh!” Colt made it to him first. His pony didn’t like the boy’s speed and snorted and bucked in protest.
“Slow down,” Marsh said. “How was school?”
“It was okay. I got in trouble for throwing a tater tot at lunch, but then I did real good in art class! Look what I drawed!”
“Drew,” Effie said from behind her son.
“That’s what I meant.” Colt took a folded piece of white construction paper from his back pocket and handed it to Marsh. “Look! It’s us!”
Marsh carefully unfolded the paper to find that the boy had drawn him and Effie holding hands. Marsh carried Cassidy on his shoulders and he held Colt’s hand while Effie held Remington’s—easily discernible by the fact that Remington’s eyeballs were on the ground. “What happened to your brother’s poor eyes?”
“They got ate by the scorpions! See?” He pointed to dozens of squiggles on the bottom of the page. Aside from his twin’s blindness, the scene was idyllic, with a crude representation of Mabel’s house and barn covered by lots of blue sky and a smiling yellow sun.
“This is great, buddy. You did real good.”
Tucker used to love to draw. Marsh had a box filled with stick-figure family drawings that he hadn’t looked at since after his funeral.
To look would hurt too damned much.
“I drawed, too!” Remington pushed his way into the conversation, brandishing a similar image, only with Colt behind bars. “But my brother’s in jail ’cause he’s always in trouble. He lost his eyeballs, too, and now you love me most!”
“Aw, I love both of you. Come here.” He pulled them into a group hug. Marsh laughed past the knot in his throat. “You two are the best artists I’ve seen in a long time.” The best since my son died.
“I’m best!” Colt said.
“No, I am!” Remington argued.
“Both of you are amazing.” When the boys started smacking each other, Effie stepped between them. “Except for when you’re fighting.”
The agitated ponies agreed.
“Knock it off,” Marsh said.
The boys stopped.
For a few seconds, pride washed through Marsh. It meant a lot that the boys respected him, but it wasn’t cool that they didn’t show their mom the same treatment. “Both of you please apologize to your mom for not listening to her.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Remington said.
“Sorry,” Colt said.
“Thank you.” Effie hugged them both. “Now, let’s get started so we can get home to your great-grandma. She’s got a to-do list taller than both of you combined.”
“Whoa!” Colt said. “That’s humongous!”
Marsh ruffled his hair, then got both settled into their saddles. Something wasn’t right. Then he remembered. “Everybody climb off. I forgot your helmets. And remember our first safety rule?”
“Never ride without a helmet,” Remington said.
“They’ll be wearing their white cowboy hats for the wedding,” Effie said. “Just this once I think they’ll be all right.”
“Eff...” Marsh crossed his arms.
Had she forgotten he’d lost a son to a preventable accident? If Tucker had been wearing a life jacket, he might still be alive.
“I know you’re hypersensitive about this issue, but trust me, they’ll be fine.” She slipped her arm around his waist. “Promise.”
Marsh clenched his jaw, mumbling under his breath, “For the record, I don’t like it.”
“Duly noted. So the sooner we get started, the sooner they’ll be safely back in their car seats.” She kissed his cheek. “Really, stop glowering. They’ll be fine.”
He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Breathe. She was right. He was overreacting. All he had to do was get through this damned wedding, and then life would be back to his new normal—only better, because he had Effie and the boys and Cassidy to share it.
“Okay, guys,” Marsh said, “which one of you wants to go first?”
“Meeeee!” They, of course, both said at once.
“Since Remington didn’t throw a tater tot at lunch—” Effie tried her best to look stern, but Marsh wasn’t buying it “—he gets to ride first.”
“Aw, that’s not fair.” Colt kicked, which annoyed the hell out of his pony, who jumped and took off at a gallop. Colt screamed, and Marsh’s heart damn near stopped until he got the boy to rein in the stubby-legged creature.
“See?” Marsh said to Effie. “This is why the boys need to always wear their helmets. Especially you, Colt. You’ve got to watch your temper around this guy.” He stroked his mane. “He doesn’t like sudden movements or loud noises.”
“Okay,” Colt said. He leaned low in his saddle to hug the creature. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Good to know.” Pride welled in Marsh’s chest. He’d take this as an excellent sign of progress with the boy. “Remington, you ready?”
“I think so? My pony isn’t going to do that, is he?”
“Nope. In fact, all you need to do is give him a gentle nudge, just like I showed you, and he’ll walk nice and slow right where you want to go.”
“Let me unlock the church.” Effie ran ahead.
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