“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt anybody.”
Lindsey laughed and looked at the cake again. “That’s good.” She walked over to the groom’s table and shook her head.
Uh-oh. Megan glanced at Will, spotting a frown. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Goodness, no. It’s perfect.” Lindsey’s smile lit up her face. “Dalton will be so proud of it. Megan, I’m blown away. I should be paying you twice what you asked for.”
“Next time I’ll up my price.” Megan grinned, and Lindsey giggled.
“There won’t be a next time. Not for me anyway.” Lindsey moved over a step as Jenna and Emily joined her. “But seriously, for this kind of work, you can charge more.”
Jenna studied the groom’s cake, then turned back to the wedding cake. “I think we’ve lost our assistant.”
“Not for a while.” Will crossed his arms, his gaze flickering from his sister to Megan. “No big projects until after Sweet Baby is born, and her mama has fully recovered.” How could such a quietly uttered command echo in the large room?
Megan caught an amused glance pass between Jenna and Emily. They clearly expected some fireworks.
“I’m just sayin’ what she told me last night. Her decision.” He uncrossed his arms and met his sister’s grin with an expression of pure innocence. “No pressure from me.”
“Not much,” said Megan. “But he’s right. I don’t intend to do anything like this for a while.”
“I know a couple of people who will be disappointed after they see these.” Lindsey walked over and picked up a couple of vases and bouquets. “But you’re being smart. Which is what we need to be. We have to get these set out and start getting ready.”
Will checked his watch. “It’s six hours until the ceremony starts.”
“But only five until the photographer starts taking pictures. We have to hustle.”
“We have to add the water,” Emily reminded her, plucking the vases from her hands.
“We can do it,” said Will. “Y’all run on home.”
“Thanks.” Jenna gave him a hug. “Just put them on the silver mats. Then take Megan home so she can rest.”
With waves and happy chatter, the three rushed out the door.
Will chuckled and picked up one of the boxes, taking it into the kitchen, with Megan tagging along. “See, I’m not the only Callahan who tells people what to do.”
“No comment. I’ll add some water to these, if you’ll bring in the rest.”
“Got it covered.”
They worked together, filling the vases half full and carrying them out two at a time to the tables. Megan rearranged some of the turquoise and silver ribbons spiraling around the vases. A variety of flowers made up the centerpieces, so no two were exactly alike. When they finished, they stood at one end and surveyed the room.
“Looks good.” Will caught her hand and gently tugged her toward the cake tables. “We didn’t get pictures.” He took several of the wedding cake from different angles and four of the groom’s cake. “Now, come over here and let me take some with you and your creations.”
Megan shook her head. “No, thanks.”
“You can use it in an advertisement some day. To remind people of who you are and what you’re capable of. Go stand behind the table.”
“I hate having my picture taken, but you have a point.” She moved around behind the table and stood beside her masterpiece.
When he called “Say cheese” in a high pitched voice, she laughed and he snapped the picture. “Good one. But let’s get a few more.” He took two more there and two with the other cake.
“Enough already. Let’s get out of here before the caterers arrive.”
“Yeah, they might put us to work.” Will slid the camera into his pocket and rested his hand at her back as they walked toward the main door of the fellowship hall. “Have I told you that I’m proud of you?”
“About five times. I appreciate it.”
“Just tellin’ the truth, sugar.”
The cautious part of her mind told her to be careful, but she ignored it. She would accept this man’s praise and hold it close in her heart.
Later that afternoon, Megan did one last check in the full-length mirror that someone along the way had left in the bedroom. She couldn’t see Nate or Dalton hanging it on the wall, though maybe they’d used it to check their appearance before a big evening out.
“I’m going on a date with Will Callahan,” she whispered, halfway expecting to wake up any minute. She studied her reflection in the mirror. Would he be pleased at the way she looked?
Jenna had loaned her a knee-length maternity dress she’d kept after Zach was born. Teal chiffon over satin, it was sleeveless with an empire waist and a modest V-neck ruffled bodice. The color was perfect for her, and the style made her feel feminine and pretty despite beginning to look as big as a house. She’d never worn anything so fine.
A pair of black dressy sandals with one-inch heels came with the dress. Normally, they would have been a half-size too big, but since her feet were slightly swollen, they worked fine. Megan decided a necklace would be too much with the ruffles but added some dangling, silver filigree earrings that she’d found on sale the year before. She’d paid only five dollars for them, but they were every bit as pretty as the seventy-five-dollar ones in the fine jewelry department.
“Lord, please don’t let me do anything stupid to embarrass Will.” Thinking back to that first Sunday at church, her stomach started to churn. “Don’t let anyone make snide comments about us being together. Don’t let anybody ruin this. Please.”
She heard him drive up. He really was treating this as a special occasion, going to the front door instead of the back. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her small black purse, walked down the hall, and opened the door. She stared at him as he walked across the yard.
Will Callahan was a handsome man under any circumstances, but decked out in black dress pants, black boots, crisp white shirt, silver brocade vest, gray and black tie—with a diamond tie tack—the man was heart-stopping gorgeous.
He was also driving a sporty model silver Cadillac.
He stepped up on the porch and let his gaze run slowly over her, whistling softly. When he looked back up at her face, his eyes were alight with admiration. “You look terrific.”
“So do you.” Surprised that her voice didn’t sound all weak and flustered, she opened the door and stepped back. “Come in while I lock the back door.”
“I’ll get it.” He was halfway across the room before she could say anything.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Do you need anything from in here?”
“The apron that’s hanging over the chair back. In case I have to work on the cake.”
He picked up the apron and strolled back to her side. “It should be okay, shouldn’t it?”
“As long as nobody sticks a finger in the icing or knocks off a flower, or heaven forbid, hits the table and knocks it over.”
“It will be fine. Mom said Lindsey had assigned a couple of her high school cousins to guard both of them. She was afraid a few of the younger cousins might try to swipe some icing. Guess they did that at her sister’s wedding.”
“I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
He made a face. “Sorry. Don’t worry about it. They have everything under control.” They walked out onto the porch. “You have your keys?” When she nodded, he twisted the lock on the door and pulled it closed.
“Where did you get the car?”
“From my garage.” He cupped her arm as they walked down the steps. “I’ve had it for three years but don’t drive it much.”
No dates, she thought.
“I couldn’t ask you to ride to the wedding in my dusty pickup.” He opened the passenger door. “I figure this car will be more comfortable for you from now on.”
She turned around to sit down but paused and laid her hand on his chest. “You are such a sweet, thoughtful man.”
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He grinned and held her hand in place. “Keep talkin’.”
“Nope. I don’t want to boost your ego too much.”
He released her hand, hovering beside her in case she needed help getting into the car. “Some folks think it’s highly inflated already.”
“Some folks are jealous.” She sat down and swung her legs and feet into the car, shifting on the seat. “This is easier to get into than the pickup. But you don’t drive it around the ranch, do you?”
“Strictly a road car, even if the roads between here and the highway are dirt.” He walked around and got in. “If you want to drive anywhere else on the ranch, we’ll have to use the pickup.”
“I can still manage it for a while. I enjoy going with you to check the cattle. I love to watch the calves.”
“So do I.” He fastened his seat belt, as did she, though it was becoming a little trickier to accomplish. Pulling onto the road, he said, “I did some more research on the wind turbine idea. I’ve decided not to push it with Dad, mainly because I don’t want to ruin our view.”
“A wind farm has some artistic appeal.” Megan studied the pasture as they drove by. “But it can’t compare to this scenery.”
“I did make some headway with the old man on testing the new grasses.”
“How did you convince him?”
A tiny smile hovered on his mouth. “Told him I wouldn’t bug him about the wind turbines if he’d let me try it. I also pointed out that if he didn’t let me do something with what I’ve learned, he wasted a whole bunch of money sending me off to college.”
She laughed and turned her attention back to the road. “I’m sure that gave him something to think about.”
“Think about is right. He cogitated on it for a week before he gave in.”
“Did he say why he’s resisted you so much on this?”
“Not exactly, but I got the impression he wanted to make sure it was important enough that I’d keep after him about it. I expect he did some research on his own to see if I knew what I was talking about. Guess I passed the test.”
“Negotiating might have made a difference too. Suggesting three things you were interested in but dropping one of them. In real estate it was often good to have some things we could throw away during the negotiation process. It made us seem more reasonable.”
“And kept the other party from feeling like they were being run over by a charging bull.” Will stopped at the highway and checked for traffic before pulling out onto the pavement. “Good point. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I bring up the cattle auction again.”
They chatted about ranching all the way to town. If she didn’t understand something, he explained it without making her feel dumb. He had a college degree, and she’d never finished high school, yet he treated her as an equal. No man had ever shown her that much respect.
After they arrived at the church, Will slipped on his suit coat before he came around and helped her out of the car. They were early so she could check on the cake, but plenty of people still saw them. Dalton’s cousin, Kim, who had made the scene that first Sunday, briefly scowled at her before smiling sweetly at the attractive man with her.
But it was Kim’s date that sent Megan’s heart rate into hyperdrive. Mike Craig. He was taller and had filled out some, but she had absolutely no doubt who he was. She’d daydreamed about him too much when she was fifteen to forget him. What is he doing here? Please, God, don’t let him notice me. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
“Guess we won’t have to worry about Kim today,” Will said quietly as they approached the building.
“Good. Do you know the guy she’s with?” Megan was relieved her voice didn’t give her away.
“No. Dalton mentioned that Kim had a date, but I don’t remember his name. He’s Lindsey’s aunt’s stepson by her third marriage or something like that. They met when the families got together in April for a barbecue. Who knows, maybe they’ll make a match.” He opened the church door for her. “That happens at weddings, you know.”
“So I’ve heard.” She didn’t know how Mike had turned out. He’d seemed like a nice guy, if a bad-boy wannabe, when her cousin Josh had introduced them. He’d hung out some with her cousin, but as far as she knew, he never joined in Josh’s criminal activities. If the good guy won out over the bad boy, he deserved somebody better than Kim. Preferably someone who lived a thousand miles away.
Thankfully, her foes weren’t in the foyer. There would be a big crowd at the wedding. Maybe she could keep from running into him.
Will and Megan visited with a few people before they slipped away to check the cakes. Everything there was fine, with Lindsey’s cousins protecting them. The caterers bustled around the kitchen and fellowship hall, finishing the last-minute preparations for the dinner buffet.
As they walked back down the hall to the foyer, Megan excused herself to make a pit stop. She went into the ladies’ room and almost collided with Kim. “Oh, sorry.”
“Boy, you need a lot of room these days.”
I’m not that big! Megan forced a smile. Don’t lose your temper. “Gaining every day, just like Dr. Cindy ordered.”
Kim ran a comb through her hair, which was more golden blonde today than platinum. “I see Will brought the Caddie.” She met Megan’s gaze in the mirror. “And you.”
“That’s right. Special occasion calls for a special car. Who’s the handsome guy you’re with?”
“Mike Craig.” Kim slipped the pink comb back into her purse. “He’s an oil man from Angelo. Not as wealthy as Will by any means, but he’s nice. And he likes me.” She snapped the purse shut with a faint grimace and a firm click. “Which is more than I can say for Will.”
Kim opened the door, then looked back at Megan with a resigned expression. “You’re lucky. Will has always had a soft spot for strays.”
19
Walking back to meet Will, Megan tried not to let Kim get to her. The woman’s words had been filled with more regret than spite. Unfortunately, they still hit Megan’s weak spot. How many stories had the Callahans told about Will bringing home some scrawny dog that someone had turned loose on the highway? He didn’t have a pet now. Was that why he felt so compelled to take care of her?
Since more than half of the people attending the wedding knew both the bride and groom equally well, the guests were invited to sit on either side of the church. Chance escorted her, with Will following them, to a pew five rows from the front. Dub, Sue, Emily, Ramona, and Ace joined them a few minutes later.
Soon the church was full. Nate escorted Lindsey’s mother to her seat in the front row. Chance came in a minute later with Peg Renfro on his arm and Dalton’s dad right behind them. Dalton and Pastor Brad entered through a door beside the baptismal and walked to the center front below the stage.
The organist switched to a different tune, and Jenna came down the aisle, escorted by Nate. As always, she looked lovely in a simple floor-length lavender satin gown trimmed in white lace. Nate was dashing in his black tuxedo. When they reached the front of the sanctuary, they walked up the platform steps together and split off to each side of the stage.
Will grinned and whispered, “He didn’t even wear a tux to his own wedding.”
Lindsey’s youngest sister, who was eighteen and wore an identical gown, came next with Chance as her escort. The bride’s middle sister and Dalton’s brother finished off the row of attendants.
When Megan heard murmurs and soft chuckles drifting through the crowd, she knew Zach was making his entrance. They turned to see him and Lindsey’s two-year-old niece coming down the aisle. Zach looked adorable in his tux. Wearing a serious, determined expression, he held the pillow with the fake rings out in front of him just as Jenna had taught him.
The golden-haired little girl beside him was an angel in pink organdy ruffles. Every so often, she tossed a few handfuls of pink and lavender flower petals on the carpet. Halfway down the aisle, she stopped and looked around
wide-eyed at the huge throng of adults. Zach went a little farther before he realized she wasn’t with him. He ran back to her, tucked the pillow under one arm, and carefully took hold of her hand, leading her the rest of the way.
“That a boy,” Will murmured with a nod and a bright-eyed smile.
Zach helped the flower girl up the steps and escorted her to her mother, who was Lindsey’s matron of honor. Afterward, he ran to Nate.
The organist began the wedding march, and everyone stood, turning to watch Lindsey and her father come down the aisle. The bride was radiant. Her dad’s smile wobbled slightly.
After they passed Will and Megan’s row, she found herself staring straight into Mike Craig’s eyes. Surprise and recognition flashed across his face.
Feeling like a cornered animal, she fought down a jolt of panic and turned toward the front of the church. She barely noticed Lindsey’s father kiss the bride’s cheek and place her hand in Dalton’s.
Running was out of the question, though that was her first impulse. Ignore him. Brazen it out if he tries to talk, pretend you don’t have any idea who he is. That would have been easy two months earlier. She wasn’t sure she could pull it off now. Somehow, being in a church made it that much worse. But she had to. Didn’t she?
It wasn’t only that he might reveal her identity to Will and the others. That would be bad enough. But if he were still friends with her cousin and told him where she was, it would be a disaster. Josh would tell her mother, and Jackie would find her, demanding money and scheming how they could bilk the Callahans out of more.
Her mind spinning, she observed the wedding in a fog. The only thing that clearly registered was when Zach came running back down the aisle to sit with Dub and Sue. She thought the flower girl’s daddy had rescued her from center stage at the same time.
Kim said that Mike was a successful oilman. Surely that meant he had broken ties with Josh years ago. Possibly he wasn’t as much of a threat as she feared.
Megan's Hero (The Callahans of Texas Book #3): A Novel Page 17
