by Cora Seton
Curtis held his breath. Say yes, he willed at her.
After a long moment, Michele sank down to her knees, too, and a tear spilled over her cheek. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered to Latisha.
The room was silent except for the clicking of the cameras. Curtis thought everyone was holding their breath.
He sure was.
“I want forever with you,” Latisha told Michele. “I want to fight this fight together. And if we can’t make it here, we’ll go somewhere else and try again. I believe in you, and I love you way too much to let you live a lie.”
Michele looked up then, caught Curtis’s gaze. Her eyes went wide, and he knew she was realizing what this meant. If she seized her own joy, she was going to ruin everything for him. The rules of the reality television show were clear: one wedding every forty days or the inhabitants of Base Camp lost everything.
Curtis didn’t care—not at this moment. This was an example of the true love he’d hoped to find for himself—and he still had five days until his deadline was up on Monday.
“Say yes.” Curtis cleared his throat. “Say yes,” he said again, making sure his words carried. “Goddamn it, Michele, tell her yes.”
Daisy barked her agreement.
Michele smiled tremulously, the first genuine smile he’d ever seen on her face, and his heart squeezed at the transformation to her features. He’d nearly ruined this woman’s life—ruined his own. If it wasn’t for Latisha’s braveness—
All around the room, the film crews pressed forward, angling for a better view. The murmurs of the guests in their seats were growing louder.
Michele turned back to Latisha and held out her hand. Latisha slid the ring onto her finger.
“Yes,” Michele said, her chin trembling, another tear sliding down her cheek. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Latisha threw herself forward to embrace Michele, and the women rocked together, still on their knees, crying in each other’s arms.
“I nearly lost you,” Curtis heard Latisha say.
“You could never lose me,” Michele told her.
Curtis let out the breath he’d been holding and nearly laughed in relief. Daisy pressed against his legs, and he bent to reassure her.
“You okay?” Anders asked.
“Hell, that was close.”
“Too close,” Anders agreed.
“What do we do now?” someone asked. Was it Michele?
Curtis straightened, clapped his hands together to quiet the room. “We’ve got an officiant right here,” he pointed out. “We’ve got guests, food, music—you two ladies want to put it all to a good use?”
Michele exchanged a look with Latisha. “Is it too soon?”
“After dating for over a decade? It’s nearly too late,” Latisha countered. She stood up, took Michele’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s do this!”
Michele nodded. Anders and Curtis hurried out of the way, Daisy trotting after them happily. Byron joined them in the corner of the ballroom as the women walked down the aisle together and stood in front of the officiant, holding hands.
“I tried to warn you,” Byron said in a low tone. “Renata’s known for weeks about Michele and Latisha. She was making plans to out them in the next episode and expose your wedding as a fake. She said it would make great television.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I didn’t know until this morning.”
“Now what are you going to do?” Anders asked as the officiant began to speak.
“Hell if I know,” Curtis said.
“Hope? I’m leaving,” Raina Harrison said as she struggled to pull her suitcase over the broken sidewalk to her car.
“I know you’re leaving. I’m coming with you to Bozeman, remember?” Hope Martin took the bag from her, folded away its handle and hefted it into the trunk of Raina’s Chevy Cruze. She didn’t bother to chide Raina for how heavy it was, or for bringing three other equally large suitcases along on this trip. Or for the other boxes and bins that filled the trunk and back seat of her friend’s car. Raina was getting married on Sunday. Brides got to pack as much luggage as they wanted. “Are you ready to spend twenty hours in a car with your best friend?” she asked brightly. She was thrilled that Raina was marrying Ben, but privately she couldn’t help feeling nothing would ever be the same. She’d have to share Raina now. Thank goodness they’d still live in the same city, even if they wouldn’t be roommates anymore. Skokie wasn’t that big, and she’d see Raina all the time.
“I mean, I’m leaving Illinois.” Raina bit her lip, gripping her purse as if it were a lifeline. “Ben’s project got extended for another three years, and it looks like it could go on longer than that. We’re thinking about buying a house near Bozeman…” She trailed off, and Hope realized the expression she was seeing on Raina’s face wasn’t new. She’d thought it was nerves. Raina loved Ben Willis with all her might—had since they met in college, when she’d been a sophomore and he’d been finishing his master’s degree in Anthropology. Now he was working in Montana.
“His project is supposed to be over. He’s coming back here, right?”
Raina looked guiltier than ever, and Hope’s heart sank. Raina, who couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, had kept this from her? For how long?
“I’ve only known a couple of weeks,” Raina burst out. “I wanted to be sure before I told you. I knew you’d be upset.”
“I—” She was upset, but she couldn’t admit it. How pathetic was it to be her age and crushed by the news your best friend was moving over a thousand miles away? She was twenty-five, for heaven’s sake. Much too old to expect that the people she loved would all stay in one place. None of their other college friends had stuck around, after all. Deena White had split for Europe the day after they graduated three years ago. Sarah Ellsmere and Ward Clark had gotten married and returned to Texas. All her college pals had headed off for one adventure or another. Why should Raina be any different?
Her heart beat hard in her chest when she thought of life in Skokie without Raina, though. Raina wasn’t like all the others, coming into Hope’s life freshman year and disappearing after graduation. Hope had known her since kindergarten. They’d lived four blocks away from each other their entire childhoods. They’d gone to school together. Rented an apartment together afterward while Ben headed to Montana.
He’d appreciated that Hope was there to keep an eye on Raina when he embarked on the year-long project. When he was in town visiting, he used their apartment as a crash pad.
Hope cleared her throat. She’d always known the situation had to come to an end. “I thought you were going to buy a house here.” She’d depended on it. She wasn’t going to marry for at least another ten years and still had several more semesters of night school classes to finish before she could change careers. Meanwhile, her plan was to work hard and save money, letting her social life make up for the monotony of her day job as a receptionist in a physical therapist’s office. She’d picked the work for its steady hours and decent paycheck. Hanging out with Raina when work let out was what kept her sane.
“We were, but Ben can’t pass up this opportunity. You understand, don’t you?”
“Sure.” She hated the waver in her voice.
“You don’t have to stay in Skokie, you know. You want to work at Yellowstone—that’s less than two hours away from Bozeman. Why don’t you apply right now?”
“I’m not due to apply for another two years!” Hope pulled out her planner, which sported a spring-green cloth cover with a jaunty bison print Raina had made for her. She flipped to her life plan section. “I have four more semesters of night classes to take before I’ll be qualified as a ranger—”
“Ben knows someone who works there. He can help you get a job.”
Hope pointed to the date in her planner. “It’s not time—”
“Hope, I’m leaving,” Raina said again. “I’m not coming back after the wedding. Here, you need to talk t
o Ben.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen, then lifted it to her ear. “Ben? I told Hope. She’s freaking out. Make this right.” She held the phone out.
“I’m not freaking out.” Hope took it reluctantly. “Hi, Ben.”
“Don’t freak out,” he said. “Look, I want you to meet a friend.”
“Marriage is not in my plan for—”
“Not like that,” Ben cut in. “Scott Leahy is a head ranger at Yellowstone. If he likes you, he can find you a position. Hope?” he added after a moment. “You still there?”
A position at Yellowstone—now? Hope tried to take it in. A rush of wanting twisted in her chest so hard it left her breathless. She was being stifled by her current job. Hated it, if she was honest. Couldn’t wait until—
“I don’t have the qualifications—”
“You’ve got something better. Connections,” Ben argued.
Hope looked down at her planner, at the neat boxes in a vertical line, all ready to be checked off one after another. “But—”
“I know this wasn’t in your plans, but sometimes plans change, right?”
Hope hugged her planner to her chest. Bad things happened when you changed your plans. But—Yellowstone. She’d wanted to work there all her life.
“Just get Raina to the wedding on time like you promised,” Ben said. “There’s a storm heading your way. It’s supposed to miss Bozeman, but eastern Montana is going to get hit hard. You’ve got to get here by tomorrow night, okay?”
“Of course.” She flipped to another page where she’d listed drive times, distances, directions and rest stops. “We’ll be there by bedtime. I promise.”
“Then I promise Scott will get you that job. Raina needs you nearby, you know.”
Her heart squeezed. “Really?”
Ben sighed. “Of course, really. Hope, I’m not taking her away. You know that, right? You two will always be friends. I knew when I got hooked on Raina you were part of the deal.”
“O-okay.”
“Get her here on time for once in her life. That’s all I ask.”
“Got it. We’re leaving right now.” Hope shut the trunk and shooed Raina toward the passenger side door. “I’ll drive,” she mouthed.
“You be careful. I want both of you here in one piece.”
Hope looked up at the sun shining in a bright blue sky. “We’ll be there before you know it.” She handed the phone back to Raina, got into the driver’s seat, shut the door and checked the time on her dashboard clock against a notation in her planner. “Time to go,” she told Raina, who had ended her call and was buckling her seat belt.
“Let’s get this party started.” Raina rolled down her window and shouted, “Bye, Skokie! Hello, Montana!”
“Ready to face the music?” Anders asked late that night when he and Curtis pulled into the access road that led to the bunkhouse, Base Camp’s official headquarters. They’d slipped out of the manor hours ago, as soon as the ceremony had ended, not wanting to make things awkward for Michele and Latisha. Curtis had needed time to process what had happened before facing his friends again. After dropping Daisy back at the bunkhouse, they’d headed to town.
“I guess so.” When they’d passed the manor, lights had still been on, but the line of vehicles parked outside when they’d left were all gone. He hoped Michele and Latisha were well on their way to some sort of honeymoon. He and Michele hadn’t planned one because of the show.
Anders led the way into the bunkhouse, and Curtis followed, his heart sinking when he took in the scene, even as Daisy loped over to greet him. Boone was seated at the wooden desk where he handled the small community’s paperwork. Renata stood nearby, her arms crossed over her chest. A few of the cameramen ranged around the room. Walker Norton, Greg Devon and Angus McBride, all single members of Base Camp who still bunked down here while they were waiting their turn to marry, were present, as was Avery Lightfoot, the only single woman in the community.
“Well, well. The prodigal returns,” Renata said dryly. “Lost another bride, huh?”
Ouch.
“Which leaves all of you about to lose everything you worked so hard to gain,” Renata went on. “So how about it? Did you find another wife yet?”
Boone turned around in his seat and Curtis wasn’t surprised to see lines of strain etched on his face. More than any of them, Boone needed this venture to pan out. The ranch on which they were building their community used to belong to the family of his wife. Losing it would devastate her.
“Not yet, but I will.”
“Of course you will,” Anders said. “Rose Johnson said you would, remember? When you bought your engagement ring?”
Curtis’s stomach lurched, and he wondered where that ring was. He’d forgotten all about what had happened when he bought it. “She said whoever wore that ring would lead me on a merry chase. I thought she meant it would be hard to get her to the altar.”
“Michele never wore it,” Anders pointed.
“Guess Michele was part of the merry chase,” Avery said. “Now you need to find the woman who’s really supposed to wear it.”
“Tomorrow,” Curtis said firmly. He didn’t think he could take any more tonight. “Time for bed.”
“Not quite yet.” Boone got up. “Greg, Anders, get some chairs out. Avery, can you call the others and tell them to gather here?”
“What’s up?” Anders asked.
“Fulsom’s coming,” Renata said. “He’ll be in and out of here fast. He’s got another appointment in New York first thing tomorrow.”
Anders got busy pulling folding chairs out of the closet where they were stored. Greg joined him. They were all used to the eccentric billionaire’s whirlwind visits. He came and went when he pleased, and they did what they needed to accommodate him.
The door opened, and Harris and Samantha Wentworth came in. A moment later Boone’s wife, Riley, came in, too.
Boone joined Curtis as the room filled with people. “You said you didn’t want me to find you a bride. You said you’d do it yourself, so I backed off—”
“I know. I get it, I screwed up.”
“You have five days—”
“Go ahead and find me a backup bride.” Curtis lifted his hands. “If I don’t find a bride on my own, I’ll marry her Monday.”
“The whole point of marrying Michele today was that a blizzard is coming. What if it doesn’t let up in time?”
Curtis didn’t have an answer for that.
“Look,” Jericho Cook said, joining them. “The one thing we’ve found is that there’s always someone desperate enough to step in and marry one of us.”
“Thanks a lot,” Samantha said, passing by on her way to grab a seat near her husband, Harris. “Sorry things didn’t work out, by the way,” she said to Curtis.
“I’m not sorry,” Jericho said. “I knew right from the get-go you two weren’t right for each other, but you still need someone to marry.”
“If the roads are blocked, you won’t be able to get out, and no one will be able to get in,” Boone said.
“Then maybe I should get out right now.” Curtis moved to leave again, Daisy following him. He felt bad enough already. He didn’t need this scolding.
“Sit down,” Boone ordered and pointed to a folding chair. “You can’t leave until Fulsom’s had his say.”
Curtis dropped into a seat with a sigh. Daisy followed more slowly and settled at his feet. “I’ll get it done, I swear.”
“Fine,” Boone said reluctantly. “I’ll do what I can to line up a backup bride. Hell, I’ll line up a backup bride for the backup bride, too. We’ve got a lot riding on this.”
“I know.” Could this evening get any worse?
“Here.” Byron sidled up to Curtis’s chair when the others finally left him alone. “I found this for you.” He dropped the engagement ring Latisha had thrown across the ballroom into Curtis’s hand. “Figured you’ll need it.”
“Thanks.” Curtis pulle
d the little box out of his pocket that held the wedding band he should have given Michele tonight. Anders had passed it back to him earlier, and he’d briefly considered throwing it out, but hadn’t. He wondered what the women had used for the ceremony, but it wasn’t his problem.
He needed to find a new bride. In five days.
Almost four now, he corrected himself.
He stored the engagement ring with the wedding band in the box and shoved it back into his pocket. He’d give himself one night to sleep off this debacle—
Then start all over again.
Fifteen minutes later, Fulsom burst into the bunkhouse, followed by several members of his entourage. The camera crew members hurried to focus on him. Everything that happened at Base Camp was recorded for the show, especially Fulsom’s visits.
He handed his jacket and gloves to an assistant and marched to the head of the room, where he shook hands with Boone and surveyed the rest of them, already in their seats. His hair was silver, but his face unlined. He wore black jeans and a black turtleneck, topped with a blazer.
“No wedding today, huh?” he said cheerfully. “That’s fantastic. Ups the ante for the show. We’ll have everyone on the edge of their seats.”
“It’s not fantastic for us,” Boone reminded him.
“Ah, well, you’ll figure it out. You always do, right? But just in case you don’t, let me update you on what’s going to happen here at Base Camp.” He nodded at one of his entourage, who opened the door. A gust of cold air brought in another middle-aged man Curtis recognized. He was short and stocky, built like a bulldog.
“Hell,” he muttered under his breath. Did Fulsom really think they needed scaring? They knew the penalty for not hitting the show’s goals.
“It’s been a long time since Montague, here, has gotten to visit Base Camp,” Fulsom said.
“That’s right!” Montague had nowhere near the star power that Fulsom had, but he had a voice as loud as the billionaire’s. He, too, strode to the front of the room and faced them. “It’s been months since I’ve spoken to any of you. I’m delighted to inform you that my plans have changed.”
