“Twinkle toes, let’s dance to this slow one,” Luke said.
“Thought you’d never ask,” she teased.
She walked into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. Two hundred and fifty guests had seen them stick together like glue this evening. They’d seen the way Luke looked at her when she was giving her funny little toast and they’d seen the way she hung on his every word when he’d given his toast to the happy couple.
She was sure it would get back to her sister, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t hide her feelings for him anymore and slow dancing with him had lots of pluses. Like breathing in his swoon-worthy masculine scent, being held in his strong, powerful arms and enjoying his occasional and surprising kisses.
The crud would hit the fan later, but right now she wasn’t going to think about that. She wanted to celebrate her best friend’s wedding without fear or trepidation.
She lifted up on her toes and gave Luke a sweet kiss on the mouth.
He brought her tighter into his embrace. “What was that for?”
She gazed into his eyes. “Just because.”
“That’s a good enough reason for me.”
He always made her smile. Well, not always, but recently she found herself breaking free of the binds of obligation to Shelly and her mom.
“This is probably the best wedding I’ve ever attended,” she said dreamily.
“You mean, ours wasn’t this good?”
“Ours? It’s not even a blip on my radar.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll make that up to you one day.”
She gazed at him, finally finding the courage she needed. “Luke, will you come with me?”
“Sure, where are we going?”
“To the gazebo. It should be quiet there. And well, the reception’s almost over. We’ll be back in time for the last dance.”
Luke took her hand and led her down the pathway leading to the gazebo. The sun was just descending, the sky to the west ablaze with hues of pinks and oranges. Once they reached the gazebo, she walked up the steps and took a seat. Luke sat directly beside her.
She got right down to business. “I don’t know where to start, but yesterday when I found out you were inside Drew’s house with fire all around you, I couldn’t deny my feelings for you any longer. I love you, Luke. I don’t know when it happened or why. Lord knows, I have half a dozen reasons not to care for you but I do. Very much.”
His eyes closed, as if he were treasuring her words, as if he was trying to lock this memory away. He’d been patient with her. And obstinate and persistent. But she loved him, all of him, and she was glad to finally tell him.
“Katie, I’ve waited five long years for this. I love you. I’ve already told you but it wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you. Not in the heat of an argument like that.”
“I kicked you out of my house when you told me.”
“I know. And I’ll admit now, I overstepped my bounds by denying you competition at the bakery. It’s just the way I love. I protect the people I care about.”
“But you won’t do anything like that again, will you?”
“I promise you, I won’t.”
She smiled and Luke ran his hands up and down her arms, soothingly, sweetly, and then he kissed her and kept on kissing her until she could barely breathe. She put a hand on his chest. “There’s more.”
“Tell me more.” His eyes glistened as he gave her his full attention.
“I’m, uh... I’m...pregnant. You’re going to be a father.”
There, she’d said it. Telling him only made it seem more real.
“Ah, Katie.” Tears misted in his eyes. “This is the best news,” he said, relieving her qualms. She’d had no idea if he even wanted children. It had never been a topic of conversation. Why would it be, when all she’d been focusing on lately was divorcing him?
“So then, you’re okay with it?”
“I’m...blown away. Did you worry I wouldn’t be happy about this?”
“I didn’t know how you felt about children in general. I’ve never seen you around them, but I see how compassionate you are around horses and all animals really, so I was hoping this wouldn’t rattle you.”
“I’m on top of the world right now. You and I created a baby, sweetheart, and I’ll love that child as much as I love you. I don’t care when or how it happened, it’s a blessing.”
“I think so, too,” she said softly. “But I’ve always used protection. I’m fuzzy about our wedding night in Vegas.”
“Me, too. I, um, I would never put you at risk, Katie. Not consciously. I hope you know that.”
“I do. I guess we both blurred out.”
“Yeah”
“It’s just...well, I’m going to have to face my sister and mom very soon.”
“The sooner the better, Katie. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“T-thanks. But this is something I have to do on my own. Tomorrow. I’m gonna tell them tomorrow. Right now, I think we should get back to the wedding.”
“I could sit here all night with you, but you’re right.” He cupped her face, laid a solid, delicious kiss on her lips and then stared into her eyes. “We should get back.”
Hand in hand, they made their way down the gazebo steps approaching the twinkling lights of the tent, just as April came out to greet them holding a cell phone. “Katie, I think this might be important. Your phone’s been ringing on the table almost nonstop.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks, April.” She glanced at her recent calls. “It’s from Shelly. I’ll be just a minute. Please excuse me.” Alarmed, Katie hid her concern from Luke and April. Shelly knew where she was tonight and she wouldn’t call unless it was super important.
“Want me to stay?” Luke asked.
“No, you go on. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
April hooked Luke’s arm. “Come on, Luke. You owe me a dance.”
Reluctantly Luke was led away and Katie paced back and forth until her sister picked up.
“Shelly? It’s me. What’s wrong?”
The news was not good. Katie’s mom was in the hospital. This time it wasn’t her heart, but a case of pneumonia and it was bad enough for Shelly to take her to the emergency room.
Katie took a minute to absorb it all, her heart beating fast, and then she went back to the reception to seek out Luke. She found him just finishing a dance with April. Grabbing his arm, she took him off to the side. “I have to leave. My mom’s very ill. She’s in the hospital. Will you please tell Drea and Mason I’m sorry, but I have to go?”
“I’ll go with you,” he said immediately.
“No.”
“No? Katie, I’ll drive you.”
“Goodness, Luke. Don’t you get it? I can’t show up at the hospital with you.”
“Are we back to that?”
“I’m sorry. But I’m going. By myself.”
Luke’s mouth hardened to a thin line and that stubborn tick twitched in his jaw.
She couldn’t deal with him right now. She had to get to the hospital.
* * *
Katie sat by her mother’s hospital bed, watching her sleep. Her breathing seemed labored right now and she hated seeing her hooked up to all that equipment. Outside in the hallway, she heard Shelly’s voice and turned just in time to see her sister speaking to Davis Moore. When they were through talking, Dr. Moore took hold of Shelly’s hand and promised to check in with her later.
Shelly gave the good doctor a hero-worship smile, one only a sister would recognize, and kept her eyes trained on him as he walked away.
If her mother wasn’t so ill, Katie might find that amusing.
Shelly walked into the room and laid a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “You must’ve come straight from the wedding.”
“Your call scared me so I didn’t bother to go home to change.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
She put her hand over the one Shelly had placed on her shoulder. “Of course I’d come.”
“You look pretty,” Shelly said. “That color suits you.”
What? No snide remark about the Boones or the wedding?
“Thank you.” Katie rose from her chair to face Shelly. “How’s Mom doing?”
“Things have calmed down now. She had a fever when I brought her in and her coughing was bad.”
“Thank goodness you were with her tonight.”
“I, uh, wasn’t. I was out, but I called to check on her and heard her hacking away. I knew it wasn’t good. Davis thought that I should take her straight to the emergency room.”
Davis? Shelly must’ve been out with him tonight. And hopefully not at a seminar. “I didn’t realize Mom was ill.”
“It came on suddenly. She was having trouble breathing and with her fever spiking, I didn’t want to take any chances. She’s where she needs to be at the moment.”
Katie nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Her mother looked pale and so still. Fear stuck in her throat. She couldn’t lose her mother. She was too young. She was going to be a grandmother.
Katie’s stomach churned, her emotions roiling. Though her eyes burned, she wouldn’t cry. She needed to be strong. “Do...do you think she’s going to be okay?”
“Pneumonia is never good in an older person, but Mom should be able to recover from this now that she’s being monitored,” Shelly said in her nurse voice. “I do want to warn you, Mom’s health isn’t the best in general, so it may take a long time for her to get better.”
Katie sighed, pain reaching deep into her heart. “Just as long as she does.”
“It’s important that she stay calm. She’ll be medicated throughout the night. You don’t have to stay, Katie. I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“No, I’m not going home. When Mom wakes up, I want to be here.”
“Okay, sis. But at least go home and change your clothes. It gets chilly at night on the hospital floors. You’ll freeze in that dress.”
Katie hesitated a moment. “I don’t want to leave Mom.”
“I’ll stay until you get back. Mom won’t be alone.”
“Okay, if you promise.”
“Go, little sis. And of course I promise. You can always count on me.”
Katie took those words to heart. Her older sister had always been her friend, had always had her back. She’d been someone she could rely on for all their years.
Katie’s heart sank even further with guilt. She was torn up inside, worried sick over her mother and worried about Shelly’s reaction to her news. All her life, she’d never wanted to let anyone down. And now, it seemed, she was letting down everyone she cared about. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, at the latest.”
She gave her mother an air-kiss and then walked out of the hospital room feeling a sense of desperation and sadness. She hated seeing her mother looking frail and weak.
As she walked toward the elevator, she pulled out her cell phone, ready to let Drea and Luke know what was going on. The screen went black. “Shoot.” She was out of charge. Of course. She’d used her phone all day long during the wedding, taking pictures and texting Lori about bakery issues, never realizing she’d need it tonight.
Making her way through the lobby, she found her car easily in the parking lot and drove to her apartment. The drive only took five minutes. As she pulled into her parking space at the back end of the bakery, a car followed her and parked directly next to her. It was Luke.
She got out of her car, and so did he. She met him in front of her back door.
“Katie, I texted and called you and then I started to worry,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Luke, I’m in a hurry right now.”
“And you couldn’t call me?”
“My cell has no charge. It died just as I was texting you and Drea. My mother’s really ill right now. I only came home to change my clothes so I can sit with her during the night.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What’s wrong with her?”
“Pneumonia. I’m so worried. They’ve got her hooked up to all these machines. It’s scary to look at.”
“Ah, that’s too bad. Let me help. What can I do?”
He reached for her, and she scooted away. “Nothing. There’s really nothing you can do. My mom’s recovery could take weeks. Maybe longer. Shelly is waiting for me at the hospital right now.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Katie, why do I get the feeling you’re pushing me away again?”
“I’m...not. I just can’t focus on more than one problem at a time.”
“I’m your problem?”
“You know what I mean. I’m really sorry, but I have to get upstairs.”
“Okay, go. But you know how to reach me if you ever need anything.”
“I do. Thanks.”
She sidestepped him and went to the back door.
“Charge your phone, Katie,” he said as he climbed back into his car.
“I will. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
Luke didn’t look happy. He was right—she’d pushed him away. She couldn’t afford having him around. How would she explain it? It was the same old same old, except now her mother was in even worse shape than before.
She raced up her stairs and shed her pretty maid of honor gown, throwing on a pair of comfy black leggings and a big cozy gray sweatshirt. She wrapped her feet up in a pair of warm socks and put on tennis shoes.
She had always thought falling in love would be easy and fun and thrilling. Well, loving Luke had caused her nothing but indecision and pain. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She did love him. The thought of not having him in her life destroyed her.
And she feared if she pushed Luke too far, he’d never come back.
* * *
When Luke returned to the ranch, he found his family sitting at a table under the tent, drinking a final toast to Mason and Drea. All the guests were gone. The caterers and waiters were just leaving and the tent was due to be taken down tomorrow.
The lights still twinkled, clashing with his dark mood.
He brought over a bottle of Jack Daniels from the bar and sat next to Risk.
All eyes were on him, including his Aunt Lottie’s and Drew’s.
“How is Katie’s mother?” Drea asked.
“She’s in the hospital with pneumonia.”
“Oh no. Poor Diana. First a heart attack and now this. Is she bad?”
“According to Katie, she is. She’s worried sick.” Luke slouched in the chair and sipped from the bottle, raising a few eyebrows. He didn’t care. He needed his family to know the truth. It was time. “My wife doesn’t want me there.”
His brothers exchanged glances and then Mason asked, “I’m sorry, did you say wife?”
“Yep. I married Katie in Las Vegas.” He sipped from the bottle again.
“What,” Mason asked, “are you talking about?”
“I’m married to Katie. It’s true.”
“I’m in shock,” Risk said, glancing at April.
“No more than she was when she woke up next to me in Vegas.”
“Wow, bro. You got married during my bachelor party?” Mason said.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Okay. Well, Katie is a great person.” Mason put out his hand and they shook on it. “Congratulations.”
“Same here,” Risk said, slapping him on the back. “Congrats.”
Luke frowned. “Don’t get carried away. It’s not a marriage made in heaven. It was one of those too-drunk-to-know-any-better moments. Immediately, Katie demanded a divorce.” He gulped down another swig of whiskey, finally
feeling the effects of the alcohol.
“Well, I think you and Katie are meant for each other. You two make a great couple,” April said sweetly.
It only made him feel worse. “She thinks her mother and Shelly would never accept it. She swore me to secrecy. She didn’t want the word to get out. The truth is, I love her and she loves me. But it’s taken a lot of persuasion on my part to get her to admit it.” He gave everyone at the table an equal glance. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you before this.”
“So why now?” Aunt Lottie asked.
“Why now?” He gave them all another look. “Because Katie is pregnant. We’re having a baby.”
“Wow! This is amazing. The best wedding present you could have given us,” Mason said, pulling Luke up and hugging him. “And I didn’t think anything could top you getting The Band Blue here.”
Drea stood, too, and they embraced. “I’m so happy for you and Katie.”
“I can’t believe it. This is wonderful news,” April said.
Risk pulled him in for a hug. “Wow, you sure know how to liven up a party. Congrats.” He slapped him on the back. “Hey, I’m gonna be an uncle.”
Tears swam in Drea’s and April’s eyes. “We’re gonna be aunts,” they said at the same time as if just realizing it, and then everyone laughed.
When the laughter died down, Luke shook his head, grateful for their encouragement. “And now for the hard part. I’m gonna have to swear you all to secrecy. Just until Katie feels like she can share the news with Diana and Shelly. Right now, she won’t hear of it. And she’s doing her best to push me away, too.”
“Why?” April asked. “If she loves you?”
“It’s what women do sometimes,” Lottie said sagely, glancing at Drew.
April nodded. “Yeah, I guess I did that with Risk, too.”
“And I did that to Mason,” Drea said. “But we all had good reasons, at the time. Just don’t give up on her. She does love you.”
“How can you be so sure of that?” Mason asked his new wife.
Drea kissed his cheek and said softly, “Best friends know these things.” Then she turned to Luke. “I’m sure of it.”
Vegas Vows, Texas Nights Page 15
