Authors: Stephanie Julian
“Kate! Thank God! Over here.”
Talia stood in an open doorway to the left of the church entrance, waving at her frantically.
Kate had almost expected to see the normally unflappable event planner with her hair
standing on end and her shirttails hanging out, but she should’ve known better.
Talia’s dove gray suit hung perfectly, every line immaculate. Every strand of wheat
blonde hair remained in place in an elegant twist on the back of her head.
It was only when she looked in Talia’s wide turquoise eyes that Kate saw panic.
Shit, this was bad.
Forcing down her own fear that wanted to eat her alive, Kate ran for the door.
“Where’s Annabelle?”
“With Maggie trying to keep her calm.”
“How bad is it?”
Talia’s lips flattened until they almost disappeared and Kate’s stomach flipped.
“That bad.”
“Bad enough.” Talia took a deep breath and Kate found herself following suit as they
hurried down a long hall. Kate tried not to let images of a torn bodice cloud her
mind.
She had to keep her head, no matter what.
But by the time she walked into the room where the bride sat in a mound of tulle and
satin, she could barely breathe.
Annabelle stood beside her, hand on Maggie’s shoulder, her expression almost apologetic.
Wow. Really not good.
The bride’s mother stood on the other side of the room, wringing her hands while talking
to someone in clerical robes.
Hope he isn’t here to do last rites on the dress.
Maggie’s head had popped up as soon as she and Talia walked through the door and Kate
saw such utter despair on the other girl’s face, she almost thought someone had died.
And that was enough to snap her out of her funk.
Straightening her back, Kate stopped in front of the bride, propped her hands on her
hips, and stared down at the girl. “Alright. No more of that. It’s not the end of
the world. Let’s see what’s wrong.”
Kate thought she heard Talia literally sigh in relief. But Maggie’s lower lip continued
to wobble.
“The dog . . .”
Then she stood and Kate’s gaze immediately went to the form-fitting satin bodice covered
in hand-sewn crystals.
Oh, God, please not the bodice.
She saw nothing on the bodice . . . until Maggie turned to the side.
Kate’s breath caught in her throat, and when she tried to breathe past it, she almost
choked.
Something—a dog’s claw, she guessed—had ripped through the bodice and torn the fragile
material, leaving a gash at least three inches long.
Her lungs tightened to the point where she thought she might actually suffocate.
She’d never understood the term
blind panic
until that moment.
She couldn’t fix this.
A smack on her back made her suck in air and got her heart started again.
“Kate.” Annabelle’s voice snapped her back into the moment. “I brought everything
I thought you’d need. I also grabbed a few more things you probably don’t but I guess
they can’t hurt.”
Kate turned toward Annabelle, her hair pulled back in a makeshift bun with curls escaping
all over the place. Annabelle stared back with total confidence.
Okay, she could do this. Taking a deep breath, Kate nodded. “Thank you.”
Annabelle’s answering smile bolstered confidence further. “Do you need me to stay
and help?”
Kate hugged her. “No offense, but I’d be afraid you’d sew your fingers into the dress.
No, but thank you for bringing my stuff. I really appreciate it.”
“What are friends for?” Then Annabelle whispered into her ear. “But I have a price.
I want to know all about your night. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Annabelle left on that note, and Kate turned to the trembling bride-to-be.
“Alright, Maggie, take off the dress. When I’m done, you won’t be able to remember
where it was ripped.”
She could do this.
Just like last night with Tyler, she only had to take the first step and the rest
would follow.
**
“So. How was your night?”
Tyler turned at the sound of his brother’s voice. Kate had disappeared into a room
down the hall and he’d stopped just inside the door.
Jed wore a bland expression but the gleam in his eyes didn’t bode well for Tyler’s
piece of mind.
“My night was fine. Where’s Nana?”
“Probably still sleeping. We got her a room at the B&B up the street from the shop.
Belle introduced us to the owners at the party and they hit it off with Nana right
away. I’ll make sure she gets home.”
“And you and Belle? Everything okay?”
“Yes. So what hap—”
“I don’t know when I’ll be back to the hotel today,” Tyler cut in, not wanting to
go there with his brother. Not now. “I need to make a few calls, let Betsy and Mark
know I won’t be back today.”
“So you’re—”
“When do you think you’ll be going back?”
He stared back at his brother with a look Jed should know and understand.
Then again, his brother typically never listened to him.
“So I guess that means you’re staying with Kate.”
When he didn’t respond, Jed grinned.
Tyler gritted his teeth and his damn brother started to laugh.
“No need to break your jaw. Lighten up, big brother. The hotel will survive without
you for a few days and—”
“I’ll be back tonight. I don’t want to leave Kate here without a ride home.”
“Uh-huh.” Jed lost his smile and moved closer. “You know it’s okay to move on, right?
It’s been almost two years.”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand what Jed was talking about. “Are you saying I haven’t?”
Jed shook his head. “Nope. Not buying your denial. You’re so damn good at deflection.
You should’ve been a lawyer, you know that, right?”
They’d had this talk before and Tyler had his response down pat. “Then who would manage
all that money you like to think you make on your own?”
Jed raised one hand in surrender. “Alright. Fine. We won’t talk about it.”
Because there was nothing to talk about. Mia was gone. He wasn’t.
And one night with a woman—even one as exciting as Kate—did not make a relationship.
“We need to decide on a contractor and— Why are you laughing?”
After Jed calmed down enough to speak, his brother sighed and got out his cell. “I’ve
got the list right here. Why don’t we go over a few of the possibilities now?”
Yeah, that should take his mind off last night.
Right.
**
Thirty minutes later, Jed and Annabelle left, but only after Tyler assured Annabelle
he’d stay until the bitter end and make sure Kate ate something. And that he’d get
Kate home safely. And make sure she didn’t obsess over what she couldn’t fix. And
that he didn’t let her get depressed or drink too much at the reception.
That last one caught him off guard.
Kate hadn’t said anything about being invited to the wedding. And she definitely hadn’t
said anything about attending the wedding.
He’d assumed she wasn’t going.
He’d also assumed she’d want to spend more time with him. Tonight. Maybe Sunday night
as well.
Then again, maybe she’d thought last night had been once and done.
Just thinking about that made him tense.
When Kate walked through the door a minute later, he had himself back under control.
Or so he thought.
When he saw how tired she looked, he wanted to grab her, put her in his car, and take
her back to the hotel. He’d feed her, put her to bed and, when she woke, he’d show
her why she should let him take care of her.
Luckily, he had enough sense to realize that was probably a bad idea.
Instead, he met her halfway and waited for her to make a move. She stopped only inches
away but didn’t reach for him.
She smiled up at him. At least, he thought she was trying to smile. “Thank you for
waiting. You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”
Not exactly the response he’d expected. His gaze narrowed as he watched her bite her
bottom lip and take a deep breath before meeting his gaze. Almost as if she was nervous.
Or worried.
“Is everything okay? Annabelle said you were able to repair the dress.”
Her mouth twisted in a grimace. “Not exactly repair. More like camouflage.”
“So the damage was extensive?”
“No, just bad enough. I’m hoping no one looks very closely at the side of the dress.”
“Kate . . . what’s wrong?”
Because he could tell something was eating at her.
Again, all he wanted to do was fix it for her.
And that could become a habit he figured she wouldn’t appreciate. Still, it was damn
hard to simply stand there and watch her worry and not know what to do to make it
better.
“Maggie begged me to stay for the wedding and the reception. In case she needed additional
repairs. I’m going to stay, but you don’t have to. I’m sure Maggie’s father can arrange
for someone to take me home.”
Did she not want him to stay? Was this her way of getting rid of him without having
to tell him to go?
And there he was. Back in high school.
“Would you like me to stay, Kate?”
Now she looked him in the eyes and he saw fatigue.
“Why don’t you let me take you home so you can get some rest?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “No way am I leaving while she’s still in that dress.”
His mouth quirked at the force behind her statement. “Okay.” But where did that leave
him?
Her teeth worried her top lip for a second. “Would you mind staying with me?”
He answered without having to think. “Not at all.”
Was he mistaken or did she look relieved? “Okay. That’s great. Thank you.” Then she
looked down at her clothes. “I realize neither of us is really dressed for this but
I figure if we stay in the background, no one will pay much attention to us.”
The only person he’d have his eyes on would be Kate and he honestly didn’t much care
what other people thought of him. There was the possibility that he’d know a few people
at the wedding besides the bride’s family. The Shanahans moved in the same circles
as his parents, and he’d met Maggie several times. She and Mia had gone to the same
college and shared a circle of friends.
Who hadn’t liked him much.
But Kate wanted him with her so he was staying.
Maggie would probably be too busy to even notice he was there.
And Kate’s smile was all the reason he needed to justify his presence.
**
By the time Kate slipped into the very last church pew in the back right corner next
to Tyler, she felt like she’d run a marathon.
Tyler watched as she took a deep breath and tried to relax, but he knew that wasn’t
going to happen.
As long as Maggie wore that dress, Kate had to be prepared to jump at a moment’s notice.
She wasn’t too worried about the wedding but the reception . . . Photos, eating.
Dancing.
She shuddered. God, what if the stitches didn’t hold? She’d never sewn so fast in
her life but she had to admit, even close up, it was difficult to tell where she’d
made the repair.
But
she
knew it was there. And she couldn’t stop obsessing.
“So what happened to the dress?”
Tyler leaned down and spoke directly into her ear because the organist had amped up
her efforts in preparation for the bridesmaids’ entrance, causing her to shiver.
His voice sank deep into her body, heating her from the inside out. Even with all
the stress, she realized she wanted him. If he asked her to leave right now and follow
him back to a bed, any bed, she’d have a hard time saying no.
And that was wrong. Of course it was wrong. He shouldn’t have that kind of control
over her.
Not now.
Not ever.
She suppressed a shiver and fought the desire to glance up at him because she knew
if she looked into those beautiful eyes, she’d ask him to leave.
“She had an unfortunate encounter with her dog. Who lets a dog anywhere near her wedding
dress? Especially on her wedding day. It ranks right up there with getting too close
to the unity candle and having your veil go up in flames.”
The organist was really getting into it now, the volume increasing as the tempo picked
up as well. Since she couldn’t see the musician from where she was sitting, her brain
supplied images of a woman in a pale pink suit with a pillbox hat rocking out as she
banged out “Trumpet Voluntary.”
Kate had the totally inappropriate urge to laugh and had to literally bite her tongue
so the sound wouldn’t escape.
“Kate, are you sure you’re okay?”
Since she was afraid if she opened her mouth, her laughter would escape, she nodded
but couldn’t look at Tyler. She knew he continued to watch her and then she couldn’t
stop thinking about what they’d done last night.
The organ music overlaid those erotic images and the laughter tried to surge.
Oh my God, she was about to lose it.
She caught a flash of white and knew she couldn’t watch. If anything happened to the
dress, she figured the gasp from the audience would alert her.
Still, she couldn’t overcome the urge to laugh. Her chest rose and fell at an ever-increasing
rate.
Crap. She was totally going to lose it.
Tyler wrapped his hand around hers and laced their fingers together. The warmth of
his skin threw her back into the memories of last night. How he’d used those hands
on her body. How she’d lost her inhibitions. How he’d made her feel.
“Kate, look here.”
She took a few shallow breaths before she obeyed.
And when she did, she fell into that dark gaze. He anchored her. Calmed her.
“Breathe in and hold it a few seconds. Everything’s okay.”
It certainly seemed that way now, didn’t it?
And that’s what she was afraid of. That she’d let him take her over.
But, God, he was so beautiful. In a totally masculine way.
Those blue eyes. That perfect mouth. That strong nose. She wanted to lift her hand
and run it along his jaw, dark with scruff.