“Here.” A hand appeared under the curtain to place a pair of heels inside the dressing room, and Krista added, “Jenny said we’re all the same size, and you won’t break your neck walking on the grass. Besides, what’s the fun of modeling a dress in hiking boots?”
And poof! The panic disappeared.
Danny was in a store, not a crisis, and her friends were right outside. Able to breathe again, able to speak again, she said, “That depends on your definition of ‘fun,’ I guess.” It came out only a little wobbly.
“You ready to come out and do a twirl?” Shelby demanded.
“Did you guys find your dresses yet?”
“Ha!”
With her balance more or less restored, Danny shucked off her clothes, surprised anew at the image in the mirror—not just the reappearance of the subtle curves and muscles she had been missing without really realizing it, but the way her skin had taken on an all-over rosy tan. Thinking, You’ve come a long way, baby, she drew the dress on over her head and tugged it down to demurely brush her ankles while rising high on the sides, with slits that darn near showed the goods.
“I don’t know,” she began, then turned to the side and looked in the mirror. And stared. “Okay, I totally take that back.”
The dress was a knockout. It clung to her breasts, accentuated her waist, and made her look like a better version of herself. She had a feeling it would’ve looked awesome on just about anybody it came close to fitting, but filed that under gift horses and mouths as she stuck her feet in the shoes Krista had brought her. High but not ridiculous, the black heels had diamond patterns of turquoise beads on each toe, and did good things to the glimpses of thigh and calf that showed through the side slits.
“Okay, fine,” she called. “You guys win.” Flinging aside the curtain, she swept out, did a few steps of wiggle-wiggle runway walk, and struck a pose. “Whaddya think?”
The others produced a satisfying chorus of whistles, and Jenny said, “Woo-hoo! The single guys of Three Ridges are going to swallow their tongues when they get a load of you.”
“I think I know one a little closer to home who’s already taking a second look.” Krista wiggled her eyebrows. “Or was that someone else who had her head together with Sam the other day at the Sears place?”
Danny fought a blush as the others did a “wooooo” in harmony. She had known it would probably come up, figuring guy talk was a requirement during girl time. “That was me,” she confirmed with a little kick of pride. “We’re going out tomorrow.”
“Ha! I knew it!” Krista danced in, gave her a little twirl that nearly put her on her ass in the pretty shoes. “Sam is the best. We’ve been dying for him to get with somebody who likes him for himself, and doesn’t care about the money.”
“Didn’t even know about it when we met,” Danny said, holding up a hand like she was swearing it.
“You both love being outdoors,” Jenny added, getting a considering look in her eyes. “You’re smart, tough, and don’t waste time worrying about what other people think. Yeah. I can totally see it. Who knows? You might be just what he needs to knock him out of his rut.”
Don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask. “What rut?”
“Jen-ny,” Krista said warningly. “You’re going to scare her off.”
“Danny doesn’t believe in being scared,” Jenny said staunchly. “Which could make her perfect for a guy who makes the ideal boyfriend until things get too serious. At which point, he bails.”
“Or, more accurately, withdraws until the woman dumps him,” Shelby added.
“You guys!” Krista practically wailed.
“It’s okay,” Danny said, though she wasn’t sure if it really was or not. The air had gotten suddenly thinner, the floor less solid beneath her strappy shoes. “I’m only going to be here for a few months, tops.”
“That’s what I said when I first got here,” Shelby pointed out, and Jenny nodded solemnly and said, “Me, too.”
Krista glared at them, then said to Danny, “They’re just trying to get you going. We love you and we love Sam, and we’ll stay out of it. Right, ladies?”
“Sure thing,” Jenny said, then winked. “Though we’ll want to know how your date goes. The more details, the better.”
“I can pretty much guarantee what will happen if she wears that.” Shelby nodded at the green dress. “Since she’s going to be saving that for the wedding, though, we need to find her some date clothes. Something for the Searses’ square dance, too.”
“Wait!” Danny protested, refusing to dwell on the whole commitment-phobe thing—she would file that under Things that don’t matter because we’re not getting serious, period. “Nobody said anything about a whole wardrobe. And isn’t it you guys’ turn to try stuff on?”
Krista headed for the racks. “We’ll pull some shirts while you change back, Danny. Or if you want to stay in there, we can throw things over the top.”
“I’ll be right out.” Not because she didn’t trust the others to pick cool stuff, but because she didn’t want to miss out on the fun.
As Danny rejoined the group, Jenny held up a shiny flamingo-pink blouse with linebacker shoulder pads and a big fat bow fastening it at the front. “How about this?”
“Not nearly loud enough,” Danny claimed. “I was more thinking along these lines.” She went for the nearest rack and whipped out a snap-studded rodeo-style shirt made of bright red stretch polyester striped with zigzag lightning bolts done in reflective tape.
“Green, people,” Shelby said like a drill sergeant. “Think green!”
“You want green?” Tiffany stalled in the doorway to the back room, with a plastic-covered garment draped over her shoulder. “I thought you wanted stuff for a wedding?”
“We do, but—” Jenny cut herself off. “Never mind. What have you got there?”
“Something Mom got in the other week. I remembered it because I thought it was pretty.” She crossed to them as she pulled the plastic up and off a floaty froth of white. While hanging it on a coat hook labeled LOOK WHAT I FOUND!, she said, “See? And P.S.? Mom let me try it, and it looks even better on.”
Danny wasn’t a super wedding-y person, but even she had to “ooh” along with the chorus that rose up at the sight of the wedding dress. The demure halter-top bodice was inset with Wedgwood blue fabric that was worked with white lace and a vee of embroidered wildflowers. A lace-edged blue ribbon embellished the bottom of the vee, and below that, layers of white satin underskirts and a white lace overskirt fell to midcalf, or maybe a little lower, coming to points like wildflower petals and stirring in the air currents of the shop.
The whole effect was light, airy, and casual, yet clearly bridal. Danny didn’t know Krista all that well, but she could picture her in it. And when she glanced over, she found Krista staring at the dress the way a newbie skydiver would look back up at the plane during free fall—with equal parts wonder and terror.
“I think she likes it,” Shelby said in a stage whisper. “What do you guys think?”
“But it’s lace,” Jenny said with feigned innocence. “I thought she was allergic to lace.”
“Not this lace.” Krista snagged the dress off the hook. “It’s at least worth trying on, don’t you think?” Her movements were jerky, her hands shaking as she fumbled to keep the dress from dragging on the floor.
“Hells, yes.” Shelby gave her a little push. “That blue is going to do crazy things with your eyes. Go on. We’ll find shoes.” She herded the others away.
“She’s freaking out,” Jenny whispered. “Why is she freaking out?”
“Because she knows this could be it,” Shelby whispered back.
“I didn’t freak out when I got married. I just bought a dress.”
“You two might have the same faces, but you definitely don’t have the same brain.” Shelby lifted the boots. �
�Come on, let’s make it a dress-shoe exacta.”
After a brief, giggling search during which they vetoed vinyl go-go boots and six-inch white patent leather stilettos, Shelby held up a pair of calf-high lace-up boots in white satin with a lace overlay. “Ladies, I think we have a winner.”
The three of them trooped over to the changing area, where Krista’s sock-clad feet were doing a little shimmying-into-the-dress dance. When Shelby tucked the boots under, Krista gave a happy little “Ooh!”
“How’s it going in there?”
“Good, I think. Just give me a minute with these boots.” They watched the bottom eight inches of her as she stood on one foot, then the other to put on the boots, giving her audience glimpses of the trailing lace petals as they moved around her. “Do you think the boots are too . . . you know?”
“Slutty?” Jenny grinned. “That’s part of the fun, don’t you think? They’ll be mostly hidden anyway, unless you’re planning on making us carry you around on a chair at the head of a conga line.”
“Yeesh, no.”
“Then you’ll be fine. Just think of Wyatt’s face when he gets that dress off you and the boots are still in the picture.”
Krista made an intrigued hmmm sound.
“The shoes are negotiable,” Shelby said, making an excited little hurry up, hurry up gesture. “We want to see the dress!”
“Okay.” The boots moved to face the curtain. “Here goes.” Sweeping the curtain aside, Krista stepped out. She had her hands nervously clasped in front of her, and twin color spots rode high on her cheeks. “Well?” For some reason she was looking right at Danny when she said it.
Don’t ask me. What do I know about fashion? Ask Jenny and Shelby; they know you best. The logical answers spun through her head, telling her she didn’t belong here, shouldn’t be in the spotlight at this moment. But what came out was, “It’s perfect.”
Because, really, it was. Exactly perfect.
The lacy straps curved gently on Krista’s ranch-muscled yet feminine shoulders, the bodice hugged her slim torso like it had been made for her, and the skirt moved with her, alternately cupping her hips and legs to hint at the shape of her body, then floating away to tease with hints of the lacy boots.
“Oh, Krista.” Jenny clasped her hands in front of her just like her sister was doing, but from excitement rather than nerves. “It’s beautiful!”
“Look at yourself.” Shelby nudged her to the array of crooked mirrors. “Sweetie, look!”
Krista’s eyes filled and she covered her mouth. After a moment, she said, in an awed whisper, “I’m getting married.”
Jenny wrapped an arm around her waist and rocked her side to side. “Yes, you are.”
“To Wyatt.”
“Yep. Kinda funny how life works, isn’t it? You thought when you were twenty that he would be your one and only, and it turned out you were right. It just took a while.”
Sniffling, Krista turned in her sister’s arms. “It’s perfect,” she said, her voice breaking with happy tears. “It’s my wedding dress. Can you believe we finally found my wedding dress?”
As they hugged, Danny swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat.
“Come on.” Shelby caught her arm, dragging her toward the twins. “Group hug. But don’t wrinkle the dress!” She looped her arms around Krista and Jenny and, as Danny gingerly added herself to the mix, said, “Happy wedding dress on three. One, two, three, Happy wedding dress!” They shouted it together and then broke apart, laughing like fools.
“Hang on,” a voice broke in. “Hey. Shoot. This isn’t good.”
Turning to the source of the voice, they saw Tiffany standing with the dress’s protective plastic wadded up, staring at an attached tag.
“Let me guess,” Krista said. “It’s hideously expensive.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Jenny said staunchly, earning an elbow jab and a mutter of “Way to negotiate” from Shelby.
“No, it’s not that. This dress is on a five-day hold. Somebody’s already got dibs on it.” The teen went crestfallen. “That must be why it was hanging in the back.”
“It’s . . .” The color drained from Krista’s face. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” She held out the hanger. “You’re going to have to give it back.”
Danny put herself between Krista and Tiffany. “Wait. There’s got to be some way to work this out.”
The teen looked at her like she had just sprouted a second head. “But there’s a hold on it. With a deposit and everything.”
“Maybe one of us could talk to the buyer. Explain the situation.” Make her an offer she can’t refuse.
“But—”
“It’s okay, you guys.” Krista tugged free from Jenny. “I’ll take it off.” Her eyes were sad, though, and her hands clutched at her waist like they wanted to keep the fabric right where it was. “Maybe whoever it was will decide not to buy it after all, and then I can have it. If not, at least we’ve found a style that works. I can find something else just like it.”
“It’s custom,” Jenny said quietly. “There isn’t even a maker’s name inside.”
“If it’s meant to be, it will be,” Krista countered. “Just like me and Wyatt.”
“Oh, it’s going to be all right. I’m going to make sure of that.” Shelby moved up beside Danny and fixed Tiffany with a look. “How about you go see if your mom is off the phone yet.” It wasn’t a question.
Swallowing, the teen spun and hurried toward the back, trailing the plastic behind her like a comet’s tail. “Maaaaa!”
As she disappeared through the door, Krista said, “Really, it’ll be okay. It’s just a dress.” But her eyes were huge in her pale face and her hands worked on smoothing down the lacy skirt petals with a jerky, repetitive motion.
“We have to at least try,” Shelby insisted. “You never know with stuff like this until you ask.”
From the back room, a new and exasperation-edged voice said, “Tiffany! Why on earth did you show that dress to a customer when you knew it had a hold on it?”
“I didn’t know.” The kid’s voice headed to whine territory.
“Of course you did. I told you yesterday that—” The owner of the exasperated voice came through the doorway, revealing herself as a late-thirties version of her daughter—in looks, anyway. Brunette, with long curls, a pixieish face, and the curves of a fifties pinup, she looked like she was on her last straw with the teen who tagged at her heels.
Her expression smoothed to professional regret, though, as she scanned the store and locked on Danny. “I’m so sorry, ma’am,” she said, heading toward the changing area. “Tiffany never should have—” She broke off as she looked past her and saw Krista standing near the mirrors, wearing the dress and trying to look brave rather than forlorn. Eyebrows shooting up, the woman said, “Krista?”
“Hey, Della.” Krista spread her hands. “Look, I don’t want to make things weird. I’ll understand if there’s nothing you can do.”
“But it’s perfect for her,” Jenny pointed out. “Look. I mean, really perfect. Like it was made for her.”
“The wedding is super soon,” Danny added. “And she’s been holding out for exactly the right dress. What was it you told us earlier, Krista? That you’d know it when you see it?”
“This is it,” Shelby confirmed. “That is, if you can help us out, Del. Maybe you could call whoever put it on hold and see if they’d be willing to let Krista have it instead?”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Please.” Danny urged. “I realize that you don’t know me from the next tourist, but I owe Krista huge. Thanks to her and Jenny, I have a new job, new friends, and even a date tomorrow. Do you know how long it’s been since the last time I woke up in the morning and got excited about the day ahead? Too darn
long, but that’s exactly what I did this morning. Because I was going shopping with Krista for a dress I could wear when she and Wyatt get married in the most beautiful place on earth, under a gazebo her dad helped build for her. Don’t you want her wearing one of your dresses when that happens?”
The shop owner blinked at her. Then, lips curving, she stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Della. It’s nice to meet you.”
Danny paused, hoping that didn’t mean she had gone too far. But the genuine pleasure in the other woman’s eyes suggested that she meant exactly what she had said. So she shook. “Um. I’m Danny Traveler. An old friend of Jenny’s from abroad.”
“And a new friend of mine,” said Shelby, crossing her arms like she was daring Della to go through her and Danny to get at Krista.
“Thanks, guys,” Krista said, choking up. “No matter what happens, thanks. And, Della, if you would make the call—whichever way it goes—I’ll be eternally grateful. I’ll marry Wyatt wearing a trash bag with holes cut in it for my arms and head if it comes down to it, but I’d really rather be wearing this dress.”
Della lips curved at the corners, and she nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Shelby’s head came up. “You will?”
“I will, but no promises. All I can do is ask.” Della did an about-face and bumped into her daughter. Scowling, she added, “And don’t think for a second that this gets you off the hook, young lady. We’re going to have another talk about not yessing me to death while your mind wanders.”
Tiffany hung her head. “Yes, Mom.”
“You can start working off my annoyance by straightening up the stockroom. Now march!”
They went through the rear door single file. When the door thumped shut, Jenny let out a steaming-teapot noise. “Ohmigosh. Can you believe this?”
“It’s just a dress,” Krista insisted, still patting at the skirts. Then, forcing a bright smile, she looked at Danny. “Weren’t we trying to find you an outfit for the square dance?”
Sensing her need to put things back in their earlier groove, Danny made a face. “Gee, and here I was enjoying not being the center of attention.”
Firelight at Mustang Ridge Page 10