Her mothers stopped bouncing suddenly, as if finally noticing that they were the only ones in the room who seemed excited.
“Caro,” Heddy asked, grabbing her hands with an expression of concern on her face. “Aren’t you happy? Lucas Miller is a fine man. And handsome too.”
“Yes, Mother. I am. Very happy. Promise. Lucas is a fine man, and you’re certainly right that he is easy on the eyes. It’s just overwhelming. And everything is happening so fast. Now we have a wedding to plan.”
This set forth a new round of squeals from her mothers. The started babbling so fast Carolyn could hardly make out what they were saying. She caught “Nancy” and was able to gather that they intended to ask Luke’s mother to make the cake. Nancy made cakes for all the local weddings and had for many years. She had recently, after her husband retired as bishop opened her own honest to goodness cake shop downtown.
“We need a color scheme.”
“A March wedding, or maybe February? Not quite winter, but not quite spring,” Heddy mused thoughtfully.
“Pastels! Cool ones like blues and purples!”
“Um, I was thinking red,” Carolyn interjected, picturing her dress. “And I think we’re planning mid to late February for the wedding.”
“That gives us about six weeks to plan!” Heddy exclaimed.
“That’s pretty normal here, it can be done. Red would work in February I think, because of Valentine’s Day, but not in March.”
Valentine’s Day. Carolyn hadn’t thought of that. The thought stopped her short. She had never had so much as an admirer for Valentine’s Day, and now she would be engaged. How did it work in a polygamist household, she wondered? There had been no celebrating holidays of any kind in Filmore. Had her parents celebrated after coming to Green Valley? She couldn’t remember. She had been a teenager, a high schooler, and a self-involved and hurting one at that. It was probably for the best. She had no expectations. If Lucas celebrated, it would be nothing more than a nice surprise. If it meant that the three of them were to celebrate together, well, at least she now knew she could manage that as well. Tonight’s dinner had been an overall success, with a few minor hiccups. She was feeling much better about the reality of sharing a home with her high school nemesis now that she realized Rosa was nowhere nearly as perfect as she had originally assumed.
Carolyn was zoned out as her mothers continued their happy chatter beside her, fussing over every detail, as mothers tended to do. Here in Green Valley, wedding planning was always twice as frenzied and chaotic, because weddings always happened with only two months of notice, and everyone had at least two mothers to appease—and as every bride knows, appeasing even one mother is impossible enough. Carolyn wasn’t worried though, or at least she hadn’t been, she mused as she watched her mothers deep in conversation beside her. Heddy and Myra were not the mother hen types. She knew they would like to be, and that they could be if needed, but ever since the incident back in Filmore, they had seemingly made an unspoken decision to let Carolyn run her own life. Goodness knows her parents had gummed it up enough early on.
Her father was watching them with the same bemused expression she herself wore, but he looked different that he had only minutes before. Softer, and slightly regretful. It was a relief, but not a surprise. Her father might be a giant misguided crackerjack at times, but he did love his family, and he had a soft spot where Heddy and Myra were concerned, even if he tried to hide it. He caught her watching him, and his expression instantly hardened, as if he only then remembered who it was she was marrying. His eyes narrowed sharply and he all but glared at her, before turning abruptly and stalking out of the kitchen.
Watching his back as he retreated, Carolyn could only sigh as she looked around the kitchen. Telling her parents that she was getting married had not been everything she would have hoped for. Of course, the reality was that it had gone better than she deserved to hope for. After all, her wedding was a sham, even if the groom didn’t know it.
Chapter 5
Carolyn woke up in her dorm room on the Monday before the wedding to a pounding on the door and groaned as she squinted at the clock. Eight o’clock on the only day of the week she ever managed to sleep in. It was also her last day of classes before she became Mrs. Lucas Miller. She had busted her ass through the weekend making sure she was caught up enough on everything to afford the time off, and this morning she had just wanted to sleep.
So much for that, she mumbled as her feet hit the coarse brown carpet that was a uniform staple throughout the campus. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she tugged her nightgown down, and plastered a smile on her face in attempt to not look like the walking dead and scare away whoever had come calling this morning.
When the door opened, she could not have been more stunned. She had fully expected to see someone from a neighboring dorm needing to borrow this, that, or the other thing, or even the RA with some random reminder or announcement. Nope. It was a young man, dressed all in white, holding the biggest bouquet of roses she had ever seen. He was a skinny thing, and seemed to be struggling under the weight of it as she shifted back and forth.
“Morning, Ma’am,” he greeted her with a nod. “Sorry if I woke you. Lots of deliveries this morning for Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh. Oh!” Carolyn exclaimed as his words sunk into her sleep addled brain. Well, that answers that question, she thought with a grin, as the man handed her the vase. There was literally no room in the small dorm for such a large arrangement so she quickly cleared a spot on the floor out of the walkway to set it down. She thanked the man, and shut the door behind him, before reaching down to pluck the card from its holder in the middle of the roses.
The note was short, sweet and to the point, just like Lucas.
“My dearest Carolyn, I thank God every day for bringing you into my family. Six days until we wed. Happy Valentine’s Day. See you tonight.”
She felt a little like a teenage girl who just got passed a note from her crush. Butterflies took up residence in her stomach, fluttering about in anticipation of what was to come—and she couldn’t have stopped smiling if she wanted to. Not a bad way to wake up after all.
The rest of the morning she floated on air, taking extra care getting ready, even going so far as to pick an outfit that matched the colors of the holiday. Her first official Valentine’s Day. Might as well go all out.
She took a recorder to her math class knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to focus on complicated equations when all she could think about was tonight… and Saturday. Even the short drive from Everton to Green Valley was excruciating.
When Lucas answered the door, dressed in a well-fitting black suit and a bright red silk tie, she could only stare. She knew he was a handsome man, but damn! He cleaned up well and this was a side of him she had never seen.
He smiled in that way he had, the one that made her think he was reading her mind, and before she had a chance to say hello, Rosa appeared beside him looking equally stunning in a beautiful red dress with lace sleeves and an empire waist. For a moment Carolyn felt underdressed, but as Rosa always seemed to do lately, she instantly put her at ease, fawning over the white dress she had loved so much this morning with its red and pink rose pattern.
“You made this, didn’t you?” Rosa asked, fingering the crisp material of the full skirt. “Wow, Carolyn, you’re such a talented seamstress and an excellent cook to boot. I wish I were half as good at either of those things as you are. You are truly amazing.”
Carolyn blushed furiously at the high praise. Not knowing quite what to say in return. It was one thing to know that you were good at something. Having people fawn over your talents was quite another. And having Rosa be the one to do it was another still.
I wish I were half as good at putting people at ease as you are, she thought, but she didn’t say it. Unlike Rosa, Carolyn had a hard time expressing feelings, especially mushy ones.
“Thank you,” she whispered shyly. “I love your dre
ss too. Red is your color.” The compliments didn’t roll off her tongue as easily as they rolled off Rosa’s but it didn’t make them any less genuine.
Lucas, who still seemed to be in a state of shock any time they managed to have a civil conversation between them looked as proud as could be as he inserted himself in between them extending an arm to each of them. “I know it’s not as fancy but I thought we could just go down to Valleria tonight. No point in driving out to Everton when Carolyn just came from there.”
There weren’t too many restaurants in Green Valley, and Valleria, a steakhouse with a large variety of other options, was the one people generally went to for special occasions. On a night like tonight, it would be packed with people that Carolyn would rather not see. She knew her wedding was only a week away and that most everyone in town knew about it by now, but there was a difference in being seen out as a family with Lucas and Rosa on their actual wedding day versus before. At least she felt like there was. There probably wasn’t.
The small house adjacent to the church where Lucas and Rosa lived was only a short walk from the restaurant, and Lucas insisted he wanted to stroll through town rather than drive. “It’s just that much longer for me to be seen with the two prettiest ladies in Green Valley on my arm,” he teased with a smile.
Even though it was mid-February, the temperatures rose to the mid-seventies in late afternoon, which was about perfect for an evening stroll. Neither Rosa nor Carolyn wore heels, so the walk was bearable and Carolyn had to admit it felt good to be walking with Lucas and having him look so proud to be seen with them both.
The inside of Valleria was simple and elegant. The walls were painted a light rose color and sconces hung on the walls above the tables using battery operated candles to give off a certain ambience. Carolyn had always thought that battery operated candles were sort of cheesy, and that real candles would be better, but she had heard that Valleria had its share of accidental fires over the years before they finally made the decision to switch.
It was as packed as she had predicted, but the hostess seated them right away, and Carolyn was pleased to learn that Lucas had thought ahead and made a reservation last week. It also didn’t hurt, she supposed that he was the bishop—the literal cornerstone of the community. It was no secret that he got preferential treatment from everyone even though he never asked for it.
They were seated, of course, at one of the best tables in the house—upstairs in the balcony area in an alcove that overlooked the lake. It was a beautiful view, and for a moment Carolyn felt mildly guilty that she had never realized what a beautiful and well cared for community she lived in. All she had ever thought about was growing up, getting out of Green Valley, and making it on her own.
“How was the drive?” It took a moment for her to pull herself out of her thoughts and realize that Rosa was talking to her.
“Oh, um. It was fine. I couldn’t wait to get here to be honest. I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day before, so I was a bit excited,” she admitted it sheepishly, instantly feeling stupid, but as always Rosa smiled graciously.
“It’s fun, isn’t it? It’s my first one, too. Well, as a married adult woman who has someone to celebrate with anyways. Papa always got cookies made from Nancy, one big sugar cookie for each of us, with our initial on it in red frosting. Mama would make pizza for dinner and all us girls would eat in front of the TV, watching sappy love movies while Papa took them to eat here. It was fun, but I have to admit I’ve never felt more like a real live grown up than I did while getting ready tonight.”
Every time Rosa opened her mouth, Carolyn realized two things. The first one was that Carolyn’s real childhood had been robbed right out from underneath her even as she hadn’t realized it at the time. The second was that Rosa was positively the most endearing person she had ever met. Now that Carolyn had no choice but to get to know her and learn to get along with her or spend the rest of her life standing up out of necessity, she honestly wondered why she hadn’t gotten to know her sooner. In high school, she had seen Rosa as your typical perfect plyg kid—a brown-nosing goody two-shoes, and had set out to make her life miserable at every turn. She hadn’t realized until recently that it was jealousy that had made her do it. That Rosa more than anyone else embodied everything that Carolyn herself had missed out on. And she had just seemed so gratingly perfect and annoying.
She wasn’t perfect though, and that’s what made her so endearing. Carolyn loved imperfect people. Rosa was sweet and compassionate, had a childlike zeal at times, a hidden sense of mischief, and a healthy spark of sass that came out when she felt threatened. She was fiercely loyal, and always tried to find the best in people or situations. She was also stubborn as heck, had a quick temper, and sometimes jumped to conclusions.
But she was quick to forgive, and had gone out of her way repeatedly in the last month to make Carolyn feel comfortable and at ease. Carolyn had never been more thankful for it than she had been tonight. Even though their table was in a relatively secluded spot, and the wedding invitations had already gone out, Carolyn could feel all eyes on them as they perused the menu. She had tried to ignore it, but the table behind them was particularly bad.
The woman was one she recognized as having graduated the year she came to Green Valley—Aurelia something. Aurelia, she knew, much like herself had been somewhat of a queen bee, or at least she had acted as such. Every class had them. Aurelia hadn’t stuck out in the way that Carolyn did, her father was the town sheriff and never would have stood for such behavior from his own daughter. But what Papa didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. And while Aurelia had acted and looked perfect at home, school was an entirely different story. In fact, the woman had been sort of an idol of Carolyn’s with her “ne’er do care” attitude, her sharp dismissals, and her condescending laugh. Now, those traits made Carolyn feel sorry for the woman. And judging from the remarks coming from the table behind them, Aurelia hadn’t changed.
It was actually not a rare occurrence for a woman to behave deploringly in public in Green Valley. Women were women. Emotions ran high and cliques existed among all ages. What was rare in a community where domestic discipline was the norm was that her endless rant of snide comments that seemed to be directed towards every single person in the place from Carolyn herself to the hostess, the waitress, and even her own husband, had not yet been shut down. Over the past few weeks since her first dinner with Lucas, Carolyn had been more in tune to the nuances of husband-wife relationships in the community.
Once she started paying attention, she saw all manner of warnings and chastisements happening in the public eye. Some men were more discreet, and some women were quick to take a hint. In those instances, it could be shut down without a word. A quirk of the brow, a sharp frown, a hand tapping the belt around his waist.
Other times the warnings were more vocal. She had heard all sorts of verbal threats and warnings from the discreet “Oh, really,” or “We’ll talk about it later,” spoken in a voice laden with all sorts of hidden innuendo. To the straight out, “Just wait till I get you home, woman,” and “You’ll eat your dinner standing up tonight!”
Each of the warnings both verbal and silent, had been immediately effective. Whatever the man at the table behind them was doing, if anything, was not.
It was obvious that Lucas and Rosa were just as uncomfortable as she was. Rosa was staring down at the table bug eyed, and Lucas was shifting in his seat uncomfortably looking as if he wanted nothing more than to start a domestic discipline counseling session right there in the restaurant.
“That Aurelia is something else,” Rosa finally whispered across the table, looking at Lucas from the corner of her eye, wincing visibly when he raised his eyebrows in her direction. Rosa’s loyalty had struck, and her gall was up. She was past the point of heeding a simple warning.
“Well, she is!” Rosa continued, her voice still a whisper. “That Troy Black always was too soft for his own good. I find it really hard to believe sometimes tha
t theirs is a marriage ordained by God. You would think He would have known well enough to put her with someone who could put her in her place every now and then. Lord knows she needs it.”
The instant she spoke the husband’s name, Carolyn’s own hackles went up. If she remembered correctly, Troy had been one of Luke’s friends, for most of his life. She wasn’t sure about now, but that was the thing about Green Valley—ties ran deep.
A glance at Lucas confirmed her suspicion. His jaw was set hard, and his teeth were grinding behind closed lips. “That’s quite enough, Rosa,” he said when he finally spoke. “We are here to celebrate the three of us, not to gossip about the marriage of others. You know better.”
Rosa, she noted, had the good grace to look chastised for a moment, but Carolyn was only glad that it hadn’t been her. She wouldn’t have been able to take Luke’s gentle rebuke so gracefully. Not with Aurelia’s high pitched voice still grating in the background. Rosa was right about one thing. Aurelia needed to be put in her place, and badly.
“Oh, my Lord, is that Carolyn Atwood sitting over there with the bishop?”
Carolyn’s shoulders tensed and her body went rigid as she realized that she had now become the woman’s next victim. She stared down at her plate in anticipation of what was coming. She didn’t look up at Luke and Rosa. She couldn’t.
“Yes, I believe it is. Not another word please. Luke is my friend.” It was the first time all night Troy had spoken loudly enough to be heard outside of his own table.
Aurelia chose not to heed his plea, barreling full steam ahead in her attack. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Are they engaged? Seriously?”
“Aurelia.” Troy’s voice was flat and weary. “You know they are. We got the invitation two weeks ago. The wedding is this weekend.”
Luke's Rogue Bride Page 6