by Lauren Carr
“Really?” Murphy shot a sly grin in J.J.’s direction. “I don’t remember that. Do you, J.J.?”
J.J. jabbed Murphy in the ribs.
“It’s like they didn’t lose a husband and father, but they extended their family big-time.”
“That’s what it sounds like,” J.J. said.
“You know what Dad always told us,” Murphy said.
“What did Mr. Thornton say?” Derek asked.
“As long as you have your family,” J.J. said. “you have everything. Without it, you have nothing.”
“Is he still not ready?” Dressed in his tux, Joshua rushed from J.J.’s master suite and across the hall to the guest room where Hunter was helping Donny Thornton tie his bowtie. Joshua pointed to where J.J.’s tuxedo was still sealed in the garment bag.
“I thought he would have been back from the barn long ago,” Hunter said.
“The horse is having problems,” Donny said. “Tristan went out a bit ago to check on them.”
“They’re still fussing over that horse?” Joshua asked.
“Poppy has been calling every hour checking on her,” Hunter said. “Tracy and Jessica had to talk her out of running over here to deliver the colt herself.”
“Horses have been having colts without any help for thousands of years.” Joshua spun around and ran down the stairs. “Murphy is the best man! If he was doing his job he’d hog-tie J.J. and bring him up here and throw him in the shower.”
Hunter and Donny followed Joshua out the door. Charley crowed and jumped down from the porch railing to lead them to the barn.
His face pale, Tristan Faraday met them at the door.
“Where’s J.J.?”
“He’s got—” Tristan pointed toward the stall.
Joshua pushed him aside and went to where Ollie and Gulliver gazed wide-eyed into the corner stall.
“You don’t want to see,” Tristan told Hunter and Donny.
Taking Tristan’s advice, Donny turned around and went back outside—only to find Charley glaring at him. “That rooster never did like me.” He backed up against the side of the barn.
Tristan joined him. “He doesn’t like me either.”
“What should we do?” Hunter asked.
“There’s a case of beer left over from rehearsal dinner,” Tristan said.
“Sounds good to me.”
They turned to find Charley blocking the path to the house.
“I guess he wants us to go help,” Donny said.
Lying on her side, Pilgrim was in agony. Murphy tugged on the colt’s front legs. J.J. had his hand inside the horse when Joshua and Hunter found them.
“What are you doing?” Joshua demanded to know.
Unable to look, Hunter turned away.
“The colt is stuck. If we don’t help her, both her and the baby are going to die.” He grunted and tugged on the colt. “Okay, I turned the head. Its snout is right here. We should be able to get it out if we pull really hard this time.” He patted the mare’s rump. “Come on, girl. You’re almost there.”
Forgetting his rented tux, Joshua dropped next to J.J. and grabbed the colt’s slimy white leg. Hunter went around to help Murphy.
“Count of three,” J.J. said. “One. Two. Three!”
They pulled on the two legs as hard as they could. Even Pilgrim seemed to push from her end. A white head with brown ears appeared.
“Again!” J.J. said. “Once the shoulder is out, then she’ll be home free!”
They tightened their grip on the legs and pulled again—refusing to let up until both shoulders emerged. From there, the rest of the colt tumbled out.
Like the sudden winner in a game of tug of war, J.J. fell back onto his rump. The newborn horse landed in his lap.
Pilgrim uttered a deep sigh of relief.
“Ewww!” Tristan said.
Donny covered his mouth and turned away.
Murphy was impressed. “Dude, did they teach you about equine midwifery in law school?” He stroked the slimy newborn colt, who struggled to climb to his feet.
“He’s a handsome guy.” Joshua patted Pilgrim who climbed to her feet to inspect her new baby. “How did you know how to help her?”
“I saw Poppy help another one of our mares last year when she was having the same problem,” J.J. said.
“He looks like he’s wearing a hat.” Hunter stroked one of the colt’s brown ears.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Tristan said, “but I don’t recall agreeing to act as a midwife when I signed up to be in this wedding.”
“Smile!” Donny yelled from the stall door while focusing his cell phone on them.
The men gathered around J.J. who proudly held the white colt with brown ears. Donny snapped the picture just as the mother’s and son’s snouts met in a kiss.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the rooms on the upper floor of the inn when Poppy emerged in her bridal gown. The form fitting gown hugged her slender frame down to her knees before flaring out. In addition to the gold lace overlay, the gown featured a detachable six-foot long train made of a sheer golden material that was hooked low on the waist, around to the front to create the illusion of a full skirt.
“That is the most beautiful gown I have ever seen in my life,” Tracy blubbered, “and I’ve seen a lot of wedding gowns.”
“I’d say. She dragged me up and down the coast looking for that perfect gown. Here it was at home in the basement.” Sarah reminded Tracy, “You didn’t think it was that beautiful in Mom and Dad’s wedding pictures.”
“I knew it was beautiful. Dad told me that he had it and that Mom wanted me to wear it.” Tracy frowned. “I just wanted my own gown.”
“And where is your own gown now?” Jessica asked.
“Preserved and stored in a closet for my daughter to wear,” Tracy said.
“A daughter who will be wanting her own gown,” Jessica said with a smile.
With no mother of the bride, it had become increasingly apparent during the wedding planning that Cameron was filling the role of both mother of the bride and groom. In keeping with the theme color for the wedding, she wore a tea-length lilac sleeveless tunic dress with a silky long-sleeve overlay.
Rushing into the room, Cameron relayed a message from Joshua. “You’re not going to believe this. The good news is that Joshua is on his way over now. The bad news is that he’s had to change into the suit he wore at the rehearsal dinner because he ruined his tux. The good news is that Pilgrim had her baby, which is how Joshua and Hunter ruined their tuxedoes. The bad news is that the groom and the groomsmen will be about a half hour late because they’re too busy taking selfies with the horses to get ready. The good news is that the mother and colt are doing well.”
The stylist was completing the finishing touches to the bride’s French twist with tendrils falling around her face, when Poppy rushed out of her reach to grab her phone from the dressing table to check for a text from J.J. “It’s a boy! Oh, he’s beautiful!”
Izzy read a post on her phone. “Donny just posted a video of him having his first meal.”
Poppy grabbed the phone from Izzy’s hand. “That’s a medicine hat horse.” She smiled. “That’s good luck. In the Native American legend, any tribe or ranch that has a medicine hat horse is blessed. They were so valuable because of the legend that people used to steal them.”
The stylist, who was chasing the bride with a comb and brush, let out a breath filled with exasperation. “Hold still. We only need to make a few more adjustments.”
Excited about the new colt, Poppy insisted on glancing at each picture being sent to the bridemaids.
“What’s a medicine hat horse?” Jessica asked around a giggle of a selfie of Murphy and the colt.
“It’s a white horse with a brown or black hat.” Poppy pointed out the brown ears.
“See how they look like a Native American headdress. Like medicine men used to wear back in the wild west.”
There was a knock on the door. “The groom is on his way. Is the bride ready?” Joshua asked.
“Are we ready?” Cameron asked.
Hurriedly, the bridesmaid gathered their bouquets. The stylist made one last adjustment to the tendrils that framed Poppy’s face.
Cameron opened the door.
Joshua stepped inside and stopped.
Speechless, he stared at Poppy. Memories of his wedding day filled his mind. Poppy did not physically resemble his first wife. Maybe that was why he had never noticed it before. The generosity, the compassion, the love—that was so much like Valerie. He had seen it but he hadn’t seen it—until she stood before him wearing that gown.
No wonder Valerie wanted her to wear it.
“Are you okay?” Cameron whispered softly in his ear.
Joshua started. “Yes.” He swallowed. “I’d forgotten how beautiful that gown was.”
“J.J. is going to faint,” Izzy said.
“If he faints, I’ll never let him forget about it,” Sarah said.
“We need to get a move on,” Tracy said. “The ice sculptures are melting.”
“The verandah on the other side of the mansion provides a perfect view of the garden. I’ll go stake it out and send word over when the men arrive.” Cameron gave both Izzy and Poppy kisses.
She pinched Joshua on the butt. “I’ll see you later, handsome,” she whispered before kissing him on the cheek on her way out the door.
The bridesmaids followed her out to check out the guests waiting in the garden. Exhausted from chasing the bride, the stylist gathered her materials and left. Joshua heard her muttering under her breath as she passed him on her way out the door.
Alone in the room, Joshua gestured at his suit. “My tux got ruined during colt birth.”
“Cam mentioned that.” With a soft smile, Poppy took his hand. “You look very handsome.”
“Hunter’s tux got ruined, too. Luckily, he still fits into his dress uni—”
She pressed her fingers against his lips. “All I care about is that J.J. is there at the altar. You can all be dressed in your birthday suits, as far as I care.”
He laughed. “That would make this one wedding to remember.”
She looked down at the video of the horse and her colt. “Thank you for taking care of Pilgrim.”
“We couldn’t exactly let her die on your wedding day, could we?” He peered into her eyes. They looked like two pools of emeralds. “Are you nervous?”
“Excited.” She set the phone on the dressing table. “I’m sure J.J told you that ever since I left Montana, I never stayed any place more than a few months. I didn’t allow myself to get close to anyone. Gulliver was all the family I needed.”
“It’s been more than a year, and you’re still here,” Joshua said. “And now you’re getting married.”
“I didn’t intend for this to happen. It just—” She wiped away a tear threatening to mess up her makeup. “One day, it hit me. I’d gone and fallen in love without even knowing it was happening.” She sniffed. “Now, you’re all stuck with me.”
“And you’re stuck with us. But that’s okay. With family, you have everything.”
With a sniff, she turned to check her make-up in the mirror one last time. As she looked in the mirror, she saw a lovely woman with long blond hair behind Joshua.
It was the same woman she had seen in her dream.
Valerie brought her hand to her lips and blew Poppy a kiss. Then, with a wink, she faded away.
Two Weeks Later
“You’re scaring me.” Poppy had to restrain herself to keep from lifting the blindfold up and over her head to see where Joshua Thornton was taking them.
Joshua and Izzy had picked them up at the airport after their cruise. Cameron couldn’t meet them because of an appointment.
Izzy wore a wicked grin on her face. “We have a surprise for you,” she whispered into Poppy’s ear while greeting her with a hug.
“What?” Poppy asked.
Izzy pursed her lips together and made a motion of turning a key. She wasn’t talking.
With wide eyes, J.J. shrugged his shoulders in a broad gesture.
Conversation during the ride home was merry. The wedding had been beautiful. The guests had been impressed with the Russell Ridge Inn. Tracy had managed to get a full-page spread in the newspaper about its opening. Of course, the posts to social media from wedding guests raving about Russell Ridge Inn as being the place for gourmet food or an elegant fairy-tale garden wedding didn’t hurt either. The farm-to-table restaurant was booked full for dining and special events—including weddings and receptions through the summer.
The honeymoon could not have been more perfect. With the surprise upgrade to a deluxe suite on the cruise, J.J. and Poppy were indeed treated like royalty. After months of rushing about for the wedding and restaurant opening, they enjoyed ten days of one-on-one time for intimacy, pampering, and complete relaxation.
Unbeknownst to the newlyweds, a star had been born on their wedding day in the form of the medicine hat colt, who J.J. had named Chief. Donny’s pictures and videos had gone viral on social media.
As they got closer to home, Izzy turned around in her seat and held out a blindfold to Poppy. “Put this on.”
Poppy looked at J.J., who shrugged his shoulders again. She took the blindfold. “Why doesn’t J.J. have to put one on?”
“Because we only have one,” Izzy said with a giggle.
Poppy slipped the blindfold over her eyes. J.J. draped his arm across her shoulders. She could feel his lips close to her ear.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he whispered.
“You already gave me my wedding present.” She squeezed his hands.
“This isn’t from me.”
She could feel the vehicle rock back and forth as it turned onto a rough road. It slowed down while making its way up a steep hill. “We’re going further away from civilization.”
“I thought you didn’t like civilization,” Joshua said.
Finally, the SUV came to a halt. Poppy heard a loud whinny followed by many voices.
“She’s here!” she heard Cameron call out.
J.J. grasped her hand when she reached for the blindfold. “Not yet! I want your surprise to be the first thing you see.” He helped her out of the back seat of the SUV. J.J. and Izzy each took one arm to guide her. She could sense several people around her and heard whinnies from more than one horse.
What is going on? We can’t be home. That driveway is paved. Where are we?
Finally, they came to a halt.
Izzy was giggling like a maniac.
J.J. grabbed one corner of the blindfold. “Okay now—”
“Wait a minute!” a voice that Poppy recognized as Heather Davis’s interrupted with a scream. “I need to record her reaction for the website!”
“Well, hurry up. We can’t hold her here forever,” J.J. said.
There was hurried movement.
Izzy grabbed the other corner of the blindfold. “Now?”
“Heather, are we good?” J.J. asked with a note of annoyance in his tone. After a beat, he told Izzy, “Let ‘er rip.”
The blindfold was pulled up and over Poppy’s head.
The bright sun blinded her so that all she could see were shadows of people moving about. She then made out J.J.’s arm pointing at an upward angle. As her vision cleared, she saw that she was standing before an old barn.
She quickly realized that they had taken her to the old dairy farm.
Russell Ridge Farm and Orchards had been founded by the Russell family several generations earlier. As smaller farms around it had been bought and added onto the original farm, it had
grown. When the dairy farm outgrew the original, a larger, more modern barn had been built on the other side of the property and the cattle moved. Like the Russell mansion, the original barn had been abandoned and forgotten.
Not any more.
The old barn had been rebuilt with a shiny red roof and bright white siding. The paddocks had sturdy fencing. The overgrown fields had been mowed.
Chief and Pilgrim trotted around one of the paddocks. Pilgrim was fighting to keep Chief nearby. This was not an easy task because he was chasing Ollie, who had somehow gotten inside the paddock. The two youngsters were enjoying a game of chase.
“I don’t understand.” Poppy gazed at Heather Davis who stood a couple of feet away with her phone recording her reaction, which was confusion.
“It’s your own ranch,” Cameron said with a sly grin.
Poppy turned to J.J. “You’ve decided to get me my own place? It’s because I got red hair in your hairbrush, isn’t it?”
“It’s a rescue ranch for horses.” Izzy’s chest puffed out with pride. “It was my idea.”
“Actually, you gave us the germ of the idea, Poppy,” Joshua said. “Because of Donny’s post to social media, people kept asking about Chief—especially when they found out how you had saved his mother from the slaughterhouse.”
The farm foreman said, “We had folks stopping by here every day to see the little fellow. Many wanted to make donations to help take care of him and his mother.”
“So many people wanted to know what was happening with Chief that I set up an Instagram page for him and start posting pictures and videos of him,” Izzy said. “When I posted his story, he got thousands of followers overnight and a lot of them asked if they could make donations, too.” She tapped her temple. “That was when I got my idea.”
“Start a ranch for rescued horses,” Poppy said in a soft voice.
“They called me on the ship to ask if there was any place on the farm for us to keep the horses.” J.J. looked at the barn. “I remembered the original dairy farm. Dad set the rescue ranch up as a non-profit foundation.”
“Donations are already pouring into the website that I set up,” Heather said.