“Uh oh,” Harmony mumbled as she walked into the open dining room of their family’s restaurant.
“Oh, shit,” Patience whispered, her eyes widening as she looked from Cain to Honor. “Please tell me she didn’t already shoot Faith by mistake.”
“Where the hell have you two been?” Zeke hissed out the side of his mouth, keeping one eye glued to where Honor stood clutching her gun.
“Honor turned my alarm off,” Harmony explained weakly, shooting Cain an apologetic smile over Honor’s shoulder. “I guess she felt bad that I worked late last night and had to come in early this morning.”
“I did,” Honor retorted. “Until I learned you were a party to this farce. Harmony, you’re supposed to be the responsible one!” she chastised her eldest sister.
“You’ve got Harm mixed up with you, sis. You’re the responsible one. Faith’s the compassionate one. And our Harmony here is the romantic – at least where everybody but herself is concerned,” Patience teased, jerking her head toward the oldest McKinnon sister.
“What’s that make you?” Harmony retorted irritably, raising her eyebrows at Patience.
“I’m the one that thought she’d waited late enough to avoid the family drama this morning,” Patience added truthfully, running a hand over the lavender streak in her hair. “Evidently, my timing sucks.”
“Do you think maybe we could lower that gun while you gals yap?” Cain asked hopefully, eyeing the end of Honor’s gun like it was a bomb.
“NO,” Honor growled. “Faith!” she yelled loudly. “Your boyfriend’s on borrowed time out here!”
“And he’s COLD!” Cain shouted desperately, crossing his bare arms over the apron as Aunt Orla cackled again.
“Hurry up, gal,” Orla called. “If it shrivels and falls off, it won’t be no use to you anymore!” she yelled, her sage wisdom bouncing off the café’s walls.
“Aunt Orla!” Honor hissed, scandalized.
“Well, it won’t,” Orla replied reasonably, propping her chin in her hand as she sedately sipped her coffee.
Longingly gazing at the mug in Orla’s hand for a moment, Zeke turned when the bell over the door rang again. Turning, he watched Abel amble into the café. “And where the hell have you been?” he snapped.
Blinking as he stared around the dining room at the assembled group, Abel’s eyes finally came to rest on his cowering twin. Bursting out into laughter, he ignored the heated glare his brother leveled on him as he pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of his mostly naked brother. “Now, that’s this year’s Christmas card,” he needled his brother, wriggling his eyebrows.
“If I get out of this alive, you are a dead man,” Cain threatened, his dark eyes promising retribution.
“Do us both a favor and get dressed before you try kicking my ass,” Abel advised, straight faced. “You’d hate for Zeke to arrest you for indecent exposure before you got your licks in, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, my goodness,” Faith murmured as she came out of the ladies room, dressed in her jeans and t-shirt once again. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment as every set of eyes in the room turned toward her. “Is the whole family here?” she asked faintly, looking around the room.
“With the exception of Heaven, yes,” Harmony replied, trying not to grin from ear to ear.
“Thank God for small favors,” Honor muttered, narrowing her gaze on Faith but keeping the gun trained on Cain. “Am I shooting him or are you marrying him?” she asked her sister crisply.
Faith’s soft eyes found Cain’s across the room. Even with a gun aimed at his crotch, he was calm as he met her gaze. “Oh, I’m definitely marrying him,” Faith confirmed quietly, smiling at her fiancé.
“Soon?” Honor questioned meaningfully.
“Very soon,” Cain agreed, his heart filling with warmth as Faith beamed at him. “As soon as she says.”
“Christmas,” Faith declared decisively. “You’ll never forget our anniversary and it gives us a month to plan a wedding.”
“Fine,” Honor muttered lowering her gun as the entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“I personally think we should have a Thanksgiving wedding,” Cain countered. “That gives you a solid week to get things in order.”
“A week?” Faith and Honor balked together. Faith’s bright blue eyes widened as she stared at the man she loved. “Are you sure, Cain?”
“We’ve wasted enough time,” Cain replied evenly. “I really don’t wanna waste another day.” He winked at her and caught her smaller body when she hurled herself into his arms.
“Okay, as happy as I am for you two… a week?” Patience worried aloud. “Have you guys thought this through? Cain, you were a doctor in Paradise. Faith, you know three quarters of Paradise. Half the town will expect an invite to this shindig. That means invitations, food, a cake, a dress, a church, a…”
Slapping a hand over Patience’s still moving lips, Abel smiled serenely. “Ignore the pessimist. I’m sure we can get everything done.”
“Please note that was said by the attorney,” Patience griped, yanking Abel’s hand from her mouth and shooting him a look that promised a bloody death if he touched her again. “If a lawyer’s lips are movin’, it’s a sure sign he’s lyin’, Faith,” she warned.
“Oh, c’mon. Where’s your family spirit?” Harmony admonished happily, bouncing on her heels. “The church is going to be fine. One phone call from Honor and the pastor will be putty in our hands. Orla and I can handle the food. You can take Faith over to Nashville for a dress, Patience. Honor, you’ll do the wedding cake, won’t you?”
“Not unless my walk-in cooler gets sanitized in the next eight hours. I’m on strike until then,” Honor huffed, handing the shotgun over into Zeke’s outstretched hand.
“I’ll scrub it myself, Honor,” Cain promised. “Hand to God,” he vowed, holding up his right hand.
“See,” Harmony continued with a smile. “That leaves what? Invitations? We’ll get the printer on it today and Zeke, can’t your deputies help us deliver them?”
“We’ll do whatever we need to do in order to pull this off,” Zeke assured Faith quickly. “If you want a Thanksgiving wedding, that’s what you’ll get.”
“Well?” Cain asked against Faith’s ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and tucking her against him.
“A Thanksgiving wedding sounds perfect,” Faith replied, leaning heavily against him. “It’s fitting. We have a lot to be grateful for.”
“I know we’d all be exceedingly grateful if Cain put on some clothes,” Honor informed the lovebirds dryly. “Now,” she remarked insistently.
“Speak for yourself, Honor,” Aunt Orla interjected with a wink at Cain. “I’m personally enjoying the view. Our Faith is a lucky girl.”
Clearing her throat, Faith smiled at their extended family. “If y’all will just excuse us for a minute, we’ll slip Cain into something a little less comfortable.” Pushing Cain toward the door, Faith made sure she stayed behind him, blocking the view of his very bare ass as they moved into the kitchen. Pushing him back in the cooler, she couldn’t help giggling.
Snatching his jeans off the floor, Cain groaned as he shoved one leg inside the denim. “I swear to God, Faith, I don’t know whose family is crazier. Yours or mine.”
“Mine. It’s definitely mine. You only have one brother. I’ve got three sisters,” she returned with a patient smile, handing him his shirt as he shoved his bare feet back into his boots. “And we’re sort of a package deal. I hope you’re ready for that.”
Looking up as he finished buckling his belt, Cain couldn’t help his smile. “Ready, willing and able. If I can face down your scariest sister, buck naked, while she pointed a loaded gun at me, I think I can handle the rest of the lot, Sweetness. As long as I’ve got you by my side, I can face anything the world throws at me. Now,” he said, holding out his hand, “Let’s go start the rest of our lives with the people we love.”
And as the w
oman he loved slipped her smaller hand in his and led him out of the cooler, Cain realized his salvation had a very apt name.
Faith.
The End
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Wed by Wednesday (Passion in Paradise #4.5) Page 30