R.T. had been sitting with his head bowed, but at her words he looked up quickly, astonishment written on his face. “Are you putting me on?”
“No. That’s why I look this terrible. Zach’s a wonderful man and I’m hurting for him. He’s in a lot of pain.”
“Ah, Rosie…” R.T. lunged for her from the couch. She had no idea his hug could be so powerful. “I know you loved him, but there’s no one like the sarge. No one.”
She hugged him harder because they were both crying. “You’re right, R.T. Nick’s one of a kind. I’ve always been in love with him. I always will be.
“If he’d never come home, Zach and I would have had a marvelous marriage. But Nick did come back, and I want to live with him again. Forever.”
R.T. just hung on to her, weeping. Pretty soon that got Rosie’s tears going again.
“How come you guys are always crying?”
R.T. let go of her and turned to Cody. “We’re just happy.”
Cody scratched his head. “Mom? You’re both acting kind of weird.”
“I know. Why don’t you sit down, honey? I’ve got something important to tell you.”
Immediately alert to the inflection in her voice, he perched himself on the arm of the couch, his expression anxious.
“The thing is, I have a problem only the two of you can help me solve. That’s because your father loves you and R.T. more than anyone in the world.”
“What’s wrong?” By now Cody was starting to look ill.
“Cody? Do you remember the question you asked me early this morning and I told you we’d talk later?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, now I’m ready to answer you.”
“You are?” He sounded scared.
“Zach and I have said goodbye to each other because I really love your father.”
It took a moment for her message to get through. When it did, even she wasn’t prepared for her son’s ear-piercing whoop. Cody practically levitated from the couch and knocked her over in his eagerness to show his joy.
“How come you’re always jumping around and yelling, Cody?” R.T. baited him. That brought an hysterical giggle from Cody.
“Have you told Dad yet?”
“No,” Rosie replied. “That’s what I need to talk to the two of you about. I thought if we put our heads together, we could come up with a plan. Right now he’s in the process of divorcing me.”
“One phone call to your attorney telling him you and Nick are back together again ought to fix that in a big hurry.”
She clasped her hands together. “Therein lies my dilemma, R.T. Nick might not want me back. He’ll think I’m doing it out of pity.”
R.T. didn’t deny it.
“Hey, you guys?” Cody said. “I’ve got an idea. You know that religious ad on TV about the family that kidnaps their dad because he doesn’t spend enough time with them?”
Rosie nodded while R.T. looked blank.
“Well, we could kidnap Dad and you guys could get married again or something. Dad would go for that big time!”
R.T. jumped to his feet. “You know something, Cody? I think you’re on to a great idea. I’ve been thinking about doing something special for Cyn, to let her know how happy she makes me. I even had this idea we’d get married again.”
“A double ceremony?” Rosie interjected.
“A surprise double-wedding ceremony,” R.T. muttered. “One the sarge won’t know about until it happens. I’ll get him to the church on the pretext of coming to my wedding. Then we’ll have the pastor say something like, ‘We’re all gathered here to witness the marriage of R.T. and Cyn, and Nick and Rosie. Will the two couples step forward?”
“He won’t be able to say no, will he?” she cried. “Not when everyone’s there watching and waiting? Not if he loves me.”
R.T. shook his head. “He won’t say no. Trust me on this one, Rosie.”
“I want to trust you. I want to believe it. The thing is, I hate going behind Nick’s back. Maybe I shouldn’t.”
R.T. looked her in the eye. “Has the sarge told you he’s still in love with you?”
Rosie took a deep breath. “He told me he was in love with the Rosie he left behind.”
A smile lit up R.T.’s face. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Go ahead and plan to your heart’s content.”
“You think so?” she almost squealed.
“I know so,” he pronounced firmly.
“Dad told me he wished you were with us on the campout, Mom.”
“Really?”
“He didn’t sleep all night. He just walked around and around. Oh, Mom, you’re going to make him so happy! When’s all this going to happen, anyway? Jeez, why did Dad have to go to Yellowstone in the first place?” he grumbled.
Now Rosie was on her feet as another idea came to mind, an idea so exciting she could hardly stand it. “There’s this little Chapel of the Pines in West Yellowstone. Your father and I commented on how quaint it was when we were up there on our honeymoon.”
“And his parents are already up there with him…” R.T. had immediately picked up on her train of thought.
“That gives us about one week to get everything ready.” If she called old Mr. Ferron and arranged for that little cabin in the forest…
“Can Jeff still come?”
“Of course, darling. Grandma and Grandpa will be happy to take care of you. The four of you can have fun on the dude ranch while R.T. and his wife and your father and I enjoy a short honeymoon.”
In fact, Janet and George are going to be so happy they’ll become the people they used to be—before Nick went missing in action.
“Cody, when your dad calls tonight, you’ve got to act perfectly natural and not give anything away. Remember how smart he is. Nothing ever gets by him.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. This is one time I’ll outsmart him. You can count on me.”
“Sure we can.” R.T. tousled Cody’s hair. “When your dad calls me tonight, I’ll start setting him up.”
Rosie’s gaze swerved to his. “Has he been calling you a lot?”
He gave her a serious look. “We talk every day. Did I ever tell you about this funny thing that happened on the way to the minefield?” Rosie smiled through the tears. “We can’t seem to break the habit.”
“Don’t ever break it!” she murmured fervently. Her love for R.T. was growing deeper and deeper.
“So that means we have to wait a whole week?” Obviously Cody couldn’t comprehend keeping a secret that long.
“Honey, I’ve got a lot of preparation to do so I can go up to West Yellowstone early and get everything ready. I’ll take the car.”
“Jeff’s mom will let me stay with them until we fly up with R.T. I’ll tell Dad he has to call me over at Jeff’s. If he asks to talk to you, I’ll tell him you’re out with Zach.”
At the mention of Zach, she felt another stab of pain. “I think it’ll work. I’ll show up at the airport in the car and tell Nick that it was a last-minute decision on my part to drive up and see R.T. and Cyn get married.”
Cody beamed. “Yeah, and I’ll say that I’m going to be the guy who gives the ring during the ceremony.”
My rings! “That’s right, Cody. You can carry them.”
“Do we have to get dressed up and stuff?”
R.T. answered him. “No. Up until the last second, while he’s sitting in that pew watching the pastor, we have to fool your dad.” A huge smile broke out on his face. A face that was fuller and looked more handsome every day. “The sarge isn’t going to know what hit him!”
“R.T.—” CYN CAME running into the study where he was working “—it’s Nick on the phone,” she whispered. “Can I sit here and listen?”
He pulled his wife onto his lap and kissed her hard. “If you can keep from squealing with excitement, I’ll let you. You think you can do that?”
“I promise I’ll be good. I want this to work as much as you do,” she murmured with tears of happ
iness in her voice.
“Okay. Here goes.”
He picked up the receiver and sat back on the couch with Cyn still curled in his lap. “Hey, Sarge? What’s up?”
“I’ve got Mom busy thinking about how to help me redecorate the chalet in Heber. While she was poring over some Better Homes and Gardens this evening, ten German brown trout sprang for my fly before it even touched the water.”
“Oh, come on.”
“I swear it. Dad’s caught and thrown back at least a dozen fish that were fifteen inches long. He’s waiting for a trophy.”
“Sounds like quite the life! I haven’t been fishing in years.”
There was a pause. “To be honest, I’d rather be doing what you’re doing. It’s been a hell of a long time. You know what I mean?”
Just you wait, Sarge. Just you wait.
“Yeah, I know. Just remember, all good things come to those who wait.”
“I believe that. But seven years?”
R.T. chuckled, then gave his wife a kiss. “Speaking of that particular subject, I was thinking of getting married.”
Silence.
“Run that by me again?”
“You know, Cyn and I taking our vows over. Maybe going on a little honeymoon.” Her hand entwined with his and she kissed it.
“Sounds great. You two ought to be up here, instead of me.” R.T. could hear the despair hidden under Nick’s light tone.
“Are there any churches in the park?”
“I don’t know about that, but there are several in West Yellowstone.”
R.T. squeezed her hand tighter. “Maybe I’ll check it out. When did you say you were going to be there?”
“Barring anything else happening to the Buick, we should arrive there next Saturday morning in time to meet Cody’s plane from Salt Lake.”
“Maybe Cyn and I could fly up with him.”
After a pause, “If you did that, you’d make me a very happy man.”
R.T. sobered. The sarge was in pain. It was bad.
“You’d make me even happier if you’d agree to be my best man.”
“I wouldn’t let you get married without me.”
“If I had known you way back when, I would have asked you to be my best man the first time.”
“Yeah, well, you know what they say. It’s better the second time around. At least it’s going to be for you.”
You’re going to believe it, too, Sarge. And that day can’t come soon enough.
“Well, I’m thinking seriously of looking into it. As your son always says, it would be kind of cool to go on a second honeymoon and then carry my wife over the threshold of our new home in Heber.”
“You’ve got that right.” Nick’s voice sounded like it had come from a great distance. “I say go for it, R.T. Make every second count from here on out.”
That’s exactly what we’re all going to do, Sarge. Just hang on seven more days.
“I guess I’d better sign off. I still have to talk to Cody.”
“Right, Sarge. Over and out till tomorrow.”
“Till tomorrow.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FRIDAY EVENING Nick packed all their fishing gear and suitcases in the trunk. It was only an hour to West Yellowstone from Old Faithful, but he wanted to be sure they were on the road in plenty of time to get to town before the plane arrived.
Much as he adored his parents, he missed Cody and R.T. like crazy. As for Rosie, she was never home at night anymore. In fact, for the past three nights he’d had to phone Cody over at Jeff’s house. The pain of not hearing her voice, of not discussing their son, was getting to be more than he could stand.
Thoughts of her and Zach alone together, planning their life, were ripping him to shreds. Her name never came up in his conversations with Cody, who’d apparently accepted the situation without question.
The sooner he moved to Heber, the better. The sooner he met another woman, the better. Actually he’d met a couple of extremely attractive women who worked at the lodge. They’d be willing, if he’d given them as much as a smile. But he couldn’t even consider it. Neither of them had green eyes and golden hair. Neither of them had a smile like sunshine.
At least for tonight, he had R.T.’s wedding to think about. It was kind of exciting to imagine them renewing their vows. When he thought of those empty years in the bunkers…
Don’t dwell on the past, Armstrong. Don’t look back.
R.T. and Cynthia deserved a special present. Nick couldn’t think of anything better than getting checked in at the dude ranch as fast as possible so he could arrange for that little cabin in the forest. It was the perfect place for their second honeymoon. Maybe they’d find the same joy there that he and Rosie had fourteen years ago.
Since he hadn’t brought a suit and tie with him, he thought he’d buy a Western suit and some cowboy boots for the occasion. Maybe he’d get a matching one for Cody, do R.T. proud.
Speaking of Cody, it was time for their nightly phone call.
It’s Friday night. Rosie and Zach have the weekend ahead of them and no Cody.
Feeling sick, Nick headed for the lodge on a run. Sometimes he just wanted to take off and keep running until he’d left every crucifying thought behind.
He reached his room out of breath, but it wasn’t from exertion. Rosie’d had a stranglehold on his heart since the first time he’d seen her, when she’d cried in terror because he was going to throw a pie in her face.
After he’d hit his target, all he could see was a bewitching smile and jewel-toned green eyes pleading with him to be kind, not to rub the cream in her face. He’d started toward her with another pie, then stopped, unable to move while his heart performed maneuvers he’d never before experienced. That was when it happened. That was when he fell in love with Rosie Gardner.
What if he never got over her?
The terrifying thought drove him to the phone. He needed distraction. He needed his son. It was ten. Their arranged time.
“Hi, Dad.” Cody picked up on the first ring.
“It sounds like you’re as excited as I am about tomorrow.”
“You can say that again. Jeff’s folks said he could stay up there as long as we wanted.”
“That’s great. I was hoping we could do a little fishing, as well as riding.”
“Mr. Taylor bought us some new flies to try.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret, Cody. The fish are biting just about anything that moves.”
“Awesome! I can’t wait!”
“How’s your mom?” I swore I wasn’t going to ask, but I have to know.
“She’s okay.”
“You’re not giving her any more trouble about Zach?”
“No, Dad. I promised you I’d be good.”
Nothing else was forthcoming. What did you expect, Armstrong?
“Dad? You’ll be sure to meet us? Ten-thirty exactly.”
“Yup. I’ll be there.”
“How’s Grandma?”
“Better.”
Mother will be fine until the next time she sees Rosie with Zach. Then the tears and recriminations will start all over again.
“I can’t wait to see you,” Cody said.
“Ditto, son. Until tomorrow.”
“Bye, Dad.”
THE LANTERN had been lit. Rosie looked around the little cabin on Ferron’s Dude Ranch, just outside Yellowstone Park. She felt slightly feverish. Luckily the indoor and outdoor snapshots of their honeymoon trip had helped her recreate that halcyon time, down to the clothes they’d worn, the snacks they’d eaten.
She’d brought Cody’s portable tape player. In order to provide the music they’d listened to, she’d asked Jeff’s older brother, Mike, to tape songs from the early to mid-eighties.
The only thing left was to arrange her hair as she’d worn it at the church on their wedding day.
Her eyes darted to her wedding dress, hanging on a peg. She’d had it cleaned, along with the veil. She couldn’t wait to wear
it again to meet her husband.
There’d been one change in plans since that meeting at R.T.’s a week ago. Rosie would stay out of sight until the wedding.
After she’d discussed everything with the pastor, who was delighted to be a part of this unusual ceremony, it was decided that he would give a small speech first.
Nick would already be up in front at R.T.’s side, as his best man. When the wedding march began, Cynthia would proceed down the aisle, followed by Rosie.
Seeing all of it in her mind, Rosie extinguished the lantern. She slid under the covers of the bed where she’d known rapture with her husband thirteen years ago. Where she would know rapture with him again tomorrow night.
Tomorrow.
There would be two brides, two grooms, one ceremony, two happily married couples.
Please, God. Make it come true.
THE YELLOWSTONE AIRPORT, three miles from the park entrance, was seething with activity. From the observation window inside the lounge Nick could see another plane coming in.
Nick felt again the sensation he’d experienced as he and R.T. approached Hill. The tightness in his gut threatened to cut off his breathing. This isn’t like last time, Armstrong.
He watched the plane touch down. There was precious cargo inside. He expelled a sigh of relief as he saw it swing around and come toward them.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see my grandson!” Nick’s mother exclaimed, leading the way to the door where the passengers would be arriving.
Nick followed with his father at his side, fighting disappointment that the little forest cottage had been taken by another honeymoon couple. But Mr. Ferron had said there was a kind of honeymoon suite at the main ranch house, which he was sure R.T. would like, so Nick reserved it. A bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses stood ready.
“Look at your mom, Nicky. She’s happier than I’ve seen her in a long while. Thanks for taking time to be with us.”
“You don’t have to thank me for something I wanted to do, Dad. I love you both.” He gave his father’s shoulder a squeeze, then turned to watch the incoming passengers.
As soon as Cody and Jeff burst through the door there was mayhem. R.T. and Cynthia were right behind them. For the next few minutes, everybody hugged everybody. The reunion with loved ones warmed Nick’s heart. Only one person was missing, one person who could have turned the occasion to the greatest joy.
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