by Rachel Hanna
Just the mention of Clark made her tense up. She wanted to make him think she’d moved on and that he hadn’t gotten the best of her. Anything was better than that.
“I can do it. Can you?”
“I told you. I’m a great actor,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling.
“Great.”
“I’ll pick you up at six?”
“Five. I have to be at the church early. I am the maid of honor, remember,” she said with a slight smile as she turned for the door.
“Right. I’ll see you then.”
Samantha turned back around. “Oh, and make sure to look good. I wouldn’t get engaged to a slob,” she said with a wink.
“I’m so nervous!” Katie said as she sat at her small white vanity. She’d chosen to get ready at home, but she would put her wedding dress on in the bridal room at the church.
“Don’t be! You’re marrying your Prince Charming,” Samantha said as she put her arms around her sister from behind and looked in the mirror. “Mom would be so proud of you, Katie.”
Katie’s eyes welled with tears. “I miss her so much, especially today. And Daddy. I wish…”
“I know.”
“But you’re here,” she said, pulling her sister’s arms tighter around her. “And it means the world.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be anywhere else. You know that,” Samantha said. “Now, dry those eyes because I’m not sure your mascara is waterproof.”
Katie went back to working on her makeup. “Listen out for the door because the girls should be here soon.”
Samantha nodded and walked to the kitchen for a drink of water. She knew what “the girls” meant. Katie had three bridesmaids in addition to her, and one was Monica. She wasn’t ready to spend the afternoon with that woman.
“Knock knock!” she heard as Monica let herself in, trailed by the other two very nice woman whose names Samantha couldn’t remember to save her life. “Oh. Samantha. Hello.” It was clear that Monica didn’t like her either.
“Howdy,” Samantha said, for reasons she couldn’t understand.
“I assume Katie’s back there?”
“Yep.”
Monica looked at her for a moment and then walked down the hallway. Much to her chagrin, Samantha was forced to follow her since she was the maid of honor and couldn’t just run screaming into the forest behind the house.
“Aw, you look simply stunning!” Monica said, her own makeup rivaling that of a drag queen, Samantha thought to herself. A giggle escaped her lips.
“Sammy, do I not look good?” Katie asked, peering around Monica’s waist.
“Oh, of course you look beautiful! I was just thinking about something else. I wasn’t laughing at you.”
Katie watched her for a few seconds longer before leaning back.
“Maybe let’s add just a touch of highlights right here,” Monica said, itching to take over Katie’s makeup process.
“Oooh, yes, that looks wonderful!” one of the other women said. They all giggled and cooed like teenagers in front of the mirror, and Samantha had to admit she was feeling a bit left out. She’d never fit in with other girls, sometimes even her own sister. Although she liked fashion - the expensive kind - she wasn’t someone who was into makeup or hair. She only got hers done because she needed to look a certain way in her line of work. At home, she was more a yoga pants and t-shirt kind of woman.
But this was her sister’s big day, and she was going to start her acting debut right now if it killed her. So she joined in the oohing and ahhhing and smiled her biggest toothy grin until it was time to go to the church.
As Tucker drove down the dirt driveway, he thought about the night ahead of him. How was he supposed to pretend to be in love with a woman who seemed to dislike him with every fiber of her being? High school thespian or not, he wasn’t sure why he was doing this. He could easily turn around, go back home and watch mindless westerns on TV. But he wouldn’t because that wasn’t the kind of man he was.
He was loyal, always to a fault, and not always to the right people. Even if she was almost a stranger to him, he’d made a commitment, and he was going to keep it. But as soon as he pulled up and saw Clark getting out of his car, he felt like turning around again. He didn’t like that guy. Not one bit.
“Hey,” Clark said as he straightened his black tux and locked his door with the remote.
“Hey.” Tucker climbed out of his truck and reached for his tuxedo jacket hanging on a hook in the rear seat.
“Here to pick up Sam, I guess?”
Tucker put on his jacket and looked at Clark. “Of course. I wouldn’t let my fiancee hitch a ride to the service, would I?”
The two men walked toward the door. “So how long have you two been together?” Clark asked, his curiosity getting the better of him apparently.
“Long enough,” Tucker said before knocking on the door.
The tension between them was palpable, and honestly he didn’t know why he disliked Clark so much. Maybe it was his scrawny body shape or his weasel-like little eyes or his high pitched, irritating voice that didn’t seem to make it all the way through puberty. Or maybe Tucker was imagining that he was quite that bad.
“Hey, sweetie,” Monica said as she opened the door and basically fell into Clark’s arms. The whole thing was a bit much, in Tucker’s opinion. It was like they were putting on a show.
But he himself was about to put on a show as well.
And when he saw Samantha approaching the foyer, his heart literally skipped a beat. Wearing a pale pink gown that revealed one shoulder, she looked beautiful. And this whole thing suddenly felt a lot harder.
“Wow. You look stunning, Sam,” he said to his own amazement. Right now, she wasn’t the woman he’d been sparring with for days. She was a gorgeous maid of honor, and his pretend fiancee.
She almost seemed to blush a bit and smiled. Tucker was very aware at the strange way Clark and Monica were actually watching them, as if they were wondering when one of them would slip up.
Tucker leaned in and kissed Sam on the cheek quickly. “Guess we’d better go?”
“Yes. Katie is riding with one of the other bridesmaids, so we’ll just meet her there.”
Tucker took her hand and helped her down the wooden stairs toward the truck.
“Do you think they bought it?” she whispered under her breath.
“I don’t know. But we definitely have a long night ahead of us.”
Katie stood in front of the mirror and smoothed out her dress. It was just her and Samantha for a few moments.
“I saw him kiss you,” she said quietly.
“On the cheek. No big deal.”
“Oh please. You’re enjoying this,” Katie said with a giggle.
“No, I most definitely am not enjoying this.”
“Pretty soon, maybe you’ll be standing here in a white gown of your own.”
“Only if they admit me to the mental hospital after this whole fiasco is over.”
Katie sighed. “I hope you at least try to enjoy the wedding.”
“Oh, sis, I’m looking forward to watching you and Rick take your vows. I don’t want this to be about me and my stupid lie. If you want, I’ll walk out there and tell Clark the truth right now. In fact, that’s what I’m going to…”
“No. You’re not doing that!” Katie said, grabbing her arm.
“Why? It’s going to come out anyway at some point when I don’t actually get married. Better to rip the bandage off now.”
Katie touched her sister’s cheek. “I want to see my sister have a fantastic night with a handsome man, even if he is her pretend fiancé. Okay?”
“I shouldn’t care what Clark and Monica think.”
“But you do. You’re human, Samantha Ryan, even if you don’t want the world to believe it. Just have fun tonight. Let loose. Be open to possibilities.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “You’re really a hopeless romantic, aren’t you?”
&nbs
p; “Hey, I didn’t get into this wedding dress without being a hopeless romantic,” she said with a laugh.
“Katie? We’re almost ready for the ceremony to start.” The wedding planner, Elouise, poked her head into the bridal room. She was almost as old as the hills and as round as the bales of hay in the field behind the church, but she was a dang good wedding planner that kept things moving right along.
“Ooohhh this is it,” Katie said to her sister, rubbing her hands together. “I can’t wait to be Rick’s wife!”
The look of excitement on her face was something Samantha longed for. She wanted a man to come home to after a long day. She wanted a soft place to fall. She wanted someone who would wrap her up in his arms and shield her from the world. And she didn’t want anyone to know that because to be that vulnerable felt dangerous to her.
“Ready?” Samantha asked. Katie nodded quickly, a huge grin on her face.
“Let’s do this!”
The wedding had been beautiful and had gone off without a hitch. Samantha was thrilled for her sister, but her anxiety was growing the more she thought about the reception. How was she going to spend all that time with Tucker without Clark catching on to her ruse?
“Hey there,” Tucker said when he found her outside of the church. She was busy taking pictures with the rest of the bridal party and some of Rick’s family.
“Hey. Sorry for the wait. We should be done here in a few minutes.”
“No problem. I’ll meet you by the tree over there.”
Samantha nodded and couldn’t help but smile. He really wasn’t all that bad tonight. In fact, he was kind of nice.
“I see your fiancé is waiting for you over there,” Katie whispered as she joined Samantha while she waited for Rick’s side of the family to get some photos.
“Funny.”
“He really looks handsome tonight.”
“Don’t you already have a husband?” Sam said with a chuckle.
“I won’t rest until my wonderful sister has one too,” Katie said grinning and then trotted away.
Samantha had a feeling she was being very serious.
When pictures were done, it was time to join the rest of the guests at the reception in the ballroom next door. Samantha made her way to find Tucker at the tree, and he was still there leaning against the rough bark, staring at the church with a far away look in his eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh nothing. I just love old churches like this. So much history, ya know?” he said as they started to walk.
“Yeah, it’s nice.”
“Don’t you ever look at something like that and think about all of the church services and weddings and funerals that have been held in a building like that?”
“Not really,” she said with a laugh.
“All of the tears that have been cried, both joyful ones and sorrowful ones…”
“You’re an emotional guy, aren’t you?”
“Not really. But I’m not afraid of it either.”
“Was that a dig? Already?” she asked, looking at him.
Tucker stopped. “No. It wasn’t a dig. Tonight, you’re my beautiful, loving fiancee, and that’s it. Tomorrow, I’ll be sure to throw some digs your way, though. I don’t want you getting spoiled.”
Samantha had to laugh at that. “Deal.”
“Now, take my arm and smile as we walk into the reception because your ex is staring at us from the doorway,” Tucker said through gritted teeth with a smile plastered on his face.
“Thanks,” she whispered as she slid her arm through his and smiled, pushing past Clark as they arrived at the reception.
The sound of the music was almost deafening. Samantha sat at her assigned table with the other bridal party and their dates. Tucker sat beside her, his leg pressed against hers. It both bothered her and made her feel safe. She didn’t like that at all. If there was one thing Samantha was proud of about herself, it was that she didn’t need anyone else.
But she did.
“This steak is perfectly cooked, Katie. Who catered this?” Monica asked. This chick was always full of questions.
“Dolman’s. They gave us an amazing deal.”
“We’ll have to get a quote from them for our wedding,” Monica responded, smiling adoringly at Clark before shooting a quick glance at Samantha.
“Not us. We’re going with a caterer in Atlanta. They do an amazing seafood spread. Right, sweetie?” Tucker said unexpectedly. He reached over and squeezed her hand.
“Right. Great lobster.”
“Lobster? Isn’t that a little pricey for a wedding? Or are you having a small event?” Monica asked, her bottom lip poked out a bit as if she was pitying them.
“Oh no. We’re having a huge blowout with all of my friends, and of course Samantha’s friends and clients from the city. We’re thinking four hundred people, minimum.”
Clark and Monica’s eyes popped open, and Samantha struggled not to laugh. Tucker was quick on his feet, she’d give him that much.
“Four hundred people?”
“Well, Samantha is a very popular attorney in Atlanta. But you know that already, Clark, right?”
Katie looked at her sister, her lips stitched together to stop her from laughing. Rick looked completely lost at first, but Katie leaned over to fill him in.
“Sure. Samantha has always been highly regarded in her field,” Clark said begrudgingly.
Monica looked deflated and went back to eating her meal. Samantha honestly didn’t know what her sister saw in this woman.
“So, where did you guys meet exactly?” Monica asked, directing her question at Samantha. Now it was her turn to make up some kind of believable story.
“Well, I came up to visit Katie last year, and Tucker was here…”
“That can’t be right. Tucker just moved here a few weeks ago. And why does he live here and you live in Atlanta?” Clark asked.
Dang it. She’d totally forgotten that Tucker hadn’t been living in Whiskey Ridge all that long.
“I was up here visiting. I love to camp in this area, and Samantha ran into me at the coffee shop. Sparks flew, so to speak.”
“And why the long distance romance?” Monica prodded.
“You know, this is Katie and Rick’s night. Why are we focusing on us?” Samantha interjected.
“You’re right. We’re sorry, Katie and Rick,” Clark said, keeping his eyes firmly on Samantha while he spoke. He knew something wasn’t right.
“It’s okay! We just want to thank everyone for helping so much with the wedding…” Katie said. Her voice trailed off in a muffled sound as Samantha’s mind wandered. How was she going to get herself out of this mess?
It was only one night. Tomorrow, Clark would crawl off to wherever he lived now, and she’d only have Monica to deal with. Ugh. Monica wasn’t going anywhere, and she’d surely report back to Clark. She had a whole month to dodge this woman while she would be housesitting for the newlyweds.
Suddenly, she felt Tucker take her hand. Not in a forceful way, just a light touch to let her know he was there. She smiled appreciatively at him before turning back to the table.
“So, when’s the big day?” Monica asked, turning her attention back to Samantha.
“Everyday is a big day with this wonderful woman of mine. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t been snatched up by some other smart guy, but man is it my good fortune to have found her,” Tucker said, leaning in and softly kissing the side of her neck.
Oh man, this was bad.
Chapter 7
“May I have this dance?” Tucker asked when the first slow song came on after the bride and groom’s first dance. Samantha was thankful to have a reason to get up from the table and out of the line of fire.
Of course, Clark and Monica were hot on their heels, following them to the dance floor and standing so close that Samantha could practically touch them.
Tucker pulled her into an embrace, his arms around her waist. “How am I doin
g?” he whispered into her ear. Dang, he smelled good.
“I have to say that you’re quite the thespian, Doctor Ellison.” And he was quite a dancer too, it turned out.
“We almost got into some hot water over there, huh?”
“Yeah. I totally forgot you just moved here.”
“Sorry about the kiss on the neck. I was just trying to…”
“I know. It’s fine. I mean, we have to convince them, right?”
Tucker looked away and then back at her. “I don’t get why they’re so focused on us anyway? I mean, why do they care?”
“Clark has always been a bit controlling. Maybe he thought coming here was one upping me. He always hated my line of work, and the fact that I made more money than him.”
“Ya know, you might need to come a little closer because right now we look like two eighth graders at a dance,” Tucker said with a laugh.
Samantha stepped closer until they were touching as he pulled her even closer. It felt nice to be so close to a man again. And terrifying.
Without thinking - she blamed it on the romantic music - she pressed her cheek against his strong chest. And then she felt him wrap his arms around her tighter, one hand cradling the side of her head for a moment before trailing softly down her back. What was happening?
But she couldn’t help it. Something just felt right in the moment. She needed to be close to him, and she didn’t know why. It was all so confusing. This wasn’t real. He was just acting, and he was a very good actor. She was just acting too. Wasn’t she?
All she knew was that she wanted to stay here like this for another few hours, and that couldn’t be good. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
Tucker swayed to the music, holding her tightly in his arms. Why was he doing this? Why did he care what her ex thought? Why did he want to hold her so tight that no one could find the separation between them?
This wasn’t good for him. The divorce had left him shell shocked for so long, and he was only just now getting on his feet again. There had been days he didn’t want to get out of bed. He’d felt like such a failure.