“I meant, is it okay with you?”
“Oh. Of course.”
He tipped her chin up. “I’ve missed you.”
“You have?”
“Yes, I have,” he confirmed.
“I missed you, too,” she admitted.
He smiled at that. “Did Santa bring you everything you wanted for Christmas?”
Everything she wanted was standing right in front of her, but she didn’t know how Trey would respond to that kind of declaration. Instead she said, “I don’t know yet—we’re opening gifts in the front room now.”
“Then I’m just in time,” he said, holding up the bag of gifts he carried.
Kayla led him into the family room where a fire crackled in the hearth and the lights were lit on an enormous tree beneath which was a small mountain of presents. After greetings and holiday wishes were exchanged all around, Derek began to distribute gifts.
The mountain had been cut down to a moderate hill when her brother passed a heavy square box to her.
Kayla frowned at the tag. “It doesn’t say who it’s from.”
Her family looked from one to the other, all of them shaking their heads. Trey did the same when the attention shifted in his direction.
“It doesn’t matter who it’s from,” Kristen said. “It has your name on it.”
So she undid the bow and tore open the paper, but the plain cardboard gave no hint as to its contents. She lifted the lid and found a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like moonshine, beneath which was a note in spidery handwriting.
“What does it say?” Rita asked.
She started to read aloud:
“Dear Ms. Rust Creek Ramblings,
“It didn’t take people long to figure out that the wedding punch was doctored but no one knows who did it...or why. Now that you and Trey are together again, I’ll fill you in on the story.
“What I saw on the Fourtth of July was more than just a happy couple ready to embark on a life together. I saw a lot of lonely people who needed a little push toward their own happiness. Or maybe more than a little push. Jordyn Leigh Cates, Levi Wyatt, Lani Dalton, Brad Crawford, your sister...and you. All of you sampled Homer Gilmore’s Wedding Moonshine—and look at everyone now!
“My work is done. Sincerely, HG”
Kayla was stunned—and already thinking that this confession would make the perfect topic of her next column.
“Homer Gilmore?” Kristen said skeptically. “He doesn’t strike me as the romantic type.”
“Forget Homer Gilmore,” Rita said. “The old coot’s clearly off his rocker to think, for even a minute, that Kayla is the Rust Creek Rambler.”
“Actually, that’s something I need to talk to you all about,” Kayla said, her gaze hesitantly shifting around the room from one family member to the next, briefly—and apologetically—encompassing them all.
Everyone was silent for a moment, stunned by the news that sweet, shy Kayla was the source of Rust Creek Falls’s juiciest gossip.
Derek recovered his voice first. “Are you saying it’s true?” he demanded.
“It’s true,” she admitted.
“You’ve been writing gossip for the paper about our friends?” her father asked, his voice heavy with disapproval.
“Not just our friends but our family,” Kristen noted. “You wrote about me! And Jonah and Vanessa, too!”
“None of it was malicious or untrue,” Kayla said defensively.
“Which just goes to prove that people aren’t always what they seem,” Derek said, looking pointedly from his sister to his high school pal.
“There’s something written on the back,” Trey noted, trying to deflect attention away from Kayla’s revelation and back to Homer’s confession.
She turned the page over.
“PS—It was Boyd Sullivan’s idea to ‘lose’ the farm to Brad Crawford. His broken heart just couldn’t mend here in Rust Creek Falls. Since he left, he’s been living in upstate New York and may have found love again. I’ll never regret buying him that train ticket.”
“I still can’t believe Homer Gilmore could mastermind such a plan,” Rita said.
“I still can’t believe our daughter is the Rust Creek Rambler,” Charles grumbled.
“There’s something else in the box,” Kayla noted, lifting out a handful of ring boxes and a stack of extra marriage licenses with another note attached. I didn’t get to use them all—maybe one will come in handy for you someday.
“I guess that answers the question of how Will and Jordyn Leigh were able to get married so easily,” Eli noted.
“I guess I should be grateful that I didn’t drink any of that punch,” Derek muttered.
“If you had, and if you’d actually met someone, you might be a little less cranky,” Kristen pointed out.
“There are still presents to be opened,” Rita noted, eager to defuse the argument she could sense brewing between her children.
Derek resumed handing out gifts.
“I have one for Kayla,” Trey said, then slipped back into the foyer. When he returned, he was carrying an enormous fluffy white teddy bear with a Santa hat on its head.
“It’s adorable,” Kayla said, hugging the bear to her chest. Then she hugged Trey. “Thank you.”
“I think he was expecting a yes or no rather than thank you,” Kristen said.
In response to Kayla’s blank look, she pointed to the stocking that the bear held between its paws.
On the stocking was embroidered the words “Will you marry me?”
Kayla’s breath caught in her throat. She looked from the bear to Trey, who dropped to one knee beside her.
“I promised to give you some time, so that you could be sure—and know that I was sure. And I am. I love you, and what I most want for Christmas is to be your husband and a father to our baby.” He reached into the stocking that the bear was holding and pulled out a small box, then flipped open the lid to reveal a gorgeous vintage engagement ring. “So I’m asking now, Kayla Dalton, will you marry me?”
She was glad she was already sitting down, because her knees had turned to jelly. When they were in Kalispell together, it had been easy to disregard his impulsive proposal because she knew he was trying to do the right thing. The fact that he’d chosen to ask her again, putting his heart on the line not just in front of her but her whole family, too, made her realize that his motivation might be a little more complicated than she’d assumed.
What did she need to believe his feelings for her were real? Only this—exactly this.
“Yes, Trey Strickland, I will marry you.”
He fumbled a little as he pulled the ring from the box. “I’m not nervous about marrying you,” he said, his voice lowered so that only she could hear. “I’m just feeling a little nervous about doing this in front of your whole family.”
“So why did you?”
“Because I wanted to prove to you that it wasn’t an impulse or an obligation. And because I thought putting a ring on your finger would increase my chances of getting out of here without my backside full of buckshot.”
“I can see why you’d be concerned,” she told him. “It’s a really nice backside.”
His brows lifted. “You think so?” He finally slid the ring on her finger and then leaned forward to kiss her softly.
Kayla almost forgot they were in a room filled with her family until everyone applauded. Trey must have, too, because he eased back and smiled sheepishly.
“Now we need to set a date for the wedding,” Rita said. “And I think the sooner, the better.”
“I agree,” Trey said. “In fact, I was thinking today would be perfect.”
“Today?” Kayla echoed. “We can’t get married today.”
“Why
not?”
“Because there’s paperwork that needs to be filed and—”
“The paperwork’s done,” he told her. “My grandfather suggested I take care of the administrative details so that we could have a Christmas wedding.”
“You’re serious,” she realized. “You want to get married today.”
“I don’t want to wait another minute to make you my wife.”
“I love the idea,” she admitted. “But we need more than a license to make it happen.”
“The minister is just waiting for our call.”
“But... I don’t even have a dress.”
“I do,” Kristen interjected.
“You just happen to have a wedding dress hanging in your closet?” Kayla asked skeptically, because she knew the gown her sister had ordered for her own wedding wouldn’t be ready for several weeks and wouldn’t fit Kayla even if she did have it.
“The theater was getting rid of some costumes, including a vintage wedding dress, so I brought it home, certain it could be put to good use one day,” Kristen explained.
Kayla laid a hand on her swollen tummy. “I can’t imagine anything designed for the stage would fit me in this condition.”
“It has an empire waist and a full skirt,” Kristen said.
Still, she hesitated.
“You should at least try it,” her mother suggested.
“What do you think?” she asked Trey.
“I think you’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever, no matter what you’re wearing.”
She glanced down at the simple green tunic-style top that she had on over black leggings. “Well, I’d rather not be wearing this,” she admitted.
Kristen took her hand and tugged her to her feet. “Let’s go upstairs so you can try it on,” she urged.
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to call my grandparents to invite them to the wedding.”
“Then I guess you’d better call the minister, too,” Kayla said.
“I will,” he promised.
* * *
Trey made the necessary phone calls, then went in search of his high school friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law. He found Derek brooding in the corner, a long-necked bottle in his hand and a dark expression on his face.
“You’re pissed,” Trey realized.
“Did you expect me to be thrilled to learn that my buddy knocked up my little sister?” Derek challenged.
Trey winced. “It really wasn’t like that.”
“You weren’t drunk on Homer Gilmore’s moonshine when you seduced her?”
“The wedding punch might have been a factor,” he acknowledged. “But I don’t regret what happened, because I love your sister and I’m looking forward to building a life and a family with her.”
“You always did have a way with words—and with the ladies,” Derek sneered.
“We both did,” Trey reminded his friend. “And if you remember that, you should also remember that when I make a commitment, I honor it. I could tell you that, from this day forward, there will be no one for me but Kayla. The truth is, there hasn’t been anyone for me but Kayla since that night we spent together in July.”
“The fact you spent that night with her still makes me want to take you out to the barn to go a few rounds,” Kayla’s brother warned. “The only reason I’m restraining myself is that I know my sister wouldn’t forgive me if I was the reason her groom was sporting a black eye on their wedding day.”
“I appreciate your restraint,” Trey said. “And I’d appreciate it even more if you stood beside me as my best man when I marry her.”
Derek considered the offer for a long moment before he finally nodded. “I could do that.”
Trey offered his hand. “I’m going to do everything I can to make Kayla happy—to be a good husband to her and a good father to our baby.”
“I know you will,” his friend agreed grudgingly. “Because if you don’t, you’ll answer to me.”
* * *
“I can’t believe the theater was going to throw this away,” Kayla said, trailing a hand down the lace sleeve of the dress her sister presented to her.
“Lots of costumes and limited storage space,” Kristen said matter-of-factly.
“But this is...beautiful.”
“It is,” her sister agreed. “And it will look even more beautiful on you.”
“I’m feeling a little guilty.”
“Why?”
“Because you got engaged first but I’m getting married first.”
“Actually, I’m happy it turned out this way,” Kristen said. “Because after you’re married and your baby is born, there will be no distractions from my big day.”
Kayla chuckled. “Absolutely not,” she promised.
With her sister’s help, she stripped down and slipped into the vintage gown.
“Maybe it wasn’t just a lack of storage space,” Kristen allowed, as she worked on fastening the dozens of tiny buttons that ran down the back of the dress. “It could be that this dress isn’t exactly conducive to quick costume changes.”
But at last she finished, then turned Kayla around to face her. “Oh, it’s perfect.” Kristen’s eyes misted. “You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
“You think it’s okay that I’m wearing white?”
“I think a bride should wear whatever she wants on her wedding day, but it’s actually off-white, so you don’t need to worry about anyone wagging a finger in your direction.”
“No, it’s more likely tongues will be wagging.”
“The joys of living in a small town,” her sister reminded her. “But at least you’ve mostly flown under the radar of the Rust Creek Rambler for the past few years.”
“Not entirely, though,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, there were occasional—and completely forgettable mentions—just enough to ensure that no one ever suspected you were the author of the column.”
“I protected you, too,” she pointed out.
“Which is probably why people did suspect me.”
“I guess I didn’t think that one through very well,” she apologized, as she pinned her hair into a twist at the back of her head.
“It didn’t bother me,” Kristen assured her. Then, “You need earrings.”
“You’re right.” Kayla lifted the lid of her jewelry box and selected the sparkly teardrops that had belonged to their grandmother.
“I thought you lost one of those.”
“I did,” she admitted. “In Trey’s bed.”
Her sister’s brows lifted. “It’s a good thing he found it before his grandmother did.”
“No kidding,” she agreed.
“When did you get it back?”
“Just a few days ago. He said he’d been carrying it with him since that morning, waiting for the right time to return it to me.”
Kristen laid a hand on her heart and sighed dramatically. “Just like Prince Charming with the glass slipper.”
Kayla felt her cheeks flush. “I don’t know if it was just like that, but it was pretty romantic.”
There was a tap of knuckles on the door, then Rita peeked her head into her daughter’s room. “Everyone is here so anytime— Oh, Kayla.” Her mother’s eyes filled with tears. “You look so beautiful.” She drew in a breath and blinked away the moisture. “But you don’t have any flowers.”
“I didn’t expect to even have a dress,” she reminded her mother. “I’m not too worried about the flowers.”
“But it’s your wedding day. It should be perfect.”
“I’m marrying the man I love—it already is perfect.”
“You’re right,” Rita agreed. “And speaking of men, your father would like to give you away.”
<
br /> “I know—he tried to do that the day he found out about my pregnancy.”
Her mother flushed.
Kayla touched a hand to her arm. “I’m kidding, Mom. I would very much like to have Dad walk me down the aisle.”
“Actually, it’s going to be the hall, not an aisle,” Kristen pointed out.
“I’ll go get him,” Rita said, and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
“Are you nervous?” Kristen asked.
Kayla shook her head. “Excited. Although I’m still not convinced this isn’t all a dream.”
“It is a dream,” Kristen said. “It’s your dream come true. Don’t question it—just enjoy it.”
“I’ve been in love with Trey since I was twelve years old.”
“I know.”
“I never thought he’d even notice me, never mind love me back.”
“Well, he did and he does,” her sister told her. “And right now, he’s waiting downstairs to marry you.”
* * *
Trey shifted from one foot to the other as he waited for Kayla to appear. His grandmother had positioned him in front of the Christmas tree—insisting it would be the best backdrop for pictures—and Derek stood beside him. The minister was there, too, smiling and chatting with guests, assuring them that it wasn’t an imposition but a pleasure to be called out to perform a surprise wedding ceremony, even on Christmas Day.
Trey had been in agreement with the plan—the idea of a small family wedding suited him perfectly. But apparently it wasn’t going to be as small as he’d anticipated. Not only had his grandparents picked up the minister on their way to the Circle D, they’d also brought Claire, Levi, Bekka, Hadley and Tessa. And while Kayla was doing whatever she was doing upstairs to get ready for the wedding, the mother of the bride had been busy on the phone, because before the bride descended the stairs again, the living room was practically bursting at the seams with people.
There were Kayla’s siblings, of course. Jonah and his wife, Vanessa, Kristen’s fiancé, Ryan Roarke, and Eli and Derek. Her aunt and uncle, Mary and Ben Dalton were also there, along with their unmarried children—Anderson, Travis and Lindsay. Also in attendance were Caleb and Mallory Dalton with their adopted daughter, Lily; Paige and Sutter Traub with their son, Carter; and Lani Dalton and Russ Campbell.
Merry Christmas, Baby Maverick! Page 18