The Wedding Rescue

by Dianne Castell

  Charity glared. “And how would you know about such things, baby sister?”

  “Common knowledge. Men don’t go to bachelor parties to knit. And I am no baby in spite of what you-all think.”

  Charity stood. “It’s not going to be like that.” She smiled reassuringly at Savannah. “Everything will be fine. We could have gone to Lexington to see the Chip-n-Dales, but none of you seemed interested.”

  Patience slid off the bar stool and grinned like a cat who’d just discovered cheese. “Speak for yourself. I was interested, plenty interested. You are just a bunch of stick-in-the-muds.”

  Charity paced from one end of the kitchen to the other. She wrung her hands and swiped perspiration from her brow. What if Tanner was successful and Nathan did call off the wedding? It wouldn’t be because he didn’t love Savannah; it would be because Tanner was sticking his Alaskan nose where it didn’t belong. She paced faster and wrung her hands again until Savannah stood in front of her, stopping Charity midstep.

  She gave Charity a hard look. “What in the world is wrong with you? You said there was nothing going on at this bachelor party but you’re fretting about like some caged lion. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Spill it, Charity. I know you and you’re a terrible liar.”

  Actually, she’d been getting better at it.

  Mama said to Charity, “If Tanner’s still up to what I think he’s up to, you should tell Savannah. It is her life, her marriage.”

  Savannah’s eyes rounded to the size of golf balls. “Okay, that’s it. What’s Tanner going to do? I have a right to know if everyone else does.”

  Charity sucked in a deep breath. She didn’t want to rat out Tanner, but she’d had no success in squelching his stupid quest to break up the engagement. Time to call in reinforcements.

  She turned to Savannah. “Tanner thinks you and Nathan aren’t a good match. That Nathan’s just besotted with you and hasn’t really thought about what he’s doing and he needs to experience more women before jumping into marriage. And that you’ll get bored with Nathan in no time and be off to L.A. or—”

  “I’ll kill Tanner Davenport with my bare hands!” Savannah snatched Patience’s book off her lap. “I’ll beat him to a pulp with—” she read the spine “—Life History of the Arachnid for interfering in my life. I’ll make him wish he was an arachnid. I thought we were friends!”

  “You are. That’s the trouble. He thinks you’re too much like him to be a good match for Nathan.” Charity took the book from Savannah. “Calm down. There’s nothing to say that the strippers and near-naked women jumping out of cakes will sway Nathan or even tempt him and—”

  “What?” Savannah snagged the book from Charity. “There are naked women at this…this party?”

  Charity shrugged. “I don’t know if they’re all-the-way naked or just a little naked.”

  “Where’s another book?” Savannah scanned the room. “This is a two-book job.”

  Mama stood and smoothed back her perfect hair. “Well, I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I don’t like my man peering at other woman.”

  Charity exchanged looks with Patience and Savannah. Together they said, “My man?”

  Mama looked unruffled. “I think it’s time the MacKay women put an end to this little party.”

  Savannah charged for the front door with Mama behind her. Patience turned to Charity. “We better go. When Savannah finds Tanner there will be bloodshed. We might have to save him.”

  Charity shrugged and winked at Patience. “Or not. Tanner Davenport got himself into this. He can darn well reap the rewards.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Charity pulled the old station wagon around the side of the Finish Line to the back party room. She, Patience, Mama and Savannah, still toting the bug book, got out. Mama said, “Well, the music’s sure loud enough. They’re all going to be deaf as stones before the night’s over.” She went up on the porch, cupped her hands together at the window and peeked inside. “It’s packed in there. Some shindig.”

  Savannah looked in the next window. “I see Sally Baine prancing around shaking her wares. Always wondered if everything she had was real.”

  Charity put her face to the window. “Guess what, it’s real, all right. Don’t see Nathan or Tanner or Puck. Isn’t that Sheriff Woods in a hula skirt doing the limbo? And Patience standing on a table?”

  Charity took her face from the window and looked around. “How the heck did Patience get in there so fast?”

  Mama and Savannah pulled back from the windows they’d been peering through and heard Patience suddenly yell over the din, “Heads up. Anybody seen Tanner Davenport?”

  Sally yelled back, “He and Nathan and Puck left. Said we could all stay because everything was paid for.” Sally jumped up on a table and did a shimmy and laughed. “They sure are missing one heck of a party.”

  Patience slid from the table and joined the rest of the MacKay clan outside. “Guess you heard. So, now what? The Three Musketeers aren’t here?”

  Charity growled, “Or maybe they just took select female guests and moved the party somewhere else.”

  Savannah scowled. “Somewhere more private. Let’s go ask in the diner. Maybe someone saw the scalawags take off and knows where they’re headed.”

  She led the way to the main entrance of the Finish Line. As they entered, she stopped in the doorway and pointed, arm extended to the bar. “There they are.”

  Nate, Tanner and Puck sat on bar stools, their backs to the entrance—blue Oxford shirt, flannel shirt, denim shirt. Perfectly neat haircut, needed a haircut, not much hair to cut. The three of them were drinking beer and watching a basketball game on the TV over the bar.

  “Tanner Davenport,” Charity yelled over the din.

  “You no-good rotten scoundrel,” Savannah added as she tossed her hair. “What do you think you’re doing trying to break up my wedding and lead my fiancé astray.”

  The diner was filled with patrons and every one of them went dead quiet as the three men turned and faced the three women. The patrons stared. Tanner opened his mouth, then shut it. “Uh…”

  Charity went up to the stool he was sitting on and brought her face to within an inch of his. “Where are the hootchie-cootchie girls you hired to woo Nathan?”

  Tanner shrugged. “There aren’t any girls.”

  “Like heck. You said you were going to get girls, show Nathan a good time and break up his engagement. So where are they, huh? Where do you have them stashed? Some hotel room for after-the-game fun for you and Nathan and Puck?”

  Before Tanner replied, Nathan asked, “What’s this about breaking up our wedding? That’s crazy. Tanner wouldn’t do that.” He looked Tanner in the eye. “Would you?”

  TANNER STROKED HIS JAW. He was obviously not Mr. Wonderful in anyone’s book right now. He said to Charity in a stage whisper, “Thought you were behind me on this? Thought we were partners.”

  She gave him a slitty-eyed look. “I was just pretending. So I could find out what you were up to and try to stop you before you succeeded.”

  His eyes opened wide. “You lied?”

  “Maybe a little. White lies, to save Savannah’s marriage.”

  “That’s the way these MacKay girls are,” came Billy Ray’s voice from across the room. He glanced down at his brother and smirked. “Those women stick together like glue. ’Course you can keep Savannah there in line by showing her the back of your hand once in a while.”

  Nathan spun around and faced Billy Ray. “You hurt my Savannah?”

  Tanner caught a flash of angry fire in Nate’s eyes before his brother lunged across the room, grabbed Billy by the shirt and decked him, sending him ass-over-appetite across the table. Dang, didn’t know Nate had it in him. Tanner came up behind Nate—backup was always a good idea in these situations—until Nate ducked and Billy Ray’s fist connected with Tanner’s jaw, landing him on the floor.


  Well, hell. How’d that happen? Little stars danced in front of his eyes for a second; then he saw Puck come over as Silas Ray came up beside Billy. Tanner scrambled to his feet. Big-and-ugly Silas would make mincemeat out of the lean Puck. But one of Nate’s barn managers blocked a punch aimed for Puck and Tanner connected his fist to Silas’s jaw. Payback time.

  In the blink of an eye—probably a black eye—Tanner saw another of Nate’s barn hands take on one of Billy Ray’s supporters. Charity dumped a pitcher of beer over Silas’s head followed by a basket of peanut shells, and half the diner erupted into punching and ducking. Chairs and tables crashed to the floor; wine bottles, beer bottles and pizza flew everywhere.

  Tanner turned around in time to see Savannah stand on a chair and crack Billy Ray over the head with the biggest book in the county. Where’d that come from? Tanner wondered. Billy turned, glared at Savannah, then his eyes rolled around like BBs in a box and he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

  Never before had Tanner seen Savannah look so pleased with herself, or Nate so concerned…even when his horses were sick. Nate snatched Savannah from the chair and flattened her against the wall, protecting her from the mayhem. Dang, was she Frenching him in the ear?

  Tanner felt a jab to his ribs and dodged another punch. He better start paying attention to the fighting or he’d get killed.

  Sheriff Woods suddenly yelled, “All right, break it up!”

  He stood on a chair and yanked off his hula skirt. “Can’t a man do a little partying without all hell breaking loose? Dagnabbit.”

  He looked at the men and the mess in the corner. “Who threw the first punch that got this going?”

  “That would be me,” Nathan called, still standing in front of Savannah.

  “You?” Sheriff Woods’s mouth flapped open and shut a few times before he said, “Well, I’ll be.”

  “But he was defending me.” Savannah beamed as she waved at Sheriff Woods. She kissed Nathan on the cheek. “So I’m the guilty one.”

  “Actually,” Tanner said, “it’s my fault because I got Nate in here in the first place.”

  “And me,” Charity chimed in. “If I had just told Savannah what was going on with Tanner and his stupid idea in the first place, none of us would be here and—”

  “Enough,” roared the sheriff. He glanced down at Billy Ray still crumpled on the floor. “What happened to him?”

  Savannah shrugged. “The arachnids got him.”

  Sheriff Woods raked his hair and shook his head. “I have no idea what’s going on here. Nathan, you’re coming with me. My deputy’s getting the rest of your names and you’re all splitting the cost to put the Finish Line back together.”

  “No need,” Nathan said. “I’ll pay for it.” He eyed the blob on the floor, walked over and nudged the butt portion with the toe of his tasseled loafer. “With pleasure I’ll pay for it.” He turned to Savannah, tipped her back across his arm and gave her a kiss right out of some forties movie. The whole diner erupted in applause and wolf whistles.

  Tanner followed Nathan-the-hero and Savannah and Sheriff Woods out to the cruiser and watched as Nathan got locked into the back seat. Never had he expected to see his even-tempered, dress-shirted, crease-panted brother being hauled off in the sheriff’s cruiser. Hell, that was Tanner’s role. Least, it had been.

  Savannah turned to Tanner. “What are we going to do? We can’t let Nathan rot in jail.”

  “I don’t think he’ll rot in one night, but I’ll take care of it.” He stiffened in chagrin. “Look, this is my fault. I’m sorry, Savannah, I really am. You and Nathan are clearly in love. I’ve made a mess of things for both of you.”

  Savannah smiled. “Yeah, you did. But I got to whack Billy Ray. I’ve wanted to do that longer than you can imagine.” She kissed Tanner. “You’re forgiven.”

  He gritted his teeth. “That’s incredibly kind of you. But I doubt my brother is going to let me off the hook so easily.”

  Savannah laughed. “Guess that’s between you and Nathan.” She winked. “Why did you and Nathan and Puck leave the party around back?”

  “Well, Nathan’s only interested in one girl, with or without clothes on. You. All Puck could talk about was the great time he and Mama Kay had in Lexington.”

  “And you?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Follow the crowd, I guess.”

  “You follow the crowd? That’ll be the day.” She tipped her chin, looking very wise. “You didn’t stay at the party with all those girls because they don’t interest you. You’re in love with Charity. Now you just have to decide what in blazes you’re going to do about it.”

  Tanner watched Savannah strut her stuff back into the Finish Line. Then he headed for the sheriff’s office. Savannah was wrong. He didn’t love Charity. He liked her, liked her a lot, but none of this love stuff for him. Not that it mattered, because as soon as this wedding was over he was out of here. He had a business to run in Alaska. His partner was counting on him. May was a busy time, the ice was melting and tourists and businessmen would be heading north.

  But he could think about all this later. First he had to bail Nate out of the pokey and himself out of hot water. He hoped Nate was in a forgiving mood because he packed a pretty mean left hook when he was mad. Who would have thought?

  Tanner wrote Sheriff Woods a check for Nate’s bail and a check to cover the damages at the Finish Line. Then he sat on the wooden bench in the hallway and waited for his brother. This was a new experience: Nate had always been the one waiting for him.

  When Nate finally arrived, Tanner stood. “If you want to punch my lights out hold off till we get home. You don’t need to get arrested twice in one night.”

  Nathan grinned, opening up a cut in his lower lip. He dabbed it with his shirtsleeve, leaving red marks on the blue Oxford. “Hell, you just thought you were helping me even if your idea was stupid. Nothing you could do would keep me from marrying Savannah. We’re in love, will be forever, and that’s not going to change for anything or any one. Besides—” his expression turned serious “—it gave me a chance to deck Billy Ray. I had no idea he’d mistreated her like that.”

  “Savannah did pretty good herself.”

  Nate nodded and winked. “That’s my girl.”

  “You’re good for each other. Bring out the best.” Tanner studied Nate for a moment. His brother was different, more relaxed, happier, centered, very much a man in love. How could he have missed it? Because he was a hardhead and thought he had all the answers, that’s how.

  He said, “I already apologized to Savannah and we’re okay, though when she realizes her handsome groom will have double shiners for their wedding she may change her mind.”

  “What about Charity?” Nate asked. “Are things square between you two? I thought she was going to wring your neck.”

  Tanner grinned. “Yeah, Charity’s going to be a problem. You and Savannah are operating under the influence of love. Charity’s not.”

  Nate chuckled and slapped Tanner on the back as they left the building. Dang it all, it was that chuckle again, the same one Savannah had given him at the lingerie shop. The one that said something was going on and everyone knew it except him. So, what was it he was missing?

  TANNER CHECKED for the rings in the breast pocket of his tux for the millionth time, then knocked on Nate’s bedroom door and went in. “Almost ready, Wedding Boy?”

  Nate turned from the mirror and held out his hands. “The tux, shoes, shirt are fine, but there’s no fixing the yellow-and-purple eyes.”

  “Think of it as a fashion statement. You’ll match the flowers.”

  Nate laughed. “These wedding pictures are going to be a hit for a long time to come. Can you imagine trying to explain them to our kids?”

  “Kids?”

  “Two, three…dozen or so.”

  Tanner laughed, then pulled an envelope from his pocket. He handed it to Nate. “Airline tickets to Alaska. For you and Savannah.” He rested his
hand on Nate’s shoulder. Tanner’s chest suddenly tightened like steel bands on a wood barrel, and his voice sounded hoarse as he said, “I don’t want it to be another seven years before we see each other again.”

  “It doesn’t have to be this way, little brother. You could stay. We can share a jail cell next time Billy Ray gets out of line. Thistledown is half yours. All you have to do is say the word and you can move in here and—”

  Tanner shook his head. “Thistledown is yours. The house, the barns, the horses. That’s the way Dad wanted it. I could never be happy here.” He held up his hand to cut off Nate’s protest. “And that’s okay. Dad and I never saw eye-to-eye on anything, except Charity MacKay. He helped her save her place and I respect him for that. Hell, I’m…grateful.”

  “Have you ever wondered why you’re so grateful?”

  “Sure. Kept the best fried chicken a mile down the road.”

  Nate gave him that know-it-all chuckle. “There’s more to it than that, but it’s a start.”

  “We better get going. If we’re late Savannah will skin us alive.”

  Nate exhaled a deep breath.

  “Wedding jitters?”

  He looked Tanner in the eyes. “When Savannah and I get back from our honeymoon, you’ll be gone.”

  Tanner nodded at the tickets in his hand. “Yeah, but I’m only a plane flight away. Alaska is God’s country, you’ll love it.”

  “What I love is you, little brother.” He tucked the tickets in his inside breast pocket and patted it as he said, “Come August, Savannah and I will be on your doorstep. And you’ll come here for Christmas?”

  Tanner pulled in a deep breath. “Yeah, Christmas.” He took Nate in a bear hug. “I wish you all the happiness in the world, Nate.”

  He grinned as he headed for the door. “Then you got your wish, because you’re looking at the happiest man on earth.”

  CHARITY SCURRIED INTO the kitchen and picked up the clipboard from the table. Flowers, check. Garter, check. Grandma’s pearls, check.

  Savannah swished into the kitchen. “Charity dressed, no check.”

  Charity glanced up, ready to offer a perfectly good explanation as to why her dress was still upstairs and not on her body, but her words died in her throat. Love and joy filled her heart. “Oh, Savannah. You’re so beautiful.”