He’d hardly eaten all day between helping Megan decorate the church and his marathon trip to Duluth with Casper so he could return the rental car. He’d also scored a suit and some winter apparel. When the U.S. Marshals Service called, he’d be ready for his interview.
He plugged in the twinkle lights and lit the candles inside the table lanterns. White and pink roses centered each table in tall glass vases. He had to admit Megan was good at what she did.
At least they’d managed some sort of truce. When she’d teetered on the ladder, it had sent an alarm firing through every nerve in his body. Caused her nickname to slip from his lips and pressed him to offer to help after assuring she was safe.
If he could survive this night, he’d be one step closer to leaving town.
One of the light strands flickered and went out. He took off his suit coat, grabbed a chair, and started the slow process of checking each bulb until he found the loose one and snugged it back into place. The entire strand lit.
Returning to the foyer, he waited outside the sanctuary during the ceremony. There was no need to further torture himself. In a few minutes, the sanctuary doors opened and the bride and groom came through. He turned away for their private post-ceremony kiss.
No need to rake up old, broken memories.
The wedding party and guests filtered into the reception hall, taking their seats at the designated tables while the bride and groom stood in the receiving line. Cole was standing at the entrance to the hall, on the lookout for trouble when Marianne Berg, mother-of-the-bride, exited and placed her palm against the far wall, her skin ashen.
“Ma’am? Are you okay?”
“This can’t be happening.” The bride’s mother looked up at him, tears and makeup streaming down her face.
Oh no.
“What’s wrong?” His voice came out too hard, almost demanding. Probably he needed to remember this wasn’t one of his teammates, and this wasn’t really one of his ops.
She let out a heaving sob. “He’s going to ruin the entire day. Who invited him? And how did we end up being placed at the same table?”
“Who?”
“Alexa’s father!” She began searching through her purse. “Please, you’ve got to do something. I can’t deal with him.” Pulling out a well-worn tissue, she blew her nose. Looked back up at him. “And, really? He brought his wife?”
And now, heaven help him, she released a full-on, all-out wail. What the—? He just stood there.
A man in the center of the room talking with several guests caught his attention.
Right, Alexa’s father. A long-haired brunette hung on his arm. He seemed unencumbered by any disruption their presence was causing.
Nice. They had a terrorist in their midst. “Come in here.” He tugged Marianne into an empty Sunday school classroom and handed her a box of tissues from the side table. “Please, sit.” He pulled out a chair for her.
She sank into the chair, pulling out a half dozen tissues. “After all the snow and delays. How is it that he shows up to ruin it? And now he wants to flaunt his happy life seated at the table, next to me?”
“I’m so sorry. Let me see what I can do.”
“Can you make him leave? Kick them out?”
Cole was starting to think a little brawl might be just the thing he needed. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, and he headed into the hallway, pulling up Megan’s callback number. As much as he’d like to go mano a mano with this guy, he couldn’t get himself into trouble over an unwanted wedding guest. He knew when to call for reinforcements.
“We have a problem.”
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was low and he could hear music playing in the background.
“I don’t know the whole story—Ms. Berg said Alexa’s father and his wife showed up, and she’s hysterical. I don’t know what to do with her—the tables are all full and she said she’s seated next to them.”
“Oh no. He’d told Alexa he would be coming alone, but I must have used my standard seating chart when I gave it to the caterer. Usually the bride’s parents are at the same table. It’s my fault. I’ll be right there.”
She must have run the half block to the church, because a few minutes later, she burst through the door with flushed cheeks and a few strands of hair hanging loose from her twist. She tugged off her coat, revealing a bright blue dress that hugged her curves, flared at her hips, and ended just at her knees. A nice change from her puffy jacket and jeans look.
“She’s in here.” Cole opened the door so Megan could slip into the classroom. Ms. Berg looked up at her and started sobbing again. He went still as Megan dropped to her knees and embraced the distraught woman. Held her like she was a dear friend, clearly possessing the right touch to save the day.
Cole seized the opportunity to vacate. “I’ll go…uh…check on things.”
Megan tugged several more tissues from the box. “Here, let’s get you put back together.” She nodded to Cole and he stepped out of the room.
Cole cruised through the reception hall, where the bride asked for her mother, worry furrowing her brow.
“She’s with Megan.”
Alexa’s eyes fell on her father speaking with guests across the room. “What was he thinking? He brought Karlie. Is my mom okay?” Jason stood next to her, dutifully holding her hand, and his family stood behind them, taking in the scene.
“Can I help with anything?” Jason’s father asked. His eyes were on Alexa’s father. Clearly he’d been better briefed than Cole.
“I’m sure everything will be fine. I’ll go see what the holdup is.” Cole headed back to the classroom. The door was open a few inches and he could hear the soothing tones of Megan’s voice.
“Thank you, Megan. You’ve been the most amazing coordinator.”
“Again, I apologize for my part in this mix-up.”
Ms. Berg gave Megan another hug before smoothing out her gown and tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear. She gave Cole a nod before leaving the room.
He turned to Megan. “Wow. What did you do?”
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, we need to run and fix the place settings.”
“Right.” He led her into the reception hall. Ms. Berg must have clung to Megan’s words because she artfully moved about the reception hall mingling with guests while avoiding a confrontation with the skill of a special operator. Megan spoke in quiet tones with several guests who nodded. She deftly swapped the place cards, giving Ms. Berg a spot several tables away, facing the opposite direction of her ex.
And here he’d been ready to dump the guy on the curb—a tactic that, while very satisfying, would have probably resulted in any number of additional problems for all parties involved. Including Megan.
“Do you need to head back to the Mullins wedding?”
“Probably. Soon.” She looked him up and down. “You’re a little mussed. Was Ms. Berg just a little too much for you?” She grinned as she reached up to his tie. “Nice duds. Where’d you find the uniform?”
Her rose fragrance enveloped him and she deftly worked at his tie, finishing by smoothing the fabric down his chest. His throat went dry. A woman hadn’t touched him in years, and the feeling of her palms against his chest heated his entire body.
“You’re all set now.” She pulled her hands away, tucked them behind her back.
He swallowed. She looked radiant beneath the lights, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He cleared his throat. “I know how much you liked that minivan, but I took it back to Duluth. Picked up a few things before getting a ride back. You know, a suit, anorak. A couple sled dogs. Though, I did manage to get Grandpa’s Jeep running.”
“Stop. It isn’t that bad.”
“Says the girl who’s lived here her whole life.”
“You grew up in Minneapolis. And here.”
“I’ve been gone a long time.”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him with her golden eyes. “I should, uh, you know, go.�
� She tilted her head toward the exit.
“Yeah. Okay.”
“I’ll be back later.”
He sure hoped so.
By the time she returned, her steps had slowed. She sent the bride and groom off with an arch of sparklers, directed the caterers to save the cake topper, and started to take down the twinkly lights. He came over to help. “Thanks, Cole. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“You know, I’m starting to think you could have. Why don’t you let me stay, chase away these last few guests, and finish cleanup? You’ve done enough for everyone today.”
Jason’s father approached them and held out his hand to shake Cole’s. “Thank you, both, for making this all come together despite the crazy weather.” He leaned in closer. “And unwanted guests.”
He shook Megan’s hand and then tugged an envelope from his coat pocket. “Miss Carter, this is for you. For going above and beyond and making this day so special. I don’t know how you rescheduled the entire wedding, from flowers to musicians, but you did it. Outstanding work.”
Megan took the envelope. “Thank you, sir. You all have a wonderful evening.”
He nodded and escorted the rest of his family out the doors.
“So, what did you say to her?” Cole said as he returned with a ladder, setting it up to help her take down the lights.
“Who?” She set the envelope down and stood on a chair in bare stocking feet, holding one end of the lights.
“Ms. Berg. How’d you get her to calm down? I probably shouldn’t tell you the solution I was thinking of.”
She raised a brow at him and shook her head, a hint of a smile on her lips. He unstrung the lights, and she rolled them up like a climber. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just let her know I understood her pain, I guess. You know, a bad relationship. Mistakes you can’t take back.”
“You mean your ex-husband?” He moved the ladder and unhooked another string of lights.
She wound them up too and disconnected the strings from each other, putting them in a box. “We were never…never married.” She wouldn’t look at him and frowned. “Trevor McAllister. Swept me off my feet during my freshman year of college. Maybe I was so in love with the idea of being loved, I missed all the warnings. You know, like the fact that he always had a reason to not take me home to meet his parents.” She wrung her hands together. “Still, I wanted so much to please him. I believed the promises he made. Actually, he says he never made me any promises.” She lifted a shoulder. “I guess his plans for law school didn’t include a small-town girl and they definitely didn’t include a child.”
He shook his head at her words. The implication. He worked quietly, unhooking lights, one after another. Glanced at her. She still wouldn’t look at him.
Oh, Megan.
“So, anyway, when I found out I was pregnant with Josh, he was angry. He thought I’d done it on purpose. I wasn’t even nineteen and he thought I should…” She stood up. Swallowed, forced a smile as he gave her the handful of lights.
His gut tightened because he knew what she was going to say.
Wanted to groan when she did.
“He thought I should get an abortion, which, of course, wasn’t an option. Said I’d ruined everything.”
Aw. And he couldn’t help himself. He reached out and covered her shaking hand with his. All the years between them evaporated. “I’m sorry.”
She stilled. Then nodded and pulled away. Rolled up the lights. “That’s about it. He broke things off. I dropped out of school and moved back here to raise my son. I’d always hoped for redemption—hoped he’d come for us. Even prayed for it, maybe so I could find a way to redeem my own mistakes.” She gave him a wry smile. “Trevor’s sent cards for Josh here and there. Never been reliable or consistent. I stopped expecting much of him years ago.”
Dropping the next coil into the box, Megan kicked it over to the final row of lights. “He’s shown up a few times over the years, but mostly, he’d get Josh’s hopes up, then something always caused him to cancel. I just avoid him now. Less heartache for Josh.” She shrugged. “What about you, Ranger? How come there’s no ring on your left hand?”
And now it was his turn not to look at her. He moved the ladder and retrieved the last of the lights. He’d played it off with everyone else. But somehow, in telling Megan, he could still feel the sting. “Divorced, two years ago.” He paused, considered his words. “I met Rebecca at the off-post bar where she worked. We got to know each other a bit and, I don’t know…started dating.” That’s what he’d called it. In hindsight, they were two desperately lonely people looking for something—someone—to hold on to. “I guess I wanted a home. A family.” He let out a sharp laugh. “While I was on deployment, I got a letter saying she’d become a Christian and had fallen for a guy at church.”
He hadn’t realized that Megan had come over to the ladder. And when he turned, she reached for the lights. The expression on her face undid him.
“Oh, Cole,” she said softly.
Her words had the effect of a roadside bomb, taking apart his defenses.
He swallowed and climbed down the ladder. “She begged me to go to counseling with her—that she knew how wrong it was.” He shook his head at the sting. “That was pretty rich, you know?”
She just held the tangled mess of lights. “Did you? Go to counseling?”
“Absolutely not. The trust was gone.” He stared across the vacant room and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “It was a stupid, short courtship and we didn’t really know each other at all.” He shrugged. “Obviously.”
“And here we are.” She let out a sad, sharp laugh. “Sending couples off into the world together.”
“With twinkle lights and roses.”
She stood there for a moment, as if stymied, and he took the lights and wound them up. Walked over to the box.
“You know, I still believe in it,” she said softly, a wistful longing in her eyes.
He nodded. “I know. I’d expect nothing less from you, Mae.” He pointed to the envelope left on the table. “Don’t forget your envelope.”
“Oh, yeah.” She retrieved the envelope and slid it open to peek inside. Her eyes grew big and her mouth dropped open. “What?” She pulled it out and turned the check around so he could see it.
One thousand dollars.
She slid a note out. “It says, ‘From the Thomas family, Thank you for your amazing work. You went above and beyond. Best wishes.’”
“That’s fantastic.”
Except, she put her hand over her face and—oh no. She was…crying?
“Mae, what’s wrong?” He took a step toward her.
She swiped a tear away. “I’m fine. I just can’t believe he did that. It’s one step closer to buying the Black Spruce. This is a huge boost. I want this so much for me and Josh.”
“You deserve it.” How he wanted to touch her. To pull her into his arms.
To feel that closeness again, like he had this morning on the ladder. Her, safe in his arms.
Man, this wedding business was going to his head.
“Thanks.” She stepped away from him. “Ready to get out of here? I can clean up the rest tomorrow.”
He nodded, his heart thudding dangerously. “Let me drop you off. I’m heading to Casper’s for one last night. Tomorrow is moving day. It’s time to settle in at my grandfather’s house so I can start making repairs.”
He stripped off his tie on the way out the door. The sooner he was out of this monkey suit and back on task, the better.
Not even the sunshine of the morning could lighten the darkness that clung bone-deep in Megan’s body.
She’d replayed the evening with Cole a thousand times staring at the ceiling in her apartment, tossing the night away, trying to push every last thought of him out of her mind. Oh, she was such a fool.
A jealous fool. Because she couldn’t deny the sting that hit her when she noticed the eyes of several bridesmaids following Cole around.
The whispers and giggles. Yes. The giant green-eyed monster assaulted her when one of the beauties dared to approach him. Engage him in conversation. She was young and cute, her body lean and muscular. Her bridesmaid dress fit in all the right places and the sweetheart neckline showed off her flattering curves.
But how could they not notice him? He was stunning any way she looked at him, despite her efforts to not look at him at all. There was something entirely delectable in the way Cole’s undershirt snuck out just a tad below his dress shirt when he’d removed his tie.
She hadn’t meant to let him in—to show how far wrong her life choices had taken her. He’d caught her in a weak moment, telling him how she’d talked Ms. Berg back from the ledge. And he’d looked at her, gutted. Yeah, well, she’d disappointed herself too. Fallen for Trevor’s caramel-sweet promises. Sold out all her values and morals.
The shame was still enough to choke her.
And Cole had reached out to her. The same electricity she’d felt when she straightened his tie she felt when he had wrapped her hand in his. How she’d missed the warmth of his hand when she pulled hers away, much like she’d missed him when he disappeared from her life.
But it was for their own good.
A doorbell ring snapped Megan out of her dark places. She hustled down the stairs and opened the exterior door to Raina.
“I’ve lost my houseguest and you’ve gained a neighbor.” She nodded toward the Victorian, and Megan peeked out the door just in time to see Cole disappear through his front door. He wore jeans with an untucked, blue flannel shirt under his leather jacket and his green rucksack slung over his shoulder.
Perfect. Now the enemy was camped at the gate.
“Can I come in?”
“Please,” Megan said. She led the way back up to the apartment, and Raina stepped inside, slid out of her coat, and followed Megan to the living room. Except for the bathroom and two bedrooms, Megan’s apartment was an open concept. Her only couch sat in front of the large picture window that faced the Barrett house.
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