Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Misty Granger came out of her bedroom and moved down the hall, the fabric of the skirt swishing around her legs. “What about this one?”
Janey, her best friend, and Ralf, her other best friend, looked away from the cheese and crackers Ralf had brought.
“I think it’s too blue,” Misty said. “I don’t look good in blue.”
“It’s fantastic,” Ralf said at the same time Janey said, “The purple one is better.”
Misty looked down at the dark blue fabric, which had shimmering flowers woven through it in a lighter blue. She’d tried on several dresses so far, everything from beige to tangerine to blue to purple.
“Go put the purple one back on,” Janey said. “And let’s go. You’re going to be late to your own wedding dinner.”
“It’s a rehearsal dinner,” Misty said over her shoulder as she turned to go change yet again.
“It is not!” Janey called after her. “To rehearse something suggests you’ll be doing it again as a real thing!”
Misty giggled as she ducked back into her bedroom and started the process of getting undressed and redressed all over again. It was true that she and Lincoln Glover were getting married tomorrow.
It was also true that they were having a “rehearsal dinner” tonight that wouldn’t be replicated the following day. Misty had said she didn’t mind having a big shin-dig with all of his aunts and uncles, of which there were dozens.
But Link had put his boot down and said no. He wanted something simple, and Misty knew that was for her.
Finally ready, Misty returned to the common areas of the house, where her friends waited. “Ready,” she said.
Janey came immediately to her side. “This is going to be great,” she said.
“Don’t leave my side for a second,” Misty said, her stomach one of total chaos in that moment.
“Honey, I can’t stay at your side all night,” Janey said. “There will be cowboys I’m not related to there.” She grinned at Misty, though she’d be moving back to Dallas next weekend, when their project officially ended.
Misty had finished her portion of the project, so she could get married and go on her honeymoon without having to lose any time from work. From a job she wasn’t returning to. Tears filled her eyes, because her life was about to change so, so much.
So much she couldn’t even think of all the ways things would be different tomorrow.
“I just don’t want my mom clinging to me all night,” Misty said, using the words to strengthen her voice.
“Danny will be there,” Janey promised. “And Link, of course. And you two have so many friends, Ralf and I don’t even get invited to game night.”
Misty sobbed then, part of it a laugh that made no sense. “When Link and I have game night, you two are going to be at the top of the list.”
“I’d rather die than play a game with other couples,” Ralf said in a deadpan. “So leave me out of that.”
Misty threw him a smile and together, the three of them moved to leave the house. The drive to Shiloh Ridge Ranch took forty minutes from their subdivision, and Janey made it for them tonight.
Without Janie, Misty wasn’t sure how she’d have survived the past month. Dealing with her mother’s travel, where she’d stay while she was in Three Rivers, and all the finalizing of the wedding details. Misty felt like she needed forty hours in every day, and she still only got twenty-four.
They pulled up to True Blue, the family barn at Shiloh Ridge where they had a lot of big functions.
Weddings, parties, birthday and anniversary celebrations, or even just Sunday meals.
Misty had attended all of those things in the past year since she and Link had rekindled their romance, and she’d always felt more than welcome every time she walked through the door.
Tonight, she expected nothing less than that, and since it was partly her party, the spotlight would definitely be on her. Ralf and Janey flanked her as they entered, the barrels shining and overflowing with fresh flowers.
Danny was bringing their mother, and Misty immediately looked around for them. Her eyes caught on Bear and Cactus Glover, who both grinned at her like she’d figured out how to peel back layers of heaven and let the divine light into all of their lives.
“Howdy, Misty,” Bear drawled, his big personality matching his smiling cowboy hat. He drew her into a hug and added, “Link just ran into the kitchen for a minute. He’ll be right back.”
She nodded as she stepped back. “Okay. Have you—have you seen my mom?”
Loretta had been in town for two days, and Misty’s nerves and patience seemed to renew by the hour. A gift from God, she was sure, and she’d wept on her knees last night for all of His many blessings. Bear was one of those, as was Cactus, who hugged her next.
“How’s Danny doing?” she whispered in his ear. Her brother had taken a shine to animal care after he’d come to Shiloh Ridge, and Cactus had simply taken him in, as if he wasn’t an ex-con and hadn’t come to the ranch by way of prison.
“He’s amazing, Misty,” Cactus murmured back. “Don’t worry about him so much.”
“I can’t help it,” she said as she stepped back.
“Well, you’re movin’ on now,” Cactus said. “It’s time you let him do the same.”
Misty wanted to argue, tell him she’d let Danny move on, but the truth was, maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she did expect him to mess up again at any moment, though he’d given her no reason to think that. So with tears in her eyes for yet another reason, she nodded and went back to looking for her mother.
“Your mom went with Sammy to look at the dress,” Bear said. “They’re in the bridal room.”
Misty looked toward the back corner of the barn, but her feet didn’t take her that way, for her gorgeous almost-husband had just come back into the main room. Her gaze immediately went back to his, and Link spotted her in the next moment.
Love like she’d never known filled her, and Misty’s wavering emotions solidified as he came her way. She went to meet him too, nodding and smiling to his aunts and uncles and cousins. But when Link was in the room, there was only Link.
“Hey, you’re here,” he said as he swept her into his arms. She laughed and grabbed onto him, because he made her feel like her life wasn’t about to implode.
He had everything under control, and he would take care of anything that Misty couldn’t handle herself—which in this moment, felt like everything.
“What was going on in the kitchen?” she asked when he set her back on her heeled feet.
“Oh, that?” He waved his hand in a way that meant he was about to lie. “Nothing. It was nothing.” He grinned at her. “Now, come on. We’re about to start, and we’re supposed to be up front.”
“I haven’t seen my mom yet,” Misty said.
“My momma has her,” Link said. “She’s okay, and she’s at our table anyway.” He didn’t seem nervous on the outside, but the way he gripped her fingers and strode like he was fleeing a zombie apocalypse told her otherwise.
Someone started to clap as they neared the front, and Misty’s face burned.
She wasn’t used to being scrutinized, and she told herself over and over that wasn’t what the Glovers were doing.
They were celebrating her and Link, and that was totally different than having eyes on her for a negative reason.
Janey had already found her seat at the front table, and Misty found two spots between her and her best friend. One had been labeled with Danny’s name and the other her mother’s, and Link stood behind her chair, that look of adoration on his face that Misty loved.
Because it meant he loved her.
“Do they need to look again, my love?” he whispered as he drew her closer. “Turn away from everyone, okay?”
Misty did, pressing her cheek to the lapel of his jacket. He wore black from head to toe, with a light purple shirt, and her fingers found the end of his silk tie and fiddled with it while she took in a breath.
“It’s just us,” Link said in her ear. “They love us; they’re not thinking anything of us.”
“Other than I’m a mess,” Misty muttered.
“A beautiful mess,” Link said. “Come on, now, sweetheart. This is something special for two special people.”
Him and her.
Misty took in as much air as her lungs would hold, she held it there, and then slowly let it leak away. The tension in her shoulders melted away, and Misty put a smile on her face. “Okay,” she said. “I’m ready to have them look again.”
“Okay,” Link said. “And you look at them too, Misty, okay? You look at them.” He stepped back and pulled her chair out for her.
Misty looked down at it, then turned and lifted her eyes to the crowd. All of them had started to take their seats too, and Misty copied them. Link sat next to her, moved his chair closer, and draped his arm around her. “See them?”
She gazed out into the vastness of the barn. Tables had been set up, with matching chairs. But it didn’t matter if the chairs matched, because Sammy and her army of sisters-in-law had put lavender covers over the backs of the chairs and tied them with white ribbons.
Tall vases of flowers went straight up from the middle of each table, the blooms spilling overhead without blocking the view of the guests sitting across from one another.
The table closest to them had Etta and August corralling their children into their seats while Bear came forward to sit at the front table with her, Link, and a few other significant others in the wedding party.
Misty had Ralf, Janey, Danny, and her mom. Link had his parents and his grandmother—who had helped Misty and Sammy plan a lot of the wedding.
She caught sight of her mom and Sammy, and they both wore a smile. So things couldn’t be too bad, right? Misty’s pulse skipped over itself, but she forced herself to stay in her seat as Danny and Ralf came to take their seats too.
Link’s grandmother leaned over him and gave him a hug and kiss, and he murmured, “Love you, Grandmother,” before Lois moved to Misty.
“Thank you so much for this,” Misty said to Lois as she hugged her too.