Christmas at Holiday House - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,99
together. Except right now Katya looked as if she was going to be sick.
“Are you all right?” she asked Katya in Russian. Though she knew the other woman’s English was good, Lucy thought she might find Russian more comforting as she prepared to take this big leap into marriage.
“Da. Nyet.” Katya heaved in several shallow, rapid breaths and Lucy panicked, worrying she was going to hyperventilate.
“You need some air,” she said on impulse. She knew there was a balcony along the corridor just outside the room. It was locked, but she was a Lancaster and knew one of the doors had a trick handle that unlocked with the right amount of pressure.
Grabbing her by the elbow, she steered her out of the room to the balcony where immediately the cold Colorado air and the gorgeous view of the mountains seemed to calm her a little. At least her cheeks took on a little more color.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
Lucy looked at her, alarm bells ringing. “Do what?”
“Marry Daniel. I can’t. I have to take this off.” She tried to yank off her engagement ring. “I can’t marry Daniel. He deserves a better wife than me.”
She started pacing the balcony, trying to pull flowers out of her bouquet.
“Let me get your mother,” Lucy suggested, completely out of her element here.
“No! My mother would never understand. She would yell at me in Russian and tell me I was shaming the family. Then she would cry and tell me how much my father has paid for the wedding and for our tickets here and how she came all the way across the world to be here so I could marry my American cowboy.”
“What about...about Daniel’s mother? Carol is very nice. I’ve known her for years.”
Katya looked completely miserable. “She is nice. And his father is very nice. I don’t want to hurt any of them.”
Lucy had one job here. To help this wedding go off without a hitch, and so far she was failing miserably.
“It’s normal for brides to be nervous. I would guess all brides are, a little. It’s a huge commitment, merging your life with someone else’s.”
“I can’t do this to him.”
“Do what? You love Daniel and he clearly adores you. You two belong together. You’re perfect for each other.”
Was she really giving a bridal pep talk—in Russian, no less—to a woman she had just met yesterday? Could her life become any more surreal?
“He could marry anyone. Yesterday at the rehearsal, I heard something. His cousin said Daniel should have married the girlfriend he had before me. She was beautiful and rich, from a powerful family.”
“But he didn’t, did he? He wants to marry you.”
Katya started to cry, big noisy tears that made her makeup run. Lucy wanted to go find someone else, anyone else, to deal with it but was afraid if she left, Katya might disappear into the winter evening.
She grabbed Katya’s cold, trembling hands in hers, squeezing them tightly. “All you have to do is ask yourself one question. ‘Will my life be better if I marry Daniel or if I don’t?’ It’s as simple as that.”
The trembling of her fingers seemed to still slightly, so she pressed on. “You love Daniel, right?”
Katya gave a tiny nod. “With all my heart.”
“He loves you the same way. You two are wonderful together. Everyone can see it. One stupid cousin doesn’t matter.”
She met the other woman’s gaze, still holding her hands. “Do not let your fears stand in the way of your happiness. If you’re willing to let those fears be more important to you than the love you feel for him, then I would have to agree with what you said before. He does deserve someone better.”
She could feel Katya wavering. “It’s going to be okay. You love each other. What else do you need?”
Katya sniffled a little. “I do love him. I don’t want to live without him.”
“There you go. That’s all that matters. Now, you’ve got people who want to celebrate with you. Let’s go inside and have your mother help you straighten your veil, and we’ll try to fix your makeup and your bouquet a little.”
“Okay.”
“We’re good, right?”
After a moment, Katya nodded and let Lucy lead her back to the dressing room. When she stepped back out into the hall, she cringed a little inside when she saw José looking gorgeous in a well-fitted charcoal Italian suit that showed off his gorgeous physique. Worse, he was heading straight toward her.