And just like that, Bootleg Springs reeled in a fresh catch.
We arrived back in Bootleg a scant hour before the wedding. I needed to fly through a shower and makeup and hair if I was going to make it before Cassidy walked down the aisle.
Dad pulled up in front of the Little Yellow House and turned off the car.
“Are you guys coming in?” I asked, already peeling my skin off the car seat and heading for the front porch.
“Bowie and Cassidy invited us to the wedding. We’re your ride,” Dad called. I was reaching for the screen door to yank it open when I noticed the roll of paper between the doors.
“What’s that? A love note from Jonah?” Mom asked. “He’s a keeper, Shelby.”
My parents walked past me into the house and immediately went into grandparent mode, releasing Billy Ray from his crate and showering him with treats and kisses.
It was such a domestic scene. My parents making themselves at home in my house, playing with my dog.
But none of that registered.
Slowly, I unrolled the paper already knowing what I’d find. It was a crude charcoal sketch of a woman with thick bangs and wide eyes. She had an upturned nose and a scar on her chest. She was naked.
“How did you find me?” I whispered.
Billy Ray jumped on me in sweet, puppy delight, and I scooped him up.
I looked over my shoulder and took my time studying every inch of the woods and yard.
Was he out there now?
Did he expect me to be as helpless as I’d been the last time?
He was going to be disappointed.
“Shelby,” Mom called. “If you don’t get in the shower now, we’re going to be late!”
51
Jonah
If Bowie’s smile got any bigger, his face was going to split open. I’d never seen a man happier or more ready to march down the aisle.
“Did you see her? How does she look?” he asked me for the third time. My brother was referring to his bride.
“Yes, I saw Cassidy,” I said again. I picked up the beer that Bowie kept putting down and handed it back to him. He needed something to do with his hands. “She looks—”
“Wait. Don’t tell me. I wanna be surprised. Leah Mae made her dress,” he said, imparting the information he’d mentioned at least sixteen times since I’d shown up.
Jameson growled at his tie in the mirror in the sheriff’s den. Cassidy and the girls had commandeered the entire second floor of the Tucker household. The guests had taken over the backyard.
Gibson adjusted his suspenders, frowning.
There was a knock at the door. “Are you boys decent?” My mom poked her head in the door.
She was pretty as a spring day, as the town elders would say, in a blue and white dress that nipped in at the waist and fell away into a full skirt. Her short blonde cap of hair was accentuated with a sparkly headband.
“Hey, Jenny.” Bowie greeted her with the full wattage of his smile.
“Oh my,” she said, stepping inside. She gave my arm a squeeze before turning her attention to Bowie. “You look almost as excited as your bride.” She brushed a hand over his lapels.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” he said softly.
“Are you nervous?” Mom asked him.
He shook his head emphatically then said, “Yes.”
She laughed. “Okay. Then here’s some advice. When the processional music starts. Close your eyes and count to five. When you open them, you’ll be looking right at your beautiful bride. You want to remember every step she takes to you. You want to remember the second her hand touches yours and that first smile she gives you. Because the rest of the night is going to be a whirlwind. But you want to remember those moments for the rest of your life.”
Well, hell. I had no idea my mom was such a romantic. It made my throat tickle.
Bowie nodded and swallowed hard. “Thanks for being here, Jenny. I know you’re Jonah’s mama and all, but I kinda feel like you belong to all of us.”
My mom’s eyes went damp. “I’m honored to be here with all of you boys,” she whispered.
There was a lot of throat clearing and a few covert swipes at eyes with sleeves.
“Jameson, sweetheart, let me at that tie,” Mom demanded, righting the damage he was doing.
She gave us all the once over, helping Gibson into his jacket. Tucking my boutonniere into place. Giving Bowie an