The Wedding Dance Read online

  His eyes widened. “He’s coming?”

  She nodded. “He’ll be here tonight.”

  “How? Why?”

  She shook her head at him. “How? Smoke flew up to get him. And why? Well, because stubborn as you both are, he loves you. Just like you love him. When I told him what was going on with you, he wanted to come.”

  Her dad’s eyes glistened as he nodded and looked away.

  She swallowed that lump that was in her throat so often these days. “I’m going to leave the walking down the aisle thing to you two. You’ll have to talk to each other to work it out. And I’m not playing go between. I’ve got too much else on my plate!”

  Her dad looked at Dan. “Are you sure you want to marry her, son? She’s a bossy little madam.”

  Dan laughed. “You know I do.”

  Missy was surprised to see her dad’s eyes close. He drifted off to sleep. She gave Dan a worried look.

  He smiled back at her. “It’s okay. It’s only to be expected. He’s going to need lots of rest. I’m surprised he was as with-it as he was. We’ve probably worn him out.”

  She nodded. “I guess we should talk the nurses, see what we can expect.”

  Doc Morgan popped his head around the door and ushered them out. “I waited. I wanted to get you in to see him while he was awake. You need to be prepared for a long, hard road ahead though.”

  Missy nodded. “How long do you think he’ll need to be in here?”

  “At least a few days.”

  “The average stay in the hospital after a stroke is five point two days,” said Dan.

  She bit back a laugh. He was so good about researching useful information to reassure her. He just wasn’t so good at knowing how much of it was actually comforting.

  Doc Morgan smiled at Dan. “I’m afraid averages don’t tend to apply in medicine. Every case is unique, just as every patient is.”

  Dan looked sheepish. “Sorry. Do you think he’ll be able to go to the wedding? Will flying be an issue for him?”

  Doc Morgan looked at Missy. “It might be too soon for him to travel at all. You need to prepare yourself for that possibility.”

  Missy’s heart sank. She’d been so concerned about him being able to walk, she hadn’t considered that just getting to Vegas might be too much for him.

  “It’ll only be about an hour’s flight time each way in the jet,” said Dan. “Maybe less. I’ll have to ask Smoke.”

  Doc Morgan nodded. “We’ll have to see how he gets on this week. I don’t want to make any promises. And I don’t want you to get your hopes up, okay?” He put a hand on Missy’s shoulder.

  She nodded. Her heart was heavy. Not having him walk her down the aisle was one thing—getting married without him being there? She didn’t know if she would even want to!

  They went back to the waiting room. Smoke was going to bring Chance to the little airfield out here. He and Laura were going to drive him over to the hospital and then he could ride home with Missy tonight.

  Dan closed the door behind them; there was no one else around. He wrapped her in a hug. “It’ll be okay, Miss.”

  She looked up into his eyes. He was such a good man. He might not have many words, but he was such a comforting presence. When he said it would okay, she believed him—even though she didn’t see how. “What are we going to do though?”

  “Wait and see, just like Doc Morgan said. That’s all we can do.”

  “But Dan, honey. There’s so much to think about.”

  He cocked his head to one side. Clearly not understanding.

  “I don’t mean with the wedding.” She couldn’t even make herself think about that just yet. “I mean with him going home. What’s he going to do? He can’t be by himself when he can’t walk, or use his arm properly, can he?”

  “Ah. I hadn’t even thought of that.” Dan rubbed his hand over the stubble on his cheek. “He’s not going to want to stay anywhere else though, is he?”

  She shook her head. “No way! You heard him when we talked about moving him closer to town. The only way he’ll leave that house is in a box!”

  “That’s not going to happen for a long time yet.”

  “I hope not, but he can’t be out there by himself.” She wrinkled her nose. She hated the idea, but now she thought about it, it seemed like the only solution. “Do you think we need to cancel the honeymoon?”

  “No!” Dan shook his head vigorously. “No. you can’t give up your honeymoon to go and take care of him. He’d hate that! And be honest, the two of you would drive each other nuts inside a day. You’re too much alike. You can’t be the one to take care of him.”

  “Who else is going to? I’m all he’s got. It’s not like Chance could do it, even if he could stay for a while.”

  Dan shook his head. “We need to hire someone. That’s the only way to do it.”

  Missy stared at him. She couldn’t imagine her dad letting some stranger take care of him. That’d be worse than letting her do it.

  Dan smiled. “We don’t need to decide right now; we just need to consider the options. He’s no doubt going to have an opinion about what he wants, and we need to be prepared to tell him what alternatives we see.”

  Missy nodded and blew out a big sigh. There was so much to think about!

  ~ ~ ~

  Dan started when the waiting room door opened. Missy jumped up when she saw Chance standing there.

  “Hey, honey. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m fine. Dad’s doing okay. He’s sleeping. He’s going to be all right, Chance.”

  Chance nodded. “Good.” He turned to Dan. “Thanks for getting me here.”

  “No worries. We want you here.”

  “So what’s the score with the old man?”

  Missy explained everything she knew and told him about the weakness on his right side. Dan knew she was holding it together well, but at some point she’d need to let go. That point came at Chance’s next question.

  “So is going to be all right for the wedding?”

  Missy burst into tears. Dan held back, knowing this was a moment Chance needed to share with her. “I don’t think so!” she wailed. “He can’t walk very well and he says he won’t go down the aisle in wheelchair.”

  Chance hugged her to him and stroked her hair. “He’s a tough old bastard, honey. He might be back on his feet in a week.”

  She shook her head into his chest. “I don’t think so, Chancey. Doc Morgan doesn’t even think he’ll be able to go!”

  Chance looked at Dan over her shoulder.

  Dan shook his head sadly. He had to admit that Doc Morgan hadn’t sounded too hopeful. “He said we’ll have to wait and see, but no matter how he is, flying so soon may not be the best idea.”

  Chance kept on stroking Missy’s hair. “We’ll figure something out, honey. Maybe I can drive him over there.”

  Dan shrugged. “I don’t know which would be worse. It won’t take long in the plane; it’d be more like four hours on the road.”

  Chance nodded. “Either way, we’ll get him there, Miss. And he’ll get over the wheelchair thing if he has to. He’ll get you down the aisle.”

  She shook her head again. “He says you’ll have to do it.”

  Chance froze. “He said that?”

  “Yep, so you know how adamant he must be that he’s not going to.”

  Dan watched the struggle on Chance’s face. He knew some of the history between Chance and his dad, but not all of it. He could tell that there was pain, confusion, and something else… perhaps the hint of a smile in there as Chance worked through his reaction to that news.

  He pulled himself together. “And you’re crying that you might have to walk down with the aisle with me?” he asked. “Thanks, lil sis!”

  She pulled back and looked up at him with a smile. “Course I am! If you do it, no one will even notice my dress. Everyone will be looking at you! The mysterious Montana man will steal my thunder!”

  Dan smiled as
the two of them laughed together. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to steal anything. You can imagine how eager I am to walk out in front of a bunch of people to give my sister away.” He grinned at Dan. “If it were up to me, I’d sell you. I’m pretty sure this guy would pay whatever I asked.”

  Missy slapped his arm and Dan laughed. “Damned straight, I would. Just name your price.”

  “Nah, you can have her. Seeing as you’re such a good guy.”

  Dan beamed at that. He and Chance had become friends, and that meant a lot to him. Having Chance’s approval of his relationship with Missy meant even more.

  “Can I go in and see him?” asked Chance.

  “I think so,” said Missy. “We’ve been waiting out here for you because he was sleeping. Let’s go to the nurse’s station and ask.”

  ~ ~ ~

  It was late by the time Missy pulled up outside the house. Chance had ridden with her and they’d followed Dan back down Route Twenty. She’d called Emma to say they’d pick Scot up, but Em had insisted that she and Jack would bring him home. Missy smiled; she knew her friend was looking out for her, wanting to save her from driving any more than she had to. But she also knew that Em would take any opportunity she got to see Chance. She’d had a crush on him since she’d first met him when they were eight and Chance was twelve.

  She showed Chance to his room and came back down to the kitchen. He joined her there a few moments later and she opened the fridge and handed him a beer. “I’m guessing you need one of these.”

  He took it with a smile. “Thanks. I’m guessing you do, too?”

  She nodded and pulled out another for herself.

  Chance peered into the fridge and laughed. “I never noticed before. I knew Dan lined ’em up with all the labels to the front, but he keeps them in alphabetical order, too?”

  Missy did a double take as she looked at the bottles. “Well, damn! So he does. I’d never noticed either. God, I love that man!”

  Dan appeared in the kitchen doorway. “I hope you’re talking about me, when you say that?” His eyes twinkled as he looked at her.

  She went to him and slid her arms around his waist. “You know it, hero! I don’t know what I would have done without you today—or any day for that matter.”

  He closed his arms around her and smiled down at her. “Good thing you’ll never have to find out then, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. She couldn’t imagine her life without him anymore.

  Chance raised his bottle to them. “You two deserve each other. You’re the oddest couple I’ve ever met, but you’re one of the best.”

  Missy wrinkled her nose at him. “Only one of the best? Who do you know that’s any better than us?”

  He narrowed his eyes at her with a smile. “No one better. I’ve just been surprised lately; a couple of my buddies have found their perfect women. Guys I’d never have expected to settle down with anyone. I thought you two were unique, but now I’m realizing that this love thing can strike anywhere.”

  Missy couldn’t resist. “See, it might even strike you some day.”

  Oh, why had she done that? His eyes were still narrowed, but his smile was gone. His lips pressed together into a thin line. “I think it’s like lightning. Doesn’t strike in the same place twice.”

  “Sometimes it does though, Chance.”

  He shrugged.

  She was relieved when the doorbell sounded. She smiled at him as she went to get the door. “Scot’s going to be pleased to see you. He’s growing up; I think you’ll be surprised.”

  Chapter Nine

  Monday morning saw Ben running around like crazy—as usual. Well, maybe even more than usual. He found that the busier he kept himself, the less time his mind had to dwell on things. The less chance it had to think about next weekend—about seeing Charlotte again. He needed to keep his mind the hell away from her. No matter what his heart had to say. She was the past.

  He drained the last of his coffee and looked up when a head poked around the door to the bar. They weren’t open yet. He smiled when he realized who it was.

  “Hey, Nate. How was the cabin?”

  “Awesome! Thanks, Ben. I don’t know about house hunting. I think I want to stay right there!”

  Ben laughed. “Sorry, bud. Through the winter I could probably offer you a deal on the place, but we’re coming into busy season. I can make more in a week on that place than you would pay for a month on a rental house.”

  Nate nodded. “That figures. I appreciate you letting me have it for the week though. I doubt I’ll find anywhere like that to actually live in.”

  Ben thought about it. “Come see me this afternoon. We’ll go through the available rentals. I can’t think off the top of my head what there is right now. If I don’t have anything, I’ll put you in touch with Austin. He usually has a couple of nice rental properties.”

  “Thanks. What are you up to today? Want to hang with me?”

  Ben laughed. “You’re kidding? I’d love to, but busy doesn’t even come close. In fact, I have to run right now, but come find me later, yeah?”

  Nate nodded. “Will do. You got any recommendations for what a guy like me can do with himself around here?”

  Ben paused. He knew Nate didn’t want to make a nuisance of himself. All the people he knew here had things of their own going on. Pete and Holly were hardly going to entertain him, Jack and Emma were at her gramps’ today, he knew that much. He’d stayed with Smoke and Laura his first night in town, but they’d flown up to Montana yesterday. Ben knew they were long overdue some alone time. He shrugged. “Everyone’s kind of busy this week. There’s a lot going on.”

  Nate grinned. “That’s okay. I don’t need a babysitter, just wondering what there is to do. I can pretend I’m on vacation. What do people come here to do?”

  “In that case, you can rent a boat, go out on the lake. Take a hike, there are maps at the front desk.” A thought struck him and he smiled. “Go horseback riding. That might be your best bet. The stables are usually quiet on a Monday morning.”

  Nate grinned. “Now there’s an idea! I haven’t ridden for years. I might just do that. Thanks, Ben.”

  “No worries. Have fun. I’ll catch up with you later. I’ve got to run.” He had a long list of jobs he needed to get done today, but first on his list was nothing to do with work. He wanted to stop in to see Missy. Jack and Emma had come into the bar for a drink after they’d dropped Scot back home last night. It had really shaken Ben to realize that Missy had been at the hospital all afternoon with her dad and he hadn’t even heard about it. Not so long ago he would have been the first person she’d call. He’d put a bit of distance between her and Dan and himself over the whole Charlotte thing. He needed to set that right. Their friendship was more important than his...his…whatever it was he was doing.

  He stopped in at the bakery to pick up doughnuts and brownies. He knew Missy stocked up on them whenever she could, and her dad loved those brownies, too. He’d get some extra for her to take to him. Hopefully, he’d be up to eating them.

  “Hi, Ben,” called April when he stepped into the bakery. “I’ll be right with you.” She was serving a couple of tourists.

  He watched her chat with them, load up their doughnut box, point out the brownies, and sell them a couple of sandwiches that they hadn’t known they needed. He smiled. She was good. She was settling in really well and was a real asset. Not that she would be an asset to him for much longer. When Renée leased the bakery from him, April was going to work for her. She’d still be here, but she’d also be helping to run the women’s center. That made sense to Ben. She’d been through so much herself, she had a lot to offer to other women needing help. Just as importantly, Ben had the feeling it would be good for her. For the first time in her life she’d be in a position to help others, not just be in need of help herself.

  Once the tourists had gone, she smiled at him. “What can I get for you?”

  “Doughnuts, brownies, a box of each
, please.”

  She laughed. “Are you hungry this morning?”

  He laughed with her. “They’re not for me; well, not all of them. I’m going to see Missy.”

  “How’s her dad? Megan told me what had happened when she came to pick Ethan up last night.”

  Ben shrugged. “I only heard about it from Jack and Emma. It sounds as though he’s going to be okay, though.”

  “Good. How’s Missy? It must be a shock right before her wedding. Michael seemed to think her dad might not be up to going; that’d be awful.”

  Ben stared at her. He hadn’t even thought about that. He knew how much Missy wanted her dad to give her away. “It would, wouldn’t it?” he said. He paid her for the pastries.

  “Well, give her my love, would you? And let me know if there’s anything I can do. She’s been so kind to me. She didn’t need to invite me to the wedding. She hardly even knows me.”

  Ben smiled. “Yes, she does. You’re one of us now. You may as well get used to it. Missy is awesome, and she likes you. You’re a friend—to all of us. So don’t forget it.”

  “I’m just finding it hard to get used to. I haven’t really had friends before.”

  “Well, you’ve got a whole gang of us now.”

  The smile on her face as he left told him how much that meant to her. He was glad she’d come here. Glad Chance had thought that the lake would be a good place for her. He wondered if she knew that Chance was here.

  When he got to Missy and Dan’s house Missy looked worn out. Her bright smile when she opened the front door couldn’t hide it.

  “Hey, bud. I came to see how you’re doing.” He held out the boxes of goodies. “And to bring you these. I’ll go, if you’re busy.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Don’t you even dare think about leaving, Ben Walton!”

  He grinned. That was his Missy. “Good to see you’ve still got your bossy boots on.”

  She hugged him. “I always will with you. Now come on in. You’re making the place look untidy standing there on the doorstep like that.”

  He followed her through the kitchen. “Dan’s in the shower. Scot’s gone to school. There’s no reason for him to stay home. Chance has gone for a walk. Do you want a coffee, and we’ll make a start on those doughnuts?”