Meg's Best Man: A Montana Weekend Novella (3 page)

“I’m still not a bear,” he said. “Sorry. Hey, is that coffee I smell? Do you have any more?”

“What are you doing here?” Her words sounded much harsher than she intended. “It isn’t time for the rehearsal breakfast, is it?”

“No, I just thought I’d walk you up to the cabin. I do have the bear spray,” he said, holding his trophy up in the other hand. The can’s safety band was still in place.

“I have more,” she said, meaning bear spray.

“Great, I’d love some coffee!” he said and stepped up into the cabin. He closed the door behind him. “It’s nice and warm in here. It’s pretty cold out until you get up into the sunshine.”

She pulled a second mug from her cabinet. He peered over his shoulder, head held sideways because his hat couldn’t clear the ceiling. “Hey, don’t those things break in there, all tossed in like that? I would’ve guessed you had to organize them so they don’t bang into each other.”

She took a slow breath. “Everything got messed up on the way in here.”
When you backed up the camper like a BMX rider going up a ramp, that is
.

“Guess that’s one of the hazards of moving your home from place to place.”

She gave him a blank look. “Milk?”

“No thanks. This isn’t one of those flavored coffees, is it?”

“Yes, it is.”

He shrugged. “Still tastes fine. Thanks.” With that Gage sat down, leaving his long legs in the tiny hallway, and removed his hat. He looked like he planned to stay a while. He glanced over at her Bible. “So, are you a…”

“Jesus freak? Mm hmm.”

He looked relieved. “I don’t know what to call it, or if it’s okay to ask. It feels kind of like asking what brand of underwear you wear or something, like it’s too personal. Do I say Christian or something else?”

She had to think about that. “I guess most of the people I run into ask if you’re a believer.”

“Wasn’t there a song about that in the movie
Shrek
? I’m a believer.”

Meg laughed. “I don’t think that’s what the song was about. So, are you a believer?”

He nodded. He looked like he was going to say more, but instead he downed the rest of the coffee and stood up as straight as he could. “Leah’s got breakfast going. Joshua bought a new grill for her, and she’s going to town on it.”

“Joshua is up?” Meg said.

“Oh, no. But he will be when he gets a whiff of what she’s cooking.”

When they made it up the long road to Joshua’s cabin, they saw Leah cooking over a huge, shiny new barbecue grill. Leah waved her spatula at them. “French toast is almost done. Which one of you has the dangerous job of waking my fiancé?”

Meg raised her hand. “I’m a pro,” she said. She had spent most of the summers of her youth, and a few stray winters, living with Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jacob. Joshua’s love of sleep was well known. The trick to waking him was to get out of the way.

She started with a mug of coffee, with milk, half-full so he wouldn’t spill it. Then she slowly opened the big bedroom down the other hall from Leah’s room, but she found it empty—and decorated with flowers. She smiled. That was probably Catherine’s doing. That left the boys’ bunk room as the only place for the men to sleep. She was extra careful opening the door because he might be within striking distance.

Lucky for her he wasn’t just on the other side of the room, he was on one of the top bunks, snoring away. She first blew over the top of the coffee to carry the scent into the room. “Joshua, coffee,” she whispered. “Coffeeeeee.”

He grumbled something unintelligible.

She grabbed a pillow and tossed it. The first shot missed, but she grabbed another and scored a direct hit onto his head. He growled and his fists went flying through the air, hitting nothing. Then he ducked under the covers again. “Coffee, Josh,” she sang.

Grumble. “Cream?”

“Milk.”

Grumble. She crept into the room. One of Joshua’s arms reached out. She carefully placed the mug in his hand, and then it disappeared under the covers by his head. She heard a loud sip.

When she turned around she saw Gage in the doorway, shaking his head. She was headed his way when she heard a telltale rustle behind her, and without looking she ducked low. A pillow flew over her head and hit Gage directly in the stomach.

“Hey!” Gage yelled.

“Some best man you are. You’re supposed to defend me. Who let the morning person in here?”

Meg tried to grab the pillow out of Gage’s hands, but he held tight. “He didn’t just let me in, he came and got me. He must know what a grump you are. I’d better warn Leah not to marry you.”

Joshua was a bed-headed, swollen-eyed mess. “What is wrong with you people? And what is that incredible smell?”

“Leah’s breakfast,” Gage said. “I’m not guaranteeing that anything will be left if you keep lounging around in bed.”

Meg slipped out the door, and Gage closed it behind her. He was a little too close and a little too tall, and she found herself staring at the spot between his collarbones. He was in her way.

There was that nice smell again. How did he pull that off? There were no showers at the cabin, only the water spigot outside and the river down in the valley. Just before she decided to crawl out of the way, he moved and let her pass. She thought she heard him chuckle. She sure hoped he was laughing at Joshua and not her, because she didn’t want him to know he was bugging her. He seemed to thrive on it, and she had learned on the playground decades before that the best way to get rid of that kind of boy was to ignore him.

“Did you hear if Mark was coming?” Leah asked, switching from one cast-iron pan to another.

“I don’t think so.” And without Internet access she wouldn’t know until her brother either arrived or didn’t. Leah didn’t seem bothered by his lack of RSVP. Mark was pretty well known for not keeping in touch, but he was seventeen, after all.

The big table on the deck was set, there were wildflowers in a mason jar, and there was enough food to feed an army. It felt like Sunday brunch at Catherine and Jacob’s house, and Meg loved it. The water pitcher with a filter in it was new. It seemed like a good idea, but she’d grown up drinking this water right out of the ground. Everything looked great. But Leah’s forehead was all wrinkled up, and there was a frenzied quality to the way she was working.

Sliding up beside her, Meg helped move some of the serving plates over to the table. “You’re not supposed to be working hard today, Leah. Please give me something to do.”

“I just want it all ready before she gets… before they all get here.”

As far as Meg knew, the only people coming were Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jacob, Meg’s own parents, Uncle Jeffrey, Joshua’s brother and sister, and Leah’s mom. She guessed Leah was talking about either Catherine, her future mother-in-law, or Leah’s own mom. It seemed likely that it was one of them who would have the power to make her so nervous. “It looks so pretty, Leah. I’ve never seen the deck look this good. And I saw the white ribbons and cloth in the cabin; I can’t wait to get it all up so we can see it ready to go. It’s almost like decorating for Christmas.”

“It’s a lot to get done,” Leah said, flipping another batch of French toast in the cast-iron griddle.

“I’ll get it done, don’t worry. And by this afternoon there will be a ton of other people here who want to help, too.”

Leah’s shoulders dropped, and she looked up from the grill and out over the valley below. “It’s still not going to be okay. I know Catherine went to so much trouble to make her feel at home, but she’s used to big, fancy hotels and concierge service, and she hates bugs and ground that scuffs her shoes and well water…”

That explained which mom, and the water filter. Meg put an arm around Leah’s shoulders. “That’s going to be really hard. I know you like it here, and I bet you wish she did too.”

Leah nodded silently.

“Leah, the good thing is Joshua’s here, and he loves you more than anything in this world. Try to remember it’s all about you two now. It’s about all of us blessing your marriage. It’s about you and Josh blessing each other. And anyone who is cranky, puking, wimpy, or whatever just shouldn’t matter this weekend.”

Leah snickered. “You have a way with words, Meg. You should be a writer.”

She might have told Leah about her book right then if Gage and Joshua hadn’t walked out onto the deck. Joshua looked awful. She glanced at Leah, who was looking at him like he hung the moon, and smiled. It made her feel funny, the way they couldn’t see anyone else. She felt like an intruder, and she was happy for them. And she was a little bit jealous of their relationship.

Not that she would have any idea what to do with a husband, anyway.

They all heard the sound of an engine at the same time, and Jacob and Catherine’s blue Expedition drove into sight. Before the engine was off, her aunts, uncles, and two of her cousins poured out. She waited. There was no sign of her parents. And with a quick glance at Leah she confirmed that there was also no sign of Leah’s mother.

There was a flurry of hugging and loud back slapping as Uncle Jeffrey greeted Joshua. “I can’t tell you what it means to me to be here, Josh! What a blessed time this is.” He then turned toward the girls. He looked like a taller, thinner version of her own father. “Leah! It’s so good to see you again.” He rushed over and gave her a hug and a back slap that sounded a little painful. If it hurt, Leah kept it to herself. Meg was next. It didn’t hurt that badly, that was just Uncle Jeffrey. She wondered if he gave the same thumping hugs to the elderly ladies in his congregation.

Catherine made her way over, and she took Leah’s hand with a gentle look on her face. Meg braced herself for bad news. “Brittany is going to come in on the first plane tomorrow morning, Leah. She had a little difficulty finding accommodations, and she didn’t want to trouble me by staying at our place.”

There was no way that the hotels in the valley were full, Meg thought. That only happened on rodeo weekend. Besides, Bozeman was little more than an hour away. Weren’t there plenty of rooms there? “Yeah, well,” Leah said. “It’s very kind of you to say that, Catherine. She didn’t need to be here for the rehearsal, anyway. She had already told me she didn’t want to walk me down the aisle. She said it would make her feel old.”

“Oh, honey,” Catherine said. “I’m so sorry.”

Leah nodded.

Catherine turned her gentle look on Meg. “Meg, your parents had some business in Billings today. They’re working on transporting some clothing to Burma for a nonprofit there. They thought they might make it back in time for dinner, though.” Meg smiled and nodded. They wouldn’t make it, of course. She tried not to let it set her on edge. After all, she would be around all weekend, and their latest project might not.

“Well, is anyone hungry?” Leah asked.

Meg was finally put to work filling up plates and setting them in front of her aunts, uncles, and cousins, and one strange Texan. When she could finally sit down she realized how tough it all must be on Leah. None of these people were her family. She fit right in, though. And so did Gage, she realized, as he seemed to have everyone around him laughing about something.

Her uncle Jeffrey quieted his own raucous laugh and stood up. “Let’s say grace.” It only took about three lines. She decided he’d given his abbreviated breakfast version. Either that or the smell of bacon, eggs, French toast, biscuits, and orange juice were getting to him, too.

It was a long meal, with everyone eating too much and talking too long. They finally got around to deciding where the chairs would go, where the aisle would be, and when Leah would come out into the little meadow in front of the cabin, and the official rehearsal began.

For some reason it never occurred to Meg that she would have to walk down the aisle with Gage. They had to leave first, being the best man and the honorary maid of honor. He held his arm out for her, she placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and he placed his other hand over hers. She was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hold her hand like that, but it felt comfortable. They parted ways near Uncle Jeffrey.

Next were Joshua’s brother and sister, Caleb and Cadence. Cadence was wearing a tube top over a string bikini and short shorts. Meg remembered what Catherine had said, something about Cadence needing a dose of modesty. When you’re nineteen and pretty, it’s hard to remember that someone else’s wedding rehearsal isn’t the best place to dress for attention.

But if the truth was told, Meg envied Cadence’s slim body. Most of all, she envied what seemed to be her absolute comfort inside that skin. At nineteen, all Meg had ever worn was baggy jeans and hooded sweatshirts.

Meg suddenly had an idea for another Mouse the Montana Moose character—an animal who wore extra fur because she didn’t like her own. Or maybe she wore moose antlers because they made her feel pretty. Meg could see the images forming in her mind’s eye, and she almost missed the fact that Leah was walking down the imaginary aisle.

When Jeffrey got to a summary of the vows, both Joshua and Leah got giggly. Then Uncle Jeffrey started snickering. This could make for an entertaining ceremony, Meg thought. She glanced sideways and caught Gage staring at her. He wasn’t laughing, he was just staring. It made her feel so awkward that she had to look away. Was she doing something wrong? Fly undone? A bug in her hair?

As soon as the rehearsal was over, they all got busy decorating. Swags of cloth and white solar Christmas lights went everywhere. Meg had plenty of ideas, and Leah had a good critical eye. With two ladders and willing workers, they managed to turn the meadow into something very special. Meg wouldn’t say it out loud because it would sound silly, but it looked like a fairy circle to her, a magical place made out of lights and trees and carpeted in wildflowers and silvery grass. She couldn’t wait to see it lit up tomorrow night, but for now all the solar cells were tested and then turned off. They would have to wait to see how it looked tomorrow afternoon.

Cars started arriving shortly after noon. The drive of choice of Joshua’s many friends and relations seemed to be beat-up pickups, and soon the place looked like it was half fairy circle and half used car lot. There was a lot of laughing and unpacking, and the woods around the cabin sprouted tents like overgrown wildflowers. Catherine was able to convince most of the guests to drive down to the valley and park there to ease the crowding. And besides, now was the perfect time to head down the road: the tug-of-war was scheduled for three o’clock.