The Fairest of Them All (19 page)

“Are you gonna try to talk to him?” Daniel asked in a low voice.

“It might be a little late for that.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Better late than never, little sister.” Then they left, and Carly closed the door behind them.

After five more lonely, tear-filled nights, Carly learned something important about herself. She learned Russ had become the light in her darkest night and nobody else would take his place. That fact gave her the courage to lay it on the line and tell Russ how wrong she’d been.

Friday afternoon, she put out feelers for locating him, but nobody knew where he was. Ethan, Nathan, and Brick had just arrived back from their camping trip. When Carly quizzed them about where the rest of her brothers were, they mentioned Western Willie’s bar. It clicked in her mind. How appropriate, she thought, and headed for her closet.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her armor and got ready for peace talks.

This was a mistake, Russ decided after drinking half a beer. He glanced around the noisy bar and brooded. He wasn’t fit to face the rest of humanity. He was miserable, and he preferred keeping his misery to himself. Instead he was surrounded by a Friday night crowd determined to shake off the workweek. Men and women alternately gyrated and clung to one another as songs about whiskey and women played around them.

“You ready for another one?” Garth asked when the waitress checked on them.

He shook his head. “Nah. I think I’ll be heading out when I finish this one. It’s been a long day.”

“You can’t do that,” Jarod said. “We just got here. Ethan, Nathan, and Brick might be coming by.” He nudged Troy with his elbow.

Troy gave Jarod a brief glare, then turned a friendly grimace toward Russ. “That’s right. Let me get you some peanuts and you’ll be ready for that next beer in no time.”

Russ gave a noncommittal nod. It was unsettling for Troy to act so nice. Seeing four grown men tiptoe around the reason for his sour mood made him feel even more testy. He’d rather hit somebody than drink beer tonight. But Carly’s brothers weren’t giving him the opportunity. They hadn’t mentioned her name once. And they were being so nice, it made him feel as though he were wearing brand-new shoes—damned uncomfortable.

“How’d that last harvest turn out?” Daniel asked. “I worried about you having enough time for your own work with all you did for me.”

“Don’t give it a second thought. I did fine. It’s nice to know I’ll be able to count on you if I get hit by a disaster.” As soon as he said it, Russ realized he’d already been hit by disaster. She was five feet ten with big violet eyes and a crimson mouth that had the ability to render him mindless. She was also the woman who’d stolen his heart, lock, stock, and barrel. Frowning, Russ raised his mug and finished it in three swallows.

“There you go,” Troy said with excess cheer as he passed a bowl to Russ. “Nothing like pretzels and—” He broke off, finishing with a barnyard curse.

Jarod looked at Troy, then into the crowd. His face fell. “What is she doing here?”

Garth scowled.

“I thought I told ya’ll not to tell her where we were going tonight,” Daniel said in a threatening tone.

Feeling a tingling premonition, Russ searched the crowd and saw her, teetering on mile-high heels, wearing that man-eater dress, and impatiently shaking off an admirer’s searching hands. Russ’s stomach twisted into a knot.

Brick came up behind her and put a heavy hand on the guy’s shoulder. Ethan and Nathan backed up Brick with menacing glances while Carly’s deter- mined gaze found Russ. Then she left the lot of them in her wake.

Russ looked down at his empty mug. Where was a double shot of whiskey when you needed it?

At the same time the waitress replaced his beer, Carly came to a halt beside his chair. The waitress wasn’t the bashful kind. She set a napkin with a phone number on the table and winked. “I get off at midnight.”

His gaze slid to Carly, and he watched while the wind seemed to go out of her sails. Her violet eyes lost their spark, and she suddenly looked unsure.

No more unsure than he was, he thought and slouched in his chair. “I’ll remember that,” he mur¬mured to the waitress.

He felt Carly stiffen beside him. She crossed her arms over her chest. Russ caught a whiff of her sultry scent and stifled a groan. “Hi, Carly,” he managed in his most casual tone.

“Hi. I, uh, wanted to tell you something.” She looked around as if she were having second thoughts.

He shrugged. “Go ahead.” From the comer of his eye, he noticed all her brothers were staring at her.

Carly shifted. Her shiny earrings jiggled below her ears, catching the light. She swatted at the distrac¬tion. Russ remembered kissing her there where she was particularly sensitive. She’d laughed breath¬lessly. He clamped his jaw together. This casual slouch was getting a little tough to maintain.

She shifted her shoulders. The sleeve fell a little farther down her arm. Russ thought she was looking at his ear. She sure as hell wasn’t looking at his eyes. “It probably won’t make any difference to you, but I wanted you to know.” She cleared her throat. “I was wrong the other day. I acted horrible, and—” She took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. “You probably won’t be able to forgive me, but I’m really—”

He watched her swallow and felt his chest ache when he saw the moist sheen in her eyes. She finally met his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Russ. I’m r-r-really sorry.”

Russ stared at her. A public apology. She could have knocked him over with her pinkie finger.

After a moment, she broke the gaze and started to turn away. Russ’s reflexes returned like lightning. He reached out and snared her wrist. “Is that all?” he asked roughly over his dry throat.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “All?”

“Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh,” she murmured, her features clearing. She shook her wrist within his grip. He tightened his hand, then deliberately loosened it. Her hand slipped away, but she surprised him by lacing her fingers with his. “I wanted to tell you that I love you,” she said in a crystal clear voice.

His heart pounded hard against his rib cage.

“You’re the most important man in my life.” Her eyes darkened with emotion. “There’s a lot of things I’ve never done before, and I’d like to do them all with you.”

Russ heard Troy mutter something in the back¬ground. Russ stood, ignoring curious stares. Still wary, he warned, “I can’t take this hot and cold stuff anymore.”

“Then I’ll make it easy. Will you marry me?”

The building could have fallen down around him, and he wouldn’t have known it. His insides turned to mush at the love in her eyes. He brought her hand to his chest so she could feel how she affected him. His heart was racing a mile a minute. Her lips curved into a slow, tentative smile.

He smiled back, knowing he probably looked like a grinning fool. “Yes, I'll marry you. But, Carly, if you wear that dress in public again, you’ll have to bail your husband out of jail.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I’ll kill anybody who looks at you.”

She laughed. “Guess I’d better take it off.”

Russ shook his head, distantly heard Brick’s ex¬clamation of disapproval, then curved his hand around her neck, drawing her closer to kiss her. Her lips parted sweetly, and Russ felt as though he were coming home to warmth and love. After a moment of tasting her, he rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s get out of here.”

She drew a shaky breath. “Fine with me.”

Russ picked her up in his arms.

“Hey, Bradford,” Troy said, “you’re not officially married yet.”

“That’s okay,” Russ said over his shoulder. “She can’t renege. You heard her. I’ve got witnesses this time.”

“I wasn’t worried about Carly backing out,” Troy griped.

“Aw, can it, Troy,” Daniel said.

“You sure have been a grouch lately. What’s your problem?” The squabbling faded as Russ carried Carly from the bar. He shook his head again, this time in disbelief. His commitment had never been in question.

Russ looked down at Carly. “You know you stunned me.”

She gave a wry smile. “So I have a little bit of an effect on you?”

“About like a heart attack.”

“Oh, your heart. Sounds serious.”

He came to a stop. “You know I love you.”

Carly nodded. “Yeah.” Then she reached up and kissed him, and all the kidding left her expression. “But it sure feels good to hear it.”

His chest swelled, remembering how it had felt for her to announce her love in front of that crowd of people. He vowed to do the same for her. He didn’t want any doubts between them ever again. “I love you.” He held her tighter, cherishing the weight of her precious feminine body. “I won’t let you forget it.”

“Hey, Carly,” Brick called through the door to her cabin on
Matilda’s Dream
. He gave a few raps, then burst in. “Everybody’s waiting. You need to get the lead—” He stopped and stared. “You look like a fairy princess. Where’d you get the dress?”

Carly took the boutonniere and pin from his hand and attached it to the lapel of his tuxedo. “Chatta¬nooga. Is Russ here?”

Brick shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he wised up and headed for the hills.”

“Brick, I’ve got a sharp pin in my hand,” she warned her biggest brother. He had a sense of humor about everything but his given name. That’s why anyone who wanted to keep their teeth called him Brick.

“You stab me and I’ll turn you over my knee.”

She lifted her chin. “I’ve got somebody just as big as you to stand up for me now.”

He gave a wry grin. “Guess you do at that.” Then he turned serious. “He’s a good man, Carly. You couldn’t do better.”

Her eyes misted, and she blinked. Her emotions had been tugging at her all day. “I know. I just hope all of you find someone who’ll love you like this one day.” She wrapped her arms around him and a sob escaped.

“Hey,” he chided her, holding her. “You’re sup¬posed to be all smiles. None of this crying stuff.”

“I know. I’m just happy.”

He patted her on the back. “Well, if this is happy, think about something depressing. Maybe it’ll bal¬ance out.”

Carly laughed through her tears and pushed him toward the door. “Okay, go on out. Let me fix my makeup one last time.”

Brick paused. “Mom would be proud.”

Carly touched her mother’s pearl necklace at her throat and nodded, feeling another spate of tears threaten. When he left, she fanned her face and dabbed at her tears with a tissue.

Sara stepped in, seeming to float in pale blue chif¬fon. Smiling in gentle understanding, she arranged the lace-trimmed veil that trailed down Carly’s back from a wreath around her crown. “You really do look beautiful. This dress is perfect for you.”

“Think so?” Carly smoothed the Queen Anne neckline, touching the beads and iridescent sequins that embellished the richly detailed bodice and pouf sleeves. Embroidered cutouts and scalloped lace accented the satin train. Carly lifted the hem, reveal¬ing white satin ballet slippers. “I couldn’t risk heels today. I'm too shaky.”

“You’ll be fine. Here’s a lace handkerchief for something borrowed.” Sara pressed the fine fabric in her hand. “The pearls are something old. And your ring is something blue and new.”

Carly looked at the one-carat diamond set off by twin sapphire baguettes on either side. It flashed and sparkled every time she moved her hand. “It’s hard for me to believe it’s mine.” She took a deep breath. “It’s hard to believe that Russ is mine.”

There was another knock on the door. “It’s time,” Sara said. “Are you ready?” She kissed Carly on the cheek and handed her the bouquet of long-stemmed American Beauty roses.

Carly nodded and they left the room where Daniel waited for her. Sara and Daniel made an extraordi¬nary effort not to notice each other, but it looked as though both were failing. Carly smiled, and a few steps later, she was walking out onto the deck lit with a hundred lights under a clear starry sky. A trio of strings played Wagner.

Carly looked across the crowd of people. It seemed as though the whole town was here, the mayor and his family, church members. She winked at her brothers.

Then she saw Russ. He shared the front with Garth and the minister, but he shared his gaze only with Carly. The wind played with his red hair. The white shirt was a sharp contrast with his tanned skin and his black tuxedo.

He stared at her, seemingly entranced. Then he smiled and her heart was full, so full. He took her hand when she reached him. He felt warm and solid.

“Who gives this woman?” the minister asked in his booming voice.

All seven of her brothers stood. “We do,” they said in unison.

Then Carly faced Russ, absorbing his confidence and love, and traded vows. Miraculously, she man¬aged not to stutter. But she sensed it wouldn’t have mattered to Russ even if she had. He loved her just the way she was.

Everything turned into a blur after Russ pushed the gold band on her finger. The minister said something about kissing the bride. Russ grinned broadly and wrapped her in a fierce embrace. Then he kissed her. Another promise. She felt it in his lips, in his arms.

Carly couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They streamed freely down her cheeks.

With a not-so-steady hand, he brushed the mois¬ture from her skin. “You’ll never know how happy you’ve made me, Carly.”

To her surprise, she saw a telltale shimmer of liquid in his brown eyes. “Oh, Russ.”

“There’s something I want you to see. Look over there.” He turned her chin toward an archway of tiny white lights at the other end of the boat.

Carly gasped, then hiccuped over the lump in her throat. The lights were arranged to spell out the words “Russ loves Carly.” “Everyone will know now.”

His eyes were serious. “I just need for you to know.”