Forever His Bride

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“Nose always in a book,” Mrs. Hild added. “Read everything in the library. Heck, she just about lived in that library.”

“Makes no sense,” Mrs. Carpenter repeated, her eyes wide as she assessed Josh’s good looks.

“Can I borrow Dr. Towers?” Brenna asked, reaching between the older women to grasp Josh’s arm and pull him away. “Your children need you.”

“Such adorable little scamps,” Mrs. Carpenter murmured as Brenna led him from the bar.

“And their father.” Mrs. Hild’s loud sigh reached them. “He’s the spitting image of JFK junior. Such a handsome, handsome boy…”

“Molly McClintock must have lost her mind,” Mrs. Carpenter declared.

Brenna swallowed her agreement, along with a chuckle at the lasciviousness of the two women.

“Where are the boys? I’ve been looking all over for them,” Josh said, his eyes dark with concern for his children. He obviously didn’t care what Mrs. Hild, Mrs. Carpenter or anyone else said about him. Or he wouldn’t have shown up at his reception.

“Evidently you haven’t looked in the alley,” Brenna informed him. “Or the ladies’ room.”

He closed his eyes. “They were outside? By themselves?”

“I was with them every minute,” she assured him, although she hadn’t been quite fast enough to prevent the pop fight.

“And the ladies’ room?” he asked. “Are the toilets working?”

Brenna laughed. “Yes. Everything’s okay. You probably won’t get the deposit back on their tuxedoes. But otherwise they’re fine.”

He pushed a hand through his black hair as a grin stole across his mouth. “Never a dull moment. Not since the day they were born. They need constant supervision, or they get into trouble. Where are they now?”

“With my folks. Mama and Pop can handle them,” she assured him. “Nick said you were looking for them, though.”

“Where is he?”

“Are you still avoiding your best man?” she asked.

Josh shook his head. Just as the town gossips had cornered him at the bar, Nick had cornered Josh in the men’s room earlier. His friend didn’t understand why Josh had insisted on coming to the reception. Hell, he didn’t understand why Josh hadn’t changed his mind about opening the office and moving to Cloverville. He expected Josh to sell the building and the house he’d finally admitted to buying. He hadn’t realized what Josh already understood—that Cloverville had a lot to offer.

“Dance with me,” he said. “I haven’t danced once tonight.”

She shook her head. “I just rescued you from the town busybodies, but you’re determined to get their tongues wagging again.”

Josh shrugged. “Sweetheart, I’m going to be the talk of this town for many years to come, no matter what I do.” Maybe Nick was right. Maybe he should change his plans, sell the office building, sell the house and salvage some of his pride. “Why is dancing with you going to get the tongues wagging again?”

Her usually throaty voice slightly prim, she informed him, “A groom is supposed to dance his first dance with the bride.”

“That’s a little hard to do when the bride’s taken off,” Josh pointed out. “Pretty sad that a woman was so desperate to get away from me that she ran away from all her family and friends, too.”

“Maybe not all her friends,” Brenna muttered.

“What?” Was Brenna referring to the guy who’d backed out of the wedding party at the last minute—the guy Molly had often talked about, Eric South? Although South was a paramedic at the hospital where Josh worked, he couldn’t remember ever having met him. Of course he didn’t often work out of the E.R. “Do you know where she is?”

“Sure, I’ll dance with you,” she said now, as if desperate to change the subject.

Josh wouldn’t pressure her for Molly’s whereabouts in the way that Nick would. His best man thought Josh needed to talk to his fiancée, in order to accept that the engagement was over. But even though their engagement wasn’t officially broken, Josh knew he and Molly wouldn’t ever be getting married.

He linked his fingers with Brenna’s and led her through the twirling and swaying couples on the dance floor. “Now I see where Nick’s gotten to. He’s dancing with Colleen,” he observed. He had known Nick a long time, but he couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen that particular expression on his friend’s face before—a mixture of awe, fear and fascination.