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“What do you mean double-booked?” Trudy scowled. “I’ve been a member of that church since I came to this country as a child. Everyone knows tomorrow is your wedding day.”
Belle stood there shaking her head. So, it wasn’t the best excuse, but she hadn’t offered any other suggestions either.
“You two are getting married tomorrow,” Trudy shouted. She shoved the covers aside and shook the bed’s safety rails. “Let me out of this contraption. I told you people I’m fine to walk. It’s only a bruised hip.”
Belle rushed to her grandmother’s side before she took a dive over the edge. “Grammy, you have to stay in bed.” She looked to Harlan for help. “She thinks she’s in the hospital after that bad fall she had a few weeks before our wedding.”
“Why are you talking like I’m not here?” Trudy stopped fighting against her and sat up in bed. “I fell and I am in the hospital.” Trudy looked around the room. “I’ve had enough of this place. I want to go home.”
Harlan moved to stand beside Belle and attempted to cover Trudy’s bare legs with a sheet. The older woman had gone from zero to overdrive in a matter of seconds.
Belle reached for the call button and pressed it. “I know you do, Grammy. You will. You’ll go home soon.”
A nurse came in and helped ease Trudy back against the bed. She adjusted it into a reclining position and double-checked the safety rails. Another woman entered the room and stood in the corner, silently watching.
“Stop fussing over me.” She swatted both women away. “Go to the church and straighten out this wedding business. You tell them I booked the date first and you’re getting married there tomorrow.”
“Okay, Grammy. We will.” Belle removed her handbag from the back of the chair and slung it over her shoulders. “I love you. We’ll go now.” Belle ran from the room.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Trudy.” Harlan grabbed his hat and headed down the hall in search of Belle. When he reached the front desk, the woman who’d greeted him earlier pointed to a side door. He found Belle sitting in a white rocker on the covered veranda staring toward the blue-gray mountains of the Swan Range.
Her gaze met his as he approached. “I don’t know how to watch her slip away like this.” Her fingers trembled in her lap as his own ached to brush away the lone tear trailing down her cheek before she averted her gaze.
He crouched in front of her and held her hands between his own. He expected her to recoil from his touch as she had earlier, but instead she turned her hands upward and gripped his. The longing to tug her into his arms and soothe her pain took him by surprise. He hadn’t come within a street’s width of Belle in eight years, and in a matter of a few hours her skin had seared him multiple times like a branding iron on a steer’s rump.
“I’m here for you.” His thumbs slid across the soft warmth of her inner wrists. “Whether you want me to be or not.”
Harlan sympathized with her anguish. He’d lost his father four years ago and as terrible as that had been, he couldn’t fathom having to watch his last remaining relative slowly slip away. It was only a matter of time before Belle would be alone. In many respects, she already was. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow her to face that grief on her own.
“I appreciate it and thank you for coming here.” A dry sob stuck in her throat. “I guess it was a waste.”
“Excuse me.” The woman who had been in Trudy’s room a few minutes earlier approached them. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Samantha Frederick, the new director here. I hope I’m not overstepping, but I overheard your dilemma. It’s not much, and nowhere near as beautiful as your church would have been, but you’re welcome to get married here tomorrow. We don’t have the space for a big reception, but the garden is in full bloom and you wouldn’t have to do anything to it. Reverend Grady is here now and I just spoke with him. He said he’d be happy to perform the ceremony. It will allow your grandmother to be a part of your wedding.”
“Oh!” Belle laughed.
Harlan stood, unable to hold back a chuckle of his own at the irony of the situation. “That’s sweet of you.”
“But completely unnecessary,” Belle interjected.
“Well, wait a minute.” Harlan tapped Belle’s shoulder. “It’s not a bad idea. Let’s at least give it some thought.”
“Please do.” Samantha smiled. “My office is next to the front desk. Come see me when you’ve decided. We’d love to have you.”
“Thank you.” Harlan removed his phone from his pocket. Tomorrow was Tuesday and he didn’t have any court dates planned. He reasoned Sheriff Parker would give him the day off to get married.
“Harlan, we can’t do this.”
“Why not?” He knew the idea sounded crazy, but it was only temporary. “We’ll stay married until—” He hated saying the words knowing they’d hurt Belle. “Until your grandmother’s memories fade. What’s a few months or even a year?”
“More like a few weeks at the rate she’s regressing.” Belle stared at her hands.
“However long, we’ll get married, live our separate lives like we already do. We’ll meet up here and visit her together, and then we’ll have it annulled.”
“How will we explain the lack of guests?”
“We can ask the employees to fill in for a few minutes. It will be fast.”
Belle stared up at him. “We can’t get a marriage license by tomorrow.”
“There’s no waiting period in Montana, but we would need to see the county clerk before she leaves today. If we sign the blood test waiver, we’ll be good to go. Besides, like you said, I owe you a wedding. It’s the least I can do.”
“Or we can hire a fake reverend,” Belle said.
“We could.” Harlan crouched down in front of her again. “But knowing you the way I do—or the way I used to—I think lying to your grandmother about something this big would bother you. I saw the look on your face in there when you told her she’ll go home soon. You hated lying to her. I don’t think you’d go through with this if it wasn’t real.”
“I would go through hell to make my grandmother happy.”
“There you have it. What’s more hellacious than marrying me on our not-so-wedding anniversary?”
“Ha!” Belle held out her hand to him. “You’ve got that right.”
He took her hand between both of his, causing her to shake her head. “What?”
“It’s supposed to be a handshake, Harlan.” She withdrew her hand and offered it again. “We’re making a deal, so let’s shake on it. And in case I don’t say it later, thank you for doing this.”
This was the second craziest thing Harlan had ever done. The first had been walking out on Belle. “Let’s get hitched.”
Chapter Two (#u1795bda1-ab1e-50c1-8ac0-7ade2a87a786)
Belle didn’t like to wait. She hated it. Utterly despised it. Waiting meant something bad was about to happen. She’d waited for her mom to come back to the hotel room and she never had. She’d waited for Harlan in the church and he had never returned. Here she was, waiting once again on her wedding day. Granted she was there three hours early, but that was only at her grandmother’s insistence. Trudy may have forgotten many things, but every last detail of Belle and Harlan’s wedding remained fresh in her mind. A little too fresh. What made Belle think she could possibly go through with marrying Harlan? Any recollection of their first wedding left her stomach in knots.
“You look beautiful, Bubbe.” Her grandmother had been calling her Bubbe, short for bubbeleh, since the day she picked her up in Texas. It meant darling and was Trudy’s little term of endearment reserved solely for Belle. Something so simple and yet she knew she would miss it one day soon. Trudy would regress to a point where she no longer remembered her. Belle’s heart physically ached at the thought. “I loved that dress on you the moment we saw it in the store.”
Dress shopping with Trudy had been her favorite part of planning her original wedding. She’d tried on countless gowns while her grandmother waited patiently. The instant she stepped into the simple strapless A-line with delicate bodice beading, she knew it was the dress.
As beautiful as the gown was, Belle wanted to tear it off and burn it. She’d attempted to once, but her grandmother told her she would one day regret that decision. So she packed it away and stored it in a cold dark corner of the basement with the wedding rings. When she cleaned out Trudy’s house, she’d contemplated throwing the dress out. Thinking someone might have better luck with it, she opted to consign it. Six months later, the shop returned the dress to her when it hadn’t sold. It had been sitting in a storage unit with some of her grandmother’s belongings ever since. After Trudy had drilled her over its whereabouts first thing this morning, she’d spent an hour climbing around the storage unit until she found the blasted thing. She had hoped it wouldn’t still fit. Unlucky for her, it did.
“I can’t believe you wanted to wear a sundress today.”
“Grammy, it’s hot out. It was only a suggestion.” Belle flashed back to the morning of her first wedding. She’d been so happy and thrilled to begin a new life with Harlan.
Today brought a fresh start in a different way—a sense of closure. And she needed that to rid herself finally of the man she loved. Well, once loved. Her heart had slammed the door on that emotion long ago.
“You’re putting your hair up, right?” her grandmother asked.
“Yes.” Belle stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had to pull herself together and tamp down the desire to run for the nearest exit. If only she could draw the curtain on the disastrous movie of her first wedding that kept replaying in her head. Thankfully they weren’t doing this in the church again. Belle had her limits and that would have pushed them to the max. She inhaled deep, summoning the strength and courage to get through the day and make her grandmother happy. Grabbing a brush and bobby pins from her bag, she gathered her hair into a low ponytail. “I’m wearing it in a French twist.”
“I loved that style the best out of all the ones Matilda showed us. Too bad she came down with a cold this morning.”
Matilda had been her grandmother’s hairdresser since the beginning of time. She’d been the master of the updo, but had died three years earlier.
“That’s all right, I can manage.” Despite her nerves about facing Harlan again wearing the same dress, with the same hairstyle, holding the same rings and set to recite the same vows, she enjoyed these quiet moments with her grandmother. She didn’t know how many more they had left. As painful as reliving the past was, she wouldn’t trade it in for anything in the world. She’d always thought it was impossible to turn back the hands of time, but that wasn’t entirely true. Now if she could only figure out how to stop time, she’d be set.
Samantha had become an impromptu wedding planner, buzzing around the nursing home and getting all the ambulatory residents ready to attend the ceremony. She even found time to put together a lovely bridal bouquet of fresh cut flowers from the garden. A few times, Belle had to remind herself that none of it was real.
Samantha popped her head in the door. “Are you ready? Your groom is waiting.”
This was the day she wished Harlan hadn’t shown up.
“I’m ready,” she lied. No amount of primping would make her ready either. At least she looked the part. A nurse’s aide came in and helped Trudy into a wheelchair. The walk down the corridor to the garden seemed a mile long. Her stomach twisted as Myra opened the door. And that’s when she saw them.
“Who invited all those people?” She glared at Myra.
“We thought you did,” Myra whispered as the aide and Trudy passed them. “We’ll be right there,” she said to Trudy.
“I did no such thing.” Belle’s pulse quickened. “We wanted to keep this quiet.” But they knew. They all knew. Probably thanks to the county clerk, Harlan’s boss, most of the nurses and the residents at the facility. When you get married in a small town, everybody knows. “Close the door.” Belle collapsed against the corridor wall, gasping for air. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can.” Myra removed a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed Belle’s forehead. “Far be it from me to pry, but I think I’ve known you long enough to understand why you’re marrying the man you should have castrated years ago. You and Harlan both got caught up in the charade for Trudy’s sake. Despite the insanity of it, I admire the sacrifice you’re making for her.”
“Now we’re deceiving everyone.” Belle paced the small area. “This should have been a personal moment meant for my grandmother. One we’d quietly undo later. Do you realize how many people will be furious with us when we have this annulled? There better not be presents out there.”
Myra pocketed her handkerchief. “You can return them.” She opened the door again and smiled. “Now hide your crazy and get out there before Trudy wonders where you are.”
Belle blew out a breath along with a handful of expletives before squaring her shoulders. “Fine.”
The second her foot touched the garden’s stone pathway, a lone violin played Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” “What the—” Everyone turned to face her. There weren’t any chairs, so she had to walk through a throng of people before she reached Harlan, who appeared more dashing in a tuxedo this time around. Thank God she’d worn her gown. She would have looked out of place standing before him in her discount sundress.
She stood under the rose-covered arbor in front of many of their friends and neighbors. The same ones she stood in front of once before. Harlan reached for both of her hands and squeezed them tight. Fear reflected in his eyes. She’d seen that same fear eight years ago to the day. And this time she had it, too. She couldn’t tell if she was close to passing out or throwing up. Either way, she wasn’t sure she’d remain on her feet much longer.
“Are you okay?” Harlan asked.
“No, but let’s get this over with,” she whispered. Reverend Grady frowned at her comment, but she felt too ill to concern herself with his feelings.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”
Holy matrimony. Holy. Matrimony. The words sounded foreign and terrifying at the same time. She braved a glance at the crowd and immediately wished she hadn’t. Her grandmother looked beautiful in her purple dress. It was the same dress she’d worn to her wedding the first time. One of the nurses had taken great care in altering it to accommodate Trudy’s dramatic weight loss.
“I do,” Harlan said.
What?
“And do you, Belle Elizabeth Barnes, take this man to be your lawful husband...” Anything the reverend said after that sounded like the teacher’s voice on the Peanuts cartoon. Harlan gave her hand a gentle squeeze at her cue.
“I do.”
“May I please have the rings?” Reverend Grady asked.
Harlan’s eyes widened as he mouthed I forgot rings. Belle shook her head subtly to reassure him she hadn’t. Only because her grandmother wouldn’t let her forget.
Trudy handed the rings to the reverend and he blessed them.
“Harlan, please slide this ring on Belle’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”
Harlan’s intense gaze met hers as the cold, hard band slid onto her finger. “With this ring, I pledge my commitment.” And she knew deep in her heart he meant those words. Eight years after the fact, but she truly believed he would commit to this marriage as long as her grandmother recognized it.
“Belle, please place this ring on Harlan’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”
Belle opened her mouth to speak, but her words were silent. She inhaled deeply and tried again. Her fingers trembled as she slid on the gold band. “With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”
“By the authority vested in me by the State of Montana, witnessed by your friends and family, I have the pleasure of pronouncing you husband and wife. Harlan, you may kiss your bride.”
Kiss? What kiss?
Before she had a chance to even process what was happening, Harlan drew her to him and claimed her mouth. Her breath escaped her lungs as the raw power behind the traditional gesture overtook her. And in an instant, the past eight years never happened. The last time he had kissed her like that was the night before their wedding. The man could kiss. She’d forgotten how much she missed the touch of his lips against hers. She wound her arms around his neck in response, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to ever let go. The thunderous applause surrounding them jarred her back to the present. She broke their kiss as abruptly as he began it.
What had they done?
* * *
HARLAN HADN’T MEANT to kiss Belle. Well, he had—just not as intensely. He hated the cliché caught up in the moment excuse. He’d heard it numerous times on the job and it only made him slap the cuffs on faster. But damned if he didn’t understand the expression today.
“Toast, toast, toast,” their wedding guests chanted. Where did they come from? And the champagne and wedding cake. He hadn’t even planned on wearing a tuxedo until Samantha told him Belle looked beautiful in her wedding gown. He’d made a mad dash for the tuxedo rental place and prayed they’d have one. The fit wasn’t perfect, but he was presentable.
“Belle and Harlan.” His uncle Jax raised a glass in the air. “It’s anyone’s guess when you two got back together, but I’m glad you did. Here’s to a lifetime of health and happiness.”
Harlan clinked his glass against Belle’s. He wasn’t sure if she was in a state of shock, overheating in her dress or was about to toss her cookies on his shoes. Regardless, the deer-in-the-headlights look didn’t suit her.
Belle had looked stunning as she walked down the makeshift aisle. Never in a million years did he imagine she would still have the dress and the rings. She was even more beautiful than she had been during their first wedding. They both had matured since then. If they had waited to get married instead of allowing their teenage hormones to make all their decisions, they probably would have had a chance at something real and lasting.
“What did that man mean when he said he didn’t know when you two got back together?” Trudy asked.
Harlan squatted beside her wheelchair. “That’s my uncle Jax. He has a lot going on at his guest ranch, so I guess he got a little confused.”
“I never liked that man. Where is Ryder? Isn’t he supposed to be your best man? And where are your parents?”
Trudy’s questions caught Belle’s attention. She set her untouched glass of champagne on the table behind them.
“Grammy, why don’t we go inside?” Belle turned Trudy’s wheelchair toward the door. “It’s too hot out here for you in the sun.”
“All right, Bubbe. I’m a little tired.”
“I’ll take her in,” a nurse’s aide said. “Enjoy your wedding and congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Belle faced Harlan. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t remember.”
Harlan shrugged. “It’s okay.” He made a mental note to drive out to see Ryder at the state penitentiary in Deer Lodge soon. It had been a few months, but the three-and-a-half-hour drive wasn’t exactly next door. He missed his brother every day. They’d been best friends until the night Ryder killed their father. The decimation of his family had been instant. His mother had moved to California shortly afterward and he and his four brothers rarely spoke anymore except for him and Dylan. He missed the family they once were. “I understand. Did you expect this many people?”
“Absolutely not.” Belle scanned the crowd. “And I can’t wait to hear the gossip once we have this annulled. I’ll be pitied. You’ll be vilified. They’ll wonder what’s so wrong with me that you ditched me twice. It will be a regular Saddle Ridge free-for-all. Happy days ahead.” She frowned. “They still whisper about our last wedding debacle. This was the last thing I wanted.”
