Brazen (31 page)

"Good night, Michael."

She remained on the porch watching him drive away.

In one more week, he would never have to leave her
again.

Casey smiled as she went inside.

It was her wedding day.

Casey couldn't believe the week had passed so quickly.
Now here she was at Anne's house getting ready for the
ceremony that would take place in a little over two hours.

"Are you all right?" Anne asked, noticing how quiet
she'd become.

"I'm fine," she lied. The truth was, she was more nervous than she'd ever been in her whole life, but she
couldn't admit it, not even to Anne.

"You are going to be the prettiest bride Hard Luck has
ever seen," Anne assured her.

"I don't know about that."

"I do. Your dress is gorgeous. You looked pretty at the
dance last week, but today, in this gown, you're going to
be positively radiant."

"Thanks, Anne."

"For what? Telling you the truth?"

They shared a hug.

"We'd better get going. You can't be late to your own
wedding."

"I'm glad Michael's father was feeling strong enough to
make the trip into town so we could be married in
church."

"Everything is going to go perfectly. You'll see."

"What if Michael doesn't show up?" Casey joked, although the possibility had crossed her mind occasionally
since they'd come to their agreement.

"He will. He'd be crazy not to, with a bride like you
waiting for him at the end of the aisle. Now let's get you
ready."

Michael and his family had come into Hard Luck a day
early and taken rooms at the hotel. Elizabeth had wanted
to make sure Frank was rested enough to attend the ceremony. It had been difficult for him to allow himself to
be lifted out of the carriage there in town, but he'd suffered through the humiliation stoically. If people wanted
to stare at him, so be it. He was determined to get on with
his life.

Frank had made arrangements to meet with Allen Foster that morning. The banker had come to him in the hotel
room, and Frank had paid off all of Jack's debts.

Elizabeth and Frank were waiting now for Michael and
Nick to join them, and then they would all go over to the
church together. Michael and Nick were right on schedule, and she let them into the room for a moment.

"You look so handsome," Elizabeth told her son as she
gazed up at him adoringly. He was wearing his best suit,
as was Nick. "Cassandra is a very lucky girl to be getting
you for a husband."

"That she is, son," his father agreed.

"Are you ready to go to church?" Michael asked. He
knew it would take them a little longer than usual with
his father in the wheelchair.

"Yes, we're ready. I can't wait to see Cassandra in her
dress. She is going to look so lovely."

"There's nothing prettier than a bride," Frank said.
"Your mother looked gorgeous on our wedding day."

Elizabeth actually blushed. "Why, thank you, dear."

"It's true," he told her seriously, remembering.

"Everything is all set at your house, isn't it?" Elizabeth
looked at Michael. She was still worried that something
might go wrong on their wedding day.

"It's all ready," Michael assured her. They had run a
little behind finishing up the house. He'd worked from
sunup to sundown all week to make sure it was done.
"We moved the furniture in last night. I'm sure Casey will
want to change a few things once we're settled in, but it
will do for now."

"She'll be proud of what you accomplished. You didn't
have a lot of time."

"No, we didn't, but at least I don't have to evict all the
ranch hands from the bunkhouse tonight so Casey and I
could use it for our honeymoon."

Nick laughed, remembering his threat. "That's why everybody was working extra hard to help you get your
house finished."

"Shall we go?" Frank suggested.

Every detail had been seen to. All that remained was
for the wedding to take place.

"It's time," Elizabeth agreed.

The church was already beginning to get crowded
when they arrived. They positioned Frank's wheelchair in
the side aisle at the front of the church. Elizabeth sat in
the pew next to him. Michael and Nick went to meet with
Reverend Harris.

"Your big day has finally arrived," Reverend Harris told
Michael with a smile when they found him in a small
room off to the side of the altar.

"Yes, it has," he agreed. "Is Casey here yet?"

"I haven't seen her, but I'm sure she'll be along. Why
don't you two wait back here? I'll let you know when it's
time to begin."

He left them alone as he went out to make sure everything was going smoothly.

"It won't be long now," Nick remarked with a grin.

"No, it won't," Michael agreed. In only a matter of
minutes, Casey would be his wife.

"I never imagined when I came west with you that I'd
end up being best man at your wedding."

"Neither did I."

"I know we've never talked about this, but I think Casey
is the best thing that's ever happened to you," Nick told
him.

"You do?"

"I liked her from the first time I met her there at the
stable, and then once I found out more about her...
well, I think she is one special woman. You're lucky to
have her."

Michael was thoughtful. Casey had been a part of his
life for a long time. Things were never dull when she was
around, that was for sure. Her transformation from looking like a ranch hand to the lady she'd been the night of
the dance was nothing short of amazing. He didn't know
how this marriage of theirs was going to work out, but he
planned to do everything in his power to make sure they
had as good a life together as possible.

The terms of their agreement played in his mind, along
with the memory of her kiss. He knew she expected him
to honor the deal they'd made that theirs would be a
marriage in name only but it wasn't going to be easy for
him.

"You're right, Nick. She is special."

As he spoke, the organist began to play, signaling that
the time had come for the wedding to begin.

Reverend Harris returned for them. He led Michael and
Nick out to stand at the end of the aisle with him as they
awaited Casey's coming.

Jack stood with Casey and Anne in the vestibule of the
church.

"I wish your mother could see you now," he told Casey,
his gaze lovingly upon her.

"She's watching us," Casey said with certainty.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

Jack pressed a kiss to her cheek, then helped her adjust
her veil.

The wedding march began.

"Ready?" Anne asked Casey as she handed her her
wedding bouquet. The flowers for Casey's bouquet and
her own had come from her mother'sgarden.

"Yes. I'm ready," she replied.

Anne walked ahead of them and started down the aisle.

Jack took Casey's arm and drew her to the door.

The church was full of family and friends. Everyone
turned to watch as Anne began to walk slowly down the
center aisle.

Anne looked even more beautiful than usual today.
The demure pale blue gown she was wearing was suitable
for church. It was high-necked and long-sleeved and
trimmed in white lace. Anne had styled her hair up away
from her face, and she was carrying a small bouquet of
fresh flowers, trimmed in blue ribbon.

Anne reached the front of church and smiled at Nick,
who was waiting there for her. They faced the minister,
then moved apart as Michael stepped forward to wait for
Casey to come to him.

Jack appeared with Casey on his arm at the far end of
the aisle. They slowly made their way to the front of the
church.

Casey lifted her gaze to see Michael standing with Reverend Harris, waiting for her before the altar. Her heartbeat quickened at the mesmerizing sight of him, so tall and handsome. As she walked with her father down the
aisle, she was aware only of Michael.

Soon, they would be married.

Soon, she would be his bride.

They reached the front of the church. Casey felt only
an instant of panic as her father prepared to hand her off
to Michael. She turned to her father and kissed him. Tears
burned in her eyes as she realized this was the end of h£r
life as she'd known it.

Michael was her future.

Casey turned to the man who would soon be her husband.

Michael took her hand in his. She was a vision of
beauty as she stood before him. She looked angelic in
the wedding gown. Their gazes met. He could see the
sheen of tears in her eyes and the shadow of uncertainty
that was haunting her, and he wanted to reassure her. He
smiled.

Casey hadn't thought Michael could look any more
handsome, but when he smiled, he was even more devastating. She smiled tremulously back at him, and then
they faced the minister, ready to begin what was to be
their life together.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join
this man and this woman in holy matrimony," Reverend
Harris intoned.

John McQueen was in attendance, only because he knew
his absence would have been noticed in the tight-knit community. He was sitting toward the back of the church,
silently raging to himself.

He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to watch
Casey many another man. He wanted her, and her ranch,
for himself, but it wasn't going to happen.

She really was going to go through with this marriage
to Michael.

John knew he was going to need a few stiff drinks after
this wedding was over.

"Do you, Cassandra Turner, take this man, Michael Donovan, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and
to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, in
sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do
you part?" Reverend Harris asked, looking straight at
Casey.

"I do," Casey answered without hesitation.

"Do you, Michael Donovan, take this woman, Cassandra Turner, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and
to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, in
sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do
you part?"

"I do," Michael said, his voice deep and certain.

"The ring," Reverend Harris urged him.

Michael took Casey's hand. He slipped the wedding
band that went with his grandmother's engagement ring
on her finger, claiming her as his for all eternity.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man
and wife," the minister concluded. "What the Lord has joined together, let no man put asunder. Michael, you
may kiss your bride."

Anne came to Casey's side and helped her lift her veil,
then stepped away.

Michael smiled down at Casey as he took her in his
arms for a chaste, cherishing kiss, right there before God
and everybody.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and
Mrs. Michael Donovan," Reverend Harris announced.

The music began again.

Michael glanced to his parents and gave them a quick
smile as he started to escort Casey down the aisle. She
stopped him, though, and went to kiss her father one
more time. Michael shook hands with Jack. Then Casey
went to Elizabeth and Frank and kissed them, too.

"Welcome to our family, Cassandra," Elizabeth told her,
smiling brightly at her new daughter-in-law.

"Thank you for everything," Casey said feelingly.

She turned back to Michael, and they made their way
down the aisle and out of the church into the bright sunlight.

Anne was smiling as she stood with Nick, watching Casey
and Michael greet everyone as they filed out of the
church.

"The wedding was so romantic," she sighed. "I would
never have dreamed they would end up together, but I
think they're going to be very happy."

"I hope so."

Anne had hesitated to bring up the subject, but she couldn't avoid asking him any longer. "Will you be going
home now?"

"Soon, I guess. I'll have to talk to Michael about it, but
things have settled down enough that I think he'll be all
right without me."

Anne was usually a very self-possessed young woman.
She was never forward or too outspoken, but at that moment, she couldn't help herself. "I won't be all right without you."

Nick glanced down at her, caught off guard by her remark. "You won't?"

"No, I won't."

Before he could say more, Anne was called away to
talk with some of the townsfolk.

Anne realized she'd said too much, but she didn't care.
In the short time she'd known Nick, she'd found herself
falling desperately in love with him. She knew it was
crazy. They had known each other only a matter of
weeks, but there was something special about him that
touched her in a way no other man ever had.

Now that the wedding was over, Nick would soon be
gone unless she could find a way to make him stay.