Page 43 of A Cameo for a Cowgirl

“Thanks for all you’ve done. You’re the best, sis.” Franklin squeezed her shoulder.

“You’re only saying that because somebody is over there chatting up Jess and Poppy.” She gestured to where Franklin’s teammate, Tom Chavez, was laughing with both girls.

“I’m not, because I really do appreciate you. We both do, don’t we sweetheart?” He kissed Hannah’s cheek.

Hannah smiled. “It’s been a dream come true. I can never thank you enough, Cassie. I don’t know how you managed it with everything else you did.”

She barely had, but, “God was gracious, so it’s all good.”

“Amen, and amen.” Franklin’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Tom.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Hannah asked him.

“Do you think he’s interested in one of them?”

“I think big brother might need to keep an eye on them.” Cassie smirked.

He cocked a brow. “Do I need to keep an eye on you too?”

“As if.”

Hannah’s smile held mischief. “Have you seen anything more of a certain person who-shan’t-be-named?”

“Whoa, now this sounds interesting.” Franklin’s eyebrows pitched up. “Are you talking about the actor at your girls’ event last weekend?”

Franklin knew?

Hannah’s look held an apology as she murmured, “I didn’t mean to tell him, but I don’t like us to have secrets, and I figured he should know in case anything got said about last weekend. I didn’t want any whispers about a Hollywood actor at my girls’ afternoon tainting things.”

Fair enough. She glanced at her brother. “And no. He’s not a Christian, so you don’t need to worry.”

He nodded, but his head tilt said he wasn’t convinced.

But he didn’t need to worry. Neither did she. Not about a certain actor, and definitely not about the reception. Everything was going so smoothly.

Her heart swelled with satisfaction as the dancing commenced. Hannah and Franklin were wrapped in their happy bubble, murmuring softly to each other. Her parents were dancing together, Jess was talking to Tom, while Poppy, the most graceful dancer on the dancefloor, was dancing with another of Franklin’s teammates.

She glanced at the table where Franklin’s hockey friends were placed. Most of them were dancing too, except for Luc Blanchard, who was sitting by himself, tugging at his bowtie like he couldn’t wait to get out of his suit. She’d heard him declare—several times—that nobody would catch him dancing as he didn’t want to squash some poor woman’s toes. She smiled. She bet Poppy could make him boogie.

She studied her parents, then her sisters, then Franklin and Hannah again. And while she felt a sense of relief that this was now done there was also a degree of sadness that it meant her family had changed forever. Not that she didn’t love Hannah, and wasn’t glad about her joining the James family, but it was yet another sign that things would never be the same.

Who’d be next to marry? Maybe Jess. She and Tom had certainly hit it off. Poppy didn’t seem too interested in any of the guys who tried chatting her up. As for herself…

Her aunt had asked her that question earlier. Cassie had responded with a peppy-sounding “Nope, I’m still single and happy to mingle.”

But was that true? Maybe she should check out a Christian dating website. She knew several of her college friends had found love that way. There was a new one, Dream Match, which apparently specialized in helping singles in rural areas find someone with shared interests. Shared interests, like a heart for God, would be a good start. Even if it obviously ruled out some people completely.

* * *

Who knew that a man could get so bored of luxury living?

Harrison studied the view of Lake Louise, the famous aqua-blue lake pictured on a million calendars. Heck, the photos could’ve been taken from his lavish suite’s balcony. A dream, a complete contrast to how he’d grown up, in that hovel nobody in Hollywood had ever heard him mention. His agent had agreed that Harrison’s past could be airbrushed a little. Or a lot. Like, completely.

But now that he thought about it, it wasn’t the leaky ceilings and bathroom plumbing that had been the problem. It was more the lack of connection with his family, the lack of love. Mom had loved Harrison’s dad, but hadn’t fought hard enough for her son. His grandma might’ve loved him, but she’d also died too soon. And Harrison’s dad had only ever really loved himself, despite what his new girlfriend might think. You couldn’t put a price on healthy, non-dysfunctional love.

And now, despite these fancy digs, he felt a similar yearning for more. No, not more gold-plated fixtures, but a yearning for those bonds that tied people together. Like what he’d witnessed last weekend at Hannah’s bachelorette party. Like he could see between Cassie and her sisters, Cassie and her parents. He wanted that same sense of connection.

For what good was a view like this if there was nobody to share it with? Nobody to reminisce over the fine dining, or go hiking or swim with. And while the hotel had done their best to keep his stay private—although he bet their instant upgrade to a suite when he’d given his name was designed so he’d post about it on Instagram—the fans had soon found him. Which left him feeling a little trapped, like he couldn’t go anywhere without people whispering about him.

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