Page 2 of Hero's Prize

Ella smiled at that. Eva had asked her to be a bridesmaid also, but Ella had been more enthused about providing all the sweets forthe wedding. Fancy Pants wasn’t just her business; it was her passion.

Plus, unlike Lilah and Becky, almost every dress looked frumpy on Ella.

She’d long since accepted thatfrumpywas just sort of who she was. Plain. A little overweight. No need to cry about it.

But no need to announce the frumpy either by standing in front of all their family and friends—andhim—with a stunning bride and two gorgeous bridesmaids.

“You all will look amazing.” Ella had no doubt of it.

“At least Eva is giving us the choice of whether to be bridesmaids or not.” Lilah shot a pointed look at Becky. “Unlike your weddings. Both of them.”

Becky grinned, glowing just as much as Eva had been lately. She hadn’t had wedding attendants at either of her weddings to Derek Bollinger—not the one in Vegas years ago no one had known about or the one that had happened at the July Fourth picnic last year.

“Yeah, but there were fireworks at my wedding.” Becky winked at them.

“How is Derek doing?” Ella asked.

“We take it a day at a time.” Becky shrugged. “PTSD can be pretty damned insidious, but for the most part, my sexy hubby is kicking ass. Speaking of needing to kick some ass, did you hear about last night at the Eagle’s Nest?”

Lilah muttered a curse under her breath. “That’s half the reason I’m hiding in here tonight.”

Ella’s eyes grew wide. “What? What happened? I’ve been stuck in here and missing all the gossip.”

Lilah let out an exaggerated sigh. “Evidently, our fathers and uncles were reenacting some Cowboy boogie dance they once did.”

“Oh dear Lord. NotThe Cowboy Git Up.” Ella shook her head. “Please say it wasn’t so. Were Electric Smurfs involved?”

“Yep and yep, unfortunately,” Becky replied.

All three women groaned. The blue alcoholic drinks were legendary in Oak Creek back from when their parents had basicallyrun the town. Maybe legendary wasn’t the word—infamouswas more like it.

“And there was footage involved.” Lilah shook her head without looking up from the flower she was completing. “You know that means we’re going to be required to watch it. My father was a Navy SEAL, for God’s sake. I cannot believe he was involved with this. Sigh. Where’s the self-respect?”

Gabe Collingwood—codenameAngel—was a giant of a man and obviously a warrior even now in his sixties. He had always seemed a little scary to Ella growing up, although he’d never been anything but gentle and kind to her.

Seeing him do some sort of line dance to a song from decades ago about being a cowboy? Ella couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

Becky shook her head. “Oh, my dad too. And the wives were all there cheering them on—my mother apparently was one of the rowdiest ones.”

This story just kept getting better. “She was?” Ella couldn’t imagine quiet Dr. Anne ever being rowdy.

“Right? I expect that from my mother-in-law. Charlie Bollinger prides herself on still being boisterous, even now. But Mom? For shame.” Becky shook her head.

“Who else was in on it?” Listening to this was actually helping Ella relax, and the modeling was coming much easier.

“Everybody, it sounds like,” Becky said. “Even Uncle Dorian and Aunt Ray.”

“And Uncle Boy and Aunt Girl Riley,” Lilah put in.

Ella’s head flew up before she could stop herself. She found Lilah looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

Ella cleared her throat then deliberately looked back down at the modeling chocolate in front of her. “Of course they’re here. They love Eva and Theo too.”

“And because Colton is one of the groomsmen.”

Ella didn’t look up this time, but there was no point in trying to hide what everyone in the room—hell, everyone in Oak Creek—already knew: Ella O’Conner had a big, fat, honking crush on Colton Harrison. Had for years.

But she wasn’t going to admit it outright either. What was the point since nothing was ever going to come of it?

---