Page 90 of His Tenth Dance

It was his wedding day.

A day he simultaneously thought would never come and yet had arrived all too soon. Because there he was, turning in a pair of black shiny cowboy boots, wearing a tuxedo, and fretting over everything.

“I’m so nervous,” he said, shaking his hands as he approached his father. “Were you nervous like this when you married Momma?”

Daddy chuckled. “Yes, son. How you feel is pretty normal. Come sit down.”

Tucker absolutely could not sit down. Even on a good day, when he knew exactly what to expect, Tuck had a hard time sitting still. He certainly couldn’t do it on a gorgeous autumn day like today—when he’d been told to stay in the farmhouse and not come out until Hunter came to get him.

“Shouldn’t he be here by now?” Tuck paused behind the chair kitty-corner from Daddy and leaned both hands on the back of it. “Doesn’t the wedding start at ten?”

“Sure does,” Daddy said, completely unconcerned that the clock read nine fifty-eight and no one had come to get him.

Bobbie Jo had planned the wedding with her momma and his—both of them helping long distance. Molly, Jane, and Opal had gone with Bobbie Jo for her dress fittings, the catering appointments, and to rent all the physical facilities they needed.

She’d wanted to get married on his family farm, since it was the central hub for all Hammonds and where they’d met.

Tuck hadn’t complained about the venue. He loved his family farm in autumn, and Mother Nature had played nicely this year. The trees still had their gloriously golden leaves, the bright reds, the oranges, and the burnt rusts.

They’d staged the wedding over in the family picnic area, which had a wide lawn, a couple of pavilions, and two grills. Tuck hadn’t helped with any setup; Bobbie Jo had hired someone for that.

He looked toward the front door, then the back. He had no idea which way Hunter would enter. He just wanted him to come. Now.

Right now!

The words screamed in Tucker’s head, and he pushed away from the chair and resumed his pacing when Hunter didn’t come through either door.

Deacon sat at the table with Daddy, as did Cord and Mike. Tarr sat over on the couch with Keith and Mission. Along with Tag, they comprised Tucker’s groomsmen, and he sighed as he looked over to Opal’s husband in the kitchen. He held a can of Diet Coke, finished it, and tossed it in the recycling bin.

“Hunt’s coming across the back deck now,” he said.

Tucker straightened, every nerve in his body suddenly on fire.

Sure enough, Hunter pulled open the sliding back door and poked his head in. “We’re ready for you guys.” He stepped insideand closed the door behind him—which was the wrong thing to do if they were ready.

“Do you want to do a prayer, son?” Daddy asked.

Tucker’s gaze flew to his father. “Yes,” he said, the word choked. Oh, how he hoped he wouldn’t sound like that when he saidI doto Bobbie Jo. He wanted the day to be nothing but magical for her. She cared a lot more about what their wedding looked like and felt like than he did, and he’d promised he’d be on his best behavior.

If it were up to him, he’d have married her on the side of the road with just the two of them. When he’d told her that a couple of weeks ago, she’d laughed, shaken her head, and said, “Silly cowboy, we can’t do that.”

And so, there he stood, watching as Tarr, Mission, and Keith got to their feet. Everyone came over and gathered around the dining room table. Hunter stepped between Tucker and Tag and took Tuck’s hand.

“Will you do it, Daddy?” Tuck asked, finding his father’s hand and gripping it tightly.

“Absolutely,” his father said.

Daddy had aged a lot in the past couple of years, and as Tuck pulled down his cowboy hat and bowed his head, he silently thanked God that his father was still alive.

“Dear Lord,” Daddy said. “We gather before Thee as Thy sons on this sacred and hallowed day where Tucker and Bobbie Jo have chosen to get married.”

Tucker’s emotions wavered and flooded his body, pricking at him and testifying to him that this was indeed a sacred, holy moment.

“Lord, we ask Thee for patience—with each other, and with Thee. We ask Thee to bless Tuck, that he can be patient with Bobbie Jo, and that she will be patient with him. We ask Thee to bless them with an abundance of love and compassion, not onlyfor each other, but for those around them. They are both good people doing a lot of good things, and we ask Thee to please use them as instruments in Thy hand to bless and serve Thy children wherever they are.

“We’re grateful that we get to make commitments to each other and to Thee, and ask that all of us here at the wedding will be able to reflect on those sacred commitments and covenants we have individually made, set right any wrongs in our lives, and continue on the path of faith Thou hast chosen for us.”

Someone at the table sniffed, and Tucker almost burst into tears.

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