Page 48 of Long Past Dawn
“And you better not treat her poorly, or you will answer to me,” Tex said, the warning real even if the tone was upbeat.
“Heard, accepted, and understood,” Blaze agreed.
I clapped my hands together. “Okay, I think we have everything in order. The girls are at Heavenly Lane getting ready, and Amity is helping Cece with the catering. The barn is ready in case it does rain, and the horses are in the pasture.”
Blaze turned his head to the endless blue sky for a moment. “Uh, Beau, did love sickness steal your eyesight?”
I turned and punched him in the shoulder, not even budging him from where he stood. “You’re a jerk, too.”
“Already widely accepted,” Ash said, laughter in his voice. “I guess that means we have time for a cigar and a nice shot of brandy before we dude up and ride out.”
“Dude up?” I asked, following them up the steps and through the screen door.
Blaze chuckled and shook his head. “Probably something they used ‘back in the day,’” he said, putting air quotes around it.
I pulled him to a halt while Dad and Tex kept going into the kitchen. “Listen, I just wanted to say that if you need anything today, I’m here.”
Blaze gave me a head nod. “Like you’ve always been, Beau. You’re more my brother than those back in Texas. I know they couldn’t come for logistical reasons, but it matters to me that the one who has stood by me all these years is the one who is here with me. Blood or no blood, you’re always my brother.”
I nodded and accepted his handshake. “Then I’m honored to stand by your side today in that capacity. Maybe you can return the favor someday.”
He lifted a brow. “Someday soon?”
I made the so-so hand. “I’m thinking about it. It’s probably time, don’t you think?”
“You mean because it has taken you five years to get your head out of your Wranglers and figure out that Dawn is perfect for you?”
I slugged him again while laughing. “We haven’t even been dating for a month.”
Blaze tipped his head back and forth as though he was weighing something. “There’s a difference between dating and bedding, Beau. They aren’t equivalent.”
“Says the guy who got in a fight with a woman at noon and was bedding her by midnight.”
He huffed on his fingers and rubbed them on his shirt. “What can I say? I’m an animal. A real smooth talker. Nothing but a Casanova.”
“Hang on. I need a barf bucket.”
Blaze’s laughter was loud and jovial. “All I’m saying is, if you know it’s good, don’t wait until it’s too late. Though, you should probably introduce her as your girlfriend tonight, seeing as you were too much of a bonehead the other night to admit it. That said, I wouldn’t even mind if you proposed to her tonight at the reception.”
I started waving my hands desperately, my stuttering in full force to the point I couldn’t get one word out. He laughed, bending over, and slapping his knee until I thought he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“Dude, that was the best look of bison in the headlights I’ve ever seen.”
I held up my finger to correct him but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Have your laughs. You won’t be laughing when that girl you’re marrying comes walking up the aisle in the dress I’ve already seen,” I said over my shoulder as I walked away. “Then, we can talk about bison in the headlights.”
I stepped into the kitchen and heard his laughter turn into a groan.
“Oh, God, I can’t do this,” Heaven said, standing in front of the mirror. “I can’t do this, Dawn. I’m going to throw up.”
I stood behind her, my hands on her shoulders to steady her. “You can do this, Heaven. You’ve wanted to marry Blaze for as long as I’ve known you. You’re not going to throw up, especially not wearing this gorgeous dress.”
Heaven glanced down at the gown she wore. It was white, with cap lace sleeves, an empire waist, and an intricate lace overlay that cascaded to the floor where her new rose red boots stuck out from below it. The accent ribbon at the waist matched her boots and her flowers. The seamstress who had altered her gown had used the extra material from the bottom to make her a wedding day shoulder harness to hold her left arm tight to her side. Heaven always wore the brace now, and that told us how bad her arm had become. She didn’t need it before the truck accident almost two years ago, but it never recovered enough from that accident to be pain free. I feel better knowing she has some relief from the pain when she wears it, though. Anything is better than it was back then.
“You’re stunning. Blaze is going to forget how to breathe the moment he sees you.”
“She’s right,” Amity said as she came into the room. “My son will never see this coming. I’ll be surprised if he can utter the two words that he’ll need to say to make you his wife.”
Heaven finally smiled and let out a breath. “I’m petrified. I haven’t been this nervous since I had to drive a white bison to South Dakota.”
