Rachel was sitting at one of the tables at Annie and Dylan’s wedding reception. The newlyweds were dancing their first waltz of the night. She smiled as Dylan spun Annie into a very unwaltz-like move.
Their wedding had been beautiful. Pastor Steven had officiated, saying some of the loveliest words she’d ever heard. More than once, she’d glanced across the church at John, watching his reaction to the simple vows.
She’d thought about him and the card his daughter had made for longer than she should have. Bella seemed happy around her dad. She smiled and laughed and did all the things a normal eight-year-old would do. But there had to be something missing in her life for her to want to find a bride for her father.
Rachel hadn’t worked out what was missing, and she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to try. She’d enjoyed John’s company last night—maybe a little too much. He’d seemed to enjoy her company, too, and had looked almost disappointed when she’d gone home with her friends.
But with a wedding the next morning and a bride who was stressing about every last thing, leaving Charlie’s Bar and Grill early had been the best thing she could have done.
Rachel saw her friend Molly move around the dance floor. She was taking photos of Annie and Dylan. They would be beautiful images, capturing everything that was special about today.
“It will be our turn to dance soon.” Tess sat in an empty chair beside Rachel. Her pale blue dress, an exact replica of Rachel’s, fell in soft folds around her legs. “They look so happy.”
Rachel nodded. “It’s been an amazing day. Has Logan decorated their car, yet?”
“They finished what they needed to do about ten minutes ago. I’m not sure Dylan’s going to appreciate the tin cans and balloons attached to his get-away car.”
The get-away car was a Porsche. Logan had decided that Dylan needed to start his married life in style. So he’d replaced Dylan’s truck with a silver Porsche and made sure the hotel they were staying in had secure parking. Tomorrow morning, the newlyweds were flying to Ireland for their honeymoon.
The song that had been playing ended and Tess stood up. “Come on, twinkle toes. Let’s find Jeremy so you can show everyone what a star you both are on the dance floor.”
Rachel jumped to her feet and looked around for the groomsman she’d been partnered with. She loved dancing, and Jeremy, after a little bribery, had agreed to practice with her. After six weeks of intensive dance therapy, he’d perfected the waltz and foxtrot as much as he was ever going to.
Tess smiled. “Logan’s walking toward us with Jeremy. Sally’s already on the dance floor and Molly’s putting her camera down.”
Rachel looked at Tess and sighed. Tess’ extra height definitely came in handy when she wanted to look around a crowded room. Rachel wasn’t exactly short, but at five-foot-six, her friends all towered above her.
As soon as Jeremy was close enough, he swung her into a turn. Rachel’s skirt billowed around them and she laughed at the cheeky grin on his face. She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Are you ready to dazzle all the women here?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Make me look good.” And with that last remark, they were off. Jeremy stepped into the 1-2-3 pattern easily, waltzing his way around the dance floor like a seasoned pro.
Even though he looked relaxed, she could feel the tension in his shoulders and arms. “Enjoy the moment. You know what you’re doing.”
Jeremy’s shoulders dropped a little, but he was still holding himself ramrod straight. “It’s easy for you to say,” he whispered. “You haven’t got Debbie Adams staring at you.”
“I take it Debbie is the girl you’ve been dating?”
“Was dating. She decided there wasn’t a future for us.”
Rachel could hear the disappointment in his voice. “I’m sorry. I know how much you liked her.” Whenever Debbie’s name came up in a conversation, Jeremy changed the subject and blushed beet red.
“It doesn’t matter.” He glanced at Rachel and sighed. “Okay. It does matter, but I’m trying hard to hide it. Will you do me a favor?”
“Is this on top of making you three batches of triple fudge brownies and a Christmas cake?”
“That was for taking dancing lessons with you. This is more important.”
“You want a dozen cupcakes, too?” Rachel teased.
Jeremy shook his head. “No, but if you’re feeling sorry for me, you could always throw some in. This is about Debbie. If you see her walking toward me, come and save me.”
Rachel was having a hard enough time staying away from John. Keeping Jeremy and his ex-ladylove in sight, as well as John, would be a challenge. “You might have to dance with me more often.”
Jeremy relaxed. “We’ll be each other’s decoy.”
She glanced quickly at Jeremy.
“I can read you like a book. You’ve been watching the tall blond guy all day.”
“I have not.”
Jeremy snorted. “Of course you haven’t. The little girl he’s got with him is sweet.”
“That’s his daughter, Bella.” John had sat in the front row of the church with his daughter beside him. Bella’s attention had mostly been on Annie, but every now and then, she’d grin at Rachel.
“I read a newspaper article about him a few months ago. John Fletcher is one wealthy guy.”
“Money isn’t everything,” Rachel muttered.
Jeremy’s shoulders tensed again. “Debbie alert on your right. I’m heading left.” He did a quarter turn and started moving away from the dance floor.
“You’re going to have to get used to seeing her at some stage,” Rachel said softly. “Bozeman is a small place.”
“I’m good at hiding.”
Rachel believed him. If Jeremy put his mind to something, there was no stopping him. If hiding was the only way he could figure out his feelings for Debbie, then maybe that was okay. “You can’t hide forever.”
“I don’t need to. Debbie’s leaving Bozeman next April.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’m trying not to feel anything. Does that answer your question?”
Rachel smiled at someone she knew. “It does. And as long as you keep me away from John, I’ll be your wingman with Debbie.”
Jeremy stepped into a sharp quarter turn. “You gotta warn me sooner if you want to avoid someone. John was on his way over here. Hold on tight, we’re about to move as fast as this song can take us.”
And before Rachel knew what he was doing, Jeremy had whisked them off the dance floor and straight onto a covered balcony. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” she asked as he opened the door.
Jeremy pulled her through the doorway and closed the door. “This is a walk in the park compared to what I’ve done.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around her waist. It might be a walk in the park for Jeremy, but it was winter. Snow was falling beyond the covered balcony and it was cold. If they didn’t get back inside soon, they’d end up with hypothermia.
She felt something tug on her skirt. She looked down at a little girl with big, brown eyes and knew John wouldn’t be far away.