Page 90 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

Her phone buzzed, and she checked the screen to find a text from Noa.

Noa: We’ve chosen the perfect venue for the ceremony!! Come to the barn.

She showed it to her dad and stepmom. “Of all the beautiful places on this property, they chose thebarn? I haven’t even thought about renovating that dusty, stinky place.”

“It’s a great choice,” Margot said. “And we won’t have to do much. Let’s get a crew in there tomorrow to clean it out, and then we’ll transform it into something magical.”

“You think?” Lorelei couldn’t imagine it.

“Oh, absolutely. It’s too late to hire a wedding planner, but I can help you pull something together.”

“You sure you want to take that on?” Lorelei asked.

“I missed out on all the planning of my daughter’s wedding, so you bet I want to do it.” Margot grinned. “My mind’s already starting to come up with ideas. It’ll be beautiful.”

“All right then. Let’s do this.”

“When’s the ceremony?” Margot asked.

“I was supposed to talk to Booker tonight about a schedule of events, but I think that conversation might have to wait for another day.”

“It’s all right. We’ll get started right away. The question is, do you want to rent tables and chairs and a dance floor, or do you want to buy it all?”

“Whichever can get here the soonest.”

“Makes sense.” Margot squeezed her hand. “We’ve got this.”

As they approached the barn, her dad put his arm around her. “Don’t think for one second that he’s got all the power.”

“That’s an amazing thing to say, Dad.” She gave him a big smile. “I didn’t realize it, but that’s exactly what I was doing. That’s why I’m so afraid. But you’re absolutely right.” She turned into his arms, needing a hug before the confrontation with Booker.

Margot joined them, and the three held each other tightly. With the air scented with dust, pine, and the ghosts of animals once frolicking in the corral and bedding down in the barn, she savored this moment. The last one before her life changed permanently.

Could be for the better, could be for the worse. She wouldn’t know until she saw the look in his eyes.

Because even though he tried to be all stony-faced, she could read him.

As they reached the entrance, a crew of ranch hands hauled out bales of hay. “Really? A barn?” She said quietly, for her parents’ ears only.

“Did you have somewhere else in mind?” Margot asked.

“If I were getting married here, I’d do it outside.” She gazed up at the darkening sky. “An hour earlier, when the sky’s purple and orange.”

Her dad cupped her elbow. “You ready?”

“Yeah. I am.” With her stepmom on one side and her dad on the other, Lorelei drew in a breath and headed into the barn.

Right away, her gaze landed on Booker. He stood out with his height, his muscular physique, and that commanding air and presence that had made her feel so protected, so safe, in the cabin. He was talking to Ginty and Noa, gesturing around as if describing his vision.

“Oh, look,” Margot said. “Walker and Colt are here.”

Her five-year-old nephew pulled a rusty red wagon with Stevie happily seated in it. She was laughing as the boy picked up his pace. Her little thrill-seeker daughter had no sense of danger. And while the pediatrician had encouraged Lorelei to let her have experiences so she learned boundaries and limitations, it was easier said than done.

But just as she started toward the bride, groom, and her baby daddy—my God, how can this be possible?—her daughter gripped the edges of the wagon and started to stand. Colt was jogging now, turning back to laugh with his cousin, and didn’t see the bridle lying on the ground.

“Stevie.” On the move, she shouted, “Sit down.”

Everyone in the barn turned at the sound of her voice, except her daughter who was having so much fun she didn’t hear. Lorelei made a run for it, but she had to watch helplessly as the wheels hit the bridle. The wagon rocked, causing Stevie’s neck to jerk back. Her little girl tried to hold her balance, but her laughter turned to terror when she realized she couldn’t.

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