Page 39 of Tempting Fate
The bride and groom were getting ready to leave, and the wedding party was supposed to hand out sparklers and little bags of rice. The sparklers had been Sam’s idea but Annie’s family grew rice, so no way were they cutting that particular tradition out of the wedding, even if it was allegedly dated. For the last three months, Gabe had gotten a blow by blow of every detail from Logan, who’d been drowning in wedding planning hell and wanted to share his pain.
Gabe deliberated on whether to act as Raylene’s escort for Logan and Annie’s grand exit or to leave her alone. He’d all but decided to give her space when his protective side won out and he circled around to get her. She was finishing her cake.
“You ready?”
“Jeez, you’re like a bad penny, Moretti.”
“I figured after the Lucky incident you might need a bodyguard. The knives are out.”
She sighed and put her cake plate down on an empty tray. “You saw Clay, didn’t you?”
“Let’s walk this way, so we can grab a bunch of sparklers.” He steered her toward the door. “Yeah, I saw. Maybe he just didn’t want the kid getting hopped on sugar.”
“Good try. But I saw Donna Thurston go over to him, whisper something in his ear, and next thing I know he’s swooping Harper up like I’m Ted Bundy.”
“Now that you mention it, you kind of look like him.”
“Thanks,” she said. “And thanks for believing the worst of me tonight. I really appreciate that.”
She was trying to pass it off as if she didn’t care, but he could tell she did.
“Give me a break, Ray. What would you think if in a room filled with more than a hundred people, I happened to plow into my archnemesis and knock his wine out of his hand?”
She put her mouth close to his ear. “Everyone here is my archnemesis.”
Raylene had a point. No question that the good folks of Nugget hated her guts.
“Someday, you’re gonna tell me the whole story.”
“I told my whole story to the police. Now I’m done talking about it. Forever.”
They scooped up the rice and send-off sparklers and Gabe made sure everyone in his general vicinity got one. Gia and a few of the kids handled the rest. They went outside and everyone formed two rows for the bride and groom to pass through on their way back to the Lumber Baron, where they planned to stay the night before leaving the next day on their honeymoon.
A cheer went up and the crowd began waving their lit sparklers in the air and chucking rice at Logan and Annie as they walked the path.
When Logan got to Gabe and Nick they shouted,“Hooyah,” and pounded on each other’s backs. Logan picked up Raylene and swung her around while Annie hugged Gia. There were a lot of kisses and crying and congratulatory embraces and two weepy mothers who fussed.
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Emily told Annie.
“Thank you for making the cake. It was the star of the show.” Annie gave Emily a squeeze.
“No, you were.”
Gabe walked the newlyweds to Logan’s truck and tucked Annie’s dress in the door. “You kids take care, now. Bring me back something nice.”
Logan whispered in his ear, “Take care of my sister.”
“You got it. Godspeed, John Glenn.”
He watched them drive off with strings of tin cans tied to their bumper and a “Just Married” sign taped to their tailgate, thanks to Chad and a few of Annie’s friends. The guests milled around for another half hour or so, but by eleven Annie’s farm stand-turned-wedding venue emptied out.
He and Raylene loaded his truck with gifts and Chad caught a ride to Annie and Logan’s with his parents.
“I guess I’m taking you,” Gabe said, since Raylene had ridden with the Sparkses to the reception.
“Either that or I’ll walk.” It wasn’t too far, only about a mile up the road, but no way in hell was he letting her get home on foot in the dark.
“Hop in, Ray. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
