Page 21 of A Rancher's Bride
“I’ll let you know.” She hung up then turned back to others, smiling sweetly. “Okay, now that I have that settled, gird my loins, girls. I’m going into battle.”
It wasn’t the first time the differences between her and her friends became clear. As they suggested outfits, Kelli felt as if she was listening to them speak a different language. Rose got out a notebook and started drawing pictures, adding notes of the few things Kelli already had in her closet that the girls remembered would be appropriate. Things like tank tops and a few skirts she’d worn during summertime dances.
Tansy and Rose raided their closets, and slowly a pile of borrowed items was stacked on the coffee table.
Hanna snuck away after her phone rang. She came back into the apartment with a bag in her hand and a flush on her cheeks.
“You just got kissed,” Tansy guessed.
Hanna lifted her chin and blushed harder. “Thoroughly, and there wasn’t any mistletoe in sight.” She made her way over to Kelli and offered the package. “See if this fits. You lent me clothes after I lost everything. We’re pretty much the same size, and it’s really a gorgeous dress. I’m not going to have too many opportunities to wear something that formal, so you might as well enjoy it.”
Kelli peeked into the bag and found a creamy froth of white fabric. “Oh my God.”
Tansy leaned over her shoulder and peeked in. “Sweet. That looks fancy.”
“New Year’s Eve we had a formal thing to go to with the Fire Chiefs from all over Alberta. I told Brad I didn’t need anything special, but he insisted.” Hanna offered a secretive smile, twisting a very shiny engagement ring on her finger as if she was still getting used to it being there. “We went shopping for a few things while we were in Calgary.”
Tansy pushed the bag against Kelli. “You’d better try it on and see if it fits.”
There had to be something else Kelli could demand of Luke to make up for this. Still, it made no sense to show up at the hotel with nothing to wear.
She hauled Hanna with her into one of the back bedrooms. “You have to help, because I do not want to rip anything.”
Hanna stood quietly as Kelli removed her flannel shirt and tank, then slid out of her jeans. But when she grabbed the dress and went to step into it to put it on, Hanna shook her head.
“I promise I won’t look, but you can’t wear a bra. Or at least not that one. And the dress goes on over your head, not stepping into it. Trust me, I got that lesson taught to me very firmly in the salon.”
It wasn’t Hanna who deserved her rumbles, so Kelli kept them in. Stripping down to nothing but her undies, and with help from her friend, they wiggled the feather-light material over her head.
It dropped into place. She felt as if she was waiting for it to land. Kelli glanced down, expecting to have to shimmy things into place, but the material lay wrinkle-free over her breasts and torso, flaring over her hips before coming to a halt mid-thigh.
Hanna stepped behind her and did up the zipper that stopped barely above her ass. The dress size was right, amazingly enough, and the shiny garment seemed whisper soft. Kelli was afraid to touch the fabric for fear her rough fingertips would snag the material.
“I’m scared to wear this,” she admitted.
Hanna stepped in front of her, shaking her head as she looked Kelli up and down. “You should be scared of the reaction of absolutely everyone who sees you in that.Wow. Now I know why Brad couldn’t keep his eyes off me, if I looked half as good as you do in it.”
“I can’t wear this,” Kelli said hurriedly, tempted to reach behind herself to undo the zipper and escape. “The dress is special to you. What if I rip it? What if I spill something on it?”
Her friend laid a hand on her arm. “Kelli, I lost absolutely everything in a fire a month ago, and I have never been happier in my life. Do you really think I’d be upset if something happens to adress? Even a special one? I have the memories, and they’re not going away.”
Kelli took a deep breath, squeezing Hanna’s hand. “Okay. You’re right.” She stepped back, trying to see herself in the small mirror on Tansy’s hutch. “Does it really look okay?”
Hanna pushed her toward the door. “You won’t believe me no matter what I say, so go ask Tansy. You know she won’t lie.”
Even walking was wrong, the fabric sliding over her thighs in an unfamiliar way.
When she stepped through the doorway and all of her friends turned to gawk at her, conversation coming to a complete stop, Kelli felt extremely uncomfortable.
She stood there for a moment before folding her arms in frustration. “You’re not being very encouraging.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Rose said. “It’s just really hard to talk when you’ve swallowed your tongue. “
“Wow.” Tamara sat up straighter in the corner of the couch. “So many things I want to say, but I thinkwowpretty much sums it up.”
Kelli slid farther into the room to try and catch a glimpse of her reflection in the window, the darkness outside turning the pane into an uncooperative mirror. “Don’t say things just to make me feel comfortable, because as long as I don’t make a fool of myself, I’m okay. But since the whole point is to make Silver Stone shine, there’s no use putting a load of manure up on display.”
“Stop that. You’ve never put yourself down before, so I don’t know why you’re starting now.” Tamara glared in annoyance.
