Page 65 of The Wedding Ranch
They matted and framed the picture, and then Pam wrapped it in the beautiful white-on-white damask-patterned paper. The satin ribbon was soft enough to be part of the bride’s bouquet and formed a perfect bow on top.
They carried it downstairs and set it by the fireplace. Cody could take it with him when he left. No need to tote it to the wedding.
The driveway alert rang. Both of them ran to the door. “It has to be Cody!”
“It’s a Mercedes,” Pam said. “I thought he was supposed to be all incognito. Yep. It’s him.” She opened the front door.
Lorri squeezed Pam’s arm. “It’s been too long since the three of us got together like this.”
Cody spread his arms open, a wide grin on his face. “How’re my two favorite girls?”
“Feeling like we’ve become number two and number three on your list, but we’re okay with it,” Lorri said. She skipped out to meet him halfway on the sidewalk. “It’s so good to see you.”
He wrapped his big arms around her. “It’s been too long. You both look great.”
“You’re bigger than I remember,” Lorri said.
“That’s blubber. My bride-to-be has learned to make all of my favorite meals, and I just can’t say no to them. That, and being on the road is more than my metabolism can keep up with.” He patted his belly which still looked completely flat.
“Well, you look great. We’re so excited for you. Thank you for making time for us.” Pam stepped up for her hug.
“I’d have made time for y’all if I had to do it in the middle of the night. Man, it’s good to see you. I’m beat though. The last week has been nonstop. Scrunching the tour dates for the wedding was a real pain, but we managed it.”
“Come on in,” Lorri said.
“I like it a lot better than your other house. This is more my style.”
“I never knew it was mine,” Lorri admitted. “I’m loving it though. So tell us what to expect at the wedding. Is it going to be fancy? Traditional? Are you going to sing?”
“I am. I wrote a song just for it. I love that gal so much, and Jake, that child is a real gift from God. I couldn’t love him more if he were my own.” His eyes shimmered with the unmistakable sheen of joyful tears.
She had to ask. “Think you two might have one of your own?”
He grinned. “We’ve been talking about it.”
“Oh my gosh. That’s so great.”
“Will you play the song for us?” Pam pleaded.
“Where’s the guitar,” he said with a groan. “I know you’ve got one around here somewhere.”
“I do. Always just in case you show up.”
“My kind of girl.”
She got the guitar and handed it to him.
He strummed a few notes. “It’s even in tune. Here we go.” He sang a love song that was sure to make everyone at the wedding cry, then capture the hearts of his fans. As he played the last chord, they applauded with gusto.
“You know that’s going to be the next big wedding song, don’t you?”
“Well, that’d be nice, but all I want is to make Kasey happy.”
“And that’s why it’ll be a hit. It’s real.”
“How about this one.” He played their college favorite and Lorri and Pam sang along.
“Are you hungry?”
