Page 152 of Lavender Lake
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The Ranch
Hadley turned to face the three of us in her childhood bedroom, donned in her gorgeous wedding dress and veil.
“Hadley,” Poet whispered.
“You look incredible,” Wyn added.
“You really do,” I agreed. “I can’t wait to see Declan’s face when he gets a look at you.”
“Make sure one of the cameras is pointed at him,” Hadley said. “There’s always a ton of photos of the bride, but there are never enough of the groom. And I want his face immortalized.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got it all covered,” Wyn said.
The four of us had gathered the morning of Hadley’s wedding in our childhood rooms as our staging area while the men had gotten ready in the cabin.
Hadley’s wedding dress was unique; not the traditional white of your average bride. It had a pattern of spring flowers that looked whimsical and painted. Each of our bridesmaids dresses were the color of the flowers. Wyn’s was a soft yellow, Poet’s a robin egg blue, and mine was sage green.
Our bouquets were wildflowers from the ranch, twined with cream ribbon.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Hadley called.
The door opened and my father stood in the doorway. He was in a sport coat with no tie, the collar of his shirt open at the neck to reveal tanned skin from the years he’d spent on the ranch. His hair was combed, and for the occasion, he wore a brand-new pair of cowboy boots.
“Looking snazzy, Mr. Powell,” Wyn said.
“Thanks,” he said with a grin. “Ladies, do you mind if I have a private moment with my daughters?”
“Not at all,” Poet said.
Poet and Wyn strode past my father who came fully into the room and closed the door.
He reached into his inner breast pocket and pulled out a long black velvet box and handed it to Hadley.
“I had this restored for you,” Dad said.
Hadley opened the box and gasped. “Dad.”
My sister flipped the box around to show me the gold heart locket that had Mom’s initials engraved on it.
“She’d be so proud of you, Hadley,” Dad said, his voice somber.
His eyes were suspiciously glassy.
“This is beautiful.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “You should’ve given this to me before I did my makeup.”
Dad chuckled. “Probably.”
I reached into the pocket of my dress and extracted a handkerchief. “Look up.”
Hadley tilted her neck back and stared up at the ceiling so I could gently blot the tears beneath her eyes.
“I think you’re safe,” I said.
Hadley handed me the box. “Will you put it on me?”
