Epilogue

December

Noelle smoothed her hands down the front of her white crushed velvet dress. It was far from a typical wedding gown. However, the moment she'd laid eyes on it at one of the boutiques down the street, she'd known it was the perfect dress in which to exchange wedding vows with her favorite ranch manager and rodeo star. Vintage lace edged the neckline and sleeves. The hem draped to the floor and extended in a short train behind her. More vintage lace edged the train.

Shelly peeked her head out from behind her skirt to grin triumphantly at her in the mirror. "We fixed it!" She was squatted down, fiddling with the left side of the train. Laura Lee was squatted down on the other side of it with her mane of dark hair falling forward to hide her face from view.

The three women were in a small meeting room in the vestibule at the First Church of Pinetop. Carol Jackson, the children's pastor, had insisted they use it for a bridal dressing room. She'd recently gotten married there herself, so she'd served as Nash and Noelle's unofficial wedding planner.

"You two are miracle workers," Noelle breathed. One of her buttons had come loose that she would need to button up the train during the lunch reception after the ceremony. "How did you do it?"

"With a safety pin." Shelly chuckled as she stood. "The best universal utility tool ever invented." She was in a column dress of Christmas red satin that fell all the way to the toes of her matching velvet pumps. She'd insisted on wearing a matron of honor dress with an empire waist, in the event she failed to lose her baby weight in time. Noelle had no idea if she'd succeeded. All she knew was that her friend looked stunning today.

So did Laura. She was in a matching red dress and heels. Her porcelain features were flushed, and her exotic eyes sparkled with excitement. According to her, it was the first wedding she'd ever been asked to take part in.

As the three friends stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the mirror, Noelle stuck her tongue out at them. "Did you ladies forget the rule about not out-shining the bride?"

Shelly stared in confusion for a moment. Then a brilliant smile lit her features. "That's seriously the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

"And me," Laura sighed.

Noelle chuckled. "I won't tell Chad or Ames you guys said that."

"My husband wouldn't care." Shelly gave her a wicked look. "He's always been more into showing me how he feels as opposed to telling me." The flush rising on her cheeks indicated that she was just fine with her husband's style of communicating.

Laura blushed harder. "In case you've forgotten, Ames and I are just friends. I'm not in the market for another boyfriend." Her smile grew strained.

Though Noelle didn't know all the details, Laura had gotten her heart bruised pretty badly before moving to Pinetop. The short version was that her boyfriend hadn't been interested in a long distance relationship.

"Just friends." Shelly rolled her eyes. "Boy, have I heard that line before!" She gave Noelle a comical look. "Quite recently!"

A light knock sounded on the door, followed by a lighter, even more tentative knock.

Noelle and her friends exchanged surprised looks. It was still a good twenty minutes before they were due to walk down the aisle, and they hadn't been expecting any visitors.

Shelly shrugged. "I'll see who it is." Her high heels clicked along the hardwood floor. Opening the door a crack, she grew still. Then she darted a fiercely concerned look over her shoulder at Noelle. "It's your mom." She waited for Noelle to indicate how she wanted to proceed.

Noelle drew a deep, bracing breath, wondering what her mother wanted. Though she'd mailed her parents an invitation to the wedding, she hadn't received a response. For Triss Ward to show up unannounced like this was both unexpected and out of character. In the past, she'd been a stickler for protocol.

"Let her in." Though Noelle kept her voice noncommittal, her insides swam with apprehension.

Shelly reluctantly pushed the door wider and nodded rigidly for Noelle's mom to enter. Then she met Noelle's gaze again. "Would you like us to stay?"

"Yes, please." It was her wedding day, and she didn't trust her mother not to be working some sort of angle. Again.

Triss Ward stepped noiselessly into the room and remained by the door. She was dressed in a simple gray pantsuit with a white turtleneck sweater. No jewelry and almost no makeup. She normally looked like she was ready to promenade down a catwalk. Something had to be wrong.

Laura reached over to touch the back of Noelle's hand, as if to remind her she wasn't alone. Noelle shot her a grateful look before demanding, "What do you want, Mom?" With respect to time, she got straight to the point.

"To see my daughter on her wedding day." Her mother's voice hitched. "Thank you for letting me."

"Is that all?" It took all the willpower Noelle possessed to keep her fingers still instead of balling them into fists.

"I wanted to apologize." Her mother twisted her hands uncertainly on the handle of her designer silver clutch.

Why now? Why today of all days? Noelle waited in silence.

Her mother continued twisting the handle of her clutch. "I almost didn't come. If I were in your shoes, I'd never want to see me again." She drew a ragged breath. "But Nash paid us a visit yesterday morning and told us we needed to be here." Though her expression grew bleak, she didn't weep. "I spent the rest of the day hunting for a wedding gift and ultimately decided the best gift I could give you is the truth."

Noelle wasn't sure what to say, so she merely nodded.

"Your father has always considered Ellison Faust to be the son he never had. He helped him get his start in the accounting business, made him a partner, and dreamed of welcoming him into our family as our son-in-law. We had no idea he was skimming our corporate banking accounts or that he was even capable of…" She paused and swallowed hard. "…of what he did to you."

Noelle spread her hands, not sure what her mother was hoping to accomplish with her sob story. "I tried to warn you about him, and you refused to listen."

Her mother raised and lowered her shoulders sadly. "Honestly? We assumed it was just another one of your rebellious streaks."

Noelle's eyes widened. "Choosing to become a certified horse trainer is not exactly the definition of a rebellious streak, Mom."

Her mother shivered. "I didn't come here to argue. I only came to tell you how sorry I am that we didn't fire Ellison Faust the day you broke up with him. It's a regret we will carry to our graves." Her lips twisted into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "If we can even afford a pair of burial plots. You might get a kick out of hearing that we had to declare bankruptcy a few weeks ago. We lost everything."

Noelle scowled. "I find nothing humorous about that!"

"It's what we deserve." Her mother shrugged again.

Noelle's frown deepened. "What about your home?" She could only assume that losing everything meant they were losing the roof over their heads, too.

Her mother gave a damp sniffle. "Actually, we managed to sell it before we declared bankruptcy. One of the kindest, most compassionate men we've ever known purchased it and put it in your name. In case you're wondering, he's our only big client who didn't jump ship when everything went south."

Noelle blinked. "One of your clients bought your home and put it in my name?" Who would do a thing like that?

And then she knew.

"Nash," she murmured. Her insides went weak from the realization that he'd saved her parents from being tossed into the street. He'd also given them a path forward with their accounting business. His endorsement would go a long way toward helping them rebuild. It was so like him.

"Yes. He told us he was putting it in your name so you could do whatever you wanted with the house." She paused before adding wryly, "And the tenants currently occupying it."

You mean you. Noelle was inwardly reeling. There seriously wasn't enough time to absorb everything her mother had revealed. Not before the wedding. Noelle would be walking down the aisle in minutes. She wordlessly met Laura's gaze in the mirror.

Laura gave her an uncertain shrug.

Another knock sounded on the door. It was Ames this time. His voice wafted to them from the vestibule. "You ladies about ready in there?"

Laura twisted her hands nervously in her skirt.

That was when Noelle realized she had no time for anything more other than the snap decision she was about to make. She narrowed her gaze at her mother. "Is Dad here?"

"Yes." Triss Ward looked surprised. "He's waiting for me outside."

In the cold? Noelle glanced in shock toward the only window in the room. "If he expects to walk me down the aisle, I need him inside the church. Now!"

Her mother gaped at her. Then her eyes slowly filled with tears. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, Mom. Now! As in five minutes ago!" Noelle's voice grew choked with emotion at the realization she would not have to walk down the aisle with one of Nash's brothers after all. Her emotions were indescribable. She felt like laughing, crying, screaming, and throwing something —all at the same time. In the midst of the chaos, however, she was enormously thankful that she would have her parents in her wedding photos. They could finish weeping, yelling at each other, and rehashing past mistakes afterward.

But for now, she was calling a truce.

Her mother spun toward the door and pushed it open, but Noelle started speaking in a rush to halt her dash from the room. "You'll have to call him, Mom. Going to fetch him yourself will only delay the wedding."

Her mother nearly dropped her cell phone while raising it to her ear. "Noelle wants you to walk her down the aisle." She sobbed out the request.

Her father appeared in the doorway only seconds later, looking as impeccable as ever in a dove gray suit. His dark gaze burned with remorse into hers.

Noelle glided his way, shooting orders like bullets. "Ames, you'll need to escort my mother to the front row first. While you're down there, Flint will escort Shelly. Sorry about the last minute change of plans, but that means our best man, i.e. you, will now be escorting Laura. Someone text a quick update to the pianist, so she'll know what's going on and keep playing a little longer."

"I'll do it," Laura offered quickly.

"Excellent! I think that covers it." Though Nash might be surprised by the changes, Noelle was certain he would have no objections. In a roundabout way, this was all his doing.

Ames gave her a mock salute before disappearing into the vestibule with her mother on his arm. Noelle highly doubted he minded the idea of escorting Laura instead of Shelly down the aisle.

Shelly stomped across the room to stand beside Noelle. They faced her father together.

"You will protect my friend with your life and deliver her safely to Nash at the altar." Her voice was crisp with warning. "Otherwise, I will gut you myself."

"I believe you would." His normally condescending manner was gone. In its place was a man whose circumstances had brought him to his knees. Even his suit jacket was hanging looser than normal. He'd lost weight since Noelle had last seen him.

Flint appeared in the doorway to collect Shelly. "Never a dull moment with you, sis." He cocked his head at her. "Everything okay in here?"

She knew it was his way of asking if she minded being left alone with her father. Sort of alone. Laura was still in the room.

"Never better," she assured him. "Thank you." She drew a deep breath. "For everything."

"You betcha!" With one last hard look at Denver Ward, Flint led Shelly away.

"Thank you for being here," Noelle murmured, taking her father's arm.

"Thank you for having me." He cleared his throat. "There's no place I'd rather be right now." He reached over to wipe away the lone tear that slid down his daughter's cheek. "If you value my life at all, save the rest of your tears. Please."

She gave a sobbing chuckle at the moisture glinting in his own eyes. "This is the best wedding gift ever, Dad." Nash had really outdone himself this time.

Things were going to be different between her and her parents going forward. Probably not perfect, but better. She could sense the change in them, and it felt real this time. Hope welled in her like a geyser about to erupt.

Ames straightenedhis silver bolo over his white dress shirt and yanked the ends of his blazer in place. Talk about a last-minute change of plans! Just thinking about escorting Laura down the aisle was making him sweat. For months, he'd been trying to work up the courage to tell her how he felt about her, but it never seemed to be the right time.

For one thing, she was still nursing a broken heart. He had her ex-boyfriend to thank for that, a guy who'd been unwilling to even attempt a long distance relationship with her after her family had relocated to Pinetop.

At first, Ames hadn't minded taking things slowly and getting to know her better. After more than seven months of being friends, though, he was more than ready to pick up the pace a little. Lately, all he'd been able to think about was their first kiss — a kiss he'd yet to give her. He couldn't stop daydreaming about when he would do it, where he would do it, and what it would feel like. The need to know was eating him alive.

Unfortunately, he had no idea if she felt the same way about him. And if she didn't return his feelings, one kiss could spell the beginning of the end of everything between them.

He deposited the sniffling Mrs. Ward on the front row of the church, unable to summon much sympathy for her emotional display. As far as he could tell, she'd been a poor mother to his soon-to-be sister-in-law. The woman was going to have to do more than shed a few tears to change his opinion of her.

He made his last trip up the aisle before the wedding ceremony began, this time to fetch the woman who owned his heart. She didn't know it yet, and he didn't know when he was going to break the news to her. All he knew was that it needed to be soon.

She was waiting for him in the rear of the vestibule, her breath coming in short gasps.

Forgetting his own misgivings, he rushed her way. "What's wrong?" He reached for her shoulders, gently cupping them as he dipped his head to get a better look at her.

"I've never been in a wedding before." Unless he was mistaken, she was close to dissolving into a full-blown panic attack.

"It's okay. I've got you." His fingers tightened around her delicate shoulders.

"I was supposed to be in one a year ago." She gave a violent shudder. "Mine."

Good gravy! He stared in shock at her, wondering why she'd never told him this before. He'd always just assumed her ex had been her boyfriend. The fact that she'd been engaged to the guy put things in a very different light. Ames was suddenly dying to know what other details she'd left out about her ex, but now wasn't the time to ask. At the moment, he just needed her to be okay.

"Look at me and take a slow, deep breath." He did it with her. "Now let it out."

She drew a shuddering breath that wasn't as slow as he would've liked, then blew it out.

"Again," he instructed in a husky voice. "Slower this time."

She nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. This time, she did a better job of controlling her breathing.

"One more time," he coaxed.

She drew in another breath and let it out. "I'm good now." Her eyelids fluttered open. Though she was still pale, her eyes were dry. The trusting way she slipped her hand around his arm went straight to his heart. "Sorry about that," she murmured.

He placed his hand over hers. "No apology needed." He would be here for her. Always. Surely, she knew that by now.

"Thank you." She briefly leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're the one walking me down the aisle today."

"Me, too." They took their positions at the entrance of the sanctuary and waited for the pianist to play their cue. Unless he was mistaken, they'd missed it. He waited until the pianist repeated it a second time before moving forward with Laura.

As she took slow, measured steps at his side, he could easily imagine her walking down the aisle.

In a different dress.

To a different age-old melody.

Toward him, instead of by his side.

All he had to do was remain patient.

And not rush their first kiss.

Their time would come.

Noelle facedNash at the front of the church, wondering if she was dreaming. Her parents were here. That was a miracle in itself. The man she loved was slipping a wedding band on her finger to fit snugly against her engagement ring. Another miracle.

They'd just finished making one last, very important update to their friendship pact, this time promising to love and cherish each other for the rest of their days.

He bent his head to brush his mouth against hers, a tender seal to the vows they'd exchanged.

"I love you, Mrs. Carson."

Her new name and title took her breath away. "I love you, too, Mr. Carson."

Her favorite cowboy.

Her perfect match.

Her best friend, now and always.

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