CHAPTER 32
Colt covered the length of the small room right off the chapel in four steps. Leave it to Mr. Punctuality to be late this afternoon. “Where have you been? Wedding starts in five minutes.”
“Calm down, we’re here now,” Travis called from the doorway, a proud smile lighting his face. “You clean up good, little brother.”
“We had to change Avery’s diaper.” Dax wrinkled his nose. “Again.”
Colt would laugh if he wasn’t so nervous. “You have the ring?” He tugged at his collar, not used to having his shirt buttoned all the way up, but he’d wanted to wear a tie today. For Lydia. She’d insisted it didn’t matter, but he was determined to do things by the book. And that meant wearing a tie with his starched shirt and denims.
Travis patted his blazer. “Right here in my pocket.”
Pastor Ericksen stuck his head in. “We’re ready.”
“About time,” Colt muttered under his breath. The hours since before dawn had crawled by at a snail’s pace.
“Anxious much?” Travis teased.
“Let’s just say I’ll be glad when the pastor says I can kiss my bride.” He stepped out into the sanctuary and took his place on the steps as Gloria McPherson finished playing the prelude. At the back of the church, Lydia’s twin, Lexi, and her younger sister, Carolina, signaled they were ready to walk down the aisle. As the organ began the wedding march, the congregation stood. Colt stopped breathing when Lydia appeared on her father’s arm. His throat squeezed so tight his eyes watered. “You are beautiful,” he mouthed silently.
Her smile widened. “I love you,” she mouthed back.
Her dress floated around her as she walked down the aisle, but she could have worn a feed sack for all he cared. He couldn’t take his eyes off her face. The rest of the church fell into the background as she moved forward and took his hand. His heart only started beating again when she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Lookin’ mighty fine, cowboy. Wanna get hitched?”
He kissed her back. “Hell, yes,” he whispered in her ear.
Pastor Ericksen cleared his throat and began. Colt didn’t hear any of it, he was lost in the most beautiful pair of blue-green eyes to grace the planet. Only when they clouded with concern did he come out of his fog. Murmurs came from the congregation as people shifted in their seats, some turning and looking to the back of the church.
“Wait,” called the last voice in the world Colton wanted to hear today. “You can’t marry her, when you have a baby due any day.”
The congregation let out a collective gasp as Sammy Jo Carter, eyes glittering, flanked by her daddy and her uncle, strolled down the aisle with a very pregnant woman he’d never seen before, at least he didn’t think he’d ever seen her before. Beside him, Lydia went stiff as a board.
He muttered a curse under his breath. He should have known better than to invite the Carters, but he’d invited all his sponsors. It was the right thing to do. He took Lydia’s hand, giving it a squeeze, eyes darting from the horrified looks on her sister’s faces, to Dottie and Teddy’s glower. His stomach lurched sickeningly. “What is this?” he bit out, voice like ice as he clamped down on the white-hot anger surging through him. What kind of sick game was Sammy Jo playing? And how dare she pull this on Lydia’s wedding day.
“I think it’s pretty obvious, don’t you?” She turned to Lydia. “Still think he’s all that?”
The stricken look on Lydia’s face nearly brought him to his knees. Taking Lydia by the elbow, he turned his attention to the Carters. “Come with me. Now.” He ushered them into the room where less than ten minutes before he’d eagerly waited for Pastor Ericksen to tell him it was time. He pulled shut the door, standing in front of it, ensuring no one would leave until he said so.
“What in the hell is going on? Did you know about this?” He glared at Hal, who shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “You did, didn’t you?” he roared, a breath away from losing his shit completely. Forcing himself to lower his voice, he continued. “And you waited until my wedding was in full swing to bring this to my attention?”
Sammy Jo crossed her arms. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks.”
“Bullshit.”
Harrison stiffened. “Don’t you talk to my daughter that way, son.”
“It’s time you wake up and see what kind of person is. What kind of psycho pulls this shit at a wedding?”
The pregnant girl started to sniffle. “You don’t remember, do you? How you promised you’d take care of me?”
“Sorry, darlin’. I don’t recall ever seeing you before.”
“Of course you don’t,” Sammy Jo snapped. “How could you, when your bedroom was nothing but a revolving door?”
He stalked to her, crossing his arms to keep from punching something. “Is that what this is about? The fact that you and I were bad for each other and you could never let it go?” He swung his gaze to Hal and Harrison. “And you. Always looking the other way. How many lives does she need to ruin before you recognize she’s sick in the head?”
Harrison’s face became mottled. “There’s… there’s, noth–”
“Is she an actress? Did you hire her?” he bellowed, coming perilously close to losing his shit entirely.
“Enough,” Lydia hollered, eyes flashing. “Everybody out.” She stamped her foot and thrust her bouquet toward the door.
“Sweethea–”
“Not a word,” Lydia cut him off.
Colton opened the door and stood aside, glaring at each one of them as they filed out. As soon as the door snicked shut, Colton turned. “I–”
“Uh-uh,” Lydia shook her head eyes flaming, holding up a hand. “Is it yours?”
He’d never heard her sound like this. Harsh and angry. Voice lashing like a bullwhip. He shook his head. “No. I swear. I’d been celibate for months before I returned home at Thanksgiving.”
She made a harrumphing noise in the back of her throat that sounded just like her mother. He loved her for it. “But what about the blondes in the hot tub?”
“Didn’t even kiss them.”
“Or any other blondes?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Not before Thanksgiving, and definitely not after. I’ve only had eyes for you since then.” She had to believe him. He’d never do anything to jeopardize what they had. He held out his hand, desperate to convince her. “Have I ever lied to you?”
Her mouth thinned, but she shook her head.
“Have I ever presented myself to you as anything other than I am?”
“No,” she whispered, eyes filling with tears. The anguished expression on her face sent an arrow straight to his heart. He hated that he was the cause of her sorrow. And that her wedding day had been ruined. Anger spotted his vision. He would take the Carters to account for this. As soon as he got everything squared away.
“Will you believe me then? I swear to you, I am not that child’s father.”
She drew in a ragged breath, but didn’t say anything. She was slipping away. Somehow he had to convince her. “Look, give me five days to sort this all out. I swear, I’ve never seen this woman before in my life. Sammy Jo’s gone over the edge and managed to drag her father and uncle with her. I swear, I’ll make this all up to you.”
“Why five days?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, staring at the ceiling. “This ain’t my first rodeo, sweetheart,” he answered quietly, shame exploding across his chest and heating his face. “It takes five days for a paternity test to come back.” Of course, his past would come back to haunt him on his wedding day. He’d been an idiot to think he could ever move beyond it.
Lydia’s eyes grew wider. “Have you–”
He shook his head. “Never. I have no children. You are the only person I’ve had unprotected sex with. Ever. But I’m a rodeo personality, hon, and some people would… like to profit from my success,” he finished. The door burst open, and Travis rushed in closely followed by Dottie, Teddy, and Lydia’s sisters. “For fuck’s sake,” he shouted. “Can we have a Goddamned minute of peace?”
*
The room exploded in a circus of sound and gesticulations, everybody shouting at once. If it wasn’t so awful, the scene before her might be funny. For starters, Lydia’d never seen her mother apoplectic, or Travis murderous.
“Colton Kincaid, I don’t care how angry you are,” blustered Dottie. “You will not swear in church.”
“What did I tell you about breaking her heart?” Travis thundered, looming over Colton.
Lydia stared down at her new boots, arguably her best work yet, willing the floor to swallow her up. This was all too much. She needed time to think, to sort this out with Colton. In private, not in front of her family and friends who’d appointed themselves judge and jury. But she couldn’t hide from this, and she darned well wasn’t going to leave Colt to fend for himself with this crew.
Across the room, he stood his ground, jaw tight, eyes flashing. His was not the face of a guilty man. It was the face of a man who’d been unjustly slapped around one too many times. Her heart went out to him. She brought her fingers to her lips and let out the deafening whistle she’d perfected in New York to hail a cab.
The cacophony stopped abruptly as everyone turned to stare. Icy calm came over her, and she looked her sisters, her parents and Travis in the eye, one by one. “Mama, Travis, back down.” She let the iron in her voice sink in before she continued. “Colt has every right to clear his name.”
The room exploded with opinions, head shaking, and more shouting. She couldn’t hear, she couldn’t think.
“STOP TALKING,” she screeched above the noise and throwing her bouquet against the door.
Again, the clamor died down, but not before she heard a voice muttering. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” She was on a roll now. “Your wedding wasn’t just ruined by a jealous harpy. Your fiancé wasn’t just accused of fathering someone else’s baby in front of the whole town. Don’t tell me to calm down.” She glared at everyone. “For what it’s worth, I believe Colton.” She held up a hand. “Uh-uh-uh, don’t even start.” She turned her gaze to Colton and nearly lost it. But she would not cry. Not now. Not in front of her family. Her throat closed, all prickles. Colt’s face was the picture of devastation. His eyes bleak and hopeless. She crossed her hands over her heart. “I believe you, Colton. Maybe I shouldn’t, and I’ll come out of this looking like a fool. But I do.” She held his gaze, tuning out the rest of the room. “I believe you. But I’m not going to live in limbo while I wait for the results of a paternity test. I’m going home to Mama’s and staying there until I hear from you in five days’ time”
Colton’s face crumpled. “Please don’t go,” he pleaded.
For a second she wavered. But she knew herself. She needed space to think and to pull herself together. Her sisters knew her well enough to run interference where her mother was concerned, and no one from town would dare cross Dottie once word got out she wanted to be left alone. Opening the door, she stepped into the sanctuary, head held high, walked herself down the aisle – alone – and out into the brilliant afternoon sun. Only then, did she let the tears come.