Kendall felt as though she belonged in an old-fashioned Disney movie, with birds fluttering about and blossoms falling through the air and deer peering from behind bushes to gaze benignly upon her happiness. Brett had once said he hoped she learned to set herself free. And then he’d shown her how.

She’d never been so happy. Was it just her imagination, or did the sun seem a little brighter? She knew for sure the air was softer, and the animals in a much better mood.

Brett had left Pedro’s trailer altogether and moved his things in with her. The nights were so filled with lovemaking and talking in soft tones in the dark and holding one another close, that neither one of them seemed to be getting any sleep. But that was okay. Who needed sleep? Kendall was in love.

But as happy as she was, she knew there was something missing. It was almost as though they had taken off on an enchanted flight that windy night, and they were still flying on the jet stream. But it was inevitable that they would have to come back to land sometime. She was ignoring it, pretending it wouldn’t happen. But deep down she knew it had to be.

The wedding for Brett’s sisters was something of a benchmark in her mind. Her thinking, her worrying, her doubts, everything was put on hold until the wedding was over. Once that was out of the way, she kept telling herself, she would think about where she was going and what they were doing and why she was letting Brett become so important in her life. But until then, she would just enjoy what she had.

She worried about what Danni’s reaction would be once she realized how things now stood between the two of them. Would Danni find this yet another assault on her relationship with her brother? Would she be jealous?

Kendall might have spared herself the trouble of the doubts. Danni was delighted.

“I knew you and Brett were perfect for each other,” she crowed after catching them in a stolen embrace. “I’m so glad it’s you, Kendall. You’re the only person who listens to me. You and Brett look great together.” She sighed happily. “Do you hear bells when he kisses you, like they say in the songs? Do you feel like swooning?”

Kendall laughed and refused to answer. But even though she was pleased Danni had reacted so positively, something about the girl’s obsession with her brother still didn’t sit well. She tried to talk to Brett about it and hit a brick wall.

“You know, I wish you’d pay a little more attention to Danni,” she told him one evening as they were strolling out under the stars, his arm around her shoulders, his face nuzzling her neck. “She feels a little left out when your sisters are around.”

“Left out?” He frowned, drawing back to look at her. He seemed completely puzzled and a bit defensive. “What do you mean?”

Kendall looked up at him earnestly. “She’s told me things. About her feelings. About how she feels that you and the older girls form a separate group and she’s just a tag-along.”

His laugh was short and disbelieving. “I love that kid.”

She wished she had the knowledge and ability to explain to him. What she had were mostly feelings, a sensing of a problem. What he needed were words. She felt inadequate, but she tried.

“I know you do. And it’s certainly obvious to me, and to anyone else watching from the outside. But... I’m not sure she knows it. Not strongly enough.”

Brett moved restlessly, shoving his hands down deep into his pockets, and she could tell he was a shade annoyed.

“Are you crazy? I’m nuts about that girl. I’m always there for her. She’s always a big part of my plans. She’s my baby sister.”

“I know, but...”

He shrugged as though that took care of it, the issue should be dismissed. “She’s just pulling your leg. She’s a normal teenager, all messed up. If she weren’t, then I’d worry.”

She was starting to feel like a nag, but this was too important to let slide away. “Brett, I think it’s more than that...”

He moved away from her, frowning. “Come on, you know how they are at that age.” He grinned, but the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The mind goes to sleep but the mouth keeps moving. They’re all like that. Don’t try to analyze it. It’s just the way things are.”

The way he said it gave fair warning that he was tired of the subject and didn’t want to hear any more about it. Kendall lapsed into silence. Maybe she was making too much out of nothing. She hoped for the best.

The week seemed to fly by. Pedro called and asked to take a few more days. Kendall laughed after she hung up from the call. The poor man must have been startled at how happily she agreed, telling him to take his time. In the meantime, Brett’s presence seemed to do the trick. There hadn’t been one incident of an animal being let loose since he began staying overnight.

“The Johnson brothers must have a healthy respect for you,” Kendall said one evening as they were making the rounds, checking on all the animals before going in for the night. “They haven’t dared do anything while you’re here.”

Brett didn’t answer for a moment, shading his eyes as he looked toward the mountains.

“I don’t think it was the Johnsons,” he said at last. “If I’d thought it was them, I’d have been over to see those boys by now.”

She turned to him in surprise. “No? Then who?”

He shrugged and began to walk out away from the compound. “I don’t know, that’s the one I can’t quite figure out.”

She followed him, wondering where he was going, what he was so intent on, staring toward the hills. She looked too, but she couldn’t tell what it was that had captured his interest.

“It doesn’t really matter, I guess,” she said. “As long as whoever it was doesn’t do it any more.”

He stopped, staring hard. Finally he turned to her. “This place is great. Look how beautiful it is.” He gestured toward the hills.

She looked again and nodded. “Yes. That’s why I chose this area. I love it.”

He was still looking at her. “I’m going to ask you a favor,” he warned. “Feel free to say no. Kendall, I mean it. If this is something you don’t feel comfortable with, I want you to tell me.”

She couldn’t imagine what he could be talking about. “Go ahead,” she said. “The suspense is killing me.”

“Would you mind if my sisters had their wedding here? They want an outdoor wedding and they’ve been planning to have it at the park in town. But I was just looking back there where the hills meet and the stream comes down, that area of meadow grass beneath the oaks. That would be perfect.”

She looked. He was right. She shrugged.

“Why not?” she said. “I think that would be a perfect way for more people from town to see what we’re doing here.” She nodded, smiling at him. “Sure. Tell them it’s fine with me.”

And so it was settled. To Kendall’s surprise, Danni was the only one who didn’t like the idea.

“All the people will go tramping through,” she muttered. “They’ll make a lot of noise and bother the animals. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.”

Kendall kept quiet. She realized what was really bothering Danni. She didn’t want her sisters to come out and be a part of something she considered uniquely her own.

Danni came around soon enough and before long she was having just as much fun planning for the wedding as anyone else. Every afternoon, she arrived full of new ideas and new comments to make to Kendall about the entire affair.

“There’s just one thing,” she warned Kendall one afternoon. “You’ve got to watch out for Susan Daily. Brett’s old girlfriend.”

For some silly reason, a chill ran down Kendall’s spine. But she managed to sound almost uninterested when she said, “Oh?”

Danni threw her a significant look. “She’s a good friend of Sandi’s, so she’ll be at the wedding for sure.”

“I see.” Kendall smiled with determined happiness. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

Danni looked doubtful. “Susan... well, she has a temper. She’s got red hair, you know.”

Kendall’s smile was beginning to waver.

“No, I didn’t know. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

At the same time she was silently chastising herself for falling for that old stereotype. How many mild-mannered people had she known with hair as bright as a new copper penny? And yet, when Danni said “red hair” in that warning way, it made her uneasy.

“You know what they say about redheads,” Danni was going on darkly. “When they get angry...”

“Why would she be angry with me?” Kendall broke in, stopping Danni’s reverie.

“Because you and Brett are…. you know.” She grinned knowingly.

Kendall wasn’t sure she liked the significant tone. “How would she know about that?”

Danni shrugged. “Everybody knows. It’s all over town.”

“What?” Kendall recoiled in outrage.

Danni looked scared. “It isn’t me. Honest. I didn’t tell anyone.” Her look changed to slightly sheepish. “Except two of my closest friends. And one of them is Susan’s cousin.” She sighed. “Oh. Darn. I’ll bet she told her.”

“I’ll just bet she did.” Kendall rolled her eyes.

“But anyway, everybody knows Brett is out here staying overnight while Pedro is out of town. And they’re not dumb, Kendall. They can see for themselves. A pretty woman like you, a great looking guy like Brett...”

“Danni!” She’d warned her before about making assumptions.

“Anyway, just be careful of Susan and don’t pay any attention to what she says.”

Kendall blinked. “Exactly what do you expect her to say?”

“You never know with Susan. She and Debbie Flannery had a fight over Brett once, right in the middle of Jones’ Bar and Grill. I’m not supposed to know about it, but Fran Blake told me. Her brother was there. They pulled hair and ripped clothes and screamed bloody murder. He said it was great.”

“I’ll bet.” She sighed.

Brett would have an old girlfriend who enjoyed barroom brawls. Nobody had ever accused him of being boring. She only hoped nobody was expecting her to live up to that kind of reputation. If Brett liked brawlers, he’d certainly come to the wrong place. The only way she fought was verbally and the only time she’d ever come to verbal blows was in defense of her animals.

Funny, though. She knew a feeling was growing inside, a feeling of protectiveness just as fierce, and it was forming all around her relationship with Brett.

“Maybe,” she whispered to herself, “just maybe, Susan Daily is the one who’d better watch out.”

The day of the wedding dawned bright and clear. Pedro had been back for a week, but Brett still spent the night in Kendall’s trailer, a fact no one mentioned but everyone was aware of.

Danni was happy, despite the yucky pink dress and the occasionally scathing insults she muttered about her sisters. Kendall just sighed and hoped once the two of them were married and out of Danni’s hair, she would begin to realize how closely she was really tied to them.

The decorations had transformed the little valley. Banners flew and colorful tents were erected, adding the look of a medieval tournament. Sandi and Anne arrived and were immediately sequestered in the tent that was to serve as a dressing room for the brides.

The grooms were then allowed to come into the altar area so that they could pace nervously as tradition demanded. Brett rode herd on the two of them.

Kendall stood guard on the animal compound area, and as people began to arrive, she allowed them a look from a distance, explaining about the animals and what she was doing with them, before handing them over to the ushers who showed them the way to the seats that had been constructed on the grassy slope.

“These guys are driving me nuts,” Brett told her when he took a break for a moment and came out for a visit. “They really are nervous, just like they’re supposed to be.” He grinned at her. “I’m afraid Mike would take off for the hills if I didn’t keep a sharp eye on the situation.”

She laughed. She’d given Mike a huge smile when he’d arrived, but he’d looked so stunned by the circumstances, she doubted he’d even recognized her.

“I don’t know.” Brett shook his head, his eyes full of humor. “Do brides get this way too?” Suddenly the humor fled as he remembered she’d been a bride once herself.

Kendall made herself smile. She wished he hadn’t remembered that, wished she hadn’t been forced to compare this day to her own wedding. She’d been very carefully blocking that out all week.

“Sure they get nervous,” she said brightly. “Just go in and pay a visit to your sisters and you’ll probably see the exact same thing going on in there.”

Brett reached for her, kissing her soundly. “If I ever get married,” he mumbled, “I won’t be nervous. I’ll be so sure of what I’m doing, there’ll be no room for that.”

He stared down at her but she avoided his gaze. “Here come some people,” she warned. “I have to go over and greet them.”

He let go of her, but reluctantly. “Okay. See you later, when all this craziness is over.” Turning quickly, he left.

It took Kendall a moment to get her emotions calmed and put back on the calm, efficient manner she was expecting from herself. For some reason, Brett’s words about brides and weddings had hit a nerve she hadn’t expected to have touched.

She was remembering her own wedding now. How happy she’d been. How quickly her hopes had been dashed as she began to realize what her husband was. It had been a nightmare. Her breath came faster and faster as she thought of it.

Calm down, she told herself. Just cut this out. These people want to get married and it won’t be like it was for you. They’re going to be happy. They might actually love each other. Just leave it alone. Don’t think about it.

She put on her smile, took a deep breath and turned to face the pretty woman coming toward her. Before she had a chance to say a word, the woman stuck out her hand and spoke. “You’re Kendall MacKenzie.”

Kendall’s smile wavered. “Yes I am. I’m sorry, I don’t...”

“I’m Susan Daily.”

Kendall’s mouth opened and closed with no sound. Finally she managed, “You... you’re Susan?” And then she took the hand the woman offered her and shook it warmly.

Kendall’s imagination had used details supplied by Danni to construct a picture of Susan Daily that might have been used to frighten small children into behaving. Flaming red hair, green dragon’s eyes, fingernails long as claws, it all made a terrifying prospect.

The real Susan Daily didn’t live up to her reputation. She was gorgeous, and looked perfectly nice.

“I had to meet the woman who’s finally captured Brett’s heart,” Susan said, a friendly twinkle in her eye.

Kendall didn’t know what to say, whether to protest that she hadn’t captured any such thing or to thank her for the compliment. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Susan. I’m glad to meet you too.”

Susan looked her up and down, then smiled again. “Brett is a wonderful man. You’re a lucky woman.”

Kendall felt as though she were walking on eggshells. “I think you’re taking this all a bit seriously. I mean, Brett and I are friends, but...”

The woman laughed. “Don’t worry about my feelings, Kendall. Regardless of what you might have heard, Brett and I were never in love. We had a lot of fun together, but neither of us has ever been serious. We’re great pals. We always have been.”

She took Kendall’s hand again and grinned at her.

“Good luck to the two of you. I hope it works out. Brett deserves a lot of happiness.”

And then she was gone, but she left behind a glow. Kendall wanted to savor her words and hold them close. If Brett’s good friend thought they were as good as a permanent twosome, what did that mean? She knew Brett as well as anyone. It made Kendall’s heart race, and scared her at the same time.

She’d been so careful so far. She’d worked hard to keep herself from expecting too much from Brett. She knew how quickly happiness could turn to ashes and she didn’t dare tempt fate. Maybe…maybe it was time she broke things off with Brett. Maybe she was letting herself love him too much.

She had to protect herself. She had to. Her emotions were in a whirl.

Soon it was time for the ceremony to begin. Kendall slipped into a back seat and looked over the crowd. The entire town of Sweet Willow must have turned out, she mused. It looked lovely, everyone in pastels, the banners flying in the breeze, the brides in elegant lace, the grooms in tuxedoes.

She let the sights and sounds wash over her, trying to get back the positive attitude she’d managed to cling to all week.

But something had happened inside her. Something had gone wrong.

She watched Brett lead his sisters down the aisle and feelings of dread began to rise in her. It was all so serious, so permanent, so dangerous. Sandi and Anne were smiling as though this were some sort of happy lark. Didn’t they know what they were getting into?

She swallowed hard and forced herself to calm down. This was no time to get silly.

But when she heard the words, “If anyone has a reason why Anne and Barry, and Sandi and Michael, may not be lawfully joined in marriage, I require him to speak now, or forever after hold his peace,” she froze.

Part of her wanted to leap to her feet and stop them, to cry out, “Wait! Think about this. Do you really know each other? Have you thought about what a lifetime together will mean?”

She held herself back, biting her lip and holding down the panic, thankful that she’d stayed under control. What if she’d called out a warning? Everyone would have thought she was crazy. And maybe she was.

She waited until the grooms had kissed the brides and everyone was busy laughing and congratulating them. Then she slipped away, hurrying back to the compound and escaping into her trailer. There was a lump in her throat and a strange, aching unhappiness deep inside her.

She sank down onto her couch and stared at the wall. What was the matter with her? Why couldn’t she be happy like everyone else? Why couldn’t she forget?

“Kendall?”

The door creaked open. Kendall’s heart sank. Danni must have seen her running from the wedding because here she was, looking for her.

“Kendall, are you all right?”

She looked up at the shadowy figure in the doorway and for once she couldn’t muster a smile.

“Danni, please go back to the others. Just leave me alone.”

Her voice sounded harsh, even to her own ears and she tried to modify it when she added, “I’m all right, but I need to be alone.”

Danni hesitated, obviously anguished. “No. You look terrible. I don’t think you should be alone feeling like this.”

Kendall was at the end of her rope. “Danni, please...”

But the girl paid no attention to what she was saying. She began to come into the room. “Don’t worry Kendall. Don’t be unhappy. I know that you’ll get married someday yourself. You and Brett...”

Kendall felt trapped. Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision. She only wanted to be left alone. Why couldn’t Danni understand that?

“No! I’ll never, ever get married. Never!”

Danni stood uncertainly, confused. “But Kendall...”

Kendall’s voice was hard and final. “Danni! Go! Leave me alone.”

Danni’s hand went to her mouth. “I’ll get Brett,” she whispered, turning on her heel and running out the door.

“No!” Kendall cried out the word as though she were in pain.

But it was too late to stop Danni. She thought of locking the door, but she couldn’t seem to force herself up off the couch. And he would just make things worse if she did, she knew that. So she waited and hoped she would be able to convince him to stay away.

In another moment, Brett was there, with Danni right behind him.

“She says she’ll never get married,” Danni was saying worriedly. “You’ve got to talk to her.”

Brett stood in the doorway and looked at Kendall. She was glaring up at him and he could see that, so he stood where he was, testing the waters.

“Never getting married, huh? Good for her,” he said. “Stupid weddings cost a fortune, and they’re a pain in the ass besides.”

“You don’t mean that!” Danni cried, suddenly in tears herself. “Talk to her, Brett. Do something.”

Brett turned and very carefully led Danni back out the door. “Get out of here, scamp,” he told her. “Let me talk to Kendall alone.”

Danni looked at Kendall and nodded. “Okay.” And then she was out of sight of the doorway.

Brett turned back to where Kendall was huddled into a ball of misery on the couch.

“You shouldn’t have come,” she said, hiccupping through her tears. “I told Danni, I just want to be by myself.”

He stood very still, legs apart, arms folded on his chest. “Is there something wrong? Something I’ve done?”

“No.” Irrationally, her anger was growing, building with the empty sadness she felt inside. “My whole life isn’t based on you, you know.” She didn’t even stop to wonder if he would possibly be dumb enough to believe that. “I have other things to think about. Can’t I be alone for just a few minutes?”

“So you can sulk?”

Her eyes flashed. She’d never been angrier. “I don’t want you here. Is that in plain enough English for you to understand?”

“You don’t want me?” Now he sounded just as angry as she was. “Where’ve I heard that before?” He stared at her. “If you don’t want me, I certainly don’t intend to bother you with my loathsome presence any longer. I’ll just get out of your life. Will that make you happy?”

Her hands balled into fists to keep from throwing things at him. “Yes! Then I could get back to the work I should be doing with the animals. I shouldn’t be getting messed up with you!”

His eyes sent sparks. “Is that what I’ve done? I’ve messed you up?”

Tears were streaming down her face and she didn’t know how to stop saying stupid things. “Yes! You’ve messed up my entire life!”

They glared at one another and suddenly there was a sound of scuffing at the front of her trailer. Brett looked out to see Danni running away. “Danni was listening,” he said frowning. “She heard what we’ve been saying.”

Perfect. Another disaster. Kendall threw back her head and groaned. Everything she did was wrong. “Oh no. I hope she doesn’t think I meant all those things I said to you.”

And the moment she said the words, she knew how far from the truth her angry statements had been. She wasn’t mad at Brett. She was disgusted with herself. She should be free of the past by now, ready to live a full and happy life. If she couldn’t trust Brett, who could she trust? Why couldn’t she let herself believe it? She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. She loved Brett. Maybe now she could tell him so.

Maybe now he would want to hear it. He was standing still, his mouth twisted, but the spark that lit his eyes had more humor than anger. “Are you saying you didn’t mean all those things?” he asked.

She glared up at him, though it was obvious to them both that the anger was gone from her state too. Still, she couldn’t give up without at least pretending to fight. “You didn’t think I did, did you?”

He shrugged, grimacing, then turned back to lock the door. “I try never to think where you’re concerned. Logic seems to have very little to do with it.”

He pulled off his jacket and dropped it on the floor and began to do the same with his belt. “It hardly matters, seeing as how I’m going to make you take back every word you said.” He stripped off his shirt and started toward the couch, his purpose clear.

She shrank back against the corner, her gaze taking in his beautiful body. “Brett... now, Brett...”

“That’s my name.” He dropped down beside her on the couch and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “You’ve been throwing around a lot of insults. Let’s see if you can back them up.” His mouth covered hers and his obvious desire filled her with a new emotion. His kiss was demanding a response and she found it impossible to ignore that. She sighed as he touched her, sighed at the heat of his kiss, and everything in her began to turn to jelly.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he murmured huskily. “You just show me how much you hate me. I think I’m getting the picture now.”

Reaching around, he began to tug down the zipper on her dress, ignoring her weak protests.

“Brett, we don’t have time!”

“We have all the time in the world,” he murmured against her neck, dropping hot kisses on her skin.

She laughed, low and rich, and though she pretended to still be fighting him off, they both knew it was a sham. “Brett! Someone might come.”

“No one is going to come. They’re all too busy having fun and eating food.”

She looked up and saw the sweet emotion in his gorgeous eyes. God how she loved him! He was hers—really hers. She only wanted to hold him forever, to love him body and soul, to make his life as happy as she possibly could. No more doubts. No more fear. She would tell him now. It was time.

Turning to look into his face, she reached to push his hair back off his forehead and kissed his eyelids.

“Brett,” she whispered. “Oh Brett, I...”

Her words were drowned out by a shout from outside, and then someone was banging on the door of the trailer.

“Brett! Kendall!” It was Pedro. They both shot up out of the couch looking at one another. “You’ve got to come right away! The animals are out. They’re all over the place!”