“What the hell is going on with Iris McLain?” Declan hissed as soon as they neared the stacked pile of tables by the back door of the barn.

Stetson shot him a blank look. “What? Hell if I know. Listen, we need to hurry with these tables, because we still have decorating to do.”

“Decorating?” Declan echoed, confused by the change in topics. Jennifer and Abby and Carmelita had done a bang-up job of decorating the barn; he didn’t figure they needed any more help. Especially since they were three-quarters of the way through the reception. It seemed a little late to add more candles and rocks and glass jars at this point.

“Yes!” Stetson took a furtive glance around him and then leaned closer. “Wyatt’s truck!” he whispered urgently.

Oh.

Of course.

As best man, it should’ve occurred to him. It hadn’t, of course. Despite this being the second time that he’d held this honorary position, he really wasn’t any better at it than he’d been the first time around. He needed about ten more brothers so he could get more practice in.

He groaned at the thought.

“What?” Stetson asked, as they slid a table into the back of Stet’s truck.

“Oh, nothing. Just…daydreaming,” Declan said, waving him off.

Ten more Wyatts? The world couldn’t hold ‘em. He loved his brother, especially since he’d recently removed his head from his ass, but not ten of him.

They finished loading the folding tables into the back of Stetson’s truck and then grabbed decorating supplies out of the passenger seat. Stetson had come prepared.

The “decorating supplies” turned out to be empty soup cans tied together with orange yarn, Silly String in spray cans, and white sticks that looked like chalk but didn’t feel a damn thing like them. Stetson caught his confused look. “Soap. It’s used to write on vehicles but not cause damage.”

Declan grunted his approval. Wrecking Wyatt’s truck permanently…well, he wasn’t entirely sure that even the joy of his wedding day would keep Wyatt from killing them both.

They got to work, tying the cans to the bumper and writing well wishes all over the windows of the truck. Just as they were finishing up and ready to use the Silly String as the final touch, Jennifer came over. Twilight was deepening, but even in the shadows, she could tell what a grand job they’d done. He grinned at her, but she scowled back.

“You guys!” she huffed. “Wyatt isn’t going to like this.” She was cradling Flint against her chest, a blanket wrapped over his tiny form to protect him against the chilly late September air. Winter was on its way.

Stetson just laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s the whole point,” he said dryly. “If he liked it, that wouldn’t make it nearly as fun of a prank.” 

She rolled her eyes at him but he just grinned back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Want the honors?” he asked, shaking the can and then holding it out to her.

She hesitated for a moment, and then snatched it out of his hand. “You, sir, are a bad influence!” she said as she began spraying the truck wildly. They were laughing and more Silly String was going everywhere, until finally, all of the cans were emptied. 

Jennifer and Stetson leaned into each other, laughing so hard they had to hold each other up, Flint cradled between them, and Declan just looked at them, keeping the smile pasted on his face, but feeling a twist low in his gut. Would he ever get what his two brothers seemed to have found so effortlessly? Sure, Stetson almost had to lose his farm, and okay, fine, Wyatt had had to spend months in jail, but the love between the couples was effortless.

It had only been that way once with Declan…and it couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t take that risk. He’d reacted instinctively when he saw Iris, running over to her like a lost puppy dog reuniting with its owner, thrilled and excited, but that couldn’t happen again.

He wouldn’t let it happen again.

His gut twisted harder.

“Who was that pretty redhead you were talking to earlier?” Jennifer asked, as if she could read his mind.

Scary, that.

“Iris McLain.”

“Oh, that’s the Iris I’ve been hearing about. Poor girl.” Jennifer clucked her tongue and then began swaying, singing softly to Flint as she rocked.

“Poor girl? You know what happened?” Declan felt his stomach twist even tighter. He wasn’t sure if he was going to throw up or pass out. Finally, someone who could tell him what the hell was going on.

Jennifer looked up, coming back to the moment. She’d obviously gotten wrapped up in her cooing.

“Oh. Yeah. She got in some terrible car wreck a month ago. Didn’t anyone tell you?”

Declan staggered back, feeling all of the blood drain from his face. 

An accident. Did she hit a deer on the road? Oh God, please don’t let her have hit a deer.

“No,” he whispered. Then, louder, “No. I didn’t hear. Is she okay?”

Except, obviously she wasn’t. She wouldn’t have answered his question about dancing the way she had if she was perfectly all right. 

Oh.

Oh.

She’d sat the whole way through the conversation, which Declan had found a little odd at the time, but had chalked up to her being nervous around him. But, maybe she couldn’t stand up. Maybe, she was paralyzed from the waist down. Maybe, she was in a wheelchair and they’d just moved her to a folding chair so she wouldn’t stand out from the crowd.

He wasn’t sure he was breathing right. Iris McLain, paralyzed?!

Jennifer looked at him, concerned. “She’s all right. Kinda. I hear her equilibrium is all messed up, though.”

“Her equi…” His voice trailed off as he started to put the pieces together.

“Yeah, her balance. She falls over a lot now. Apparently, she has to walk with a cane everywhere she goes.”

No wonder she didn’t want to dance with me.

And there he was, running over to her, embarrassing her in front of her friends and family, asking her to dance when everyone else in the barn probably knew that she couldn’t.

She likely wanted to smack him for making her look like an idiot in front of all the guests. 

Except, she hadn’t looked angry. She’d looked…heartbroken.

Stetson said, “Hey, we’re going to go back inside and check on the happy couple!” in a tone that was way too enthusiastic in an obvious bid to give Declan some space, and then he was guiding Jennifer back inside, his arm around her shoulders as she cradled their baby to her chest. They were so happy together, such a great match. He never would’ve guessed that Stetson would be happy with a city girl, but there they went, disproving that theory.

And then the thoughts came rushing back – the thoughts that Declan had been suppressing. Iris, beautiful, independent, talented, athletic Iris, falling over. No balance at all.

How was that even possible? She’d been captain of the basketball team her junior and senior year. She was a natural. She could’ve gone on to play college ball but had decided to focus on her studies to become an RN instead, because she’d felt like that was more important. She could outrun, outshoot, outpass every other point guard who even tried to touch her. Seeing her on the court…

She had more talent than the rest of the team put together, but she never gloated. She always cheered her teammates on, and made them look good. Her younger sister, Ivy, had a hell of a time in high school, but Iris never did. She was so genuinely nice and thoughtful and caring, no one could find it in them to hate her.

And now she couldn’t walk right?

He felt like the world had tilted off balance, like everyone had started walking sideways and he was left to try to navigate in this new world. How was it possible? 

And what had he been thinking, running over to talk to her like that? He knew better. He didn’t get to date people. Not anyone, not ever. It’d just been the surprise of seeing her – it’d thrown him for a loop. Caused him to forget everything he knew.

He shook it off. He couldn’t just stand around and stare at the full moon, bathing the valley below in its flat, pale light. He’d go inside and find the happy couple and congratulate them and get them into their truck and swear no knowledge of how the truck got this way, and then send them off on their honeymoon. It was what a best man was supposed to do.

And Declan always did what he was supposed to do.