The sun shone bright and El couldn’t wish for a better wedding day. After everything that had happened since she arrived in Whispering Springs, today was a welcome relief. Glancing in the mirror, she checked her appearance one more time. Pleased with what she saw, she took a deep breath and walked from the room.
Rowan met her at the top of the stairs, decked out in a beautiful wedding gown that was her mother’s. Her best friend radiated with happiness. Getting to share this day with Rowan as more than a bridesmaid thrilled El just as much as the idea of being Mrs. Brogan Wilder in a few short minutes.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“No second thoughts?” Rowan studied her carefully. “You’ve made some huge changes already, I’m sure Brogan would understand if you wanted to wait to get married.”
“Are you kidding? That’s probably the one thing I’m most sure of.” El reached for Rowan’s hand and tugging lightly she pulled her toward the first step. “Come on, our men are waiting.”
Rowan laughed. “Yeah, and if we’re more than a few seconds late they’ll be charging up the stairs to come get us.”
Together they took the steps a little quicker than normal, both excited to get the day underway. By the time they reached the bottom El knew this would be the best day of her life. Sharing it with her best friend added to the occasion but the best part was pledging her love to Brogan in front of the gorgeous mountains she now called home.
The yard was filled with people, most El had never seen before but Gordie met them at the door looking lovely in a pantsuit with snow boots.
“What can I say?” Gordie shrugged. “I’m a practical girl at heart.”
El and Rowan both grabbed a handful of lacy white fabric and raised their skirts. Gordie looked down and burst out laughing.
“No one wants to deal with frostbitten toes on their wedding night,” El said around her own laughter.
“I can think of plenty of other things to be dealing with that’s for sure,” Rowan added.
“Come on, everyone’s waiting, two men in particular are getting a little impatient.”
Over Gordie’s shoulder El could see Brogan make his way through the crowd toward them with Quinn right on his heels.
“Speak of the devils,” Rowan murmured.
As the men reached them a car pulled up the driveway. All talk stopped as everyone waited to see what the sheriff wanted.
Brogan slipped his arm around her shoulders and held her tight to his side as they waited for the new arrival to approach them. El didn’t recognize the man who got out of the car but the vehicle and uniform told her he was head of the local law enforcement. When he smiled and offered his hand to Brogan she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Sovereign.”
“Sheriff.” Brogan reached over and shook the outstretched hand. “What brings you here today?”
“Thought you’d want to know Marcus Connelly drove his four-wheel drive off Stattler Bridge earlier this morning. We’re working to retrieve the vehicle and the body now.”
“He’s dead? Are you sure?” Gordie asked.
“We believe so but we haven’t found the body yet, it’s not in the vehicle.”
Brogan tensed next to her, Quinn stood straighter and Rowan sucked in a hash breath. Fear slid down El’s spine. She didn’t know why the three people closest to her would react in this way but when Gordie gasped and stumbled forward El knew Marcus driving off a bridge wasn’t good news.
“He’s not dead.” Rowan turned to Quinn. “Until they find a body I won’t believe he’s dead.”
“Sheriff, Rowan’s right. Unless you recover his body we’ll assume Marcus survived the crash. Which means the fight isn’t over.” Brogan squeezed El closer.
“We’ll need to be on our guard until we know for sure.” Quinn motioned Steve McKenna over. “Steve can you take Doc and the sheriff inside, we’ll join you all in a minute.”
“Quinn, I think we should go ahead with the wedding. Everyone will be leaving after the ceremony and we can deal with this then. We don’t want people getting curious yet,” Rowan said.
“I agree.” Brogan said. “Are you all able to hang around for about thirty minutes? We don’t have anything elaborate planned so it’ll just be a matter of clearing everyone out of here.”
“I’ll need to get back to the search as quickly as possible but I’ve left a good man in charge so I can give you one hour before I have to leave,” the sheriff said.
“No problem, Brogan. Doc and I rode up together. We’ll wait as long as you need.” Steve moved to take Gordie’s elbow but she avoided his touch by moving closer to Rowan.
“Okay, let’s get you four married.” Gordie pointed to Brogan and Quinn. “You two go to where you’re supposed to be waiting patiently for your brides-to-be.”
Both men did as they were told and headed for the pergola where the wedding was to take place.
“Let’s get this show on the road.” Rowan followed the men.
El feared what this latest news would mean but with Brogan by her side she was prepared to face any trouble that may come their way. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and took the first step toward the man she’d come to love with all her heart.
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