Texas Tango: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2 (10 page)

“We will be a while in here,” Caroline told the driver. “I’ll call when we’re ready to go.”

“That’s fine, ma’am.”

As the car pulled away, Caroline’s stomach rolled and pitched like a ship at sea. Travis’s hand at the small of her back as they entered the hospital did little to calm her nerves. If anything, his touch was stirring up emotions she had no right to feel about him. In the lobby, she paused.

“You okay?” Travis asked. He turned and looked into her eyes.

“No second thoughts, not about what we’re doing. I just wish…I mean…” She let out a long breath. “I just wish this wasn’t a fake wedding.” As though realizing what she’d said, she added in a rush of words, “Not that I’m saying I want to marry you. I mean, you’re great and all that, it’s just that I wish I was really in love and—”

Travis chuckled. “I’m great and all that?” Then he let out a laugh. “Way to flatter your groom.”

She pulled him off to the side. “That’s not what I meant.”

He smiled and captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Caroline. You are a wonderful woman any man would be lucky to have as a wife. If I were looking for one, you’d be at the top of my list.”

Her heart leapt into her throat at his words. The air whooshed from her lungs. The heat of an oncoming blush warmed her cheeks. She jerked her head, pulling out of his grasp. “I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with. I get a husband for a few hours and you get a chunk of land forever. Works for me.”

Whipping around, she marched for the elevator.

Like I’d want to really marry him. Ha. Give me a break.

Thoughts that hit a little too close to the truth deserved to be laughed off, so ha-ha.

The elevator opened on the third floor and they stepped off. Immediately, Caroline’s olfactory senses were assaulted with the smell of industrial-strength disinfectant mingled with the aromas from the lunch food cart delivering patient meals.

“Man, I hate that smell,” Travis groused.

Caroline put her arm through his. “I’m sure you do. Most people do. Believe it or not, most hospital personnel learn to ignore it, along with a lot of other unpleasant odors.” She placed her other hand over his. “Ready.”

He snuggled her closer. “Let’s do this.”

As they neared Mamie Bridges’s room, the sound of happy voices filtered out and into the hall. Caroline frowned. What was going on?

She knocked gently and pushed the door open. Her eyes flew open in surprise. “Oh, no.”

The drab hospital room had been transformed into a makeshift wedding chapel. White ribbons and hearts draped the window. Lengths of white silk decorated the dingy-yellow walls in flowing swags. Soft music floated from a box in the corner. And flowers. There were flowers everywhere. White roses. Cymbidium orchids. Baby’s breath. Calla lilies. White peonies.

Caroline’s breath rushed out in a loud gasp. “What in the world?”

The chattering halted and the people in the room turned toward the door.

“Caroline. Come here, child,” her grandmother said from the bed, her arms stretched out for a welcoming embrace.

Caroline rushed across the room. “Mamie. It’s so good to hear your voice.” She gently hugged her grandmother’s frail frame, the old-fashioned rose scent of Mamie’s cologne filled Caroline’s nose, bringing unwelcome sentimental tears to her eyes. She pressed her cheek against her grandmother’s soft, but parchment-textured cheek then stepped back to clasp her grandmother’s hands, careful not to hold her fragile fingers too tightly. “You look wonderful, like you’re ready to take on the world.”

Mamie’s white hair had been curled, teased and sprayed stiff, like many women of her generation. Her normally pallid cheeks sported red slashes of blush. She wore eye makeup and mascara. Instead of one of those horrid hospital gowns, she wore a blue suit jacket with a pink silk blouse.

Mamie squeezed Caroline’s fingers. Granted, it was a weak squeeze, but it felt so good to feel her grandmother’s fingers in hers. “Of course I do. I couldn’t let you get married with me looking like an old dying woman, now could I?”

Caroline leaned over the bed and hugged her grandmother again. “I miss you so much.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I am so sorry I don’t get up here enough to see you.”

“Now, don’t start that,” Mamie chastised in a weak voice. “This is a happy day. One of the happiest days of my life.” She looked around. “Now, where’s my grandson-in-law-to-be?”

Caroline turned, expecting to see Travis standing in the door. He wasn’t. Her heart skipped. Where was he?

“Over here, Judge Bridges,” Travis’s deep voice drawled from the corner.

Caroline shut her eyes briefly as the fear that he’d left crumbled. She drew in a quick breath and turned in the direction of Travis’s voice. She’d been so nervous all day. She hadn’t really looked at him. Dressed in a dark suit with his boot tips glistening under the room’s florescent lights, he looked more handsome than she’d ever seen him. He smiled when she turned. “Be right back,” she said to Mamie and crossed the room to where Travis stood talking with her brother, Noah.

“Hi, Noah. You have really grown.”

“Yeah,” he snarled. “People do that when you don’t see them very often.”

Travis’s head snapped toward Noah. “Now, son, I’m sure you don’t mean to speak to your sister on her wedding day in that tone of voice. I think you owe her an apology.”

Caroline touched his arm. The muscles were tight with tension. “It’s okay, Travis. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.” Travis had always had his parents, had known his parents loved and wanted him. He couldn’t understand what it was like to be dumped on your grandmother’s porch to be raised, whether she wanted the task to or not. She understood though. Noah deserved a break. He sure hadn’t had one in his short fourteen years.

Travis looked at her. “No. It’s not.” He turned back to Noah. “Don’t you have something to say, son?”

“Sorry, Caroline.”

Caroline pulled Noah to her for a stiff hug. His arms hung like paralyzed limbs at his side during the embrace. She understood better than anyone how he was feeling. The only real parent he’d ever known was going to die. Their biological parents were far away, and while it was possible he could go to live with them, he hardly knew them. And if she were in his shoes, she wouldn’t want to go live in a third-world country.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, but in reality, she was more surprised than happy to see him.

“Caroline. Darling. You look wonderful.” A pair of female arms surrounded her.

Caroline twisted to face her aunt. “Hi, Aunt Leslie.” The two women embraced. “What a surprise. I hadn’t expected you and Uncle Patrick to be here.”

“Of course we’re here,” her uncle boomed. “Do you think I’d let my only niece get married without her family around her? No way.”

Her uncle enfolded her in his arms. “I’m so happy for you, Caro,” he whispered quietly enough for only her to hear. “I spoke with your mother yesterday. She was so sorry they couldn’t be here. But the expense to get back to the US plus the amount of time they’d be away from their work was just too much. She didn’t feel they could leave right now.”

“No sweat,” she replied. “I know how important their work is to them.” They were dedicated to their work. Every dime they earned or inherited would go into their ministry.

In her carefully constructed plan, only Travis, her grandmother and she would be here for this wedding ceremony. Arkansas law didn’t require witnesses to legalize a marriage. So with her grandmother’s inevitable demise, only she and Travis would have remained with the knowledge of the wedding. She hadn’t planned on Mamie spreading the word. However, this late in the game, she had no choice but to go forward with her plans, extra witnesses or not. She could always stage an annulment later if necessary, sure that her family would understand her commitment to her work. She sighed.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Chapter Six

After proper introductions with her uncle and aunt, Caroline took Travis’s hand and led him to Mamie’s bedside. Her gut whirled at the feel of the work calluses and tough skin of his fingers on hers. As if acting independently of her brain, her thumb stroked the rough flesh along the side of his. His fingers squeezed hers and her gut whirl became an F-5 tornado.

“Mamie, this is Travis Montgomery. Travis, my grandmother, Mamie Bridges.” Her voice quaked with nervous energy.

Caroline could see her grandmother’s stamina was beginning to sag. The blush on her cheeks provided the only hint of color. The years of cigarette smoking had taken their toll. Her lungs labored to draw in air. She rested heavily against the pillows behind her. Mamie really should be on oxygen, but knowing her grandmother, Caroline suspected Mamie had taken it off so she’d look better. No telling how long Mamie had been putting on her aren’t-I-doing-great routine for Patrick and Leslie. It was time to get this show on the road and more oxygen back in Mamie’s system.

Travis grasped Mamie’s limp hand. “Nice to meet you, Judge Bridges.”

Mamie gave him a gentle pull. He leaned in closer. “That’s no way to greet your grandmother-in-law to be,” she said, her voice now distinctly weaker than when they’d first entered the room. “Family hugs, not shakes.”

Travis chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” He hugged Mamie then stood. “I see where Caroline gets her good looks.”

Mamie pressed a hand against the curls at the side of her head and pshawed. “You’ve already won the girl. You don’t have to flatter me.”

Caroline grinned, entertained by Mamie’s obvious delight with Travis’s compliment. “Okay then, we’re all here. Ready to get going?”

Mamie’s face crinkled into a frown. “In just a minute. I thought—”

“I’m here. I’m here. So sorry I’m late, Mamie.” A thin, eighty-something-year-old man pushed his way in the door. “Caroline, my dear. Aren’t you lovely?”

Caroline’s heart leapt with joy at seeing her old friend. “Judge Hodges.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Are you kidding? Miss my goddaughter’s wedding?” As he enfolded her in a loving embrace, he whispered, “Mamie was afraid she would forget the words or be too weak to do the whole ceremony. She asked me to come by as a backup.”

Backup, my eye.

Patrick and Leslie greeted the long-time family friend with hugs and smiles. Neither appeared to be surprised to see him. The room now held two former judges and her Uncle Patrick, known by his congregation as Pastor Pat. Mamie was doing everything in her power to make this marriage stick.

She rolled her eyes upward.
Okay God. You’re not helping
, she silently prayed.

After an introduction to Travis, she forced a cheery smile. “Well, seems like the gang’s all here. I think we should get this show on the road.”

Leslie and Patrick stepped to the left side of Mamie’s bed. Leslie adjusted the head of the hospital bed to upright and helped Mamie scoot up into a sitting position. Judge Hodges moved to the head of the bed and stood next to Mamie. Travis took Caroline’s hand and they moved to the right side of the bed. In her left hand, Caroline held a nosegay of white roses and baby’s breath passed to her by Leslie. The bouquet shook in time with her hammering heart.

This was it. Showtime.

A wave of sadness swept through Caroline. Sadness that she had to go through with this ruse to appease her grandmother. Sadness that this might be the only time in her life she actually said these vows. But the deepest sadness was at the realization that very soon she would be losing the most important person in her life.

Part of her wished this was real. Not because she was in love with Travis, because she didn’t know him well enough to have that degree of attachment. But she wished she loved a man that much, loved a man like Travis enough to pledge spending her life with him. She believed in these vows. Were they making a mockery of marriage by staging this fake one? Had she made a mistake?

Travis glanced at the people surrounding the bed. “Wait a minute.”

Caroline startled. Her head snapped toward Travis. Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs. Was he having the same thoughts as she? Was he backing out at the last minute? “What’s wrong?”

“I need a best man. Noah, would you come stand with us?”

Her heart swelled with unspeakable emotion. She was so touched that Travis thought to include her brother. Poor Noah’s life was getting ready to undergo another drastic change. She hadn’t considered how he might feel seeing his sister getting married and moving on with her life. Even if the marriage wasn’t real, the impact on him could be the same.

Caroline rapidly blinked her eyes to prevent her tears from leaking out. She and Noah had never been close. There’d always been too much of an age difference and too many miles between them to develop much of a sibling relationship. At least she was doing the right thing by leaving him with Patrick and Leslie, allowing him to remain with school friends, even if Mamie hadn’t been crazy about some of his friends.

“I guess so,” Noah answered in a petulant voice. He rose from his chair and took a position beside Travis.

Considering the worn jeans, dirty sneakers and a T-shirt sporting the name of a hard-core metal band, then add in his shoulder-length hair, her brother wasn’t exactly dressed for a wedding. Still, it was wonderfully nice of Travis to include him.