Cougar in Texas (Rugged and Risque 3)

“It is pretty, isn’t it?” Ginger smiled at her reflection.

“You look spectacular,” Liza told her as she added the bling she’d lent Reese for her trip to Dallas.

“You ought to start renting that jewelry out,” Reese said.

“I was only holding onto it until this wedding. I knew it’d be sensational with Ginger’s fairytale gown.”

Indeed, the bride was radiant. Her strapless dress had intricate beading on the bodice, which tapered at her narrow waist where the shimmering silver satin skirt flared dramatically with more beading and enough crinoline to make a nineteenth-century Southern belle jealous.

“Ryan will be on his knees when he sees you,” Reese told her.

“This is what I’ve always wanted.” Ginger sighed dreamily. “But until y’all opened the inn, there was no place for me to have a wedding like this. I was resigned to the Elks Lodge with the faded gray, peeling paneling on the walls. I never could have pulled this dress off at that venue.”

“I’m so relieved we finished the renovations in time,” Reese told her. Ginger and Ryan had pushed back their wedding date to correspond with the grand opening of the inn and that had put considerable pressure on everyone to meet the tight deadline.

But Caleb’s horses were in their stalls and corrals. The clinic was complete and staffed. And Sam had a dozen volunteers working the stables. Reese had filled all the positions at the inn—the entire enterprise being a significant boon to the job market and economy in Wilder. As Caleb had predicted, she had her hands full. She loved every moment of it.

Jess said, “It’s time. Let’s try to get this monstrosity into the hallway.” She surveyed the dress and added, “Thank goodness we’re in a suite with double doors.”

“Patio doors are double too,” Reese said. “She should fit.”

Ginger laughed. “Thanks, guys. You’re making me feel so good about myself.”

Liza said, “We’re just poking fun because you’re so petite. There’s more dress than there is woman, you realize.”

“Of course I know that,” Ginger said. “But this is the dress I always wanted. I don’t care how over-the-top it is. It’s my damn weddin’.”

The others lifted the train and they carefully made their way down the stairs and to the doors that led to the back deck, where they waited for their cue. Down by the lake sat the trimmed gazebo Liza had once envisioned, now a reality. A hundred chairs were perfectly aligned on the lawn, all covered with formfitting white linen with silver satin bows tied at the base of their tall backs, and occupied by Ginger and Ryan’s friends and family.

Red and white rose petals were scattered along the center aisle. Tall lampposts were accented with the elegant tulle and white floral decorations the women had crafted with silver ribbon. The trunks of the trees had been wrapped with white twinkle lights for later on, when the sun set.

Round tables that sat eight all had white linen table cloths and silver satin napkins. Squat domes of red roses served as centerpieces. Votives would be lit during the reception.

Reese, Liza and Jess had provided all the additional decorations and the setup for the wedding as their gift to Ginger and Ryan.

The bride said, “Good Lord, it’s like something straight out of a bridal magazine.”She swiped at a tear.

“No crying,” Liza said. “You’ll smudge your makeup.”

“It’s all so breathtaking,” Ginger said. “So much more than I’d imagined.”

“And look what else we did for you,” Liza said as she gestured toward the gazebo down by the water. “We even brought along a sexy Adonis for you to get hitched to.”

She laughed. “That makes you the best maid of honor, and the best bridesmaids, in history.” Peering through the framed windowpanes of the patio door, she added, “Damn, he’s hot.”

“They all are,” Reese said as she eyed Jack, George and Caleb in their tuxes, standing up for Ryan.

“Our wedding pictures are going to be gorgeous,” Ginger said. “The three of you in those strapless silver minis with your red-rose bouquets. Y’all look like movie stars.”

“No one will even notice us,” Liza said. “All eyes will be on you.”

Ginger fanned her face with a hand, apparently to keep the tears at bay.

“Well,” Reese said. “We’ve tortured Ryan long enough, making him wait for you. Jess, why don’t you start down the aisle and I’ll follow.”

Jess pulled open the doors and the three women took their places up front, while Ginger remained ensconced in the house, awaiting her grand entrance. The gentle sound of the harp stopped and Lydia Bain tickled the ivories of the sleek, black grand piano set on a parquet platform—the piano being a splurge piece Caleb had bought for the inn’s lounge.

The patio doors opened again and Sheriff Johnson escorted Ginger out onto the back deck where she paused as everyone stood and admired her.