Treasure on Lilac Lane (Jewell Cove 2)

He’d been watching her. She wasn’t sure if she was flattered or unsettled by that knowledge.

She forced her face to relax and focused on the minister’s words and not on the Greers. She shouldn’t be surprised they were here; Tom’s mother, Barb, and Karen Greer were old friends.

Before long Abby gave Jess her bouquet and put both her hands in Tom’s to exchange vows. Their voices rang out clearly in the sanctuary and Jess watched as Rick reached into his pocket and withdrew the wedding ring, placing it on the minister’s bible. Jess slid Tom’s ring off her thumb and gave it to Abby to put in the crease of the pages, too, and then looked up at Rick.

And couldn’t look away.

She tried to remember the way he’d staggered out of Sarah’s party last summer. Reminded herself that he’d been cut off at The Rusty Fern more than once, that he was no good for her. Instead she could only think of glass paintings of hollyhocks and fence posts, the touch of his fingers on hers, the dark depths of his eyes. What had he been through? Just what had happened to him over there that he’d gone off the rails completely?

Her heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to pound its way right through her ribs.

She snapped out of the moment when the music started and she realized it was time to sign the register. Jess sat next to Rick at the table to witness the documents. The photographer was there, forcing them to look up and smile, and then Jess took the pen and signed her name before handing it to Rick.

Before he took the pen from her fingers, he leaned in. “Are you okay, Jess?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered back.

“You looked like you saw a ghost there for a while. It’s a wedding. You’re supposed to smile.”

“I’ll try to do better.” She forced a smile and placed the pen in his hand. “Your turn to sign.”

He did, but as they got up, he moved behind her. “I didn’t mean you had to do better.” His rough whisper caressed the back of her neck. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

A tingle went down her spine at his warm words. She would have answered, but the minister called out, introducing the bride and groom and they were off down the aisle again, into the sunny autumn afternoon.

The last thing she needed was Rick being observant. She was entirely too vulnerable right now. The best thing would be to keep her distance. And that was near to impossible tonight, seeing as they still had the reception to get through …

And wedding party pictures.

And a dance.

It was going to be a very long day.

CHAPTER 8

When the receiving line finished, the small wedding party made the short drive in the Mustang to Memorial Square for pictures. Abby had hired local photographer Ryan Donovan to do the honors, and the first shots were taken in front of a blazing, red-hued maple tree and then at the small gazebo set in a corner, surrounded by a small garden. The flowering annuals were gone, but the steps of the gazebo held fall mums in a riot of warm colors: red, bronze, yellow, orange—the same colors as were in the bridal bouquets.

The four of them stood together on the narrow gazebo steps. Jess and Rick bookended the happy couple, and then it was time for Abby and Tom’s solo shots. “Jess, if you could just move forward out of the frame,” Ryan instructed. “Rick, you, too. Perfect!” The click of the camera continued for a few shots. “Now, we’re going to try something a little cuter. Rick and Jess, I want you two to stand just outside the image and extend your arms, each of you making half a heart with your hands. I’m going to frame the happy couple inside the heart.” Ryan demonstrated with his own hands.

Jess felt Rick’s body stiffen up behind her, and she realized that the pose would have him making the heart with his left hand—which meant it would be his prosthetic hand.

“What if we swapped sides?” she asked, raising her eyebrows innocently.

Ryan puckered his brows before shrugging in agreement. As Rick moved to the other side of the shot, his fingers slid over hers in thanks. Jess felt weird making a heart with Rick. For some reason the connection of their hands felt intimate. However, thankfully, a few minutes later it was over.

Ryan packed up his gear and said he’d meet them back at the house for the reception, and a blissfully happy Tom and Abby led the way back to the borrowed car. Jess picked her way across the grass, lifting her hem away from the ground just a little. Rick followed behind, the keys to the Mustang jingling in his hand.

“Hey, thanks for that.”

Jess just shrugged. “It’s no biggie,” she replied before sliding into the front seat of the convertible. She watched curiously as he drove, using his left hand to steer while his right shifted and then quickly joined his left on the wheel. The last few times they’d met she’d gotten a better look at his prosthetic. Science really h

ad come a long way. The color of his prosthetic sleeve was slightly different from the skin on his right hand, but the detail was all there, right down to the fingernails.

“No trouble driving, then?” she asked quietly.

“Nope.”

“You’ve gotten pretty proficient.”