“I’m spending tonight with you.”
“Right. After the wedding rehearsal.”
“Ty will be at the rehearsal? Why? In what capacity?”
“Best man. Didn’t you know?”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you supposed to be smiling?”
Sunny’s expression was about as far from a smile as one could get. She marched up the aisle of the church, ignoring her escort as much as the situation allowed. Which wasn’t much.
By virtue of its sheer size and strength a body like Ty’s wasn’t easy to ignore. He had shortened his long stride to accommodate hers, so their thighs seemed to move in perfect coordination while they maintained the measured tread in time to the swelling organ music. His cologne was so familiar to her now she smelled it in her dreams.
They reached the end of the aisle. In the church foyer, she withdrew her hand from the crook of his arm and turned to face him, having put it off for as long as she could. She had dreaded the wedding rehearsal, and it was proving to be just as difficult as she had anticipated.
Since it was a casual rehearsal, she had worn white jeans and a navy blue big shirt, the long tails of which were tied in a knot at her waist. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail.
Her tomboyish appearance had been intentional. She had wanted to curtail any romantic notions Ty might still be entertaining. However, when she had breathlessly entered the church, running late, he had looked at her with unconcealed amusement that told her he had gleaned her purpose and that it hadn’t worked.
“You never mentioned you were going to be Steve’s best man,” Sunny accused him stonily.
“Surprised?”
“Unpleasantly so.”
“What difference would it have made if you’d known?”
For one thing, she could have prepared herself for having to walk down the aisle with him at the conclusion of the service. It was going to be difficult enough to do it tomorrow, given the circumstances of her last march down the same aisle. Having Ty Beaumont at her side only compounded her anxiety over it.
“I might have resigned as maid of honor,” she answered tartly.
He laughed. “But you didn’t.”
To avoid his mocking smile, Sunny glanced down the church’s center aisle. Fran and Steve had been detained at the altar. The woman in charge was giving instructions to Fran’s daughters, making certain they understood where to stand during the ceremony and on what cue to start back down the aisle.
Sunny wished they would hurry. For all practical purposes, she was alone with Ty in the hushed atmosphere of the sanctuary. Considering why he had left her cabin last night in such a wrathful temper, being alone with him was awkward.
“I couldn’t resign,” she said, “so all I can do now is grin and bear it.”
“But you aren’t grinning. We’ve come full circle. Isn’t this where we started?”
“I don’t feel much like grinning.”
He leaned down and whispered, “Because we’re an ‘item’?”
“Yes,” she shot back angrily. “And it’s no wonder, the way you paraded us through the drive-in last night.”
He shrugged dismissively. “Part of my job.”
“You were off duty!”
Several heads at the front of the church turned in their direction and the instructions were momentarily suspended. From the back of the church, Sunny smiled weakly in apology.
Ty spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “The scene in the Busy Bee had enough drama to keep the gossips humming for the next three years. Do you plan to supply them with something to talk about on a regular basis?”
“Oh!” Clenching her fists at her sides, Sunny ground her teeth together. “You’re—”
“Wait,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Before you start slinging mud, let me tell you what I went shopping for today.”