Leave a Trail (Signal Bend #7)(109)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Badge’s mom wants us to get married at St. John’s.” Adrienne set the carton of butter on the island, pulled out a stick, and unfolded the waxed paper.
“Just dump the whole stick in. We’ll probably need another one, too.” As Adrienne dropped the butter into the vat of boiled potatoes, Shannon, wearing a brown poplin apron over her dress, set to mashing them. “And you’re really okay with that?”
“Yeah. I don’t mind. It’s not like I’m militantly atheist or anything. And Badge was baptized there, just like Joey and Millie—and Show, too. It’s like a family place. And a town place. It’s good. Plus, it’s really pretty.” She set the second unwrapped stick on its paper. “That’s a lot of butter.”
“This is a lot of potatoes. If we’re not feeding the whole town today, I think we’re coming pretty close.”
“But people brought a ton of stuff, too. There’s stuff all over the bar already.”
“Yeah—Lilli has the potluck army on the job.”
Thanksgiving dinner at the Horde clubhouse. They had much to be thankful for this year. The men had all come home from their war, and they’d come home uninjured, except for Badger’s terrifyingly bruised back and the bruised ribs that went with it. The town was safe, and the Horde was out of the grasp of the drug cartel, which had apparently been destroyed. Adrienne didn’t understand all of it, because Badger was stubbornly vague about some details. But they were out of whatever deadly business they’d been in. They were home—and for the past several weeks, they’d stayed home.
There was a tinge of urgency to the celebrations of this holiday season, since Isaac and Len would be going away for a long time right afterward, and the Horde family wanted to give them a holiday that might sustain them a little through their long years inside. It was also why, although Adrienne was not yet pregnant, they’d decided to get married quickly, a few days before Christmas. So that Isaac and Len could be there. Badger wanted Len to stand up with him. Jason, Badger’s brother, had been disappointed, but he’d understood. He would serve as usher.
When she’d shared the date with Lilli and Shannon, they’d exchanged a grinning glance. They’d set their date for Lilli and Isaac’s anniversary. She’d immediately apologized and said they’d change it, but Lilli wouldn’t hear of it. And now Shannon, thwarted for months from this work by the twins and the fire and the rebuild that was creeping along in the cold weather, had put on her Wedding Planner cap in earnest. For the past few weeks, she’d had Adrienne thinking about flowers and lace and cake even in her dreams.
Adrienne had never been one to obsess about expensive fantasy weddings, but she’d put some little thought to the question over the years, and she’d always imagined being married outdoors, in a forest or on the beach, barefoot, with a wreath of daisies in her hair, and a simple, long cotton sundress.
But she was learning that weddings weren’t just about the bride and groom. Badger’s mom had ideas.
Shannon had ideas. Even Badge had an idea or two. Geez, even women in town had ideas. Plus, it would be late December in Missouri. And a sleeveless sundress was out of the question regardless.
Instead, they were having a traditional church wedding, and she would be wearing a long-sleeved ivory lace dress and carrying a bouquet of red calla lilies and white orchids. She’d gone shopping with Badge’s mom—whom she was supposed to call Darlene now, which was still an adjustment—for a mother-of-the-groom dress.
It was wonderful. As her girlish bohemian fantasy became wisps and blew away, Adrienne realized that the wedding she and Shannon were planning, even incorporating the requests and demands of other people, was exactly what it should be. It wasn’t a party for Adrienne and Badger. It was a celebration of their whole family.
Not to mention that her dress, which she and Shannon had found at a vintage store in St. Louis, was just about the most amazing thing Adrienne had ever seen in her life—all ivory lace, with chiffon inserts in the skirt, the cut skimming her body lightly until it flared subtly away. She couldn’t wait for Badger to see her in it.
He’d offered to wear a suit, but she liked the idea of the Horde dressed in their kuttes. She couldn’t even imagine Badger in a suit.
“I wish the inn was ready so we could at least do the reception there. This cold is really slowing everything down.” Autumn had lasted all of a few weeks this year, giving way quickly to below-freezing temperatures and hard frosts. No snow to speak of yet. It had pushed the reopening of the inn back until early spring. Adrienne was looking forward to the reopening almost as much as Shannon was—on Shannon’s gentle but persistent urging, she’d agreed to start there as assistant manager. Since the fire, Vicki had taken a new position at a hotel in Springfield, so the job was open. Adrienne didn’t really have the qualifications—a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree officially qualified the bearer for virtually nothing—but she’d gotten to know the B&B well over the years. And it was nice to think about working in the family business. She could do wedding photography there, too, so she was kind of using her degree.
“Badge really wants the reception at Tuck’s. It’s the only thing he made a fuss about, so it’s fine. Rose and Marie are giddy about it, and it’s fine with me.”