Leave a Trail (Signal Bend #7)(111)
Isaac stood at the head of the table, the biggest turkey in front of him. Not for the first time, Adrienne was struck hard by his size and presence. With his long, dark braid, his beard, his distinctive scar and intense green eyes, all sitting on top of impossibly broad shoulders, Isaac commanded attention and respect by simply existing. He wore his significance on his bones. In one way or another, all the Horde did, whether they were giants like Isaac and Show or not. They were not men to be taken lightly. Her gaze shifted to the man at her side. Her man. He was watching Isaac, and she had his profile all to herself. He was beautiful.
She’d always believed that she could see the depth of his soul most clearly when his face was in repose. He was a man who watched, who thought, who felt—who knew—before he acted. A man like that might be mistaken for one who could be discounted, but that would be a terrible mistake.
Love for him made her blood race and bubble.
When the table was fully seated, before he picked up the carving tools, Isaac said, “There’s a lot of great food here, and I’m not gonna keep you from it. But I wanted to thank you all for being here with us, makin’
this day full of family and friends. It means a lot.” He looked at Lilli, then over at the kids’ table—the occupants there were ignoring him completely. He cleared his throat. “I’m not a grace-sayer. But I do want to say thanks. We have a lot to be thankful for. A year ago, I didn’t believe that could be true again. We’ve had some hard times. We’ve lost a lot. All of us—the club, the town. Family and friends. We’ve got hard times ahead. That’s the way of this life. It’s the way of any life, I guess. But I am thankful for my family.
For my brothers and my club. For my friends and neighbors. For my town, this little wide spot that almost died right out from under us. We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve fought together, and we’ve fought each other. But we came through it standing. We came through it together. I am thankful for all of you. I am thankful for this life.”
He was quiet for a few seconds, and his silence spread through the Hall; even the children keyed into the change and settled. Then he nodded. “Okay. Let’s cut this bird and dig in.” The adults erupted in cheers and applause.
Badger turned to Adrienne, his dazzling eyes aglitter with unshed tears. “That is worth everything.”
Her own eyes blurring now, she nodded.
oOo
Four days before Christmas, on Isaac and Lilli’s sixth wedding anniversary, Adrienne sat at a vanity in a small back room of St. John’s Methodist Church. Bree Jensen, the office manager at Tasha’s clinic, stood behind her, pinning her mass of hair into a loose updo.
“You have the most amazing hair I’ve ever had my hands in.” Bree spoke with bobby pins in her teeth.
“Thank you so much for letting me do this.”
Adrienne smiled at Bree’s reflection in the illuminated mirror. “Dora said you were a wizard with hair, and she was right. This is perfect, Bree. Just perfect. Thank you so much.”
The pretty blonde blushed. Once all the pins were in, she finger-combed the tendrils left on either side of Adrienne’s face. Then she held up the final touch. “Do you want to do the honors, or should I?”
“You can do it.”
Bree nodded and tucked the slimly delicate, silver and pearl tiara into the bound waves atop Adrienne’s head. Then she stepped back, and three women looked into the mirror at the result.
“Wow,” said Shannon, beaming at Adrienne in the mirror.
“You are so beautiful,” Bree whispered. “The prettiest bride I ever saw. I’m gonna go find Ashlynne and my mom. Thanks again for this job.” With a little gesture that was practically a curtsy, Bree left.
Before the door had closed completely, it stopped, and there was a light knock on the other side.
Still smiling into the mirror, Shannon called out, “If you’re not Badge, come in.”
Darlene, Badger’s mother, opened the door and peeked in. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”
Adrienne turned and smiled at her motherin-law-to-be. “Not at all. Come in!”
Darlene had chosen a matronly, but pretty, jacketed dress in deep rose chiffon. She looked exactly like the mother of a groom, a bit frumpy, especially standing next to the glorious Shannon, who was wearing a beautiful, shiny silk suit in sage green. So close to Christmas, and with the church already decorated for the holidays, Adrienne had gone with the flow and chosen shades of red and green for her colors.
Now Darlene looked into the mirror, beaming at Adrienne’s reflection. “Oh, honey. You look like an angel.” A hand fluttered near her throat. “Oh, my. I think I’m gonna cry.”
“Thanks, Darlene.” It still seemed odd to use her first name. “You look really pretty, too.”
“You’re such as sweetie. Thanks.” She lifted the skirt of her dress a little and swayed her hips. “I can’t think when I felt this fancy. Maybe not since my own weddin’.” She glanced at Shannon. “I…I wonder…
could I have a minute with her? Just a minute, alone?”
Shannon met Adrienne’s eyes, and Adrienne nodded.
“Sure. I’ll just go make sure everything’s running smoothly.” Shannon stepped out, and Adrienne was alone with Darlene. For a few seconds, they were uncomfortably quiet. Darlene looked like she regretted asking for this audience. Adrienne watched her in the mirror as she fretted and fidgeted.