Page 49 of Lost Trust

Then, just as quickly, she hides it. Her expression smooths over, and she looks away quickly:

I stare at her.

My mind races backward to memories I haven’t thought about in forever.

Those eyes.

That smile.

Rina?

I don’t even know if I said it aloud.

But the preacher’s voice cuts through the moment.

“Who gives this bride to be married to this man?”

I blink.

My attention snaps back to the ceremony, and I turn toward the preacher, forcing my focus back to where it belongs.

But my heart is still pounding.

Because I know that face. I know those eyes.

And if the woman standing somewhere behind me really is Marina Kincade … I have absolutely no idea what she’s doing here.

But I plan to find out.

Marina

The reception is in full swing.

The event barn is just as beautifully transformed as the arena was.

Wooden beams are draped with flowers and trailing greenery. Warm string lights twinkle overhead. Long tables are dressed in simple, elegant linens, wildflowers spilling from glass jars at their centers. Rustic touches are woven naturally throughout—weathered wood, worn leather, glowing lanterns, horseshoes tucked into the décor.

Elegant Western—a perfect blend of Bryce Raintree and Charli Storm.

Music spills through the barn, mingling with laughter, the clink of glasses, and the occasional cheer from the dance floor. Couples move beneath the strands of lights while kids tear through the spaces between tables, laughing as they dodge grown-up legs.

I smile, taking it all in, when a familiar voice slides in beside me.

“Well, hell.”

I turn.

And promptly forget whatever clever response I might have had.

Royce Trust looks damn good in a suit.

Okay, not a suit. Cowboy groomsman attire. Dark jeans, crisp white shirt, vest, boots, and that damn hat sitting low over his forehead.

I’m a sucker for a man who wears a cowboy hat well.

The man has somehow managed to make formalwear look like he could walk straight from this reception into the arena and climb onto a bull.

Five years disappear in the space of a heartbeat.