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“I do,” she whispered.
“And do you, Jack, take this woman…”
Her fiancé of less than twenty-four hours, who was seconds away from being her husband, listened intently to the minister’s long-winded question. He wore his Army dress uniform, khaki jacket, trousers, shirt, and black tie. He was stunning.
Wearing dark b
lue suits, crisp white shirts, and red ties, Tom and Will stood beside her and Jack.
She’d met the three brothers only a month ago. It had been a whirlwind romance, nights of dancing, delicious dinners, flowers, drinks, making out—God, could the men make a girl’s toes curl—and so much more.
They’d become quite the foursome around town. Not surprising, since the Wilde brothers had leading-man good looks, though they were more cowboy than anything else. The silver screen would’ve loved them, but they were clearly meant for the saddle, which drew quite a lot of stares and invites from the San Francisco elite. Novelty could definitely open doors in the city, though those doors would close quickly once the movers and shakers moved on to the next oddity that captured their attention.
Glad to be done with college, Carol was ready for a new start, a new life. When Jack had asked her to marry him, she’d jumped at the chance. Sure, it had only been a month, but she was already in love with him. The way he, Tom, and Will talked about Wilde with such awe and devotion made her decision that much easier. God, those brothers had brought hope and light into her uncertain and gray life.
“I do,” Jack vowed in his deep, rumbling tone. He had piercing blue eyes that had mesmerized her the first time she’d seen them. They still gave her a sweet shiver whenever he gazed at her.
“And do you, Tom, take this…”
God, what’s wrong with me? There’s no way I’m hearing the minister correctly. But Carol listened more closely to the man, realizing that she was hearing him just fine. What the hell was going on? A couple of weeks ago, she would’ve bet that Tom would’ve been the one to ask her to marry him, but he hadn’t.
“I do,” Tom answered.
Her heart jumped into overdrive in her chest.
“And do you, Will…”
Was this some kind of rural part of the ceremony where siblings had to make a vow to their brother’s new bride? Who else would be vowing to love her? Their parents? Aunts and uncles? Her home state of Maine had its own set of odd customs, and she knew small-town quirkiness quite well growing up in Banksfield, population five hundred and ten. She would adjust just fine to Wilde and whatever traditions and superstitions it had. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“I do,” Will said.
“Vows of love and commitment have been given here and witnessed by all gathered in this place. By the powers vested in me in the city of Wilde, Nevada, I now pronounce you married. Gentlemen, you may now kiss your bride.”
Her mind spun like a child’s top as Jack pulled her in close and kissed her. Every inch of her melted into her new husband, forgetting the odd way the minister had conducted the service. Things would be fine. She’d signed the marriage license, which only had one other name on it—Jack’s. He was her husband, not Tom, not Will. Part of her was relieved as logic finally made clear what had actually occurred. But another part, a secret part, was disappointed. The truth was she would’ve said yes to a proposal from either Tom or Will, too.
“I love you, Carol.” Jack’s fixed stare made her weak in the knees.
Then he stepped aside, and Tom moved directly in front of her. “I love you, too, sweetheart.” He put his hands at the back of her neck and at the small of her waist and drew her body in close, placing his thick, manly lips on hers. Oh God! She closed her eyes as his kiss made her wonderfully woozy.
Am I still asleep in the back of Will’s Cadillac Fleetwood, headed to Wilde, having a wicked dream? The choice had been made. She was marrying Jack, and yet she was kissing Tom like there was no tomorrow. Shit!
She opened her eyes and saw from their corners all the people in the chapel looking at them. They didn’t seem shocked or appalled. In fact, many women were dotting their own eyes with hankies and those that weren’t were smiling broadly. The men, too, seemed okay with this whole strange wedding.
When Tom ended their kiss, Will grabbed her and planted one helluva kiss on her. The spinning top in her mind went faster and faster until it broke out into a major storm, a hurricane with winds so strong everything in its path was flattened or blown away. She learned that things out west were much different than they’d been for her growing up in Maine, but Wilde made everything she’d seen in San Francisco tame.
She’d heard the minister correctly, and insane or not, she had jumped down the rabbit hole and just married three men.
* * * *
Jack kept his arm around his new bride. Carol was wide-eyed and so very quiet. Though he’d known her only a month, this was the most tight-lipped she’d ever been. She had an opinion about every subject and freely shared them with him and his brothers whenever possible. Her fire and intellect were just a couple of the things that challenged him and what he loved about her. Her long blonde hair, lush lips, and perfect curves were icing on the cake. She was a knockout, and he was so proud to bring her back to Wilde.
“Son, why don’t you introduce us to our new daughter-in-law?” Dad Bill grinned broadly. Mom stood between him and Dad Abe.
Jack took Carol’s hand and placed it in his mother’s. “Sweetheart, this is my mother, Ida Wilde, and these are my dads, her husbands, Bill and Abe.”
Her mouth gaped open, then slammed shut. She shook his mother’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Wilde.”
“Call me ‘mom,’ child. We’re family now.” His mom’s eyes sparkled with happy tears. “You’ve got your hands full with my boys. I can tell you that for sure. You need me to take the switch to their backsides, just let me know, hun.”
