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Grinning, Genevieve explained. “It’s an old family joke that no one recalls exactly how it started. I’m afraid it’s the first of many you’ll encounter.”
“Mom’s right.” Willow snagged a pretzel from the snack table and added, “Welcome to the family, Tess.”
At that point, everyone’s attention returned to the game, and bickering over football resumed. One set of downs later, Tess’s cell phone rang. She checked the number and frowned. “Speak of the devil. Why is my wedding coordinator calling me on New Year’s Day?”
Lucas suggested, “Let it go to voice mail.”
All the women in the room exclaimed in protest. Tess walked toward the door as she answered the call, saying, “Happy New Year, Megan. What’s up?”
The Aggies were driving downfield when Tess returned less than five minutes later, her expression strained, her eyes wide and shining with tears. Seeing her, Jake momentarily froze before shoving to his feet, grabbing the remote, and switching off the game. Lucas protested, “Hey—”
“Sprite?” Jake asked, moving toward Tess. “What’s happened?”
Lucas’s complaint died on his lips when he, too, caught sight of his sister-in-law-to-be. He asked, “How can we help?”
“It’s okay.” Two fat tears overflowed Tess’s eyes to roll down her face as Jake reached her and pulled her into his arms. She spoke against his chest. “I’m okay. No one is hurt. Ididn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. This isn’t the end of the world. Nothing insurmountable. I’m being silly. Emotional and silly.”
“About what?” Genevieve asked, voicing the same question flashing through Willow’s mind.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” Jake urged Tess.
“It’s our wedding.” Tess swiped the tears away from her eyes. “Our venue. Last night after a New Year’s Eve party, it burned to the ground. Megan has been on the phone trying to find a place for us that’s not already booked, but this late, she hasn’t had any luck.”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Genevieve.
“That’s terrible,” Brooke agreed.
Aunt Helen clicked her tongue. “You poor dear.”
Jake, ever the manager, summed up the problem. “So we don’t have a place to get married in Austin on our date.”
“Not a place that we’d want,” Tess said. “We’ll have to push back the date.”
Jake frowned. “I don’t want to push back our date.”
“Me, either. But I don’t know what else we can do.”
“How about we change the venue?” he suggested.
“Wehaveto change the venue!” Tess exclaimed. “That’s the problem.”
“No, I mean completely change it. We considered having a destination wedding early on in this process. I know it wasn’t our first choice, but…”
“Maybe it’s our only choice.” Tess closed her eyes and massaged her temples. “If it’s even a choice. The destinations we considered will also be booked this late in the game.”
Willow asked, “Were you thinking beach resorts?”
“Not necessarily. Mainly, we wanted something affordable for our guests. That’s the problem I have with destinationweddings. Too often, they’re prohibitively expensive to attend.”
“How do you feel about an outdoor wedding, Tess?” Aunt Helen asked.
“Depends on whether or not an alternative sheltered spot is available in case of rain.”
Willow saw her mother and aunt exchange a look. A message passed between them. Willow wasn’t the least bit surprised when her mother smiled at Tess and suggested, “Why don’t you have the wedding here in Lake in the Clouds?”
Helen jumped in. “The end of March isn’t a busy time for Raindrop Lodge. The innkeeper we hired has today off, but I know how to access the reservation system. So, say the word, and I’ll check our occupancy around your date. Between the lodge rooms and the cabins and rentals that friends own, I’ll bet we can offer complimentary lodging to almost all of your guests in order to lessen travel expenses.”
“Helen is right,” Genevieve continued. “If a lakeside ceremony doesn’t suit you, you have multiple choices for a spot with a breathtaking vista as a backdrop. I’m sure Gage would open the Triple T Ranch for us.”
