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“No, ma’am,” he said, reaching for the brim of his cowboy hat. He wasn’t even sure why. He tipped his hat at her and smiled when she laughed and shook her head.
“So Texan,” she said, linking her arm through his. She was very good at flirting, which only amped up Slate’s nerves. He hadn’t had a reason to flirt with another human being in many long years. “Did you grow up in Texas?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “My family lives on the outskirts of Austin. My daddy owns a barbecue joint in the city.”
“Oh, that’s amazing,” she said. “I’m from just up the road. Sugar Hill?”
There were probably a million small towns in Texas, just like Sweet Water Falls. He said, “I don’t know it, but it sounds nice.”
“It is nice,” she said. “Rolling, green hills, blue sky, big sunflowers in my mom’s yard.” She smiled at something in her mind’s eye, but Slate liked the relaxed, happy look on her face. “There’s this pond we used to swim in. And big water towers. And sometimes, I swear when you go to Sugar Hill—there’s an actual hill there named Sugar Hill too—it smells like freshly baked cupcakes.”
“Wow,” Slate said, his smile genuine now. “That really does sound amazing. I can always go for a cupcake.”
“Right?” Jill laughed again and sighed. “I love weddings.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “Why’s that?”
“They’re just so happy,” she said. “There’s so much love in the air. You can justfeelit.”
Slate could feel something, he could admit that. He wasn’t sure if he’d classify it at love. The air held a definitely crackle in it, like something amazing was about to happen.
“You’re up front,” Dallas said, marching his daughter to the spot next to Thomas. He turned and took in the others who’d lined up, and some of the tension fell off his face. “Okay,” he said. “I guess everyone’s just waiting on me then.”
“That’s right,” Nate said. “So get out there so we can get started. It’s not getting any cooler.”
“You got married in the middle of the afternoon in September,” Dallas quipped, reaching for his cowboy hat. He settled the black-as-midnight hat on his head and ducked out the door. He left it open, but Slate stood back far enough to still be bathed in air conditioning.
The wedding march started, and he pressed his arm closer to his side, bringing Jill closer. “Here we go,” he said. “I hope I don’t fall down.”
“I was just going to say that,” Jill said. “And ask you to catch me if I did.”
Slate grinned at her, their eyes truly meeting for the first time in several minutes. “I’ll do my best,” he said. “But it is dang hot out there, and I hate it when people are watching me.”
“We’ll make it,” she said, and before he knew it, it was their turn to step out of the house and head down the aisle.
He made the trip without making a fool of himself, and he made it all the way back to his seat. He didn’t sit though, but stayed standing and turned to watch Jess coming down the aisle.
She rode a magnificent white horse with flowers in its mane and along its ears. Her bear of a father led the horse with loose reins in his hand. He was tall and broad, and he wore a cowboy hat as well.
At the altar, he helped Jess glide gracefully to the ground, and Slate saw more flowers and ribbons braided into the horse’s tail. He smiled, because that was an amazing way to get down the aisle.
Jess hugged her dad and kissed his cheek before stepping beside Dallas. Her father hugged them both again—one big squishy sandwich that had a few people laughing—and turned to lead the horse away.
“Please be seated,” the pastor said, smiling. He waited while all the scuffling and moving happened, and then he focused on Jess and Dallas. “Marriage is such a wonderful blessing,” he said. “To have found someone you can share your life with is indeed something to be grateful for. I encourage you to find the good in one another every day, because there will be trying times ahead.”
Slate seized onto those words, because they felt so true. There would be trying times ahead—for everyone. He wanted to have loved ones at his side to help him during those times. As the ceremony continued, he allowed himself to feel some of that happy buzz he and Jill had been talking about, but in the back of his mind he knew he needed to call his parents and make things right between them.
Dallas read his vows to Jess, which were sweet and loving. “I won’t be perfect,” he said. “I’m going to try my best every day. I think that’s all either of us can ask. I love you, and I’m grateful you love me too.”
Short, sweet, and totally Dallas.
“I love you too,” Jess said. “I appreciate that you appreciate who I am, and that you give me the rope I need to be who I am. I know we will build a beautiful life together.”
Even better, in Slate’s opinion. The pastor did the official business, finally concluding with, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Slate blinked as Dallas and Jess laughed and then kissed, and he cheered and clapped with everyone else at the wedding.
Dallas and Jess faced the crowd, both of them grinning for all they were worth. Slate’s emotions swelled, and he whistled through his teeth to try to release it. He identified it as so much joy, and he simply couldn’t contain it.
The cheering died down, and Nate turned to Slate. “Okay, lunch.”
Slate shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You have such a one-track mind.”
Nate smiled, and a moment later, he nodded behind Slate. He turned, thinking Luke had stepped out of the row to go find a table. Instead, he found Jill standing next to the chair on the end, her blue eyes sparkling.
“Want to sit by me, Slate?” she asked.
He wasn’t going to say no, so he nodded and moved out of the row to go with her. He didn’t want to say no, but he also wasn’t sure he was ready to say yes to a woman like Jill.
Probably shouldn’t have held her hand in the car then, he told himself.
