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She didn’t blame him, but that had made her time crunch a little more serious than it had been.
She flew home Sunday and arranged for all of her things to be either shipped to Colorado or donated to charity. Back at the ranch on Monday, she knew she needed to start things how she meant to go on.
And that meant going through more and more of the things in the house and deciding what was staying, what was being sold, and what was being donated.
*****
Alexis’s mother flew out a week before the wedding, and she helped her find a dress and work out a few details. She’d decided to be married in the church her father had been a member of, and it felt good to do so.
As her mother walked through the house, she’d been surprised at how little had changed. “The major difference is all the pictures of you,” she said, shaking her head. “He was a man who didn’t like change much.”
The day before the wedding her entire family joined them at the ranch, planning to fly out after the wedding, so she would have a house full of people one day and they’d be gone the next. That felt quite odd to her.
She and her sister sat with their mother at the back of the church on her wedding day. They’d found a beautiful wedding gown, and her mother had been able to fit it to her in no time. “I’m so happy for clearance,” Alexis said.
“Are you nervous?” Brittany asked. “I mean, you’re marrying someone you’ve never met and know nothing about.”
“I know he’s a cowboy,” Alexis said. “That’s my only requirement at the moment. A cowboy who can run the ranch.”
“Just think, two weeks ago, you were on the phones all night, wearing an ugly thing on your head. Now, you own and operate your own multi-million dollar ranch. It doesn’t seem possible.”
“I agree!” Alexis said. “I guess when you find your birth father, your life will change too.”
Brittany laughed, but Mom gave them both a disgusted look. “No more jokes about fathers coming out of nowhere. You two have a ridiculous sense of humor.”
Alexis and Brittany looked at one another and giggled again. “Sorry, Mom,” Alexis said.
Dr. Lachele came into the room then. “There’s my favorite bride,” she said, grinning at Alexis.
“Hi, Dr. Lachele. Is my hero wearing his cowboy hat?”
“Your hero?” Dr. Lachele asked.
“I’m living a romance novel about my own life, so whomever I marry will be my hero.”
“I approve,” Dr. Lachele said. “Do you need anything?”
Alexis shook her head. “Not at all. If he passed your tests, then I know he’s not a deranged psycho-killer there to murder me in my sleep.”
Her mother glared. “Alexis Thomasina! You need to calm down a bit.”
“I can’t! I drank way too much coffee this morning because I didn’t sleep last night. I think I’m going to crash hard later.”
Dr. Lachele shook her head. “She’s doing just fine, Mrs. Paxton.”
“You only say that because you didn’t raise her, and you don’t know that she is perfectly capable of acting like an adult.”
“Well, I think she’s absolutely perfect, and I know of a cowboy who will share that opinion.” Dr. Lachele glanced at her watch. “It’s time. I feel like I should clap my hands and say, ‘Places everyone!’”
“Do it!” Alexis told her. “It would make me so happy!”
Mom once again frowned at Alexis, but Alexis wasn’t terribly bothered. Brittany thought she was funny.
Soon, Alexis was at the back of the church with her hand on her father’s arm, ready to walk down the aisle. “Do we have a code if he isn’t worth marrying?”
Alexis giggled but shook her head. “No jokes around Mom today. Brittany and I wore her out.”
He laughed. “I will endeavor to do my best.”
