The Lawman's Rebel Bride

Matilda had been her grandmother’s hairdresser since the beginning of time. She’d been the master of the updo, but had died three years earlier.

“That’s all right, I can manage.” Despite her nerves about facing Harlan again wearing the same dress, with the same hairstyle, holding the same rings and set to recite the same vows, she enjoyed these quiet moments with her grandmother. She didn’t know how many more they had left. As painful as reliving the past was, she wouldn’t trade it in for anything in the world. She’d always thought it was impossible to turn back the hands of time, but that wasn’t entirely true. Now if she could only figure out how to stop time, she’d be set.

Samantha had become an impromptu wedding planner, buzzing around the nursing home and getting all the ambulatory residents ready to attend the ceremony. She even found time to put together a lovely bridal bouquet of fresh cut flowers from the garden. A few times, Belle had to remind herself that none of it was real.

Samantha popped her head in the door. “Are you ready? Your groom is waiting.”

This was the day she wished Harlan hadn’t shown up.

“I’m ready,” she lied. No amount of primping would make her ready either. At least she looked the part. A nurse’s aide came in and helped Trudy into a wheelchair. The walk down the corridor to the garden seemed a mile long. Her stomach twisted as Myra opened the door. And that’s when she saw them.

“Who invited all those people?” She glared at Myra.

“We thought you did,” Myra whispered as the aide and Trudy passed them. “We’ll be right there,” she said to Trudy.

“I did no such thing.” Belle’s pulse quickened. “We wanted to keep this quiet.” But they knew. They all knew. Probably thanks to the county clerk, Harlan’s boss, most of the nurses and the residents at the facility. When you get married in a small town, everybody knows. “Close the door.” Belle collapsed against the corridor wall, gasping for air. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can.” Myra removed a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed Belle’s forehead. “Far be it from me to pry, but I think I’ve known you long enough to understand why you’re marrying the man you should have castrated years ago. You and Harlan both got caught up in the charade for Trudy’s sake. Despite the insanity of it, I admire the sacrifice you’re making for her.”

“Now we’re deceiving everyone.” Belle paced the small area. “This should have been a personal moment meant for my grandmother. One we’d quietly undo later. Do you realize how many people will be furious with us when we have this annulled? There better not be presents out there.”

Myra pocketed her handkerchief. “You can return them.” She opened the door again and smiled. “Now hide your crazy and get out there before Trudy wonders where you are.”

Belle blew out a breath along with a handful of expletives before squaring her shoulders. “Fine.”

The second her foot touched the garden’s stone pathway, a lone violin played Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” “What the—” Everyone turned to face her. There weren’t any chairs, so she had to walk through a throng of people before she reached Harlan, who appeared more dashing in a tuxedo this time around. Thank God she’d worn her gown. She would have looked out of place standing before him in her discount sundress.

She stood under the rose-covered arbor in front of many of their friends and neighbors. The same ones she stood in front of once before. Harlan reached for both of her hands and squeezed them tight. Fear reflected in his eyes. She’d seen that same fear eight years ago to the day. And this time she had it, too. She couldn’t tell if she was close to passing out or throwing up. Either way, she wasn’t sure she’d remain on her feet much longer.

“Are you okay?” Harlan asked.

“No, but let’s get this over with,” she whispered. Reverend Grady frowned at her comment, but she felt too ill to concern herself with his feelings.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”

Holy matrimony. Holy. Matrimony. The words sounded foreign and terrifying at the same time. She braved a glance at the crowd and immediately wished she hadn’t. Her grandmother looked beautiful in her purple dress. It was the same dress she’d worn to her wedding the first time. One of the nurses had taken great care in altering it to accommodate Trudy’s dramatic weight loss.

“I do,” Harlan said.

What?

“And do you, Belle Elizabeth Barnes, take this man to be your lawful husband...” Anything the reverend said after that sounded like the teacher’s voice on the Peanuts cartoon. Harlan gave her hand a gentle squeeze at her cue.

“I do.”

“May I please have the rings?” Reverend Grady asked.

Harlan’s eyes widened as he mouthed I forgot rings. Belle shook her head subtly to reassure him she hadn’t. Only because her grandmother wouldn’t let her forget.

Trudy handed the rings to the reverend and he blessed them.

“Harlan, please slide this ring on Belle’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”

Harlan’s intense gaze met hers as the cold, hard band slid onto her finger. “With this ring, I pledge my commitment.” And she knew deep in her heart he meant those words. Eight years after the fact, but she truly believed he would commit to this marriage as long as her grandmother recognized it.

“Belle, please place this ring on Harlan’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”

Belle opened her mouth to speak, but her words were silent. She inhaled deeply and tried again. Her fingers trembled as she slid on the gold band. “With this ring, I pledge my commitment.”

“By the authority vested in me by the State of Montana, witnessed by your friends and family, I have the pleasure of pronouncing you husband and wife. Harlan, you may kiss your bride.”

Kiss? What kiss?

Before she had a chance to even process what was happening, Harlan drew her to him and claimed her mouth. Her breath escaped her lungs as the raw power behind the traditional gesture overtook her. And in an instant, the past eight years never happened. The last time he had kissed her like that was the night before their wedding. The man could kiss. She’d forgotten how much she missed the touch of his lips against hers. She wound her arms around his neck in response, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to ever let go. The thunderous applause surrounding them jarred her back to the present. She broke their kiss as abruptly as he began it.

What had they done?

* * *

HARLAN HADN’T MEANT to kiss Belle. Well, he had—just not as intensely. He hated the cliché caught up in the moment excuse. He’d heard it numerous times on the job and it only made him slap the cuffs on faster. But damned if he didn’t understand the expression today.

“Toast, toast, toast,” their wedding guests chanted. Where did they come from? And the champagne and wedding cake. He hadn’t even planned on wearing a tuxedo until Samantha told him Belle looked beautiful in her wedding gown. He’d made a mad dash for the tuxedo rental place and prayed they’d have one. The fit wasn’t perfect, but he was presentable.

“Belle and Harlan.” His uncle Jax raised a glass in the air. “It’s anyone’s guess when you two got back together, but I’m glad you did. Here’s to a lifetime of health and happiness.”

Harlan clinked his glass against Belle’s. He wasn’t sure if she was in a state of shock, overheating in her dress or was about to toss her cookies on his shoes. Regardless, the deer-in-the-headlights look didn’t suit her.

Belle had looked stunning as she walked down the makeshift aisle. Never in a million years did he imagine she would still have the dress and the rings. She was even more beautiful than she had been during their first wedding. They both had matured since then. If they had waited to get married instead of allowing their teenage hormones to make all their decisions, they probably would have had a chance at something real and lasting.

“What did that man mean when he said he didn’t know when you two got back together?” Trudy asked.

Harlan squatted beside her wheelchair. “That’s my uncle Jax. He has a lot going on at his guest ranch, so I guess he got a little confused.”

“I never liked that man. Where is Ryder? Isn’t he supposed to be your best man? And where are your parents?”

Trudy’s questions caught Belle’s attention. She set her untouched glass of champagne on the table behind them.

“Grammy, why don’t we go inside?” Belle turned Trudy’s wheelchair toward the door. “It’s too hot out here for you in the sun.”

“All right, Bubbe. I’m a little tired.”

“I’ll take her in,” a nurse’s aide said. “Enjoy your wedding and congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Belle faced Harlan. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t remember.”

Harlan shrugged. “It’s okay.” He made a mental note to drive out to see Ryder at the state penitentiary in Deer Lodge soon. It had been a few months, but the three-and-a-half-hour drive wasn’t exactly next door. He missed his brother every day. They’d been best friends until the night Ryder killed their father. The decimation of his family had been instant. His mother had moved to California shortly afterward and he and his four brothers rarely spoke anymore except for him and Dylan. He missed the family they once were. “I understand. Did you expect this many people?”

“Absolutely not.” Belle scanned the crowd. “And I can’t wait to hear the gossip once we have this annulled. I’ll be pitied. You’ll be vilified. They’ll wonder what’s so wrong with me that you ditched me twice. It will be a regular Saddle Ridge free-for-all. Happy days ahead.” She frowned. “They still whisper about our last wedding debacle. This was the last thing I wanted.”