Mia Ross - Circle of Family

Ridge Collins was walking trouble.

While Matt and Caty sealed their vows with a long kiss, everyone stood to applaud and cheer. Caty turned, and Marianne dutifully handed over her bouquet of pink-and-white roses.

“We’ve been friends forever, and now we’re sisters!” Caty exclaimed, embracing first Marianne and then Lisa. “How cool is that?”

“Very cool,” Lisa agreed as the two of them exchanged a very unladylike high five.

“Excuse me.” Matt stepped in and tapped his new bride on the shoulder.

When he motioned down the aisle, she laughed and took his arm to make their ceremonial first walk as man and wife. After they rounded the corner of the house, he swept her up in a hug, giving her a kiss that seemed to go on forever.

When she realized she was spying on them, Marianne turned away to give them some privacy.

And straight into the best man.

Ridge offered her his arm. Still agitated by her conflicting impressions of him, she quickly invented an excuse for not taking it. “The kids are saving you a seat, so go ahead and sit down. I’ll join you after I see if the caterers need anything.”

“Sure. Let me know if I can help.”

People were settling in for their meal, and she watched the new Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer make their way through the garden, stopping at each table to talk with their guests. Tears stung her eyes, and she took a deep breath to calm her churning emotions. She was happy for them. Thrilled, actually. She wouldn’t let her baffling reaction to the best man or memories of her own failed marriage ruin this day for two people she loved so much.

She’d had her chance, and it hadn’t worked out. That didn’t mean Matt and Caty were destined for heartache.

Please, God, she prayed silently. Bless them with a long, happy life together.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Matt and Caty said goodbye to their last wedding guest. Marianne expected them to be as exhausted as she was, but they seemed to have caught a second wind. After hugs and thank-you’s for everyone, they climbed into Matt’s enormous blue pickup. Streamers and cans flying along behind them, they drove around the circular drive, waving out the windows before heading toward the main road in a cloud of dust.

The silence they left behind was deafening.

The family just stood there, watching the truck go down the highway until it disappeared over a hill. For fifteen years, they’d waited and prayed for Matt to come back from wherever his wanderlust had taken him. Their father’s unexpected death had finally brought him home, and Caty’s love had kept him there.

But now he was gone. Oh, he’d still be in Harland, but he’d be living with Caty in their new house. The family would see him while he was working at the farm, maybe for a meal now and then. But his heart belonged to Caty, and he wanted to be with her—should be with her. The rest of them would have to adjust, but Marianne knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“They’ll be back,” she said out loud, as much to herself as to anyone else. “Two weeks isn’t that long.”

“It’s forever,” Emily moaned, her chin trembling while she stared down at her wilting bouquet.

Marianne swept her up for a comforting embrace. “They’ll be back before you know it. Everything will be just fine.”

“You’re set if I go, right?” Lisa asked. “I’m beat.”

“The servers are handling the cleanup,” Marianne replied, giving her a quick hug. “Thanks for all your help.”

“No problem. Ridge, it was nice to meet you.” Shaking his hand, she added her usual dazzling smile. “If you get hungry, I work at Ruthy’s Place on Main Street. We’ll fix you up with some honest-to-goodness home cooking.”

“Do I look like I need it?” he asked.

“Every man does,” she retorted.

“Ruthy, as in Ruth Benton, the amazing chef who catered the wedding?”

“The very same. You come in, I’ll set you up.” Flashing him another smile, she sauntered over to her car and gracefully slid into the driver’s seat.

After her sister’s flirtatious exit, Marianne snuck a look at Ridge, fully expecting to find him watching Lisa go. Pretty and carefree, Lisa was a starry-eyed dreamer who adored people, men especially. Males of all ages were drawn to her sunny personality. They just couldn’t help it.

Not this one, though. To Marianne’s amazement, he was engrossed in a discussion with Kyle about the faulty motor on his remote control helicopter. Something about servos was all she understood.

“I’m done, too,” John announced, stooping to kiss Marianne’s cheek. “You sure do throw a great wedding.”

As he strolled down the lane toward the converted carriage house he lived in, she shook her head. A ratty pair of sneakers had replaced his good shoes, and he’d shed his jacket and tie sometime during the day.

Because their mother had died when he was only five, Marianne had mothered him since childhood, and he still counted on her to look after him. Later, she’d find his missing clothes and get them cleaned, but this time she’d give him the bill. He was almost thirty, and it was time for him to start doing more on his own.

Right now, she had company. Still holding Emily, she turned to Ridge. “Come on inside. I’ll fix us a snack.”

“I had enough from that buffet to last me a week,” he replied, patting his stomach. “I’d love some more of that lemonade, though.”

They headed up the back porch steps with the kids, and he stepped in front of her to pull open the screen door. Thanking him, she set Emily down in the kitchen.

“Emily, where are your pretty new shoes?” she asked as Kyle snagged some chocolate chip cookies from the jar in the middle of the table. He thought he was being sneaky, but he’d been so good all day, she let it go.

Innocent blue eyes looked up at her. “In the pond.”

“Why?”

“They were hurting my feet.”

While she was counting to ten, Marianne noticed the red streak on her daughter’s dress. “What’s this?”

Emily glanced down like the spill was news to her. “Punch.”

She really didn’t have the energy for this, Marianne thought, swallowing a sigh that would only make matters worse. “Go take it off and bring it down for me. If we soak it, we might be able to get the stain out.”

The suggestion earned her a world-class pout, and Emily wrapped her arms protectively around herself. “No. I like my dress.”

“I do, too. I want to get it clean so you can wear it again.”

Now those sweet eyes glared up at her defiantly. “No.”

It had been a long day for all of them, and Marianne had finally reached the end of her patience. “Emily Rose—”

“Hey, Emmy,” Kyle interrupted, “I’m goin’ swimming. Wanna come?”

How he’d inhaled those cookies so fast was beyond Marianne. But his idea made Emily forget the argument, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Let’s go put our suits on,” he said. “I’ll race you!”

Squealing, she took off with him trailing close behind her. Typical Kyle, he let her win the race upstairs. Two bedroom doors slammed shut, and a couple minutes later Marianne heard the front screen door squeak open. She looked out the window to see Emily tearing across the lawn toward the pond. Another set of footsteps pounded down the stairs, and Kyle reappeared in the kitchen, grinning as he handed over the stained dress.

“Here you go, Mom. Good luck.”

“Wait for me before you hit the water!”

He waved without turning around, and she felt silly for saying it. As responsible as most adults, Kyle knew the rules, and he followed them to the letter. Her little man, Marianne thought proudly. Every day she thanked God for sending him to her.