Char grins over at me. “I can’t believe you’re gettin’ hitched at the rodeo. Then again, I kind of can.”
“Please tell me you’re goin’ to do a Cora and wear cowboy boots with your dress too,” Dee asks.
A slow-growing smile curves my lips as warmth fills me up. "Oh yeah. Anythin' else would be a crime."
We move inside the camper Red and I have been calling home, Star going ahead of us so she can hang up the garment bags with Dee’s help.
Once I’m inside, she holds out one of them for me. “When Red messaged us yesterday callin’ for all hands on deck, I justknewthis was the dress for you.”
With a lump growing in my throat and shaking fingers, I unzip the cover to reveal a stunning lace and satin dress with delicate beadwork shimmering in the soft light. Simple yet elegant.
Tears well up in my eyes as I run my fingers over the intricate details, feeling the weight of the moment settle on my shoulders. This may not be my first wedding, but it is the only one that matters. Suddenly it’s hitting me that very soon, I’ll be walking down the aisle to my best friend to say I do.
“Oh, Star,” I whisper, my voice barely above a breath. “It’s perfect.”
Star beams, her eyes glistening. “He’s goin’ to be speechless, Mags. Red won’t know what hit him when he sees you in this.”
“That’s the plan, Right?” I whisper.
After that, the camper becomes a hive of activity, all of us taking turns to clean ourselves up and get our makeup done by Cora and Lee while sipping wine they brought with them.
When it’s my turn to undress, Charlie and Star gather around me, helping me slip into the gown carefully. Star helps slide my cowboy boots onto my feet while Cora secures the veil from her own wedding in my hair.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Mags,” Lee says, her voice thick with emotion.
“It’s all the dress,” I say, unable to stop smoothing my hands over the material.
"Nuh-uh. That's all you," Star says, shaking her head. "Simple but elegant. And the boots are chef’s kiss.”
All the women nod and make sounds of agreement.
“If my veil is something borrowed, what else do we need?” Cora states.
“Your ring is somethin’ new,” Star adds.
Char giggles. “Somethin’ old could be Red.”
"Hey!" I gasp. "Respect your elders. Red's a few months younger than me, remember?"
That gets them all laughing. “OK, so that just leaves somethin’ blue, right?” Dee says, rubbing her chin.
A wicked smile curves my lips, catching everyone’s attention. “What? You look like a cat that got the cream,” Lee says, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Well… nobody said the blue must bevisible.Let’s just say that I’ve got the bluecovered—so to speak,” I reply, a mischievous glint in my eye as I waggle my brows.
“OK, then. What’s left to do?” Cora asks, taking control of the situation like she’s so good at.
“Flowers?” Dee suggests.
“Ooh,” Star says excitedly. “Landry has those in the truck. We picked them up from this crazy one-stop-shop place in Rainbow Springs. The owner looked just like a gn?—”
"Gnome," I say at the same time as her.
Star’s eyes jump wide. “You met him too?”
"Met him, gave him random business advice, bought a gnome with a cowboy hat and chaps, then went and hung it on the gnome fence yesterday. We called him Jim-Bob.”
“We did thattoo!” Lee says, looking at Dee. “George was so lovely, and he seemed to havesomuch on his plate, we justhadto take a gnome or three off his hands.”
