‘Benji …’
‘You know he would.’
‘We have no way of knowing—’
‘Don’t make me call bullshit.’
‘Guys,’ Lucas interrupted, ‘to be entirely honest, at this point we either risk it or we make her walk.’
Sierra’s heart thundered in her chest. She could feel it there, threatening to explode.
Benji didn’t move. He didn’t speak. Only waited patiently.
‘I don’t see what choice we have,’ she began, running one hand anxiously through her hair. ‘You’d keel over if you knew how much they’re paying to have their wedding here.’
‘If you’re not ready, Si, just say no,’ Benji insisted. His eyes, so familiar, were hot on her face.
‘The wedding has to be perfect,’ she argued. ‘It’s our reputation. It’s our business.’
‘It’s one bride who put herself in a bad situation,’ he corrected. ‘We –you– did everything right.’
Before they got into a full-blown argument, before she could change her mind, she said, ‘Weneedthis wedding. Fetch Ty. Put his Western saddle on; it’ll be easier for her to sit in. We don’t have time to come up with anything else. I’ll give Charlotte a basic ‘hold on and smile’ tutorial. You can work with him. I’ll be nearby in case I need to help.’
Benji nodded once and then turned and led Midnight back in the direction of the barn.
Sierra plastered a smile on her face and approached the anxious bride, who looked adequately embarrassed. ‘Okay, we think we have a solution,’ she began as she drew nearer to the wedding party.
Charlotte looked up hopefully.
‘My horse, Ty, is really well trained.’ Although she didn’t say it, she’d once planned to put her own daughter on Ty for her first ride. ‘My head wrangler is going to stand out of the way and bring him forward, down the aisle. All you need to do is hold on to the reins and look beautiful, maybe give him a small nudge in the right direction if he gets distracted. The guests will know you had a little help, but the photos will look like you rode in.’ When Charlotte nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed in consideration, Sierra put her foot down. ‘I’m sorry, Charlotte, but that’s as far as I can compromise unless you’re willing to have someone lead you or put a riding hat over your hair and get on Midnight.’
The bride patted her hair nervously. ‘Is your horse black?’
‘No, he’s a grey – a white grey.’
‘Is he white or grey?’ she asked, clearly confused.
‘Grey is the technical term for the colour of horses with dark skin under a white coat,’ she explained patiently. ‘But Ty is completely white in colour.’ Because she could feel her own temper rising, she forced another smile, linked her hands. ‘He’ll look gorgeous with your white dress. And your bridesmaids will contrast beautifully.’
Sierra sent the maid of honour a desperate glance. In her dealings with the wedding party over the past months, she had come to learn that the mother of the bride and the bride were as high maintenance as they came. But the bride’s little sister, Lucy, was surprisingly rational and, more importantly, could cleverly sway her mother and her sister with only a few words.
‘Oh, I didn’t know you had a white horse!’ Lucy exclaimed immediately. She stepped forward, her short cap of black hair gleaming in the morning light. She took her sister’s hands much in the same way Sierra had when she’d first arrived. ‘Think how beautiful you’ll look, completely contrasted with the rest of us, Char!’
Taking their cue, Charlotte’s bridesmaids gushed.
Charlotte took a deep breath. ‘Okay,’ she finally agreed. ‘It’s better than nothing, I suppose.’ Sierra clenched her jaw shut at that. ‘Tell me what to do.’
‘Lucas will get you in the saddle, he’ll arrange your dress, and then we’ll show you how to hold the reins and turn Ty if you need to. Benji—’
‘Is he the hottie who was holding Midnight?’ Lucy chimed in.
‘Yes.’ There was interest in the other woman’s eyes, and when a lash of possessiveness tore through Sierra, she did her best to ignore it. ‘He’ll be standing a little off to the side. We fully anticipate that Ty will listen to him and move forward, but if he doesn’t, all you have to do is keep the horse’s head pointed in the direction you want to go, which is …’
‘To the altar!’ Lucy exclaimed with a fist pump.
‘To the altar,’ Sierra affirmed. ‘If anything goes wrong, Benji will be there to step in and bring you the rest of the way.’
‘Oh, look! How pretty, Char!’
