“Wye, come look at this,” Alice called. Wye’s heart swelled again, like it had a hundred times in the past few days. She was going to look at the design for her wedding dress.
And in three days’ time, she’d be married to Emerson.
Chapter 10
‡
“I need to drop off Elise a little early tomorrow, if you don’t mind,” Ward said when he came to pick up the baby.
Emerson transferred the little girl into his arms, disconnecting one of her hands, then the other, from his sweater, where she clutched it as if holding on for dear life. He’d been helping watch the little girl while Wye helped Cass wrangle some household chores that had gotten away from them while they were planning the wedding.
“Emememem,” Elise said, leaning toward him as Ward took her. It was her best version of Emerson’s name, and every time she said it, Emerson’s heart swelled a little. She liked him.
“Daddy’s here,” he told her. “Can you say, ‘Daddy’?”
“Dadada.” Elise jerked toward her father, nearly head-butting Ward.
“That’s right, Daddy’s here.” Ward brushed a kiss over her head. “Got all your stuff?” he asked her. He picked up her baby bag and showed it to her. Elise lunged as if to grab it, but Ward snuggled her in closer to his shoulder. “Be careful, little girl.”
“I think everything’s in there,” Emerson said. “Wye’s down in the basement with Cass sorting laundry. Want me to call her?”
Ward shook his head. “Just tell her about the early drop-off tomorrow?”
“You know she’s getting married in a few days, right?” Emerson couldn’t help asking. Sometimes Ward seemed not to notice anyone but himself.
“I know. I wouldn’t ask if there was any other way around it.” Ward opened the door and maneuvered through it. “See you in the morning.”
“See you.”
“I think we finished every last piece of laundry, and no one is allowed to make more until the wedding is over,” Cass declared, coming up from the basement lugging a brimming basket of clean laundry. She turned the corner and trudged up the stairs to the second floor.
“Did Ward come?” Wye asked, following her, lugging another basket.
Emerson passed on her brother’s message, took the basket from her arms and followed Cass upstairs, Wye trailing them.
“I hope he realizes I’m not babysitting on my wedding day,” Wye said.
“Or the day after, I hope,” Cass put in. “I still think it’s a shame you two aren’t taking a honeymoon.”
“We will in a few months,” Emerson assured her. “When the General is steadier on his feet. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” he added to Wyoming. “Let’s stop by the travel agency in town one of these days and pick up some brochures.”
“Sounds good.”
The following morning Emerson was just coming downstairs when Ward drove in, his headlights cutting through the darkness. Wye was up but still getting dressed, so he met Ward at the door to take Elise.
“I’ve got to run,” Ward said, giving his daughter one last snuggle and kiss. “You be good for Wye, you hear me? For Emerson, too.” He handed Elise over. “Just wanted to say thank you,” he added, not quite meeting Emerson’s gaze.
“For what?”
“For taking care of my sister. You will, right—when you’re married? You won’t go running off at the first sign of trouble?”
“Of course not.”
Ward looked him up and down. “You like kids, don’t you?” He nodded at Elise in Emerson’s arms.
“Yep. Plan to have some of my own if Wye wants to.”
“Good.” Still Ward didn’t go. He bent forward suddenly and kissed Elise’s head again. Pulled back. Hesitated. Checked the time. “Hell, I’ll be late.”
Emerson watched him hurry back to his truck and drive off before shutting the back door. “It’s just you and me, kid,” he told Elise. “You hungry? I sure am. But first we have to make coffee for the General. Want to learn how?”
It was a long day of preparations for the wedding, interrupted by a quick trip to town for some last-minute grocery shopping for Cass, who’d been baking and cooking since sunrise in preparation for the big day. Emerson and the other men got out from underfoot during the afternoon and accomplished some work down at the Park—but not nearly as much as he would have liked. Buck’s trailer was all set, and he’d manage to finish the one for Gary on time—just. But he’d barely started on the three other ones he’d promised would be done by midway through January. He’d have to double down after the wedding.
They came back at dinnertime to find Wye waiting for them on the back porch, Elise in her arms.
“What are you doing out here in the cold?” Emerson ushered them inside.
“Ward hasn’t shown up, and he’s not answering his phone. I called his work, and they said he took the day off. He didn’t say a word to me about it. Did he tell you?”
“No. He just dropped Elise off early, said he was going to be late and took off.”
“I’m really worried.”
“Should I drive you to town?”
“If you don’t mind. I was giving him another ten minutes to show up, but this isn’t like him. I mean, I know he’s been late before, but he’s always answered his phone.”
Emerson nodded, his stomach sinking as he thought about Ward’s goodbye to Elise this morning. He decided not to say anything about that yet. He didn’t want to alarm Wye before he needed to.
Neither of them spoke much on their drive to town. When they reached Ward’s house, Emerson stopped Wye from getting out. “Let me look first.”
The color drained from Wye’s face as she grasped his meaning. “You don’t think—”
“No, I don’t,” he said firmly. “Ward didn’t look like a man intent on taking his life when I saw him this morning. I’ll be back in a minute. Can I have your keys?” He meant what he said, but he wanted to make sure he
