“You’ve got me,” Emma told her, excitement thrumming through her. It was madness to make this kind of deal with a total stranger, but it felt right, and Emma had few other options at this point. “We’ll figure it out. At least give it a try. Come to the house tomorrow and we’ll talk about a plan. Everything is more manageable with the right plan.”
Holly traced a finger around the rim of her shot glass. “I showed up here tonight because I thought everything was more manageable with alcohol.”
Emma laughed and then caught Al’s attention, lifting her empty shot glass with one hand and two fingers on the other. “Then let’s drink to our new partnership. The one that’s going to save us both.”
Copyright © 2021 by Michelle Major
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Baby That Binds Them by Stella Bagwell.
The Baby That Binds Them
by Stella Bagwell
Chapter One
Prudence Keyes hated weddings. Especially the romantic kind such as the one she was currently attending. Love was radiating from the faces of the bride and groom, while many of the female guests seated throughout the church were shedding sentimental tears.
Prudence had tried to squeeze a few drops of moisture from her eyes, just for appearance’s sake, but they’d stubbornly refused to surface. Which was hardly surprising, considering that she’d rather be in a dentist chair, suffering through a root canal procedure. Anything would be better than sitting here on this wooden pew with rows of candles flickering around the room, the sweet scent of peonies and roses filling the air, and the notes of a love song drifting from a piano.
Everything about the ceremony was a beautiful example of true, lasting love. Which made it an especially awful reminder of everything that Prudence lost so many years ago.
Oh, God, if only she could come up with some feasible excuse to avoid the reception, she silently bemoaned. But so far, she couldn’t think up one good reason to miss what would probably be one of the largest and most elaborate parties to ever be thrown in Yavapai County. At least, not an excuse that her friend and personal secretary, Katherine Hollister, would accept.
The wedding of Maureen Hollister and Gil Hollister, brother to late Joel Hollister, had been months in the making. Family and friends were ecstatic that the widowed matriarch of the family and the man she loved were finally getting married. Everyone wanted to celebrate their happiness. If Prudence didn’t join in, she was going to look like an ass. Along with hurting Katherine’s feelings and those of the whole Hollister family.
The piano suddenly stopped and the officiating pastor opened his Bible in preparation to speak. Behind her, she could hear a few women sniffing, while on down the pew from her a man quietly cleared his throat. Prudence shifted her position on the bench and for no explainable reason, other than to relieve the stiffness in her neck, turned her head slightly and looked across the aisle to where more wedding guests were seated a few rows in front of her.
At that very moment, a man glanced over his shoulder and straight at Prudence. For a fraction of a second, a pair of dark hooded eyes met hers, and then his head turned forward and the contact was broken.
Her curiosity momentarily snared, she allowed her gaze to wander over the dark brown fabric stretched across the backs of his broad shoulders and the unruly waves of crisp black hair edging over the collar of his white shirt.
Who was he? A friend or distant relative of the Hollisters?
The minister suddenly instructed the wedding guests to bow their heads in prayer, and as Prudence complied, she pushed the questions from her mind.
Luke Crawford had attended a few big parties in his time, but none of them could compare to this massive shindig. Even knowing the enormity of Three Rivers Ranch and the magnitude of the Hollisters’ wealth hadn’t prepared him for a wedding reception of this magnitude. Luckily, the dry Arizona climate and the waning sunlight made the outdoor weather perfect for the hundreds of people scattered from the yard at the back of the ranch house all the way to where a fence blocked off access to the working ranch yard.
Driving over to the Fandango and sharing a beer with the ranch hands was the sort of socializing Luke was accustomed to. Not mixing and mingling with wealthy men in tailored suits and women wearing designer dresses and diamonds big enough to blind a guy. But with the Hollister family being his new employer, he felt more than obliged to be standing here among the wedding guests, pretending to enjoy himself.
To Luke’s far right, beneath a cluster of cottonwood trees, dozens of long tables were loaded with an endless assortment of hors d’oeuvres and finger foods, while nearby, three portable bars were serving a variety of drinks, including French champagne. About fifty feet behind Luke, a live band played from a small stage, while couples packed an enormous portable dance floor.
So far, the music had been lively, ranging from country tunes to jazz to romantic standards. But Luke doubted the crowd was paying much attention to the wide variety or the excellence of the band. Ever since the reception had begun, the champagne bottles were being emptied almost as fast as they could be opened. And Luke was close to draining the last of his second round of the bubbly spirit.
Turning slightly, he peered longingly at the distant ranch yard where the horse barn sat directly behind the cattle barn and Blake’s office building.
Too bad foaling season had come and gone. A mare nearing delivery would have given Luke a good reason to be at the barn instead of this wedding reception. What was all the celebrating about, anyway? Hell, he didn’t even believe in marriage. At least, not for himself. He’d seen his father go through too much misery to want the same.
Grimacing
