Lone Star Twins. Cathy Thacker Gillen

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      Oblivious to the direction of his daughter’s privately lustful thoughts, Jackson asked, “What about the best man?”

      “I’ll arrange for that, as well as the groom, sir,” Trace promised with his usual calm command. “It will all be military. If that matters in terms of color scheme or anything.”

      Poppy rubbed her forehead, already exhausted just thinking about this. “It’s too much trouble,” she declared, doing her best to take charge of her very overbearing family. She turned away from Trace and made eye contact with everyone else there in person and on the additional laptop screens. “Especially given the fact that Thanksgiving is just a few days away and for the adoption to proceed as planned, Trace and I need to get married in the next week.” Couldn’t anyone see a big McCabe shindig was impossible?

      Again, she looked to Trace for help.

      Instead he said, “I’m fine with whatever Poppy wants.”

      “Well, what Poppy wants—what she deserves—is a wedding every bit as wonderful and meaningful as we all had!” Callie insisted. “I mean, it’s not as if this is ever going to happen again for either of you, is it?”

      Poppy and Trace exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads. Not in this lifetime... This one marriage that wasn’t really a marriage was it. At least they were both on the same page about that.

      “Well, then, there you go,” Callie’s twin, Maggie, an event planner, said. “Poppy’s wedding to Trace needs to be every bit as special for her, as all of ours were for us. Luckily, I can pull a ceremony and reception together for you and Trace, even on very short notice.”

      Poppy had been afraid of that. When her five sisters put their minds to something, there was nothing they could not achieve. Especially in the romance milieu.

      “I’ll handle the wedding announcement and invitations,” veteran publicist Callie volunteered.

      Lily smiled and squeezed her husband’s hand. “Gannon and I will take care of everything on the legal end that needs to be done here through our firm.”

      Rose leaned against her rancher hubby, Clint. “I’ll donate all the food for the reception from my wholesale business.”

      Physician Violet looked at her doctor-husband, Gavin. “We’ll hire the caterers to cook and serve it.”

      “We’ll provide everything else,” her mother said. “Down to the flowers, venue and dress!”

      “And anything else you might want or need,” her dad finished quietly.

      Aware she actually felt a little dizzy, Poppy had to sit. She rubbed at an imaginary spot on the knee of her jeans, wondering how her life had gotten so far out of her control so fast. Especially when she had worked so hard not to let events overtake her, not ever again.

      Inhaling slowly, she lifted her chin. “I know you all want to give me a beautiful wedding, and I truly appreciate it, but don’t you think that’s all a little over the top since the groom in question won’t actually be here? Except to watch via Skype—”

      Trace, who never made a promise he couldn’t keep, cut in. “I may not actually even be able to do that.”

      Her father frowned, knowing, as did the rest of them, that military orders could change on a moment’s notice.

      Lacey moved to stand beside her husband. Her arm curved over Jackson’s bicep as she studied Trace’s image on the screen. “What about your family?”

      This time Trace did grimace, Poppy noted, glad to see she wasn’t the only one who felt events had spiraled completely out of control.

      He squinted. “I haven’t told them yet but I imagine my parents will both want to come.” He paused, reluctantly adding, “My mom and dad will likely want to be seated well apart from each other, though.”

      Poppy groaned inwardly. It didn’t matter what the situation, Trace’s parents never got along. Never had. Probably never would.

      Jackson seemed to read her mind and again deftly nixed his daughter’s effort to call off this calamity before it happened. “It’s important you both have family there, so whatever we need to do to ensure your folks are comfortable, Trace, will be done.”

      “After all,” Poppy’s mother added, “the two of you are making a lifelong commitment, not just to each other but to the twins you’re planning to adopt. So it’s important you do this right. Or as right as can be, under the circumstances.”

      More excited chatter followed.

      Not sure whether she was going to suffocate or to scream in frustration, Poppy picked up her laptop and headed upstairs. “I need a moment alone with Trace before he signs off.” She ducked into the bedroom she’d had as a teen and shut the door behind her. “Still there?”

      “Oh, yeah.” This time he didn’t bother to hide his exasperation.

      “We should call this ridiculous wedding off now,” Poppy declared, “before it goes any further. And just find a way to elope by proxy instead!”

      Looking ruggedly fit in his desert fatigues, Trace folded his arms across his brawny chest. “You really think that will work—with your family?”

      He had a point. “You’re right. It’s probably best to know what they’re planning rather than be surprised at the courthouse.”

      Trace gave the look that usually preceded him taking her into his arms and holding her until all her troubles eased. “Exactly.”

      She rubbed her temple. “Besides, given how complicated this marriage by proxy is, it’s probably best we have all the help we can muster.” She studied the taut planes of his handsome face. “Have you talked to your commanding officer?”

      “The paperwork from our end is under way.”

      Another silence fell; this one only slightly less tense. He studied her, too, his expression gentling. “You going to be okay?” he asked in that tender-tough tone she loved.

      Poppy thought about the family she had always wanted, the twins just waiting to be born and about to come home to her. “I don’t have any choice,” she told Trace. “I have to be.”

      So she would be. It was as simple—and complicated—as that.

       Chapter Two

      “I can’t tell.” Violet peered at her older sister closely, four days later, as the two of them stood in Poppy’s old bedroom at her parents’ home. “Are you about to cry—or burst into the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’?”

      Poppy grinned at the reference to her favorite Christmas music compilation playing in the background. “How about a little of both?” she quipped as she stepped into the wedding gown her sister held out. The truth was she was incredibly happy about fulfilling her long-held dream of having babies of her own in just a few short weeks. But not so thrilled about being СКАЧАТЬ