hill’s angle and the height of the grapevines combined so we didn’t see him until the last possible minute.” Drew pulled out onto the road and headed south. “There’s no way we can have enough people to keep that venue safe, not to mention the photography session at the historic grotto and then around the tip of the lake to the reception site at the inn. There just aren’t numbers enough to make that feasible when you’re talking political dignitaries, country music stars and a European royal family, half of whom come equipped with their own security teams that will, most likely, get in our way.”
“Excuse me for asking,” Kimberly began, and when Drew’s frown said she probably shouldn’t ask, she did anyway. “But wouldn’t this wedding be easier to pull off after the elections?”
“It would have been easier a year ago when Rick was just testing the waters of candidacy,” he replied as he turned south. “But now that he looks like the probable winner, there is no good time for eight years, assuming reelection. Which means we make do with the best we can do here, now. Why didn’t they pick one of those gracious old churches in town? Don’t people get married in sweet, historic churches anymore?”
Kimberly tapped her mother’s notebook. “Shelby made the very good point that by doing it in town, the regular fall traffic, paparazzi and fans would clog the roads, and they’d never get to the photo ops or the reception site, which is true. A bottleneck around The Square is a logistical nightmare during festivals. They’d have to block off roads, and that would cut into sales revenue for local small businesses. It was really nice of her to see it that way.” Their quaint, historic shopping area drew three-season tourist traffic, but major events challenged mobility, and that wasn’t something to be shrugged off for a wedding like Shelby’s.
“There aren’t any festivals the weekend they picked, are there?”
“No, but leaf peepers will be out in full force.”
“Good point.” He sighed and started to turn toward the gracious nineteenth-century gardens Kate had booked for a post-ceremony photo session, but he paused when Kimberly put her hand on his arm. “Turn right instead.”
“Because?”
“I just thought of something. If it works, we might be able to give Shelby the wedding she wants and deserves and you some peace of mind.”
* * *
Peace of mind?
With her hand on his arm, and the luminescent pearl polish glinting softly in the sun?
The scent of tropical fruit and flowers surprised him. At the office, he’d breathed in sugar and spice, but that must have been her mother’s lingering preference.
Her proximity and the hand on his arm as he swung the wheel wafted the scent of tropical fruit salad with a hint of floral, just enough to say “feminine and proud of it” and fun enough to say she liked summer.
So did he.
“Turn left at the top of this hill.”
He did what she asked, then nodded, remembering. “The Abbey.”
“Gorgeous, right?”
“Magnificent building.” Daryl peered out and whistled lightly. “Not much easy ingress or egress, plenty of parking, clear view on three sides. This is a wedding venue? How was it overlooked before?”
Kimberly climbed out and opened the back door for Amy. “Weddings, yes, on a limited basis, but no receptions. The friars sold the main building years ago, with certain stipulations to avoid commercialization. It’s run by an area mission church, and they’re fairly strict about usage in accordance with the friars’ wishes, but renting the building for weddings and retreats and conferences allows them money to fund their work.”
“So you’re thinking we could do the ceremony here...”
“Let’s check availability,” Kimberly advised. “Uncle Steve is the church pastor. His daughter Tara oversees the calendar. Hopefully she’s home.”
“I remember Tara. She was like...twelve.”
“Time marches on,” Kimberly noted softly.
“Someone lives here?” Amy’s eyes went wide as she eyed the broad, beautiful stone building with the impressive domed middle. “This would be like living in a castle.”
“Which would be perfect because then I could put you in the dungeon,” Drew agreed. “That way I’d know where you were, 24/7.”
She laughed and clasped his hand as she exchanged a grin with Kimberly, and that brief moment made the sun seem brighter and the breeze sweeter.
“That view is amazing.” Daryl waved east as he released Rocky from the back of the SUV. The terraced hillside gave way to the long, slim shoreline of Canandaigua Lake.
“Fabulous, right?” Kimberly smiled at Daryl’s surprise, and when he looked over his shoulder at Drew and gave him a thumbs-up, she hoped the date was available. She climbed the steps and rang the bell outside the office door.
Almost instantly the window above them was pushed open. “Kimberly!”
“Tara, hey.” She took a step back and looked up, but she was closer to the step’s edge than she thought. When her three-inch heel missed concrete, she expected to crash to the pavement.
Two hands caught her waist, steadying her. And then for the sweetest of moments, they didn’t let go. “You okay?”
That voice. Deep. Low. Caring. Always looking out for others. The combination of his grip, the tone and the whisper of his breath against her neck took her back to a time when life and love seemed simple. How much had changed since then.
“Yes. Thank you.” She turned and looked straight into concerned, desert camo eyes, flecks of green, gold and brown vying for attention. Warrior eyes. “I’m glad you were there.”
“Me, too.”
Her heart did a physiologically impossible dance in her chest. She chalked it up to an adrenaline rush from the near fall and looked at him again.
“Don’t fall!” Tara’s face mixed joy and concern over Kimberly’s lack of grace. “I’m coming right down. Kimberly, it’s been forever!”
“Friendly little thing.” Drew kept his tone low. “A bit out of step with the dignity of the surroundings, isn’t she?”
“Whereas I would say she was happy to see her cousin after several years away and leave it at that.”
Tara didn’t come to the side door and open it for them. She stepped through the main doors leading into the friary, waited while they came across the tapered steps, then grabbed Kimberly in a hug. “Oh, I miss you! You look marvelous, and I was totally hoping you were planning to have the wedding in Grace Haven and would pick the Abbey. Kimberly, it will be beautiful!”
Drew paused inside the door. So did Daryl. They exchanged looks; then Drew turned, one brow hiked. “You’re getting married?”
Right about then having the floor open up and swallow her whole would have
