“What if you had a dress right now?” heasked.
“Where on earth are you going to get a dress this time ofnight?”
“I have an idea. Come on,honey.”
As she followed him down the porch steps and through the snow to his house, she half-wondered if he was serious. If he magically pulled a wedding dress out of thin air, could she actually go through with the shotgun wedding idea? The whole notion was so funny that she brushed it off. Maybe he was just trying to sneak away to get her into his bed.Thatwas an idea she could getbehind.
Inside his house, they walked up the steps to the second floor, then up another set of steps into theattic.
“I know it’s here somewhere,” Logan said as he opened a trunk filled with vacuum-sealedbags.
“Whatis?”
“Just give me one more minute. Ah, here it is.” He pulled a bag filled with cream-coloredmaterialout.
After unzipping the bag, he pulled out a hanger which held the most exquisite lace wedding dress she’d ever seen. She placed her hand over her heart to keep it from jumping out of her chest. He wasn’t kidding. He wanted to marry her right now.Tonight!
“It’s beautiful,”shesaid.
“It was mymother’s.”
“I doubt itwillfit.”
A ruckus on the stairs caught her attention. Madison scurried up the steps. When she reached the top, her eyes widened. “We thought you were kidding. They sent me to tell you to come back for the contest. But you have adress.”
“Only if Kate wants to get married tonight. I don’t want her to feel pressured,”Logansaid.
“I want to marry you. But it’s so sudden,”Katesaid.
“I think it’s romantic. Like you can’t wait to get married so you do it as soon as possible. After looking into how much money it takes to cater a wedding, I’m half-ready to elope,” Madison said withagrin.
“Can you give us a second?” Loganasked.
Kate didn’t need a second. Why wait when she planned on spending the rest of her life with him anyway? And Madison was right, a shotgun wedding had such urgency attached to it—like if they didn’t get married right away they’d die from yearning—that it was totally romantic. And right before Christmas too. She’d be a Christmasbride.
“Let’s do it. Let’s get married. Remember what I said earlier?” Kateasked.
“About getting straight to the honeymoon?” Logan’s eyes sparkled withrealization.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Madison, get the reverend,” Loganhollered.
“Wait, you can’t see her in her dress. It’s bad luck. I’ll help her get ready. Go tell Hank to get the reverend since it was his crazy idea, and then find something to wear. We’ll be back in an hour,”Madisonsaid.
Kate laughed as Madison gave Logan a gentle push toward the stairs. “Go on. We have worktodo.”
As soon as Logan left, Madison grabbed the dress in one hand and Kate’s hand in the other. “Come on. We only haveanhour.”
* * *
Exactly one hour later,Kate sat still in the living room as Madison pulled the last hot roller from her hair. Her soon to be sister-in-law had worked Kate’s hair into an elegant up-do complete with cascading curls. A half a can of hairspray, give or take, held every single strand inplace.
Kate’s fear about the dress not fitting was completely unfounded. Other than a bit of tightness across the hips, the elegant dress hung perfectly. The enormity of what it meant to wear Logan’s mother’s dress hit her just as Madison swooped in with the mascarabrush.
“Oh, you can’t cry now. This isn’t waterproof,”Madisonsaid.
“I didn’t even ask you if it was okay to wear the dress,”Katesaid.
