Jeanne.
Straightening, he said to Cody and Marisa, “All right, you two, listen up. We’re playing a game.”
“Yay!” Marisa’s expression instantly brightened, and she bounced in her seat. “I wanna play a game.”
Cody crossed his arms, considerably less enthused. “You said you had to work.”
“I am working and we’re playing a game. You get to help me.” Owen removed a red paisley handkerchief from his jeans pocket and tied it around Cody’s neck. The boy immediately pulled the handkerchief up over his mouth like an Old West bandit. Owen then gave Marisa a rose from last evening’s wedding to hold. “We’re pretending you two are guests. I’m the minister who’s going to perform the service and Miss Molly is the bride.”
“Can I be a bride, too?” Marisa asked.
“Next time, if you behave.”
“Why does she have a mop?” Cody stared at Molly. He’d somehow deduced she was the one responsible for this girly game.
“The mop is the pretend groom,” Owen said.
Over breakfast in the kitchen, he’d attempted to explain the duties of his job at Sweetheart Ranch to his kids without much success. Cody and Marisa had been very young at their aunt’s wedding three years ago and didn’t remember.
He’d have preferred to leave them in Nora’s care for the practice. Unfortunately, she wasn’t available until later, which meant the kids were currently underfoot.
No, not underfoot. Owen reminded himself that he and his kids were at Sweetheart Ranch to bond and strengthen their relationship and for him to become a better dad. Referring to them in negative terms was counterproductive.
“This game is dumb.” Cody threw himself against the back of the pew.
“Would you rather be the groom and stand next to Miss Molly?”
“I’m not marrying her!” Cody pushed off the pew, prepared to make a run for it.
“Stay put, young man.”
He flopped down hard enough to shake the pew.
Owen gritted his teeth, embarrassed at his oldest’s rude outburst but refusing to make the situation worse by yelling.
“I don’t know, son.” He forced himself to speak slowly. “Might not be as bad as you think, standing next to a pretty lady.”
He glanced over at Molly and found her looking at him. The moment lingered, and then her mouth curved into a small smile.
She pulled the mop closer in a mock hug and said, “Sorry. I’m already taken.”
How about that? She possessed a sense of humor after all.
Owen was suddenly glad to be practicing and not because he needed to smooth out a few of his rough edges. Getting to know Molly better was proving enjoyable.
“We don’t have much time,” she reminded him. “We should get started.”
With Willa sleeping peacefully, Owen leveled a finger at Cody and Marisa. “Be good,” he warned and took his position at the altar. Facing Molly and her makeshift groom, he asked, “What ceremony did the couple request?”
“The Art of Marriage, and they’re going to recite their own vows, which makes things a little easier for you.” She handed him a sheet of paper on which was printed the ceremony. “This is a second wedding for both the bride and groom. Only their teenage children, parents and a few close friends are attending. They requested the ceremony have an intimate, casual feel. For you, that means infusing lots of warmth into your voice.”
“Can do.”
At her nod, Owen began with the same welcome speech from the previous night, including the joke about the open house.
Molly stopped him there. “Why don’t we leave out the part about the open house? These people weren’t here yesterday and don’t care.”
She was right, about that and infusing warmth. “Life is a journey,” he continued.
“Wait. That’s too cliché.” Molly tapped a finger on her cheek. “Let’s try, the journey of life is made better when traveled together. Wayne and Tasha have chosen each other to share their journey.”
“You make me wish I’d brought a pen,” Owen teased.
Always prepared, Molly promptly extracted a pen from her shirt pocket and handed it to him. Owen scribbled the changes in the margin.
“You know,” she said when he was nearly done. “I’m not the only person in the room. There’s the groom and the guests. Look at them, too.”
Busted. He had been concentrating on her. Hard to ignore those amazing green eyes which were focused directly on him.
Clearing his throat, he glanced over at his kids. By some miracle, Cody and Marisa weren’t fighting. Instead, they watched him with an intensity akin to wonderment. That hadn’t happened since he’d taken them to the office one Saturday when he couldn’t get out of work and their mother had plans. He’d fully anticipated a trying morning filled with reminding the kids to lower their voices and stay out of trouble. Instead, they’d wound up having enormous fun.
Picking up where he’d left off, he pushed through to the end of the ceremony.
“Better,” Molly announced.
“Good.” He rolled the papers into a tube, assuming they were done. They weren’t.
“Let’s have another go from the top.”
By their third run through, Cody and Marisa had grown bored and started bickering.
“He touched my rose.”
“She kicked me.”
“It appears the guests are growing restless,” Owen said. “We can try again later.”
Molly checked her watch. “Can’t. Too much to do. The bride and groom’s family members are staying at the ranch through Tuesday. As of this morning, we have all five available cabins rented.”
“That’s great.”
“We’re taking the entire wedding party on a hayride after the ceremony to the Poco Dinero for a barbecue dinner and line dancing. Most of the family has never been to a ranch before and they want the full cowboy experience.”
“I can always practice by myself.”
“Record yourself with your phone and play it back,” she suggested. “Better yet, video yourself if you can.”
He could do that. He had before when called on to give a speech at work functions. “Okay, you two, let’s go.”
Cody and Marisa immediately bolted from the pew. Owen bent and lifted Willa into his arms. She woke up only briefly, falling back sleep the moment her head found his shoulder.
She was cute like this, thumb in her mouth, wispy curls framing her face. Shame on him for leaving her and going on the road so much. He could have enjoyed countless more moments like this one.
That, too, was going to change this month at the ranch. He’d make sure of it. Nothing mattered to him more than Cody, Marisa and Willa. Even finding a new job came second. At least until after Christmas when the kids went back with their mother.
“Do you have a lot of couples like Tasha and Wayne,” Owen asked, “requesting the full cowboy experience?”
“A few.” Molly fell into step beside him as they left the chapel. “They want their wedding to be unique, out of the ordinary. Especially if it’s a second wedding or vow renewal.”
“Makes sense.”
He’d do something entirely different if he ever married again. And at the moment,