His Montana Bride. Brenda Minton

right-hand woman. I’m not sure I can be that and help you.”

      “I would be forever in your debt.”

      “The times I’ve heard...” She smiled and didn’t finish. “I’ll think about it. But I think you probably need someone local who has more knowledge of the area and what’s available. I’ve been a bridesmaid a few times. That is my total experience with weddings.”

      “I’ve never made it down the aisle, so you have more experience than me.” He pushed the double doors open and then with a hand on her arm he guided her down the aisle to the pew behind his family.

      He glanced behind them, looking for Marci and her grandmother. He’d promised to take Marci riding after church. No matter how busy he was during the week, he always managed to spend time with her on Sunday. It was their day. It was his way of keeping a promise to a friend.

      He hadn’t been to church too often since the day of Marci’s mother’s funeral.

      And yet, here he was, sitting next to Katie Archer, trying not to weep over the loss of a friend, a girl without a mother, and soon...

      He couldn’t think about soon, or about what Lulu Jenson, Marci’s grandmother, was going to face in the near future. In the seat next to him, Katie moved, turning to look around the old building. He tried to see it through her eyes, with the golden glass of the windows, the polished wooden pews, the history.

      At the back of the church and on the opposite side he saw Marci with Lulu. The two waved and he smiled. Both of them looked a little too happy to see him there. In the pew in front of him his mother turned to smile, the look in her eyes saying she thought a prayer had been answered. He was back in church. It had been a while.

      He settled back in his seat and ignored the woman next to him and the questioning look she gave him. Because she was the one person he didn’t really have to worry about answering to. She’d be gone in a month. Their stories weren’t connected.

      But he couldn’t ignore her, not completely. Not when he caught a scent of the oriental perfume that had followed him into his house last night, clinging to the jacket he’d slipped over her shoulders.

      She was temporary in this town, and in his life. What was permanent for Cord Shaw were the people in this church. The people connected to him each and every day, counting on him to be there for them.

      Right now it felt as if there were a lot of people needing him to pull off this Old Tyme Wedding. There were fifty couples counting on the wedding of the century at the end of the month. Jasper Gulch was counting on him. They needed this wedding. They needed it to bring in funds. They needed it to keep them all united.

      He needed a wedding coordinator. The woman next to him moved, her arm brushing his. He didn’t glance her way because he wasn’t going to be obvious, but it was obvious to him that she might be the best person for the job. He knew she worked in fashion. She knew what it would take to put this event together. And bonus, she didn’t appear to be a woman on the hunt for a groom of her own.

       Chapter Three

      The church service ended with a prayer and a closing song. Katie sat for a moment, reflecting on the words of the sermon, a sermon about faith and persevering in troubled times. She couldn’t say that she’d ever really had troubled times. Her life hadn’t been perfect, but she’d never gone without or faced real tragedies.

      Next to her, Cord moved and stood. She wondered if he would leave now and continue with the fishing trip he had planned. Before she could ask, a lightning streak of a girl zoomed down the aisle of the church and grabbed his hand. She appeared to be a preteen, perhaps ten or eleven years of age. Her blond hair was braided and she wore jeans and a sweater. With a look she dismissed Katie.

      “Cord, you’re at church!”

      “Yes, I am. Don’t act so surprised.”

      She laughed and held on to his hand, at the same time shooting Katie a curious look. “But you never come to church. I thought you would pick me up at Grammy’s.”

      A daughter? Katie watched, wondering but knowing it had nothing to do with her. She stood and glanced around, looking for Julie, because with Cord’s younger sister she felt as if she had a friend in the strange world she’d been left in. She would thank Gwen for that. For making her feel like a pet left on the side of the road.

      Cord was speaking to the girl and Katie overheard part of the conversation. “Since I’m here I don’t have to pick you up at your grammy’s.”

      “Who is she?” the young girl asked.

      “She’s Katie and she’s staying with my parents. Don’t be rude.”

      Miss Preteen stared Katie down, curious and territorial. “Are you getting married?”

      “No, my sister is,” Katie answered.

      “Then shouldn’t she be here?”

      Katie smiled at that, liking the girl even if she asked a lot of questions. “She should, but she had to go to work. Now, you know a lot about me, why don’t you tell me your name.”

      “Marci.” Marci had big brown eyes and nothing about her features, her hair or eyes, resembled Cord Shaw.

      “I see. And are you going fishing with Cord?”

      Marci shook her head. “No, he was supposed to go fishing and then take me riding.”

      Katie couldn’t help that she wanted to know who the girl was to Cord. But neither Marci nor Cord seemed to be giving up details.

      “That sounds like fun,” was all she could think to say. She glanced around, still looking for Julie. She saw her finally, holding the hand of her fiancé, Ryan, and chatting with a group of people similar in age. She knew from Julie’s sister, Faith, that Ryan Travers had come to town for the rodeo and stayed. The reason for his putting down roots in Jasper Gulch was pretty obvious as he smiled at the young woman holding his arm. Katie looked away, uncomfortable with that easy gesture between Julie and Ryan.

      The sun shone through the golden stained-glass windows of the church, catching everything in the warm light. Katie forgot the crowd of people. She forgot the turmoil of the past few days. She allowed Cord to step away with the girl, Marci, the two deep in conversation that had nothing to do with her.

      The golden light, the soft scent of wood polish and the hum of conversations, it all melded together and Katie felt the peace she’d been looking for. When she went home to Missoula, she would find a church like this one.

      Or maybe she would never leave Jasper Gulch. The thought took her by surprise. It was a silly idea, one that came out of nowhere and made no sense. She couldn’t stay here. She didn’t have a job, probably couldn’t find a job and she didn’t have family in the area. What would she do in Jasper Gulch?

      “Katie, there you are.” Julie appeared in front of her and Katie managed a smile, shaking free from random thoughts of moving, leaving behind the life she had in Missoula.

      “Here I am,” she responded with a smile.

      “We’re all going to town for lunch. Do you want to join us?”

      Katie looked around, searching for Cord. He’d walked off and was a short distance away, Marci next to him. The older woman he was speaking to had to be Marci’s grandmother. As the two adults talked, Marci shifted from foot to foot. The girl turned, caught Katie’s gaze on her and smiled. Katie returned the gesture but then focused on Julie’s question about lunch. Cord had moved on with his own plans. She could move on with hers. Not that she really had plans.

      “Lunch would be good,” she told Julie. “Where will we go?”

      “The diner in town has a Sunday special. Usually something yummy like pot roast or fried chicken.” Julie looked from Katie to Cord and