Always The Best Man. Michelle Major

have a good life together. But this isn’t the order I planned things to happen, you know?”

      “You and Noah were meant to be,” Emily assured her. “Everyone knows that.”

      “Crimson is a small town with a long memory. People also know that I’ve had a crush on him for years and until I got pregnant, he had no interest in me.”

      Emily shook her head. “That’s not how it happened.” It had taken Katie walking away for Noah to realize how much she meant to him, but Emily knew his love for his fiancée was deep and true.

      “It doesn’t stop the talk. If I hear one more person whisper shotgun wedding—”

      “Who?” Emily demanded. “Give me names and I’ll take care of them for you.” Since Emily had returned to Colorado at the beginning of the summer, she’d spent most of her time tucked away at her mother’s farm outside town. She needed a do-over on her life, yet it was easier to hide out and lick her emotional wounds. But it wouldn’t be difficult to ferret out the town’s biggest gossips and grown-up mean girls. After all, Emily had been their ringleader once upon a time.

      “What I need is for you to help me take care of the wedding,” Katie answered softly. “To stand by my side and support me as I deal with the details. You may not care about the people in Crimson anymore, but I do. I want my big day to be perfect—as perfect as it can be under the circumstances. I don’t want anyone to think I tried to force Noah or rush the wedding.” She smoothed her fingers over her flowery shirt. “But I’ve only got a few weeks. Invitations have already gone out, and I haven’t even started planning. Josh and Sara had one free weekend at Crimson Ranch this fall, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I don’t want to be waddling down the aisle.”

      “None of that matters to Noah. He’d marry you tomorrow or in the delivery room or whenever and wherever you say the word.”

      “It matters to me.” Katie grimaced. “My parents are coming for the wedding. They haven’t been to Crimson in years. I need it to be...” She broke off, bit down on her lip. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. I love Noah, and I should just forget the rest of this. Why is a wedding such a big deal anyway?”

      But Emily understood why, and she appreciated Katie’s need for validation even if she didn’t agree with it. So what if Emily no longer believed in marriage? She’d picked a husband for all the wrong reasons, but Katie and Noah were the real deal. If the perfect wedding would make Katie happy, then Emily would give her a day no one would forget.

      “I could be the wedding planner, and you can ask one of your friends to—”

      “I want you,” Katie interrupted. “I’m an only child and now I’ll have a sister. My family’s messed up, but that makes me value the one I’m marrying into even more.”

      “I haven’t valued them in the past few years.” Emily felt her face redden, embarrassment over her behavior rushing through her, sharp and hot. “Until Davey was born I didn’t realize how important family was to me.”

      “When your dad got sick, you helped every step of the way.”

      That much was true. Her father died when Emily was in high school. She’d taken over the care of the farm so her mom could devote time to Dad. Meg Crawford had driven him to appointments, cooked, cleaned and sat by his bedside in the last few weeks of home hospice care when the pancreatic cancer had ravaged his body.

      It had been the last unselfish thing Emily had done in her life until she’d left her marriage, her so-called friends and the security of her life in Boston. As broken as she felt, she’d endure the pain and humiliation of those last six months again in a heartbeat for her son.

      “You’re a better person than you give yourself credit for,” Katie said and opened the door of the store. The scent of roses drifted out, mingling with the crisp mountain air.

      “I know exactly who I am.” Emily removed her Prada sunglasses and tipped her face to the bright blue August sky. She’d missed the dry climate of Colorado during her time on the East Coast. It was refreshing to feel the warmth of the sun without miserable humidity making it feel like she’d stepped into an oven.

      “Does that include being my maid of honor?” Katie asked over her shoulder, taking a step into the boutique.

      “Shouldn’t it be matron of honor?” Emily followed Katie, watching as she gingerly fingered the white gowns on the racks of the small shop. The saleswoman, an older lady with a pinched face, stepped forward. Emily waved her away for now. Shopping was one thing she could do with supreme confidence. Not much of a skill but today she’d put it to good use. “What’s the protocol for having a divorcée as part of the bridal party?”

      “I’m sticking with maid. There’s nothing matronly about you.” Katie pulled out a simple sheath dress, then frowned when Emily shook her head. “I think it’s pretty.”

      “You have curves,” Emily answered and pointed to Katie’s full chest. “Especially with a baby on board. We want something that enhances them, not makes you look like a sausage.”

      Katie winced. “Don’t sugarcoat it.”

      “We’ve got a couple of weeks to pull off the most amazing wedding Crimson has ever seen. You can be sweet. I don’t have time to mess around.”

      “It doesn’t have to be—”

      Emily held up a hand, then stepped around Katie to pull a dress off the rack. “It’s going to be. This is a good place to start.”

      Katie let out a soft gasp. “It’s perfect. How did you do that?”

      The dress was pale ivory, an empire waist chiffon gown with a lace overlay. It was classic but the tiny flowers stitched into the lace gave a hint of whimsy. The princess neckline would look beautiful against Katie’s dark hair and creamy skin and the cut would be forgiving if she “popped” in the next few weeks. Emily smiled a little as she imagined Noah’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time.

      “You’re beautiful, Katie, and we’re going to find the right dress.” She motioned to the saleswoman. “We’ll start with this one,” she said, gently handing over the gown.

      The woman nodded. “When is the big day?”

      “Two weeks,” Emily answered for Katie. “So we’ll need something that doesn’t have to be special ordered.”

      “Anything along this wall is in stock.” The woman turned to Katie. “The fitting room is in the back. I’ll hang the dress.”

      “Do I have to plan a cheesy bachelorette party, too?” Emily selected another dress and held it up for Katie’s approval.

      Katie ignored the dress, focusing her gaze on Emily. “Is that your way of saying you’ll be my maid of honor?”

      Emily swallowed and nodded. This was not a big deal, two weeks of support and planning. So why did she feel like Katie was doing her the favor by asking instead of the other way around? “If you’re sure?”

      “Thank you,” Katie shouted and gave Emily a huge hug.

      This was why, she realized, as tears pricked the backs of her eyes. Emily hadn’t had a real friend in years. The women who were part of her social circle in Boston had quickly turned on her when her marriage imploded, making her an outcast in their community. She’d burned most of her bridges with her Colorado friends when she’d dropped out of college to follow her ex-husband as he started his law career. Other than her mom and Noah, she had no one in her life she could count on. Until now.

      She shrugged out of Katie’s grasp and drew in a calming breath. “Who else is in the bridal party?”

      “We’re not having any other attendants,” Katie told her. “I’ll try on this one, too.” She scooped up the dress and took a step toward the back of the store. “Just you and Jase. He’s Noah’s best man.”

      Emily