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Belle was feeling guilty about it too. This was the first meeting of the Holiday Secret Sisterhood Liberty hadn’t attended. Belle was the reason she wasn’t there. She had asked her sisters to keep the meeting a secret from Liberty. She felt like she was stabbing her sister in the back, but sometimes you had to exclude a sister to save a sister.
Something Hallie had no trouble pointing out.
“We met without Sweetie when we worried about her being depressed about not making it as a country singer.” Her voice blared through the speaker of Cloe’s laptop. Hallie and Noelle were on Zoom while Sweetie, Belle, and Cloe were sitting in the kitchen at the Remington Ranch.
“And I was extremely hurt about that.” Sweetie took a big bite of the coffee cake Cloe had served them. Pregnancy had greatly improved her appetite. She had taken “eating for two” to a whole new level. She waved her fork at the laptop screen Hallie and Noelle peered from. “And I still am.”
“Well, don’t point at me,” Noelle said. “It wasn’t my idea. I don’t call the meetings. I just show up for them—even when I don’t have the time. So, Belly, get to the point of this one so I can get back to studying for my pastry exam.” Noelle took cooking seriously and was one of the top students at her culinary school in Dallas. She had big plans to open up her own bakery one day and be a major social media influencer. Since she had as much tenacity and drive as Liberty, Belle knew she would succeed . . . if she didn’t get mixed up with some guy and lose her ability to think clearly.
“I’m worried Liberty is making a big mistake marrying Jesse,” Belle said. “And we need to do something to stop it.”
She expected her sisters to jump in and agree and was surprised when they didn’t. Cloe and Sweetie exchanged looks, but didn’t say a word. Neither did Noelle and Hallie.
Belle swept her gaze around. “Don’t tell me no one else thinks it’s crazy that Liberty is planning on marrying a man she’s only known for a couple months in just a little over a month.”
“I didn’t really know Rome,” Cloe said.
“Yes, you did. He’s been our neighbor all our lives.”
Hallie spoke up. “A neighbor we never hung out with because his daddy was our daddy’s archenemy. And still is.”
“Would you keep it down?” Cloe glanced around. “And Sam and Daddy aren’t archenemies now that Rome and I are married.”
Hallie snorted. “You keep believin’ that, sis. But I saw the way they were looking at each other at y’all’s wedding. If they had been carrying guns, it would have been gunfight at the OK Corral all over again.”
Noelle, who had always had an ongoing feud with the youngest Remington, jumped in. “I would certainly have drawn a gun on Casey if I’d had one when he pushed me into Sweetie’s wedding cake.”
“Casey pushed you into Sweetie’s cake?” Cloe said. “I thought you tripped.”
“I didn’t want to tell you the truth when you married that jerk’s brother. But I don’t know how you live in the same house with Casey.”
Cloe smiled. “Casey is a sweetheart, Elle. You just haven’t gotten a chance to know him. He built me the cutest cradle. I can’t wait to see how it looks in the baby’s room.”
Belle couldn’t help wondering why Cloe hadn’t shown her the cradle or the baby’s room. But they were getting off topic.
“We can’t let Liberty get her heart broken and I know that’s what’s going to happen. Even Corbin said Jesse is a rolling stone and will be ready to move on soon.”
Sweetie stopped eating and stared at her. “Corbin said that?”
“Not in so many words, but he agreed he didn’t think Jesse would go through with the marriage. After he intimated that Liberty would be the one to break Jesse’s heart.”
“I can see how he’d think that after Liberty broke the date with him,” Cloe said.
This would probably be a good time to tell her sisters about the twin switch she’d pulled, but she didn’t want to get the conversation off track. Nor did she want them letting it slip to Liberty. Her and her sister’s relationship was already on shaky ground.
“Yes, Liberty broke a date with Corbin, but they weren’t in a relationship. We all know Liberty is loyal to a fault. Once she loves you, she loves you for life. Which means if any hearts are going to be broken, it will be hers.”
Belle wasn’t about to let that happen, but it looked like her sisters didn’t agree.
“I don’t think Jesse is going to break her heart,” Cloe said. “Have you seen him with Liberty? He dotes on her.”
“I’m sure he’s doted on a lot of women. That’s all part of his rodeo cowboy charm.”
“There’s something to that,” Hallie said. “I’ve dated a few rodeo cowboys and it’s like they have a book they share on how to make women drop their panties.”
Noelle crinkled her nose. “Ooo, that’s gross, Hal.”
“Just speaking the truth.”
