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‘So glad you could make it,’ Jake said, pumping his hand.
‘Try to keep me away, mate. I’d pay good money to see you take the plunge tomorrow.’
‘We’re just waiting for the minister and his wife,’ Mattie said. ‘And for Lucy.’
Lucy.
It was ages since Will had seen Lucy, and he’d never been happy about the way they’d drifted apart, although it had seemed necessary at the time. ‘Is Lucy coming to the wedding rehearsal?’
‘Of course,’ Mattie said. ‘Didn’t you know? Lucy’s a bridesmaid.’
‘I thought Gina was the bridesmaid.’
Gina laughed. ‘You haven’t been paying attention, Will. Technically, I’m the matron of honour, because I’m an old married woman. Lucy’s the bridesmaid, you’re the best man and Tom’s stepping in as a groomsman, because Jake’s cousin can’t get away.’
‘I see. Of course.’
It made sense. If Will had given any proper thought to the make-up of the wedding party, he should have known that Mattie would ask Lucy to be a bridesmaid. She was a vital member of their old gang.
And he was totally cool about seeing her again, even though their relationship had been complicated since his brother’s death eight years ago.
He was surprised, that was all. Surprised by the unexpected catch in his breath at the thought of seeing her again.
CHAPTER TWO
LUCY glanced in the rear view mirror as her ute bounced down the rough country road towards town.Cringe. Her hair was limp and in dire need of a shampoo and she knew she looked decidedly scruffy.
She’d cleaned up carefully after delivering the calf, but she couldn’t be sure that her hair and clothes were completely free of mud or straw. Steering one-handed, she tried to finger-comb loose strands into some kind of tidiness.
She wasn’t wearing a skerrick of makeup, and she was already in danger of arriving late for Mattie’s wedding rehearsal, so she didn’t have time to duck home for damage control. Not that it really mattered; tomorrow was the big day, after all. Not today.
But Will Carruthers would be at the rehearsal.
He was going to be best man at this wedding.
And why, after all this time, should that matter?Her crush on Will was ancient history. Water under the bridge. He was simply an old friend she’d almost lost touch with.
At least that was what she’d told herself for the past three months, ever since Mattie announced her engagement and wedding plans. But as Lucy reached the outskirts of town, her body, to her annoyance, decided otherwise.
One glimpse of the little white church and the Carruthers family’s elderly truck parked among the other vehicles on the green verge outside, and her chest squeezed painfully. She felt asif she was breathing through cotton wool and her hands slipped on the steering wheel.
Her heart thumped.
Far out. This was crazy. She’d known for twelve weeks now that Will would be a member of the wedding party. Why had she waited until the last moment to fall apart?
She parked the ute, dragged in a deep breath and closed her eyes, gave herself a stern lecture. She could do this. She was going walk inside that little church with an easy stride and a smile on her face. She couldn’t do much about her external appearance, but at least no one need guess she was a mess inside.
She would rather die than let on that she was envious of Mattie for snaring and marrying a heartthrob like Jake. And she wouldn’t turn the slightest hint of green when she cuddled Gina and Tom’s darling babies.
More importantly, she would greet Will serenely.
She might even drop a light kiss on his cheek. After all, if her plans to marry Will’s brother Josh hadn’t been cruelly shattered, she would have been his sister-in-law.
Okay.
She was only a few minutes late, so she took a moment to check that her blouse was neatly tucked into her khaki jeans. Her boots were a bit dusty, so she hastily wiped them with a tissue. There were no visible signs of the barn yard, thank heavens.
Feeling rather like a soldier going over the top of a trench, she didn’t wait for second thoughts. She dived through the church doorway, cheery smile pinned in place, apologies for her lateness at the ready.
