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He had a trip down the mountain to make and a deadline of only five hours.
He couldn’t wait to see Caitey’s face upon his return.
CHAPTER 17
CAITEY
Caitey stood back to admire her handiwork.
The elegant cylinder glass tubes sat along the entire aisle of the chairs. She was glad Logan and Marcus had placed the arched arbor in front of the fireplace. Guests could come in the front door—if they had any actual guests—and be quickly seated with a beautiful view of the drawing room.
Maggie had polished the grand piano. Reginald had jumped in to vacuum the luxurious carpets on the elegant and expansive parquet floor.
After lunch, she had talked with Gus about food. That man was prepared for anything—a disaster, an outbreak of the flu, a run on the grocery stores—he was ready.
Caitey could smell the sweet and warm aroma of the wedding cake Gus had just taken out of the oven. Threeperfectly baked layers. And now he was creating his special homemade frosting. When he’d shown Caitey his past decorating photos, she knew he was a master at just about everything in the kitchen.
The cake was going to be magnificent.
Since two deep freezers were in the large pantry, he’d pulled out fifteen filet mignon steaks when he heard about the caterer being stuck in Santa Barbara. He planned to create a beautiful spinach salad with all the trimmings and some hot vegetable dishes topped off by his famous homemade dinner rolls.
Caity unwrapped the boxes filled with tall red and white candles and began placing them inside the glass cylinders. She would light them just before the ceremony began.
She still had the linens to place on the backs of the chairs and the yards and yards of ribbon she’d brought.
She added a centerpiece on top of a lace drapery on the grand piano.
Then Mrs. Hearst showed her how to use their in-house stereo system. Everything was digital, and the massive music collection was set up so she could choose a song with the press of a button. All she needed to know was Jenna’s choice, although she had selected a few love songs to play as guests were arriving.
She needed to stop thinking about “guests” arriving. Nobody was going to make it up the mountain by dusk, that was for sure. Maybe she shouldhave set it up for fewer people, so it didn’t look so empty when the ceremony was performed.
Maggie had been keeping Caitey abreast of the roads, the weather, and the police reports on the radio. At this point, it was just family. So, even with the household staff, there were only about eleven of them. A small, cozy group, she had assured Jenna—who she hoped was still resting!
Time continued to march on. It was almost time to shower and get dressed herself!
Reginald entered the drawing room and set the fireplace with a stack of neat, cut logs. He selected a long match and rested it against the hearth for lighting.
Caitey stared at the arbor, wishing she had brought more decorations now that they had no fresh flowers. But she had to stop berating herself. Nobody had a clue there was going to be a blizzard this week!
Just then, she heard a door open and then slam shut. Mr. Hearst took the stairs quickly, heading straight toward Caitey when he reached the bottom.
“Has something happened?” she asked.
“I have been on the phone with my secretary and some other attorneys in the area.” He paused and gazed at Caitey pensively. “The sad news is that I cannotperform Logan and Jenna’s wedding. Attorneys don’t have the credentials and are not endowed with any authorization. Any judge may do so, but all the judges I know live an hour away. And with the roads . . .”
“That means the wedding is truly off?” Caitey whispered, almost afraid to speak the words out loud.
Mr. Hearst slowly nodded. “We just have to wait for the road to get plowed and salted. Perhaps in a few more days. I hope you’re available to stick around, Caitey?” he asked.
“Of course! I promised Jenna she would have her beautiful, wished-for wedding. I kept hoping . . .”
“I, as well. Those two have been waiting a long time.”
“Well,” Caitey said, trying to maintain her composure. “We’ll eat Gus’s beautiful dinner, light the fire, and play charades?”
“Unless Jenna is weeping in her room,” Aunt Vicki said, overhearing their conversation as she entered the drawing room. “My poor daughter, it’s practically got me in tears, too. What horrible luck. Of all the years to have a blizzard in early November!”
“How is Jenna doing?”
