Finally it was time for the ceremony. Morgan and Bo walked together to the gazebo, her hand resting in the crook of his arm. She was as graceful as a willow, her gown flowing around her thin, supple body, her skin and eyes glowing, her thick mane of hair currently remaining in Daina’s style creation.
Morgan’s mother and stepfather sat in the front row of folding chairs. Daina was also in the front row, with Kenny on one side of her and Mayor Buddy and his wife on the other. Tricks was sitting in front of Daina, her leash firmly held, an expression of doggie bliss on her face because of all the attention she’d had that morning. Jesse and Kalie sat on the other side of the aisle, also front row. Morgan’s buddies took up the second row. As Bo went past, she saw Loretta give her a thumbs-up. Axel was seated beside her, and he looked positively cowed. It was a great day.
When the minister said, “Isabeau Rebecca Maran, do you take this man-” he was interrupted by a sharp bark from Tricks, who had impeccable timing. Morgan and Bo both burst out laughing, as did everyone else in the audience. Tricks took advantage and pulled loose from Daina, dashed over to Bo, and wormed her way between Bo and Morgan where she stood beaming for the rest of the ceremony. She was happily tucked between her two people, right where she belonged.
Of course Tricks was in all the photographs, except for the artsy close-ups of their wedding rings, Bo’s bouquet, and things like that.
Afterward, when the Naked Pig had been drunk, cake and other goodies had been eaten, Bo and Morgan had danced on the grass before others joined in, Tricks had finally decided to take an exhausted nap, and the cleaning up had begun, Bo noticed that Morgan, Axel, and the other GO-Team members were gathered in the shade of one of the big trees, evidently having a serious discussion.
She herself was talking with Theresa and Daina, and she wasn’t going to go over. One, this was probably GO-Team business. Two, she didn’t want to be that close to Axel. But, hell-as of a couple of hours ago Morgan was her husband, and if he was leaving tonight, she wanted to know. She had taken him for better or worse, so she was prepared for his job to take him away for long periods of time. She hoped it wasn’t tonight, and she intended to find out.
She strode over, as authoritatively as one could stride in a gown, and insinuated herself into the group. “Has something come up? Do you have to leave?” she asked, not whining about it and ready to help him pack if he wanted her company.
Morgan looked down at her and smiled as he slid his arm around her. “No, nothing in particular. I was just resigning from the GO-Teams.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “What?”
“This is your fault,” Axel said in his typical surly, sour tone.
Bo looked around. “Loretta!” she called, having spotted her friend still lingering as she and her husband, Charlie, talked to some friends. Loretta looked up, excused herself, and headed toward them with an air of purpose.
Axel actually blanched and began edging away.
Morgan said sharply, “Bo hasn’t asked me to quit, hasn’t said a word about it. This is my decision. I’m not too old yet, but I only have a few good years left while I can stay in top shape, so I’m making the move now. I want to be here, I want to start a family-”
“A family?” Bo squeaked, so obviously shocked that all the guys chuckled. Well, all of them except Axel.
“With your permission.” Morgan grinned and tightened his arm around her. “So I’m resigning.”
“Damn it,” Axel said in frustration. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you come here.”
“You sent him here, asshole,” Bo growled, and just like that they were almost in each other’s faces, with Morgan holding her back because she wasn’t in any shape for another brawl. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Loretta pick up speed, and he said, “Stand down, Mac, or be mowed down.”
Axel saw the wisdom in that and immediately backed away. He even tucked his hands behind his back. Loretta slackened her pace, but her gaze was locked on him like a guided missile.
“You’re one of my best leaders. Hell, you’re the best.” Axel looked as if he’d throw a temper tantrum if it weren’t for the pressing need to behave.
“Give it up,” Kodak advised, grinning. He loved scenes like this. “Promote one of us, and deal with it. And hire Morgan as a consultant so we don’t lose him completely.”
At that Axel looked thoughtful. Loretta reached them then and looked down at Axel from the almost six-and-a-half feet height her high heels gave her. “Is the runt causing problems?” she asked. It was amazing how a woman in a green dress with little white flowers on it, wearing makeup and jewelry and high heels, could look so intimidating, but Loretta managed. She had it down to an art form. It also helped that Morgan had recounted the scene between her and Warren Gooding, so all of them knew her reputation and that she generally took no prisoners.
Bo was the only one who laughed outright. The men all hid their grins. Axel looked both outraged and terrified. He wasn’t a runt, maybe medium height or a little better, but Loretta definitely made him look runtish.
“He’s trying,” Bo said, not about to let him off the hook.
Loretta simply waited, her gaze locked on Axel. He fidgeted. He turned red. He ran a finger around his collar. Bo could tell he wanted to go into one of his classic Axel scenes, but the bottom line was he was afraid of what Loretta might do. She was an unknown quantity to him, and he was on her territory. If she knocked him into tomorrow, everyone, even his own men, would swear he’d tripped over a tree root.
Finally he focused on Morgan. “Would you stay on as a consultant?”
“We can talk about it,” Morgan said, though Bo knew that would be the perfect solution. He wasn’t about to give Axel power going into the negotiations though.
“All right.” Axel looked relieved. “Come see me Monday. Uh-unless you’re going on a honeymoon, or something like that.” He shot a glance at Bo that said he still couldn’t believe Morgan had actually married her.
“No honeymoon yet,” Bo said. “We’re waiting for when it will inconvenience you the most.” Beside her, Tricks stopped staring balefully at the man she disliked to give a woof of agreement.
Perfect.
Morgan went through security at the county courthouse and slipped into the courtroom where Kyle Gooding was being arraigned. The process had taken long enough to get to this point, but Kyle had remained in jail the whole time, so that didn’t matter.
What he assumed was most of the Gooding family was in the courtroom. The district attorney was there, the Gooding lawyer, and a couple of reporter types, some just out of curiosity. Morgan took a seat away from the others, choosing to be as isolated as possible. He wanted Kyle to see him.
The county deputies brought Kyle in. He’d had his hair cut and he wore a suit for all the world as if he was expecting to walk out of the courtroom free instead of going back to jail. There was a hum of anticipation from his family group. He looked at them and gave them a small cocky grin. In that moment Morgan knew for sure that Kyle intended to back out of their agreement.
He sat motionless, his gaze locked on Kyle. After a minute Kyle felt himself being watched, even as insensitive as he was to everything other than himself. He turned and looked over his family group, then turned the other way to survey the rest of the courtroom audience.
He saw Morgan, and his eyes widened. He swallowed nervously. Morgan just stared, never blinking, every ounce of malice he felt burning in his eyes. This son of a bitch had tried to destroy the woman he loved, and no way was he letting him get away with it. He might not do anything about it today, but the reckoning would come, and soon. The time and circumstance would be of his choosing-and he’d get away with it.