McKettricks of Texas: Austin by Linda Lael Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

said.
    â€œNonsense,” Julie replied matter-of-factly. “Paige will be twisting the sheets with Austin by tomorrow night at the latest.”
    â€œYou’re both crazy,” Paige said, flustered. “Just because neither of you can resist a McKettrick man, doesn’t mean I can’t!”
    â€œShe’s got it bad,” Libby told Julie.
    â€œWorst case I’ve ever seen,” Julie decreed.
    Paige simmered.
    â€œAbout the bridesmaid’s dress,” Libby said, evidently determined to make bad matters worse. “I was thinking daffodil yellow, with ruffles, pearl buttons and lots of lace trim—”
    â€œLavender,” Julie countered cheerfully. “With a bustle. ”
    That did it. “Why not throw in a lamb and one of thosehoops you roll with a stick?” Paige erupted. “And maybe I could skip down the aisle?”
    The picture must have delighted Libby and Julie, because they both laughed uproariously.
    Libby refilled her own wineglass, and Julie’s. Paige’s was still full.
    Julie elbowed Paige aside to finish making the salad. She was, after all, the cook in the family.
    â€œYou’re really afraid of The Dress, aren’t you, Paige?” Libby asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness and well-being.
    â€œI’m the Lone Bridesmaid,” Paige pointed out, calmer now but still discouraged. “I have nightmares about that dress.”
    â€œTo hear her tell it,” Julie told Libby, “neither of us has any taste at all.”
    â€œWill you two stop talking as though I’m not even here?” Paige asked. “If you’d just agree to let me pick out my gown, since I’m the one who has to wear it—”
    â€œWhat fun would that be?” Libby said to Julie. “We’re the brides, after all.”
    Paige, as the youngest, flashed back to the old days, when the three of them were kids and her older sisters had tossed a ball back and forth between them, over her head, making sure it was always out of her reach. They called the game “Keep Away.”
    The term seemed especially apt that night, though she couldn’t have explained the idea. If ever two people had had her back, no matter what the situation might be, her sisters were those two people.
    As a kid, she’d tagged after them, wanting so badly to go wherever they went, do whatever they did, to be part of their circle.
    Growing up, she’d loved wearing their clothes and mimicking their voices and copying their mannerisms. Now, they were marrying brothers. Was some unconscious part of her still trying to follow in Libby and Julie’s footsteps? The possibility was chilling to consider.
    â€œThat’s it,” Paige said decisively, though without rancor. “I’m dropping out of the wedding party. You both have plenty of friends, and I’m sure some of them are willing to make absolute fools of themselves at the ceremony by wearing some god-awful dress—lavender with a bustle, or yellow, with ruffles—”
    â€œMaybe we shouldn’t have teased her,” Julie told Libby.
    â€œOf course we should have teased her,” Libby said. “She’s our little sister.”
    Julie looked speculative. “If you married Austin,” she ruminated, turning to Paige, “we could have a triple wedding, and you wouldn’t have to worry about hoops and lambs and bustles, because you’d be wearing a bridal gown. ”
    Paige flung both hands out from her sides. “Why didn’t I think of that?” she scoffed. “I’ll just marry Austin. To hell with my goals, my plans, my personal standards. To hell with everything!”
    Julie reached out to touch Paige’s arm. “Honey,” she said softly, “we didn’t mean to upset you—”
    Paige drew in a deep, sharp breath, let it out slowly. Shook her head. “It’s all right, I just—I just need some time