The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck Read Free Book Online Page B

her chest, trying to gain composure.
    “You want chocolate kisses, right?”
    “Yes, w-why do you keep asking?”
    “I wouldn’t want to get the wrong ones. I’ve never had chocolate kisses before.” The wind of his words brushed her cheek and fashioned an army of tingles down her spine.
    “W-well then, try one when you get here.”
    “I think I will.”
    Cora fell against the door as Birch released her and headed off to do his errand, whistling.
    The ardor of his tone when he said, “ Kisses ,” still fired against her skin. Wait until she saw him again. She’d give him a piece of her mind. And what was that tune he whistled as he trotted off?
    Cora went inside, musing over the melody, searching for the words. Ah! That silly Helen Kane melody, “I Wanna Be Loved by You.”
    I wanna be loved by you / nobody else but you.
    Cora gave the back door a good hard slam. Birch Good could just sing that song to another gal. Because she belonged to Rufus St. Claire.

Chapter Four

    H ALEY
    S unday evening Haley fired her Harley 750 out of the garage, into the cold night, and headed north, toward town. Toward First Avenue, passing under the streetlights, needing a break from the house.
    As the youngest, she was used to being home alone with the folks. But ever since college she’d been on her own, and now it felt weird to live with her parents again.
    They clearly had a routine. A way of living that fit their lives, and Haley felt like an interloper. But after Tammy’s death and the breakup with Dax, coming home gave her the reset she needed.
    Riding under the shield of night, twilight long gone on the horizon, Haley’s thoughts took on a motor of their own.
    The family goal setting three nights ago went well. Until Haley said, “ Open up the old wedding shop .”
    At first everyone just stared back at her. Silencing the Morgan boys was an accomplishment in and of itself.
    Sister-in-law Jodi from Chicago wanted to know what the wedding shop was, and the boys sputtered over their explanation. But boy howdy, they were against it.
    They took their cue from Mom, who spoke loudly in her silence.
    “You were a captain in the air force. How can you be a huckster for the bloated wedding industry?”
    “An MBA from Kellogg will set you up, Haley. A buddy of mine landed a job with a nice six-figure salary when he graduated.”
    “From fatigues and logistics to lace and tulle? I can’t see it.”
    Finally Dad stepped in, said to let Haley make up her own mind. She’d done a good job with her life so far. Thanks, Dad. “ After all ,” he said, “ Aaron was a really nice boy growing up, then he decided to be a lawyer. The family supported him on that decision .”
    Bwhahaha . Dad’s dry humor broke the tension and put the goal-setting party back on track.
    But Mom? She remained stiff and aloof, tight-lipped. If she had something to say, she couldn’t find the words.
    From back off the road, several houses still danced with Christmas lights, and Haley allowed a moment of sentiment.
    She loved her hometown, for all of its busybodies and small-town mind-set. It’d been a great place to grow up. After years in the military, Haley needed to find herself again, her values and integrity, the tenderness of her heart.
    She’d become callous, hard. Haley gunned the gas, pushing the bike forward down River Road, as if the motion would dislodge her sins and leave them crashing down on the road.
    A stoplight flashed red up ahead, so Haley eased off the gas and squeezed the clutch, downshifting. This was a new light, bringing the town total up to four. After the goal setting, Dad brushed her up on Akron Developers, the group wanting to demolish the wedding shop.
    A few years back they’d moved in southeast of town and erected high-priced homes for Nashville’s elite looking for some space. And little by little they crept into Heart’s Bend proper, making deals and acquiring land.
    In the distance, a popping sound rocketed through the