The Best Man in Texas Read Free Page A

that gets so out of hand the police are called?”
    Valid concerns. In theory, the sooner they had the wedding, the less time Meg would have to plan something outrageous. But the truth was, Meg wasn’t much of a planner. She’d never had a problem manufacturing last-minute outrageousness.
    “She’s my sister,” Brooke said by way of resigned explanation. “I couldn’t not ask her. Especially since you’re in your second trimester and—”
    “I was only giving you a hard time,” Kresley assured her. “I’m not hurt that you didn’t ask me.”
    “Promise me that if she tries to draft you for something insane, you’ll remind her that I don’t like surprises?”
    Kresley’s eyes twinkled. “If you think that’ll do any good.”
    Brooke traced the rim of her glass. “Do you think it’s rushing to get married in just a few months?”
    “Not if you keep it simple. You said you both wanted a small, intimate wedding, right? Rushing would be if you two crazy kids had up and eloped.”
    “No. That is emphatically not for me.” Her stomach clenched at the thought. For someone who wanted a marriage so different from her parents’, kicking off the marriage in the exact same way seemed like a bad omen. “Besides it would break Grace’s heart if she wasn’t there.”
    Giff had told her he’d shown his mom the ring before he’d taken Brooke to dinner last Friday; they’d gone to see her afterward to share the happy news. The woman was as warm and caring as her son, and Brooke knew she’d make a wonderful mother-in-law.
    “We’re having Sunday supper with her this weekend,” Brooke said. “Giff offered to take us all out somewhere, but she said she has to cook to properly welcome me into the family.” Grace probably knew a great meat loaf recipe.
    “She’s his only family?” Kresley asked.
    “Pretty much. He has an uncle in Dallas, some cousins he’s not really close to that I’ll meet eventually. Butnext to his mom, the most important person to him is a guy he grew up with. They were apparently like brothers—I’m supposed to meet him Wednesday. If Giff loves him, I’m sure I will, too.”
    “Whoa.” They heard Meg’s return before they saw her. She launched herself back into her chair, fanning herself dramatically with what looked like a magazine. “You guys should really go play pool.”
    “Um, I tire pretty easily these days,” Kresley admitted. “I was considering going home to bed.”
    “But you’re missing out!” Meg dropped what she was holding on the table, and Brooke realized it was actually a calendar. “There are three seriously hunky firemen in the next room. I refilled a drink for one, and we got to talking about these calendars they did as a community fundraiser. He gave me this one at a discount since the year’s half over.”
    Brooke laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a calendar at your apartment.” Meg’s only concession to structured time management were a few clocks, but the one in her living room had been stopped for months. Brooke always wanted to sneak in with batteries and reset it.
    “Trust me, sis, this calendar I will be hanging up.” She began flipping through it so they could all see the pictures.
    January’s photo featured a man with a great smile who was leaning across an old-fashioned fire engine, his hand on the gold bell. The caption read Ringing in the New Year. Overall, it was a politically correct calendar that no one would be embarrassed to have in their kitchen. A couple of female firefighters were included,and no one was posed in a bright red thong. But the men who’d been chosen for the summer months were all shirtless, and Brooke’s breath caught when she noticed Mr. July.
    The man on the page had chiseled cheekbones and a jawline dusted with dark stubble. His light brown hair was cropped close, extremely short on the sides but long enough to be tousled on top. His arms were amazingly well defined without making him look like a