Double Wedding, Single Dad

Inc.

Double Wedding, Single Dad

by

Fleeta Cunningham

Dearly Beloved Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Double Wedding, Single Dad

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Fleeta Cunningham

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

Cover Art by Kim Mendoza

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Last Rose of Summer Edition, 2014

Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-505-0

Dearly Beloved Series

Published in the United States of America

Praise for Fleeta Cunningham

and her Santa Rita Series

Well-crafted story... exciting plot... interesting characters... I am now determined to read the rest of the series.

~The Romance Studio (5 Stars)

One of the most fantastic books I've read this year... An author of increasing distinction who will never disappoint her readers.

~Two Lips Reviews (5 Lips, Recommended)

A warm, thought-provoking book... The best thing is she balances the build-up with a really good ending.

~WRDF (rated Fantastic)

Delightful to read. Fleeta Cunningham slips in mores, styles, and pastimes of the 1950s era... a sparkling, enjoyable vicarious experience.

~Camellia, Long and Short Reviews (4.5 Stars)

~*~

Books by Fleeta Cunningham

available at The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

ELOPEMENT FOR ONE

BLACK RAIN RISING

DON'T CALL ME DARLIN'

HALF PAST MOURNING

CRY AGAINST THE WIND

BAL MASQUE

HELP WANTED: WIFE

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A CRUMPET

TILL THE WORLD IS SAFE FOR DREAMS

Dedication

To the Thursday Girls—

Tiffany, Lael, Pat, Patty, Phyllis, Jane, and Tonya,

and the honorary member, Kim.

Without you, everything I do would be

half as much fun and twice as much work.

Hugs all around.

Chapter 1

So we’re dealing with a double wedding, for your two daughters, scheduled at the end of June? In her twenty years as a wedding coordinator, Lucinda Parks had rarely found herself planning the ceremony with the father of one bride, and never with the father of two.

Jeffery Sinclair shifted his elegant Armani-clad legs in the too-small, too-frilly chair, suggesting he wasn’t any more at ease with the situation than Lucinda was. I’m afraid so. Candace is in D.C. until school is out, and Shelby has her last competition on the fourteenth of June. I know five months isn’t much time to pull this together, but the girls have their hearts set on a June wedding. They both grew up here, and most of their friends are still in the area, so they want to have their weddings in their hometown. And it just makes sense to have a double wedding instead of two weddings a week apart. He ran long fingers through silvering hair, an uneven grin lifting his well-shaped mouth. It might be a little easier on the old man, too. He lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. Or maybe not, considering.

Lucinda scrolled through her appointment lists, checking for times she could arrange the usual planning sessions. A double wedding should be less expensive than two separate ones, she suggested. You’re only hosting one reception, renting one venue, and probably, for the most part, the people invited would be coming to both weddings anyway, so you’re planning only one dinner.

The cost doesn’t matter. He dismissed the money factor with a shrug. The only important thing is the girls get the wedding they want.

Lucinda looked up from her screen. When will your daughters be in town? I mean between now and the wedding? We can do a lot of our discussions on-line, and I can email pictures, but I’ll have a better idea of how to proceed after I meet them in person.

Jeff Sinclair had an exasperated frown wrinkling his handsome brow. I wish they were coming sometime in the next five months. Then my part in this would be just signing checks and playing host, and your job would be a lot easier. The girls won’t be here at all till they come for the wedding. I’m afraid it’s just you and me and the Internet, Ms. Parks.

And the girls’ mother? Lucinda hesitated to ask, but she needed to know.

Margot and I had one of those quietly nasty divorces about ten years ago, when the girls were twelve and fourteen. When we finally admitted we couldn’t stand living together, we went our separate ways, but we wanted our girls to have two involved parents. In the course of raising two teenagers, we discovered we could be friends if we didn’t try to share the same roof. She died in a car wreck three years ago, and I mourned the loss of a long-time friend. Great woman, smart and funny, but never meant to be a wife—not my wife, anyway. That’s why I have to do this for the girls. There isn’t anyone else, and in a way, I owe it to Margot to make the girls’ dream weddings happen.

So the father of the brides is going to have to do the mother’s part, too. Well, the girls are close, you said, and cooperative, so this event shouldn’t be too complex. Lucinda pulled up a new screen on her laptop. Let’s get the basic information down and see where we’re going to have to make creative adjustments.

Candace and Shelby have each offered to give up cherished plans so her sister can have the wedding she wants. I don’t want either of my girls to give up a dream. I want Candace to have the old-fashioned, white-lace-and-roses church wedding she’s always wanted. And I want Shelby to have the Texas barbecue-and-barn-dance wedding she wants. He took two folded sheets from his inner pocket and handed them across the desk to Lucinda. They’ve each bought what they think is the perfect wedding dress. Bought before either realized there would be two weddings in the family. I just don’t know how they can work together.

Lucinda opened the folded sheets, pages torn from glossy magazines. This one is the dress Candace chose? The gown was conservative, traditional, with a lace bodice, sweeping chapel train, and tiered veil. Lucinda glanced across the desk and saw her client nod.

That’s Candace—sweet, classic, and never showy or ostentatious. Always a schoolteacher at heart. He gestured to the other page. Shelby, on the other hand…

The second picture gave Lucinda a better understanding of his hesitation. The dress was barely knee length, probably made up in white batiste or voile, a strapless sundress worn over frilled petticoats. With boots…white cowboy boots. And a Stetson hat. I think I begin to see the problem. She swallowed hard.

Jeff Sinclair leaned across the desk, tapping the cowgirl-bride picture. Shelby’s been on the back of a horse most of her life. And her dream wedding includes jeans, boots, and a country band for the dance. One tapered finger shifted to the second magazine page. On the other hand, Candace is thinking bridesmaids in blue and music by a string quartet. Civil ceremony and beer for Shelby, Episcopal priest and champagne for Candace. Soft crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. Lucinda heard the frustration in his voice. Ms. Parks, how do we make a double wedding out of that? The girls love each other enough to compromise, but can we make a wedding that is right for both of them? Can we make it happen?

Lucinda saw consternation darken his grey eyes at the thought of disappointing his daughters. "Right now, I’m not sure how we make it happen, Mr. Sinclair, but together we’ll see your girls have a wedding to remember. She stared at the standard form covering her screen for a moment, then deleted it and turned off the computer. Pulling a yellow tablet from a drawer, she gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Let’s see if we can reason this out, the old-fashioned way, no formulas or pre-set choices. Just caring and making it right for both girls. She picked up her pen and wrote out the girls’ names and the wedding date. Thinking about how we can keep those girls’ dreams intact, let’s put all the standard, wedding-in-a-box ideas away and give them the double wedding they’ll both love." She felt her smile broaden as she saw her client draw a deep breath and begin to relax. This should be fun! A challenge, but fun. And an occasional consultation with this very handsome man won’t make it any harder. I think we’ll have a lot of conversations in the next few months. You might as well call me Lucinda.

And I’m Jeff. He squirmed again in that too-small chair again. If we’re going to be working together, getting out of the box as you said, could we do it somewhere a little easier on the male posterior? Say, over dinner in the Oak Room? It’s coming up on six-thirty, and I’d think a little more creatively over a glass of wine and a good dinner. How about you, Lucinda? Wine with wedding plans work for you?

I believe it does.

The Oak Room was classically appointed with deep, comfortable chairs, subtle lighting, and an extensive wine list. Jeff took his time ordering an excellent pinot noir. With the icy rain falling out there, I think we need something to warm our blood.

Lucinda tasted his choice and agreed. It’s perfect. She took a moment to savor the bouquet, then turned back to the business at hand. Have the girls engaged any of the services we’ll need to consult? Florists, musicians, caterers, any of those?

She liked the way his easy smile seemed to come at