LITMIR.BIZ

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gold wedding bands and taking walks at 6:30 a.m.” Shelby slid her gaze over to Reed and then stared at Norah with her “tell me everything this instant” expression.

      Norah straightened and sucked in a deep breath. Thank God her sister was here, actually. Shelby was practical and smart and would have words of wisdom.

      “Reed Barelli,” Norah said, “this is my sister, Shelby Mercer. Shelby, be the first to meet my accidental husband, Detective Reed Barelli of the Wedlock Creek PD...well, starting tomorrow.”

      Shelby’s green eyes went even wider. She mouthed What? to Norah and then said, “Detective, would you mind keeping an eye on the triplets while my sister and I have a little chat?”

      Reed eyed the stroller. “Not at all,” he said, approaching warily.

      Norah opened the door and Shelby pulled her inside. The moment the door closed, Shelby screeched, “What?”

      Norah covered her face with her hands for a second, shook her head, then launched into the story. “I went to the carnival on Mom and Aunt Cheyenne’s orders. The last thing I remember clearly is having a corn dog and winning a stuffed dolphin, which I lost. Then it’s just flashes of the night. Reed and I drinking spiked punch—the entire bowl—and going to the chapel and getting married.”

      “Oh, phew,” Shelby said, relief crossing her face. “I thought maybe you flew to Las Vegas or something crazy. There’s no way Annie or Abe would have let you get drunk-married to some stranger. I’m sure you just think you got married.”

      “Yeah, we’d figured that, too,” Norah said. “We just got back from Annie’s house. Turns out she knows Reed from when he spent summers here as a kid. Apparently she was friends with his late grandmother. She called him a saint last night. Annie married us with her blessing! And our marriage license—along with sixteen others—is already at the county courthouse.”

      “Waaah! Waah!” came a little voice from outside.

      “That sounds like Bea,” Norah said. “I’d better go help—”

      Shelby stuck her arm out in front of the door. “Oh no, you don’t, Norah Ingalls. The man is a police officer. The babies are safe with him for a few minutes.” She bit her lip. “What are you two going to do?”

      Norah shrugged. “I guess if we can’t get back the license before it’s processed, we’ll have to get an annulment.”

      “The whole thing is nuts,” Shelby said. “Jeez, I thought my life was crazy.”

      Norah wouldn’t have thought anything could top what Shelby had been through right before Norah had gotten pregnant. Her sister had discovered her baby and a total stranger’s baby had been switched at birth six months after bringing their boys home from the Wedlock Creek Clinic. Shelby and Liam Mercer had gotten married so that they could each have both boys—and along the way they’d fallen madly in love. Now the four of them were a very happy family.

      “You know what else is crazy?” Norah said, her voice going shaky. “How special it was. The ceremony, I mean. Me—even in my T-shirt and shorts and grubby slip-on sneakers—saying my vows. Hearing them said back to me. In that moment, Shel, I felt so...safe. For the first time in a year and a half, I felt safe.” Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked hard.

      She was the woman who didn’t want love and romance. Who didn’t believe in happily-ever-after anymore. So why had getting married—even to a total stranger—felt so wonderful? And yes, so safe?

      “Oh, Norah,” her sister said and pulled her into a hug. “I know what you mean.”

      Norah blew out a breath to get ahold of herself. “I know it wasn’t real. But in that moment, when Annie pronounced us husband and wife, the way Reed looked at me and kissed me, being in that famed chapel...it was an old dream come true. Back to reality, though. That’s just how life is.”

      Shelby squeezed her hand. “So, last night, did the new Mr. and Mrs. Barelli...?”

      Norah felt her cheeks burn. “I don’t know. But if we did, it must have been amazing. You saw the man.”

      Shelby smiled. “Maybe you can keep him.”

      Norah shook her head. Twice. “I’m done with men, remember? Done.”

      Shelby let loose her evil smile. “Yes, for all other men, sure. Since you’re married now.”

      Norah swallowed. But then she remembered this wasn’t real and would be rectified. Brody let out a wail and once again she snapped back to reality. She was no one’s bride, no one’s wife. There was a big difference between old dreams and the way things really were. “I’d better go save the detective from the three little screechers.”

      Norah opened the door and almost gasped at the sight on the doorstep. Brody was in Reed’s strong arms, the sleeves of his navy shirt rolled up. He lifted the baby high in the air, then turned to Bea and Bella in the stroller and made a funny face at them before lifting Brody again. “Upsie downsie,” Reed said. “Downsie upsie,” he added as he lifted Brody again.

      Baby laughter exploded on the porch.

      Norah stared at Reed and then glanced over at Shelby, who was looking at Reed Barelli in amazement.

      “My first partner back in Cheyenne had a baby, and whenever he started fussing, I’d do that and he’d giggle,” Reed explained, lifting Brody one more time for a chorus of more triplet giggles.

      Bea lifted her arms. Reed put Brody back and did two upsie-downsies with Bea, then her sister.

      “I’ll let Mom and Aunt Cheyenne know you might not be in today,” Shelby said very slowly. She glanced at Reed, positively beaming, much like Annie had done earlier. “I’ll be perfectly honest and report you have a headache from the sweet punch.”

      “Thanks,” Norah said. “I’m not quite ready to explain everything just yet.”

      As her sister said goodbye and walked off in the direction of the diner, Norah appreciated that Shelby hadn’t added a “Welcome to the family.” She turned back to Reed. He was twisting his wedding ring on his finger.

      “So you were supposed to work today?” he asked.

      “Yes—and Sundays are one of the busiest at the Pie Diner—but I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate. My mom and aunt will be all over me with questions. And now that I think about it, with the festival and carnival continuing today, business should be slow. I’ll just make my pot pies here and take them over later, once we’re settled on what to say if word gets out.”

      “Word will get out?” he said. “Oh no—don’t tell me Annie and Abe are gossips.”

      “They’re strategic,” Norah said. “Which is exactly how we ended up married and not sent away last night.”

      “Meaning they’ll tell just enough people, or the right people, to make it hard for us to undo the marriage so easily.”

      “She probably has a third cousin at the courthouse!” Norah said, throwing up her hands. But town gossip was the least of her problems right now, and boy did she have problems, particularly the one standing across from her looking so damned hot.

      She turned from the glorious sight of him and racked her brain, trying to think who she could ask to babysit this morning for a couple hours on such short notice so she could get her pies done and her equilibrium back.

      Her family was out of the question, of course. Her sister was busy enough with her own two kids and her secondhand shop to run, plus she often helped out at the diner. There was Geraldina next door, who might be able to take the triplets for a couple of hours, but her neighbor was another huge gossip and maybe she’d seen the two of them return home last night in God knew what state. For all Norah knew, Reed Barelli had carried her down the street like in An Officer and a Gentleman and swept her over the threshold of her house.

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