Damn. He thought he’d been prepared to see her with another man, but he wasn’t. The anguish nearly made his good leg buckle.
Just as he grabbed the edge of the float for support, Alison looked up from the crowd. Their gazes collided, locked. Time slipped away…. The driver whipped the float around the corner and Brady leaned forward, craning his head so he could still see her. But the float jerked again and he toppled off headfirst, right into the horse’s behind in front of him.
ALISON’S FINGERS SLID from Thomas’s hand and fluttered to her chest. Brady Broussard was riding on the float. Dear heavens, she hadn’t been prepared for the sight of him in that Air Force uniform.
Or the fact that he simply stared right through her as if she wasn’t there.
Hurt clogged her throat, pushing tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away, furious at herself for still caring. And for still being mesmerized by the man.
And he was definitely a man now—bigger, more muscular, tougher looking. She’d known all that thick black hair would be cut military style, but she hadn’t imagined it showcasing the strong angles and planes of his face so well. The man was twice as sexy as he’d been in high school and college.
But more distant than ever.
Thomas yanked on her hand and a wave of dizziness assaulted her. She couldn’t marry Thomas when she already had a husband, especially when they still had things unresolved between them. Like their annulment.
“You want a soda or one of those snow cones, Ali?” Thomas asked.
Dear heavens, he was always so considerate, and here she was—a married woman dating him, and she hadn’t even told him.
She shook her head. “No, but we need to talk.”
Horns blasted from the parade, the fire engine blared its siren, children screamed and the grand finale—a pig named Elmer that had placed first prize at the country fair, and its owner, the winner of the hog-calling contest—rolled past, emitting grunts and squeals that could wake the dead.
The crowd began to disperse, all heading toward the festivities. Mimi waved. “I’d better get to the coffee shop. We’ll be bombarded all day.”
Seth curved his arm protectively around Mimi and guided her through the crowd. “And I’m going along to make sure she doesn’t overdo it.”
“We’ll check out the booths. I see some dolls to add to my collection,” Hannah said.
“Uh, I think I have to help direct traffic,” Jake teased.
Hannah laughed and yanked Jake’s hand, leading him away. “No, you don’t. You promised me the entire day.”
Alison laughed and waved to several people she knew, but Thomas coaxed her the other way, ending up beneath the awning of Sugar Hill’s Hotspot, the new coffee shop-bookstore Mimi and their cousin Rebecca co-owned.
Thomas folded Alison’s hands in his and pressed them to his chest. She could feel his heart beating, could see the anticipation in his eyes. “You look great today, Ali.”
She smiled, wishing she could sugarcoat what she had to say. Thomas was just so darn nice. “I…we have to talk.”
“I know. I hope you’ve been thinking about my proposal.”
She inhaled a deep breath. “I have, Thomas, and you’re a wonderful guy.”
His smile slipped slightly. “Uh-oh, that sounds like the beginning of a brush-off.”
She pulled her hands free and laid one hand against his cheek. She wanted to love him. She just needed time to talk to Brady, sort out this annulment, put the past behind her forever. “I need some more time, Thomas. It feels like we’re rushing things.”
He studied her for a long moment, his expression calm and understanding. “Okay, take all the time you need. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
He was too good to be true.
Alison pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Thomas.”
Before she could elaborate, Vivica bounced up behind her. “Ali! Hey, look who’s here.”
Alison spun around, her breath whooshing out when she saw Brady standing beside her.
BRADY’S JAW ACHED from forcing a smile on his face. He’d been congratulated by at least a dozen people when he’d gotten off the float. Thankfully, Vivica had rescued him and heralded him through the crowd. Now he knew why. She’d purposely dragged him right to Alison.
When he’d seen Alison kiss Emerson Brady had clenched his jaw harder, bitten his tongue and almost cracked a tooth.
“Dr. Emerson, this is my brother, Brady,” Vivica said, smoothing over the awkward moment by launching into a long diatribe about how she and Brady had known Alison in high school. Brady shook the man’s hand, studying Alison out of the corner of his eye. He tried to read her reaction—hurt, anger, disappointment or a combination of them all?
She had a right to be hurt, he thought. He had broken promises, stopped writing, sent her letters back even after she’d pleaded with him to write and explain what had happened to change his feelings toward her.
She’d be even more disappointed if she knew the truth about him now.
“Brady, aren’t you going to give your old friend a hug?” Vivica nudged him forward. “I swear you and Alison are acting like you’ve never met.”
He forced himself to hold out a hand, his insides clenching when she placed her long slender fingers in his and squeezed. “It’s good to see you again, Alison.”
“Brady.” Her dark expressive eyes flickered with emotions.
“How long are you in town for?” Emerson asked, seemingly unaware of the tension between them.
“About a month.” Brady adjusted his hat, aware that Alison followed the movement. Aware she also saw the long jagged scar on his hand. There were others she couldn’t see. Some he would never reveal to anyone. “Maybe longer.”
Alison’s jaw went slack.
“He came home for the wedding.” Vivica tucked her hand through his arm. “I asked him to run interference between me and Mom with the wedding plans. If it was up to her, I’d have three thousand guests, a full string orchestra, and the ceremony would be televised.”
Alison smiled slightly, obviously trying to recover from the shock of learning Brady planned to stay in town all month. “She reminds me a little of Dad.”
Vivica and Emerson laughed, and Brady gritted his teeth again. Was the man always so damn friendly? It was downright irritating.
“Brady, guess what?” Vivica tugged on his arm. “Alison owns the bridal shop in town, Weddings to Remember. She’s coordinating the wedding for me.”
Brady’s mouth fell open this time, but he quickly snapped it shut.
“Since you offered to pay for the wedding, you’ll need to work with her about finalizing all the details.”
Brady shot Vivica a murderous look. His sneaky, conniving sister had set him up.
A beeper chirped and Emerson checked his, then threw an arm around Alison. “I hate to leave the celebration, but duty calls.” He grinned. “Babies like to pick their own schedule. Of course, it’s usually during the middle of the night.”
He pecked Alison on the cheek, making Brady’s blood boil with all his friendliness and attentiveness,