Must-Have Husband (Summer Grooms Series) by Ginny Baird

had passed his boards and begun
practicing, they’d be better off still. Linda sneaked into the bathroom,
thinking how much she loved her life.
    The room was steamy and warm, the full length of the mirror fogged
with steam. Repressing a giggle, she pressed open the double shower door and
stepped inside.
    “Who’s there?” Beau asked, still lathering his hair.
    She wrapped her arms around him, her forearms slipping
against his hairy, muscled chest. “Who do you think?” she asked above the rush
of the water.
    He rubbed the lather from his eyes and spun slowly to face
her in the steamy downpour. “I was hoping to hell it was my wife,” he said, his
voice husky.
    She looked up at him, thrilled to be his, wanting to be all
his for the moment.
    “Who else would it be?” she asked saucily, sliding her arms
up his back and linking her hands behind his neck.
    “Matilda?” he teased with a grin.
    She laughed happily. “Stop it!”
    “Stop?” he said, pulling her to him and bringing his mouth
down on hers. “I was just about to start.”

 
    “Did you bring any other clothes?” Ollie asked as Mac dumped
the contents of his rucksack on the bed.
    “What you see is what you get.”
    “Hmm.”
    “I hope it’s not a problem. In my day job, I don’t have much
occasion to—”
    “What is your day job, by the way?”
    “I run a camping store. Did, I mean.”
    “Did?”
    “Got roasted in that last round of forest fires.”
    Ollie’s face registered sympathy. “I’m sorry. That’s rough.”
    “Some things can’t be helped. Acts of God.”
    “Or nature.”
    “No.”
    Ollie studied him, appraising his frame. “Tell you what, I
might have something that will work.”
    “A suit, you mean?”
    Ollie shrugged. “We always dress for dinner here, and
Grandpa’s party will be no exception. No offense, but jeans and flannel
probably won’t cut it.”
    “No offense taken,” Mac answered honestly, feeling as if
Connie should have warned him. Then again, maybe she hadn’t thought of it
herself. They were so busy concocting their imaginary backstory, they’d
completely failed to talk about what each of them should wear. Of course,
Connie always came out well-coiffed. So maybe it hadn’t even occurred to her
that Mac might require a few gentle suggestions.
    “Be back in a sec,” Ollie said with a grin.

 
    “Speaking of clothing,” Elizabeth said, “we’ve had a very
special arrival from New York this week.”
    Connie caught her breath with a gasp. “The dress?”
    “ The dress, ” her
mom answered with a firm nod. “And let me tell you it is beau-ti-ful . Just gorgeous. That heirloom storage shop does
impeccable work.”
    Connie swallowed hard. “I’m sure.” She walked in a daze to
the bed and sat with a thunk. Naturally, her mom and the rest of the family had
still supposed she was marrying Walt in a few months, but nobody had warned her
the historic wedding gown was being recalled from storage already. “What’s the
rush?”
    Elizabeth sat beside her, giving her a sympathetic smile. “The rush , darling, is that you had a
wedding planned for August. Dresses require fittings. Even one as special as
this, with which your grandmother took such care.” And her Grandma Oliver had
taken great care too. She’d thought out the entire process of her dress being
passed down to her daughters in advance. In case they were larger than she was,
she’d had an extra panel made from matching Paris lace, which could be inserted
in back to augment the dress. In the event they were taller, she’d had an
additional underskirt made, also from identical Paris lace, which could
increase the gown’s length. But alas, after all that trouble, she and Wendell
Oliver, Senior had only been blessed with three boys. Fortunately for the
intended family tradition, each of them had produced wives and daughters, with
Wendell Junior delivering two girls of his own. After her mom and a preceding
line of aunts and cousins,