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Team Bride: A Riverbend Romance Novella 4

By Valerie Comer

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Chapter 1

Wedding rehearsal was about to start without Sarah Jamieson.

Thankfully, it wasn’t her wedding, but that didn’t mean her best friend wasn’t going to kill her. As maid of honor, Sarah had responsibilities. She tapped her fingers on the car’s steering wheel and tried to see why traffic was stopped on the bridge across the Sandon River.

She’d counted on twelve minutes to get from her apartment to the River of Life Church. That’s all it ever took. The small town of Riverbend, British Columbia, had two stoplights and no significant rush hour. Also, she hadn’t seen any need to get there early. Not with the way she felt about weddings. The things she did for her best friend. At least she’d talked Lindsey out of a flower girl.

Sarah opened the car door and crossed to the sidewalk on the other side of the bridge along with several other drivers. Oh, no. A semi had flipped on the bridge’s access, blocking both lanes. This could take a while.

She slid back into her car and tapped the Bluetooth on her dashboard, selecting Lindsey’s cell. It went straight to voice mail. A bride too busy to answer her phone at two minutes to rehearsal? Imagine that. Maybe the groom was carrying his. It was worth a try. She scrolled through the list and found Nick’s number. It rang three times.

“Corbin Morrissey of Team Groom. How may I direct your call?”

She rolled her eyes as she craned to see if there was any action getting the eighteen-wheeler moved yet. A few sirens wailed in the distance. “This is Sarah. I’m stranded in the middle of the bridge because a semi-truck flipped over, blocking both lanes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Sarah from Team Bride?”

She narrowed her gaze and stared at the Bluetooth display. “Lindsey’s maid of honor.”

“Team Bride affirmative. Expected time of arrival?” He chuckled. “Besides late.”
Where had Nick found this guy, anyway?

Sarah leaned out her open car window as sirens approached. “Sounds like the RCMP are here. Tow trucks. And a woman in a safety vest coming this way stopping at every car.”

“So you’ll know what’s up in a minute. We might as well keep talking until she gets to you. Tell me about yourself, Sarah. Have you known Lindsey long?”

She shook her head as she settled back in her seat. Some guys had all the confidence. She preferred them quiet, herself. Not like... Corbin, he’d said his name was? “I’ve known her since we were kids. We’ve been best friends since third grade then lost touch until she came back to Riverbend last year.”

“So you must have gone to high school here. Did you know Nick?”

Sarah wasn’t going there. She had memories of the groom in high school she’d rather forget. Good thing he’d changed. “Yeah, some. How about you? Where did you meet Nick?”

“Bible school, actually. I’ve lived near Riverbend for a couple of years now.”
The woman in the safety vest was still a few cars away. “So are you a pastor now, too?” There were other churches in town. Maybe he worked for one of them.

“I’m a farmer.”

Seriously? He said it with some kind of pride. “You went to Bible college to become a farmer?” Now there was a waste of four years of one’s life.

Corbin laughed. “Not exactly. But God had His reasons.”

The woman approached as Sarah glanced out the window. “They expect to open single-lane traffic in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks.”

“Whoa, Team Bride is losing this competition. Huzzah, Team Groom is rocking it.”

Did that require a reply? “It sounds like I’ll get there when I get there.”

“Try the bridge down by Arrowsmith?”

“That’s another thirty kilometers south. Besides, I don’t think the car behind me left enough room to turn around. No, I’d better stay put.”

“Your call. So you know, the pizza just arrived, and it smells awesome.”

Sarah’s stomach growled as she glared at the Bluetooth.

Corbin chuckled. “I heard that. What’s your favorite kind?”

“If it’s Panago, the correct answer is Mediterranean with olives and extra feta.”

The sound of other voices and laughter became louder. A few glasses clinked. “Yup, there’s one of those. You must have an in with the bride. Want me to save you a piece?”

How about saving half a pizza? She hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

He lowered his voice. “We could sit out on the fire escape later and share it. Get to know each other.”

Um, right. Nick should have left this bozo out in the chicken yard where he found him.

“Who are you talking to, Cor?” Nick’s voice. “Is that my phone?”

“Yup, it rang, so I picked it up. Talking to Sarah from Team Bride.”

“Well, give it here already.” The phone switched hands. “Sarah? Where are you? The food arrived.”

“Stuck on the bridge. A semi turned over just a few vehicles in front of me. The tow truck is trying to clear it enough for one-lane traffic now.”

“But rehearsal...”

Like she didn’t know.

“Right. Well, I guess I don’t need to tell you to get here as soon as you can, eh?”

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I have that part figured out, Nick. There’s not much I can do at the moment.”

“I’ll tell Lindsey you called.”

“Thanks. I tried her cell first but she didn’t answer.” Neither had anyone else. She could wish no one had answered Nick’s, either.

“Okay. See you soon, I hope.”

“Hey, pass the phone back here.”

Corbin? Like she wanted to sit and chat with him any longer? Not a chance. She reached over and tapped the screen to end the call. That’d fix him.

*

Where was the maid of honor? Being second-in-command of Team Groom wasn’t all that much fun without a witty counterpart facing Corbin across the church platform. He was bored already.

The groomsmen would gather in the pastor’s office. Check.

They’d stride down the side aisle single file behind Pastor Davis. Nick first, then him, then Jared, then Heath. Check.

The music would change. Everyone in attendance would stand up and turn to the back of the church, blocking Corbin’s view of Team Bride as they entered. Check.

Pastor Davis would talk about marriage, and Corbin would not be reciting The Princess Bride in his head the whole time. Possibly check.

He’d pull Lindsey’s wedding band from his pocket and place it on the pastor’s open Bible when told to do so. Man, he had to do all the work. Why couldn’t Nick and Lindsey have conscripted a ring bearer? Uh, right. Not everyone knew a cute little kid like he’d been back in the day. Check.

Eventually, Nick and Lindsey would be declared married, people would clap and cheer as they waltzed back out to the foyer — were folks in this church allowed to waltz? — and Sarah from Team Bride would tuck her hand in the crook of his arm, and he’d escort her to the photo shoot and reception.

Pastor Davis cleared his throat. “Corbin?”

He blinked to attention and saluted. “Yes, sir?”

“The ring.”

Oh, man. Daydreaming again. As he reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts, movement at the back of the dimly lit sanctuary caught his attention. A sprite of a woman with long blond hair paused in the doorway, licking her fingers. Sarah? She must have nabbed a slice of pizza on her way in.

“There she is!” He pointed. Too bad he hadn’t gotten a firm grip on that ring first. It flew to the platform steps and bounced on down. Thunk, thunk, thunk.

Oops. Not the presentation he’d meant to make at all. He sprang after it and scooped it into his hand.

“Hey, Sarah! Come on up,” called Lindsey. “Or should we start over, Pastor Davis?”

But the man was staring at Corbin. He hadn’t managed to hide that literal rock taped to a metal washer quickly enough, apparently. Corbin grinned and waggled his eyebrows at the pastor, who shook his head. But there was a glimmer of a smile, so that counted for something.

“Sure, let’s start again at the beginning.” Pastor Davis shut his Bible and waved them away. “I doubt either of you needs any practice with the you may now kiss the bride part. That seems to come more naturally than the correct tempo for the bridal march.”

Nick snagged Lindsey and gave her a noisy smooch as he slung his arm around her and steered her toward the back. “That was my practice,” he tossed over his shoulder.

Corbin would gladly give up his position in the last four Team Grooms — or was that Teams Groom? — to have found the woman of his dreams and be the guy getting married himself. His gaze lingered on the maid of honor as he made his way toward her.

Sarah Jamieson. Hair streaked in several shades of blond swung past her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends. A cute pixie face, tanned as though she’d been on the farm all summer, became animated while she chatted with Lindsey. Her hands did a tumbling motion, perhaps to demonstrate the accident that had made her late.

How did they both live in the Sandon Valley yet hadn’t met before? He’d remember that pretty face anywhere. He bumped Lindsey’s shoulder with his arm, keeping his gaze fixed on her friend. “Introduce me?”

***

Tall, dark, and handsome. Whoa.

He’d annoyed Sarah so much on the phone there was no way she planned to like him. Teams Groom and Bride indeed. The entire wedding party was here to make Lindsey and Nick’s wedding day into everything the couple had dreamed of, not to create a competition between girls and guys.

But hey, those killer blue eyes didn’t belong with such dark brown hair, and Corbin Morrissey was awfully cute right down to his sport sandals. Smile lines crinkled around his eyes as a grin poked at his cheeks. A bold one, looking straight at her with a wink.

Sarah blinked and clenched her hands together lest she accidentally fan her face to dissipate the heat she felt rising.

His grin widened. “Sarah Jamieson? I’m Corbin Morrissey, at your service.” He swept a bow.

“Oh, you.” Lindsey jabbed her elbow in the guy’s ribs. “Must everything be a dramatic affair with you?”

Corbin straightened but kept his eyes on Sarah. “Have you seen your best friend, fair lady? She is beautiful and definitely deserving of having a knight in shining armor at her beck and call.”

Shining armor? Sarah couldn’t help the smile that had begun playing with her lips. Shorts with a dozen pockets ended just above his knees, and a bright yellow T-shirt proclaiming If You Ate Today, Thank a Farmer clung to his upper body. No shining armor anywhere in sight.

“Okay, let’s get rolling again or we’ll be here until midnight,” called Pastor Davis.

About that. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, young lady. You girls—”

“Team Bride,” supplied Corbin.

“—Take your place in the ready room at the back. Men, please join me in the office. Musicians, are you ready?”

Corbin was wasted on a farm, unless the chickens thought he was funny. Sarah’s first grade class would totally lap him up.
The guy grinned at her. “See you at the front.”

What a flirt. Sarah tried to wipe the smile off her face, but failed.

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