Allison shook her head. "You'd be my favorite, no matter what. Angel is my Grove Keeper."

Ryder's mouth twitched. "That's right. You're an Acorn." He turned his attention to Angel. "How are you enjoying the FWM?"

"You know about it?" Angel asked.

"I lived in Fool's Gold until I was about ten. Then we moved to Denver." He glanced around. "Great place. I was sorry to go."

"He's visiting for the weekend," Allison said, leaning against Ryder. "I showed him my beads."

They spoke a few more minutes, and then Allison dragged her uncle away to buy her an elephant ear. Taryn watched them go.

"You're good with the girls," she said. "They adore you."

"I'm their only Grove Keeper. They don't know any better."

"Which makes them easier to fool? I don't think so, big guy. They're crazy about you." She nudged his arm. "Besides, you can French-braid now. You're invaluable."

"I'd been looking for a skill to round out my resume."

She was still laughing when they stopped in front of a display of hats. The hats themselves were cloth, with a brim that could be rolled up or left down. But what made them different were the silk flowers. Some of the arrangements were small, with only a few buds, while others were full-on bouquets.

Taryn tugged on Angel's hand, but he wasn't budging.

"No way," he told her. "I heard that this year it's all about accessories, so I'm buying you a hat."

A hat she would never wear, she thought as he selected, then rejected several options. Then he picked up a soft black hat with dark red roses and plenty of green leaves and put it on her head. He adjusted the brim until it was how he wanted it, then turned her toward the mirror.

"What do you think?" he asked.

The hat wasn't anything she would ever wear, but that wasn't the point. She could see herself and part of him. He kept fussing with the way the hat sat on her head. As his fingers lightly stroked her cheek, she felt a tightness in her chest. A tightness unlike anything she'd experienced before.

Her breath caught and the world spun a little before settling. And then she knew. She was in love with Angel.

She who had vowed to never risk her heart, no matter what. She who defined her world by how much she controlled it. She who had always prided herself on her toughness, had fallen deeply and profoundly in love.

"Taryn?" Angel's voice was sharp. "What's wrong?" He turned her to face him. "You went pale." He touched her forehead, then reached for her wrist and felt for her pulse. "Your heart is racing. Are you sick?"

She was, she thought frantically. Sick with love. Oh G.o.d. How had this happened? Why hadn't she been paying attention?

But after the panic came certainty. This was right, she thought. Whatever happened, however this ended, she had fallen in love. And by giving her heart, she'd broken free of the last bond her father had on her. She'd overcome the fear.

She drew in a breath and smiled at him. "I'm okay. Just a little light-headed. I didn't eat this morning."

He tossed the hat lady the money for the hat, then put his arm around Taryn's waist and led her toward the food booths. "We'll get something into you right now."

His touch was sure, she thought. She knew he would take care of her. It wasn't love-he'd already given his heart and couldn't do it again. She understood that. Later, she would deal with that pain, but for now it was enough to know that she wasn't as freakish as she'd feared. She was almost like everyone else.

Angel got her a wrap and a soda for each of them, then made sure she ate all of hers. They were still discussing what to do that afternoon when Consuelo walked up and handed them each a piece of paper. There was an address on it.

"Five o'clock this afternoon," she said, glaring at them. "It's Kent's mother's house. There'll be food. Don't be late and don't tell me you can't make it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Angel said.

Taryn smiled. "I'm not frightened by you, and yes, I'll be there, too. What's going on?"

"Nothing I want to talk about," Consuelo grumbled, and walked away.

TARYN HADN'T BEEN sure what to wear to Consuelo's undefined event. She figured it was something like a barbecue so chose a simple summer dress with a sweater to ward off any chill. As walking on gra.s.s might be required, she chose a platform sandal.

Angel picked her up at a quarter to five and they drove the few blocks to Denise's house. There were already a few cars parked in front and several people walking up the front walk.

"Big party," he said, then went around to the pa.s.senger side of his SUV and helped her out. As she slid to the ground, he leaned close. "Let's not stay too late."

The combination of his breath and his voice made her shiver. She looked into his eyes. "An early night sounds nice."

He brushed his lips against her cheek before they headed toward the front door.

Nevada Hendrix Janack, one of the Hendrix triplet sisters, met them in the foyer. "Everyone's out back," she said. "Just go through the house. There's plenty of seating." She paused. "Angel, right?"

He nodded.

"My brother needs to speak to you." She pointed to a hallway. "Down there. Taryn, can you find your own way to the backyard?"

Ford appeared and grabbed Angel's arm. "You made it. Good. Hey, Taryn." With that, both of them were gone.

Taryn wondered what on earth was happening. She followed the directions to the rear of the house and entered a large kitchen. From there she could see out big windows. A huge tent had been set up outside. The sides were rolled up so she could see the twinkle lights decorating the poles. Chairs had been set up in rows, with a center aisle. There was a beautiful cake on a small table at the far end of the garden, a dance floor to the left and flowers everywhere. If she didn't know better, she would swear they'd been invited to a wedding.

Dellina came in from the backyard, saw Taryn and grinned. "Can't talk. Way too busy. Who plans a wedding with twenty-four hours' notice? It's not possible, but here we are."

Taryn didn't have to ask the name of the bride. There was only one couple who would get married in Denise's yard like this.

She walked outside. The guests were talking and obviously excited about what was happening. Servers circulated with gla.s.ses of champagne and trays of appetizers.

"My lady."

She turned and saw Jack holding out a gla.s.s to her. She took it and smiled at him. "You're here."

"We were summoned," he said, motioning to where Sam and Kenny were talking to some people she didn't know.

"Larissa is going to be sorry to miss the wedding," Taryn said. Larissa had gone back to L.A. to visit one of her sisters for the weekend.

"I'll save her a piece of cake. Where's your date?"

"I don't know. He was whisked away. He might be part of the wedding party." Angel had known Consuelo a long time. She would guess the other woman wanted him involved.

"They pulled this together fast," Jack said. Despite the afternoon sun, he looked comfortable in his suit and tie. Of course Jack was comfortable everywhere.

"You have no idea." Taryn told him about her recent lunch with friends and Consuelo's meltdown. "Maybe this is how she could get it done."

Jack put his arm around her. "Marriage wasn't so bad."

"All six weeks of it?" she asked lightly.

He smiled at her.

Mayor Marsha moved to the front of the tent and asked everyone to find a seat. Taryn and Jack sat together. She saved a seat for Angel in case he joined them later. Music started. Kent, Reese and Ford appeared up by the mayor.

Felicia started up the aisle. The maid of honor, Taryn would guess. The wedding march began and the guests rose. She turned to see Consuelo in a full-on wedding gown, complete with veil, being escorted by Angel and Justice. She looked beautiful and fierce. Taryn had a feeling she was fighting serious nerves.

When she reached the end of the aisle, Justice and Angel lifted her veil and kissed her cheek. Then they stepped to the left, to stand by Felicia.

"Male and female attendants," Jack whispered. "Very modern."

She smiled, then turned her attention to the ceremony.

"We are delighted you could all attend this wonderful occasion," Mayor Marsha began. "While I try to attend every wedding in town, I'm not always lucky enough to officiate at them. Thank you both for this joyous opportunity."

She glanced down at the book she held, then back at the guests. "Today we celebrate and witness the joining of Kent Hendrix and Consuelo Ly. Traditional vows will follow, but first our wonderful couple wants to say something to each other."

Consuelo handed her bouquet to Felicia, then faced Kent.

"I love you," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Very much. I promise to always show up and to tell you when I'm afraid." She flashed a smile. "I can't say I'll always be normal."

Kent grinned. "I'll be normal enough for both of us." His mouth straightened. "I'll always take care of you, Consuelo. Be there for you." He glanced over his shoulder.

Reese stepped a little closer. "Me, too," he added. "We're going to be a family."

Taryn felt her eyes start to burn. She wondered if Angel would look at her, if he would communicate that while they didn't have that level of emotion between them, he cared. Only he didn't.

Instead Jack took her hand. "This is nice," he murmured.

"It is."

"There's something to be said for eloping."

Which they had done, she remembered. "Less money on catering."

He grinned. "Good point. I'm glad your friend there was the one who had to deal with the snake. It probably would have killed me."

She chuckled. "I'm sure of it."

"You've got a good man there."

She looked back at Angel. "Yes, I do."

As if he'd heard them, he turned toward her and gave her a slow wink. She smiled back and knew that her world had gotten just a little brighter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

"YOU HAVE CHILDREN here to see you," Larissa said with a grin. "Two girls. They know you by name."

Taryn held in a smile. "Is that accusation I hear in your tone?"

"Children? It still surprises me to think about you hanging with them."

"You know I'm an a.s.sistant Grove Keeper."

"I've heard the words," Larissa said with a grin, and walked back out into the hall.

Taryn was still chuckling when Chloe and Layla, another Acorn, walked in. She stood and circled around her desk. "Hi, you two. What's up?"

Chloe set her backpack on a chair and pulled out a length of rope. "We're having trouble with our knots. Angel's busy and the campout is coming up soon. There's going to be a test after we set up our tents. We know there's a rabbit and a hole, but we can't remember about the tree."

Layla rolled her eyes. "I asked my dad, but he doesn't know."

She sounded desperately disappointed in the man.

Taryn kept her smile in place even as her stomach flipped over. Knot proficiency was required of Acorns. Angel had taught them at the last meeting. And while Taryn had been able to go through the motions with everyone else, she hadn't really been paying attention to the particulars. After all, Angel was the outdoor expert. She was simply faking it.

In the past few weeks they'd gone hiking twice and had repeated the kayaking without incident, but with s.e.x, which made it even more fun. But knots? She knew next to nothing about knots.

But she couldn't say that to the girls, she thought. Nor could she fake her way through knot teaching. Before she could figure out a way to confess all and then look up knots on the internet, Kenny walked down the hall.

Taryn called to him. He stepped into her office, took one look at the girls and raised his eyebrows. "Something you want to admit to?" he asked.

She ignored the humor in his eyes. "Kenny, these are two of my Acorns. Chloe and Layla. We were discussing the knots we have to learn and I was wondering if you knew anything about knots."

Kenny glanced from her to the girls and back. He leaned against the door frame as if he had all the time in the world...and he planned to use every second of it to torture her.

"Camping?" he asked.

Chloe nodded. "We're having an all-grove campout. Layla and I are Acorns, like Taryn said. We're the youngest. The other groves are Sprouts, Saplings, Sky-Reachers and Mighty Oaks. We're going to be Sprouts next year."

Layla nodded.

Kenny's mouth twitched and Taryn knew it had nothing to do with Chloe's innate cuteness. Instead he was storing information he would use against her when she was least expecting it.

She thought about pointing out that she hadn't been exactly hiding her position as a.s.sistant Grove Keeper from anyone. She just hadn't been talking about it much. Jack knew, but now that she thought about it, there was a good possibility the other two didn't.