Read Online Wedding Duress (Events By Design Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) by Ally Gray - Free Book Online Page A

She must have had her say and left before she could embarrass herself. And Stacy’s heart broke just a little bit at the realization that true love sometimes wasn’t enough.
    After all, it certainly wasn’t enough for her and Nathan. No matter what she thought of him and how playfully devoted he seemed to be to her, somebody had to be the adult and keep work and romance separate.
    Which is probably why Stacy was about to destroy her job, this wedding, and the company’s entire reputation.
    There were magical words that were spoken at every wedding, just a formality really, that magical part where the officiate asks the assembled onlookers if anyone knows any reason why these two shouldn’t be joined in holy matrimony. No one ever said anything, as it would be the height of low-class behavior to say something, even as a joke. But Stacy was prepared to. There had been something convincing about both Heaven and Brianna’s stories, something that made Stacy wonder what was really going on behind the scenes of this wedding of the century. It just wasn’t adding up…
    Here goes , she thought to herself ruefully and with a touch of sadness. Here’s the part where he’s gonna open the door for me to ruin my life.
    The pastor—the one who’d christened Diana as a tiny infant and was now marrying her to the specimen who was arguably the man of every woman’s dreams—asked the gathered friends and family if they knew of any reason why…
    “STOP!” Heaven shouted in the general direction of the pastor. People around her screamed at the sight of her, blood and rust-colored dirt splattering her work shirt, and something that looked like motor oil smudging her cheek. She dragged a logging chain behind her, one that was still locked around both her ankles despite the slack she’d managed to work in their line by untwisting one of the wraps. Stacy choked back her own shout that had been about to escape, and only managed through years of Abigail’s careful tutelage to close her mouth.
    “Stop the wedding!” another female voice shouted, bringing up the rear. She too was in chains, but hers were issued by the state of Georgia and were still being held at the end by an officer in a smart-looking uniform. Detective Sims brought up the rear, grinning at Stacy’s shocked expression when he passed her.
    The bride and groom turned in shock, but the expressions on their faces were a one-hundred-eighty-degree separation. The groom was pleasantly surprised by the sight of both women, leading Stacy to wonder how many broken hearts he’d stomped over in order to reach that altar. The bride looked ready to commit homicide with her bouquet, her knuckles white where she clutched it in an iron grip.
    “What’s going on here?” Mrs. Barber demanded, already looking over the tops of the crowd’s heads for the security detail, waving them over with a wiggle of her fingers, jerking her head at the two unwelcome women. As the muscular men began to inch forward, Stacy snapped out of her haze and jumped into action.
    She shook her head at the security officers and raced up the aisle, intent on catching up to the two girls. But instead of looking relieved that the event planner was finally intervening, Mrs. Barber narrowed her eyes at Stacy, looking around quickly to see if she could find a murder weapon of her own. Stacy couldn’t help but notice the look that passed from Diana to her mother, silently demanding that she do something.
    “I’m terribly sorry for the interruption, ladies and gentlemen,” Stacy began in her most refined voice, “but it seems we have some uninvited guests.” Instead of removing them, though, she waved the officer away and guided both young ladies to the front of the procession, gently shoving some bridesmaids aside to make room for the fugitive and the… the… what exactly had Heaven been doing? “Now, I’m sure if we all just take a moment to pause and reflect and give these ladies an opportunity to