Must-Have Husband

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, Linda had worn the dress and looked lovely. It was Connie’s turn to wear it next. Their grandpa was firmly convinced that the dress held great magical powers to bestow a happy marriage. Well, it seemed to have worked out in Linda’s case anyhow.
    “Don’t worry, love. No one will expect an August wedding to go off with your recent change in plans. But the happy part is now we’re planning for a new one. Probably not too much further away.”
    “Actually, Mac and I were thinking of having a very long engage—”
    “Nonsense! The dress is already here, and we’ve gotten so much initial planning done. It might take some tweaking here and there, but I’m sure once we pin down a new date — for your new man ,” Elizabeth added with a wink, “we’ll set everything in order.”
    Connie met her gaze. “I know. But wouldn’t it be great if… Just for this weekend? We could focus on Grandpa and his party?”
    Elizabeth warmly patted her hand. “Of course, you’re right. But before I leave you to get ready, do tell me more about Mac. I’m dying to know how you met. And Walt…? Oh my,” she said with a serious frown. “What on earth happened