Although the Hunter Valley was only three hours’ drive north of Sydney, Tammy had never visited the famous wine region, hadn’t realised it was such a tourist industry. The Andretti Vineyard was a stunning eye-opener for her. Not only were there seemingly endless rows of grapevines stretching off into the distance, but there was a thriving business attached to it; a large restaurant with an open-air courtyard surrounded by a beautiful rose garden, an arts and craft shop selling the work of local artists, an amazing underground cellar for wine-tasting, the huge sheds where the wine was made and bottled, and a motel where she and her friends and other wedding guests were being accommodated during the weekend.
She did know that the Fine Wines Emporium Tony managed in Sydney was owned by his family. She simply hadn’t envisaged the extent of the business behind it. This was a wonderful place for a wedding, much more interesting than a function room in the city. And the weather was kind—a lovely fine day for the ceremony under the courtyard pergola which was covered with climbing roses.
Adjoining motel suites were being used by the six of them to get dressed, help each other look their best and share the excitement of the build-up to Lucy’s big moment. They were all wearing empire style dresses, mirroring the style of Lucy’s bridal gown, which was designed to hide her slightly rounded tummy.
The gown was beautiful, its V-necked bodice appliqued with lace and a band of pearls underneath the bustline. There were rows of lace flowers around the long flowing skirt and cascades of pearls hanging from them near the hem.
Purple satin had been chosen for the bridesmaids and matrons of honour because it suited the vineyard, with its dark grapes that made the famous Andretti red wine. They were halter-necked dresses with a gathering of fabric fastened under the bust by a silver sunburst broach, the skirt falling in graceful folds from this centrepoint. Tammy was grateful that it skimmed her figure rather than hugged it. Although she had no baby bulge as yet, her waistline had thickened and she hadn’t wanted that to be obvious to anyone.
The colour looked great on her and she loved the high-heeled silver sandals they’d all bought together, loved the silver necklace and earrings Tony had presented them with. Her long hair had been done up in a high sophisticated top-knot, with a couple of curled tendrils hanging down in front of her ears. She was looking good and feeling good, all primed to thoroughly enjoy Lucy’s wedding until…
‘Is that a helicopter coming in?’ Kirsty asked, frowning over the intrusive blast of increasing noise overhead.
‘No doubt it’s Fletcher doing his last-minute-arrival thing,’ Celine said with a roll of her eyes. ‘Who else would turn up in a helicopter?’
Fletcher!
Tammy felt as though she’d been hit by a brick.
‘Why would he be coming to this wedding?’ she blurted out in shocked protest.
It turned all eyes to her. Embarrassed heat spurted into her cheeks. ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me?’ she demanded, hurt by what felt like a conspiracy of silence.
‘You said it was over, Tam,’ Jennifer quietly reminded her. ‘What difference does it make?’
‘My parents have always been close friends with Celine’s. Naturally they put Fletcher on the guest list,’ Lucy explained. ‘Since the two of you broke up I didn’t actually expect him to come. When he accepted the invitation, it made me think…well, maybe he wants another chance with you, Tam, and you’ve looked so peaky since whatever the blow-up was about on Lord Howe—’ she spread her hands in apologetic appeal ‘—I thought it might be good for you to meet up again.’
Tammy fought for control. Her chest was so tight she was struggling not to hyper-ventilate. Lucy meant well. She always meant well. It was just that her past advice had not proven good and her current meddling…no, it wasn’t really meddling…
Kirsty wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a warm squeeze. ‘We all thought it, Tam. Thought he might have learnt from his mistakes and you’d be happy to revisit what you meant to each other. You were in so deep with him…’
Tammy could feel the blood draining from her face. Her friends had no idea how deep. She was having his child and he’d probably hate her for it.
‘We weren’t sure he would actually come in the end and we didn’t want to raise hopes,’ Hannah rushed in anxiously. ‘But if you don’t want any contact with him, you can stick with the wedding party, Tam. We’ll look after you.’
She would have to tell him about her pregnancy. It was impossible to postpone such a critical piece of news in a face-to-face situation.
‘What did my brother do to you?’ Celine shot out, looking as though she was ready to kill him.
‘Nothing!’ Tammy pushed out vehemently, desperate to end this awful scene. ‘We just have very different values.’
‘Well, maybe your value has risen in the past four months,’ Lucy said.
‘I doubt it!’ A hysterical little laugh erupted from her throat. ‘Sorry for creating. It was a shock. I didn’t expect to ever see him again.’
‘There’s nothing to be sorry about,’ Kirsty assured her with another shoulder hug. ‘Just remember you have us here if nothing changes for you. Okay?’
Tammy nodded.
‘Well, if that was Fletcher landing, he’d better get a move on to join the rest of the guests because it’s almost time for us to get going,’ Jennifer said briskly. As chief bridesmaid for Lucy, she’d been keeping their preparations on schedule all day. ‘Better pick up our bouquets now and remember to hold them at waist level,’ she instructed, waving to the bed where the bouquets were laid out ready for them.
It was the last mention of Fletcher, much to Tammy’s relief. Still, she felt so rattled by the news he was a guest here at Lucy’s wedding, she could barely keep her mind on the proceedings. Luckily, she was the third bridesmaid in the wedding procession, so it was a relatively simple matter to follow the two in front of her and the practice of the previous two weddings held her in good stead. Her feet didn’t falter on the long red carpet laid out between the rows of chairs in the courtyard. Kirsty directly preceded her and she kept her eyes trained on her friend’s back. She reached the pergola and took her place without mishap. Only then did she let herself think about Fletcher Stanton.
How should she handle it if he approached her again, showed interest again? Had he seized on the neutral ground of this wedding to assess her response to him, whether she might now accept his proposition? Did he still want her so much he was prepared to risk another rejection? Or might he even change his proposition?