Best Man For The Wedding Planner

The first rule of wedding planning...

Be prepared for anything!

Wedding planner Adele Hawthorne is prepared for wedding hitches...but not for the best man to be Dan—her ex! They’re thrown together at every turn, and Adele can’t escape their chemistry or the fact that her heartbreaking reason for leaving him all those years ago hasn’t changed. With just days before Dan leaves their winter wonderland, can he convince Adele they still have something worth fighting for?

DONNA ALWARD lives on Canada’s east coast with her family, which includes a husband, a couple of kids, a senior dog and two crazy cats. Her heartwarming stories of love, hope and homecoming have been translated into several languages, hit bestseller lists and won awards, but her favourite thing is hearing from readers! When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. You can visit her on the web at DonnaAlward.com and join her mailing list at DonnaAlward.com/newsletter.

Also by Donna Alward

Hired: The Italian’s Bride

The Cowboy’s Christmas Family

The Cowboy’s Convenient Bride

Marrying a Millionaire miniseries

Best Man for the Wedding Planner

And look out for the next book

Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

Available January 2019

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Best Man for the Wedding Planner

Donna Alward

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07846-7

BEST MAN FOR THE WEDDING PLANNER

© 2018 Donna Alward

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Carly and Sheila and the UK office…

It’s good to be home.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

IF THE BRIDE changed her mind about something one more time, Adele was going to lose it. And she didn’t often feel that way. Brides who got jitters or last-minute second thoughts about their ceremony were commonplace enough. But this bride...

She was sweet and lovely, but such a micromanager that Adele was ready to tell her to go to the spa for the next forty-eight hours and not come back until she was as buffed and polished as the ice sculptures due to be delivered just after the wedding but before the reception.

“Are you sure the calla lilies are the right flowers for the centerpieces?” Holly asked, worrying her lip with her French-tipped nail.

“Yes,” Adele replied decisively. “They’re elegant and perfect for the arrangements you picked.” She inhaled calmly and put a reassuring hand on the bride’s arm. “Trust me on this. Your wedding is going to be perfect. Every detail is sorted, and in two days you’re going to stand here in the great hall and get married and it’s going to be magical.”

She looked around at the majestic hall of the famed Fiori Cascade Hotel and gave a little wistful sigh. It wasn’t her first wedding here, but each time she put one together she did a little daydreaming of her own. Sometimes the great hall was the setting; other times it was a smaller, more intimate room. In the summer, weddings on the stone patio with the Rockies forming a dramatic backdrop stole her breath. They were fairy tales, every last one of them.

But fairy tales were for other women. Not for her. Instead she put her heart and soul into creating a perfect day for each deserving couple. It was incredibly rewarding and affirming even if, on days like today, her patience was tested.

“Are you sure? Maybe we should have had roses, or gardenia or something?” Holly asked.

“I’m positive.” She smiled and pulled out her tablet. “And everything is right on schedule. Tomorrow we have the rehearsal and the dinner afterward. The menu is set and the wine selections made. All your wedding party has to do is show up.” She gave a little laugh, trying to dispel the bride’s nerves. “Holly, you’re having your wedding in one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Trust the staff to do their jobs, and let me look after the details, so you can enjoy your big day.”

A little voice in her head added, and the lifetime to follow, but she didn’t say the words out loud. She was a wedding planner, not a marriage counselor. Once the last glass of champagne was drunk, her job was over. Each time she finished a job, she sent the bride and groom off with a hope for happiness in the future. The wedding was only one day, but marriage was for a lifetime. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Holly smiled. “Okay.” Then she let out a big breath. “Okay,” she repeated, laughing a little. “I swear, Adele, I didn’t mean to become a bridezilla.”

Adele smiled warmly as her irritation evaporated. “You’re used to being the one looking after the details. I get it. But your job is to delegate and trust that we know what we’re doing. And we do,” she added. “I promise.”

In five years of planning weddings, there hadn’t been a situation she couldn’t handle or remedy, most times without the bride and groom or the guests even guessing that anything had gone awry. Crisis management was something she was good at, and the time crunch of the wedding day barely ruffled her feathers.

“The wedding party arrives today, and we’re going out for some fun tonight,” Holly said, her posture much more relaxed as they walked to the door of the massive ballroom. “I think I might need it.”

“No bachelor party or bachelorette?”

Holly shook her head. “We decided against it. Pete’s best man is coming in from Toronto, and my maid of honor is pregnant, and the rest of the wedding party is all from Calgary and we went out a while ago.” A blush colored her cheeks, and Adele wondered why. A crazy hen night, perhaps? “Anyway, we’re just going to head into town for some dinner and maybe a few drinks. Keep it low-key.”

Considering the wedding was definitely not low-key, Adele was surprised. But low-key in Banff could still be pricey, and Pete and Holly weren’t sparing any expense. It was one of the most lavish weddings Adele had ever planned.

“Sounds lovely,” she replied as they stopped just inside the door. Adele reached for her coat; tomorrow and the next day would be incredibly long and right now she wanted to head home, respond to some emails and phone calls from her in-house office, and then have a glass of wine and some dinner and fall into bed.

She shrugged into her heavy coat and reached inside the pocket for gloves. At least the happy couple had decided on a January wedding and Holly wasn’t being married at Christmas. That might have been a little too hokey. Holly had indeed wanted red as her color at first, but Adele had shown her some photos of other weddings and convinced her to go with navy and silver. Far less predictable, especially now that the holiday decorations were down. Instead of red and green, they could use the cool blues to focus on snowflakes and winter.

“Oh!” Holly stopped and turned back. “I meant to ask you about the ice sculptures. Is there any way we can make them last longer? It would be so neat to have them last all the way through the evening.”

The sculptures weren’t huge and unless they were put outside, they would melt at a pace consistent with the temperature of the room. “We’ll put them out at the last possible minute,” Adele assured her. “But it depends on the heat of the room. That’s one thing I can’t control,” she advised, and put her handbag over her shoulder. “It’s a huge room, but the temp goes up when it’s filled with people.”

Holly looked disappointed, but didn’t persist, much to Adele’s relief. They were just making their way to the lobby when Holly gave a squeal and picked up her pace.

“Lisa! Dan!”

Adele was adjusting her purse strap, but when she finally looked up, her heart froze and her feet stopped moving. Holly skipped forward and hugged first the woman, and then the man standing in a tan wool coat with one hand on the handle of his suitcase and a garment bag over his other arm.

Dan. Just saying his name in her head made her heart squeeze a little. Daniel Brimicombe. Of all the Dans in Toronto, he had to be the best man. It was too far-fetched to be even comical, but here he was, in the flesh, smiling widely for the bride. The man Adele had once planned to marry. The one who’d whispered plans in her ear in the dark.

The man whose heart she’d broken...and in the breaking of it, broke her own.

Best man Dan.

Adele Hawthorne, wedding planner extraordinaire, solver of problems and manager of crises, stood rooted to the spot with her mouth dropped open and her hands hanging uselessly at her sides. This was one wrinkle that she hadn’t seen coming.

“Did you come from the airport together? How smart! Come on, meet my wedding planner. She’s amazing.”

Adele heard the words and tried to unscramble the mess that was her brain. Dan hadn’t noticed her yet, thankfully. She was still trying to recover, and it was difficult because he hadn’t changed at all. Oh, sure, there was a slight maturity in his face but really...it was like it had been eight days rather than eight years since they’d seen each other. Dark, perfect hair, just a little stubble on his chin, and the way his coat fit on his shoulders...as if it had been specifically tailored for his build.

He’d always carried himself with that calm confidence. She’d envied it back then. Still did.

And then he adjusted his garment bag, turned around and saw her.

His face paled. “Delly?”

Her throat tightened. Damn. He’d used his old nickname for her, and that made it a hundred times worse. She wasn’t Delly. Not anymore.

“You know Adele? Oh, my God, that’s so weird!” Holly seemed totally unaware of the shock rippling between Adele and Dan, though Lisa—whom Adele knew was one of the bridesmaids—seemed to be cluing in.

Dan recovered first, and the color came back in his cheeks as he smiled. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We knew each other in university. I haven’t seen her in eight years.”

Eight years, seven months and a couple of weeks, if they were going to be exact about it.

“Hi, Dan. It’s good to see you.” It wasn’t a lie. It was a huge mess, but it was good to see him. What had happened hadn’t been his fault. He’d done nothing wrong.

His eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe she’d said such a thing, and then he nodded. “Likewise.”

Holly finally sensed the tension and stepped in, looking back and forth at them with a small wrinkle between her eyebrows. “You should see the job she’s done putting all this together. I would have been so lost.” She smiled, but it had a worried edge to it.

Lisa held out her hand. “Hi, I’m one of the bridesmaids. Did you help find the dresses? Because I love mine.”

“Oh, I’m glad,” Adele answered, smiling through her anxiety. “There’ll be a seamstress here tomorrow for any last-minute alterations.” She chanced a look at Dan. “For the groomsmen, too. In case anything needs adjusting.”

“Great.”

The rock in the pit of her stomach got heavier.

“Listen,” Holly said, “why don’t you two catch up? Dan, we’re having dinner in town tonight. I’m sure Pete’s given you the details.”

“Actually, he hasn’t, and I’d like to get settled and make a few phone calls before we go out. There are a few things I forgot to tell my assistant before I left.”

Assistant. She didn’t even know what he’d done after he’d finished his business degree.

Plus, he’d basically just said that he had no interest in talking to her at all. Not that she deserved any consideration. She’d never told him the real reason why she’d broken off their relationship, only that she didn’t feel the same anymore. It had been a lie, but at the time she felt it was the kindest thing to say.

As the trio walked away toward the elevators, Adele swallowed the lump in her throat. It hadn’t been a complete lie, after all. She hadn’t felt the same after she’d left her doctor’s office. Her feelings for Dan hadn’t changed, but her feelings about herself and her place in his life had.

The word cancer tended to do that. Especially paired with the word infertility. She’d known he’d be better off without her.

* * *

Dan had to stop gritting his teeth so tightly. If he didn’t, he was going to give himself a toothache, a headache or both.

But seeing Adele this afternoon had been so unexpected that he hadn’t had any time to think or prepare. It had just hit him—wham—right in the solar plexus.

“Another beer, Dan?” Pete nudged his arm.

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Pete ordered another round as the noise in the pub got louder. Was he getting old? At first Pete’s younger sister had suggested a nightclub, but the idea of a crowded place with too much bass and bodies grinding was unappealing. Dan had assumed tonight would be a little more upscale, but instead they’d hit one of the local pubs. He was glad of it, actually—it had been too long since he’d chilled out in such a relaxed atmosphere.

He looked over at Pete and gave a grin. “This reminds me of when we both started with the company. Paying off student loans and heading for wherever had cheap beer and a decent steak sandwich.”

Pete lifted his glass. “Those were the days, huh? Just like old times.”

Yeah, it was. Sometimes he missed it. Now he put in longer days and drinks and dinner were usually business events and not downtime.

He sat back in his chair and let out a sigh. He’d had a good steak and some cold beer and was looking forward to being back in his room and in a comfortable bed. It was past ten, which meant it was past midnight home in Toronto, and he wasn’t in a party mood. He was finally taking a whole week’s vacation and she had to be here. Seeing Adele had taken his celebratory mood and soured it, despite the old times feel to the evening.

The waitress came back with a tray of drinks and put one down in front of him, offering a bright smile. He smiled back, but only out of politeness. She was pretty enough, but once again Adele was in the front of his thoughts. He resented her being there. He’d moved on with his life. She hadn’t really given him a choice about that.

“Dude, are you all right? You look ready to kill someone.” Pete took a drink of his own beer and lifted an eyebrow.

“Didn’t Holly tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

He took a long drink of the brew and put the glass down on the table. “Your wedding planner is my ex.”

“Denise?”

Dan shook his head. “No, of course not. I was never serious about her. I mean the ex.”

The emphasis was all that was needed. “Oh. The one from university.”

“Yeah. And I had no idea. Just boom. There she was, standing in the lobby this afternoon.”

“How does she look?”

He picked up his beer again and angled an eyebrow. “You’ve met her.”

Pete laughed. “I mean, how does she look to you?”

His brain conjured up an image of her standing in the lobby, her warm coat bundled around her, her eyes wide and startled to see him, too. “Too good,” he admitted, and finished the glass. The drinks were going down a little too easily, but there was a limo waiting for all of them to take them back to the hotel. He only had to stagger from the car to his room. Then maybe he’d fall asleep and forget about her.

Pete nodded. “I’m sorry, man. We had no idea.”

“How could you? It’s halfway across the country.” He and Pete had been fresh out of university, and met working for the same eco-energy company in Toronto. Pete’s career had taken him to Alberta, the oil-and-gas capital of Canada, while Dan had stayed in Toronto, rising up through the ranks until he was chief financial officer of the company. It was a massive achievement to reach that level before he was thirty.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Dan looked up at Pete, realizing that despite the generous slab of beef and fries he’d eaten, his reflexes were slowing. No more beer for him. “Nothing. It’s your wedding, and she’s supposed to be making it amazing. I’ll just avoid her is all. Shouldn’t be too hard.” After all, he’d been avoiding thinking about her for at least the last eight years. It had taken nearly two of those years for him to even start dating again. Not that he’d admit that out loud.

Pete grinned. “Well, Lisa’s been looking at you all night. And I know she’s single. Might be a good distraction for you.”

Dan considered. The blonde was cute, for sure, with an easy smile and an attractive figure, particularly in the leggings and snug sweater she’d worn tonight. But he shook his head. “I don’t think so, pal. Wedding hookups can be messy, and I’m not in the mood to play games.”

Even if, by doing so, he could give Adele a glimpse of what she’d walked away from.

He didn’t want revenge. He just wanted to put her in his rearview mirror for good.

The subject was dropped for a while, and after one more round of drinks the group departed for the limo and the hotel. Tomorrow they had free time until the rehearsal at six, with the exception of the last-minute fittings.

As he opened the door to his room, he realized he was looking forward to a morning of actually sleeping in and maybe going for a hike or something. He hadn’t been to Banff since he was in high school on a class trip to Calgary. The only thing that would make it better was if his brother, Drew, was here. His younger brother lived for the outdoors, and the wilder, the better. The opulence of the hotel was great, but right now Dan missed his family. They were all grown and spread out all over the country. Drew wasn’t even in Canada all that often anymore. When had they become so divided?

The bed was turned down and he crawled inside, the ache in his gut growing hollower by the minute. Family...love...it seemed both had taken a back seat to success. Or maybe it was that he’d tried to use success to fill the absence of close relationships in his life. Even the women he’d dated...he didn’t ever get too close to them. Why?

He flopped to his side and sighed. And maybe he should stop thinking so much. Damn Adele for being here, and for dredging up all these feelings, anyway.

The wedding was the day after tomorrow. She was the planner. After that, he wouldn’t need to see her at all, would he?

And he could enjoy what remained of his vacation and go back to his regularly scheduled life.

Without her.

CHAPTER TWO

A WAITRESS REFILLED Adele’s coffee without asking as Adele opened her spreadsheet with today’s itemized list. The hotel coffee shop had become her temporary office, as it allowed her to be closer to everyone involved than her home office did.

Still, her stomach was in knots, and it was more to do with seeing Dan than the wedding. The distraction was stealing her focus. By tomorrow, changes couldn’t be made. Everything had to be in place by tonight.

Her email notification dinged quietly and she let out a frustrated sigh. Holly and Pete had been talking about the cocktail hour and wanted a change made to the signature drink and an addition to the hors d’oeuvre menu. Two extra people were now attending who had declined before, so final plate numbers also needed to be adjusted. And they were family, so the seating arrangements would have to be tweaked, too.

Nothing was earth-shattering, but Adele seriously appreciated those brides who knew what they wanted, set it up and stayed the course. Still, the fee from this event was significant, and as long as everything went off without a hitch, it was a great addition to her portfolio. She was smart enough to know a lot of her grumpiness was brought on from the arrival of Dan. Particularly since he’d plainly shunned her yesterday.

She took a sip of coffee, her stomach rumbled, and she knew she had to eat some breakfast before tackling anything. Within moments, she’d ordered an apple Danish and yogurt—something healthy to balance out the sweet pastry. Dutifully, she ate the yogurt first, and had just taken a first sticky bite of Danish when Dan walked in, dressed in jeans and a sweater so cozy and soft that he looked incredibly huggable. Add to that his thick, dark hair and the shadow of stubble on his jaw and hers wasn’t the only head that turned.

He saw her sitting there and his jaw tightened, his initial relaxed expression evaporating. The nerves that had already been dancing in her stomach started a jig and she put the pastry back on the plate. The fact that he still seemed to despise her put her on edge, but not as much as her own reaction. Today, like yesterday, there’d been a split second of happiness and warmth when she’d looked up and seen him there. As if her heart reacted before her brain could kick in and say, “No, Delly. He’s not for you anymore.” The truth was, it still hurt.