The noise outside gradually died down. The building stopped shaking just in time for the judge to make the final declaration. “By the authority granted me by the state of Texas, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

With a look of uncertainty, the groom turned to her, and she stiffened.

He reached for her veil, and her heart jolted against her ribs. Oh no! He was going to kiss her. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the physical side of marriage, but now that it crossed her mind, she began to panic and pulled back.

The groom dropped his hands to his sides. Tilting his head with an apologetic look, he accepted her rejection without comment.

Meanwhile, seated at his desk, the judge handed the groom a pen. He dipped the nib into a bottle of ink and scribbled broad strokes on the page before handing the pen to her.

Accepting the offered pen from the man who, in the eyes of the law, was now her husband, Emily fought to hold her hand steady as she signed her name. She then handed the pen to the clerk, who scribbled his name beneath hers and then moved aside so the uncle could sign.

Just as the judge finished signing the registry, the door flung open, and a second bride entered the room.

The heads of three small children peered from behind her white calico skirt.

“Sorry I’m late,” the newcomer said, sounding breathless as if she’d been running. “I couldn’t find Bobby’s shoes, and by the time we found them, the driver had already left the hotel, and the stampede—” Her gaze lit on the shotgun pointed straight at her, and she stopped talking with a gasp.

Muttering a curse, Emily’s new husband slapped at the muzzle. “Put that thing away,” he snarled angrily. He waited for his uncle to lower the gun before apologizing. “Sorry about that,” he said. “He thought you were someone else.”

Lifting her young son in her arms, the woman’s gaze swept the room. Her eyes bored into Emily before finally lighting on the groom. “Chase? What…what is the meaning of this?”

Emily frowned. Who was this woman, and why was she calling Jake Chase? She felt her new husband stiffen by her side.

“Cassie? Cassie Decker. Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me,” the woman said, removing her veil with her one free hand. She then pointed a finger at Emily. “Who is that?”

The groom whirled about to face Emily, his face grim. “That’s what I want to know. Who in blazes are you?”

His voice made Emily flinch, and her mind scrambled in confusion. How could he ask that question of her after they had just exchanged vows? “I’m…” She lifted her veil. “I’m your wife.”

The groom stared at her with a blank expression, and for several moments, no one uttered a sound. “Your name?” he grated out at last. “Your name.”

Confused, Emily stared at him, not knowing what he asked of her. “I’m Mrs.—”