The Bridesmaid Earns Her Wings Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Happy Ending at 92%

  Half Title

  Author's Note

  1 ~ The Perfect Place for a Fortune Teller

  2 ~ Give the Vampire a Cigar

  3 ~ A Job Listing in the Carpe Noctem News

  4 ~ They Can't ALL be Mormons

  5 ~ Too Cute to Let Loose

  6 ~ We Come From Hardy Stock

  7 ~ One Confused Enchilada

  8 ~ Which Monster Do You Want to Be Today?

  9 ~ Nobody's a Vampire

  10 ~ The Potato Famine of 1848

  11 ~ May Your True Self Hidden Be

  12 ~ Not a Doppleganger

  13 ~ Which of You is Dixie?

  Epilogue ~ THE Elvis Lives in Moonchuckle Bay?

  Thank you!

  About the Author

  Book Club Questions

  Books by Heather Horrocks

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Excerpt: #0.5 Jingle Belle ~ free with newsletter sign-up

  Excerpt: #3 The Vampire Gets a Grip

  Thanks again

  THE BRIDESMAID EARNS HER WINGS

  Moonchuckle Bay Romantic Comedy #2

  Heather Horrocks

  Dedicated to my sweet daughter-in-law, Tiffany Horrocks, who knows what it’s like to have a real-life mirror image, because she is (and has) an identical twin. I’ve never seen your wings, but I have glimpsed your crown. Thing One and Thing Two, I love you. I even named the hero in this book after your sweetheart — Michael Horrocks, who was smart enough to know a good thing when he saw her.

  And to Mark, even though he doesn’t have an identical twin. I guess they really did break the mold.

  THE HAPPY ENDING IS AT ABOUT 92% ~ ENJOY!

  In case you’re like me and want to know how close you are to the end of a book, and because there are pages that come after the end of a book (excerpts, copyright, about the author, and — in some boxed sets — more novellas), I just want to let you know that ‘The End’ of this book is at approximately 92%. Enjoy.

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  DISCOVER HEATHER’S OTHER BOOKS.

  Heather Horrocks has written numerous books. If you’re new to her writing, see her romantic comedies and funny mysteries at www.BooksByHeatherHorrocks.com.

  The Bridesmaid Earns Her Wings

  Author’s Note

  This book was originally published as The Pixie Meets Her Match.

  I hope you’re having as much fun in Moonchuckle Bay as I am! I’m finding it delightful interacting with the lightly paranormal “townsmonsters.”

  The Perfect Place for a Fortune Teller

  “IF I’D KNOWN HOW MUCH TROUBLE this wedding would be, I’d have just eloped.”

  Dixie Abbott glanced wistfully at one of her best friends and bride-to-be, Amanda Ross. “That would be so romantic! I’d love to elope right here. In Vegas. In a romantic, lacy dress. In this very cool castle.”

  If she ever got married. Of course, that would require dating.

  Dixie motioned toward the immense gothic castle looming in front of them as the taxi drove closer. The turreted building rose tall above the stone ramparts surrounding it, decorated with a myriad of elaborate carvings and ornate windows. Dixie’s favorite embellishments were the gargoyles perched haphazardly, glaring down from their roosts.

  As the taxi drove through the gates, a large, tastefully-lit sign proclaimed it to be the Nightshade Hotel & Casino. It wasn’t along the Strip, hidden instead in the older original casino section of Vegas.

  They would never have discovered it if Amanda hadn’t been lucky enough to make reservations with a highly rated psychic who did her readings here.

  The castle appealed to Dixie’s sense of gothic whimsy. It looked like it could be Dracula’s Castle, moved over stone by stone from Transylvania. It would look more at home on a tree-covered Romanian mountain than smack in the middle of the Nevada desert, but it had more authentic character than any of the more modern casinos that they’d visited on the Strip today.

  The other two bridesmaids laughed at Dixie’s declaration.

  Linda George smiled at Dixie. “I can see you eloping, and this is exactly the kind of place you like. Weirdo stuff.”

  “Dixie might like the idea, but she couldn’t elope either.” Another of Dixie’s best friends, Stacy Thompson, shook her head. “Her mother would never let her leave home long enough.”

  “That’s exactly why I’d have to elope — without telling anyone first.” Dixie had actually had to defy her mother to come to Vegas. Seriously. She was twenty-three and her mother refused to let her move out. She had a health “episode” whenever Dixie broached the subject. Dixie had almost given up hope that her mother would ever overcome her paranoia so that she could enjoy her life unfettered. She was always making dire predictions about betrayal, death, or even worse – attention from the wrong people. Dixie was growing genuinely concerned and was beginning to wonder if her mother needed medication.

  Dixie’s grandmother, who lived with them, was the polar opposite. She had simply kissed Dixie on the cheek and told her with twinkling eyes, “Sometimes you have to trust in life. You go have a grand adventure with a big dollop of good luck!” So far, Dixie was doing exactly that.

  “There’s no way you could elope. Your mother would follow you,” Stacy warned. “When it got to that part about anyone having any objections to the wedding, she’d speak up. I just know she would.”

  Dixie rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’d have to elope secretly. It would work perfectly. And I’d get married by...” she lowered her voice and whispered in mock reverence, “The King.”

  Stacy’s eyes sparkled with humor as she nodded. “Yeah, I can definitely see you doing that. I wonder if they have an Elvis impersonator in the castle.”

  “Only if he has fangs,” Linda said, and they all laughed.

  The taxi pulled inside the courtyard and under the shade of the castle hotel’s overhang before stopping. Amanda paid the driver, and then the four women tumbled out onto the sidewalk, adjusting their clothes and chattering excitedly about what they were going to do next.

  They’d flown out yesterday from Kansas for Amanda’s bachelorette party, and now they stood in front of the Nightshade Hotel & Casino in Vegas, already having a blast. They’d wandered the Strip, shopped and scored some chocolate, and then gone to a 5:30 pm dinner show complete with live jousting. Finally, Amanda announced it was time to visit the psychic she’d arranged for.

  Amanda had managed to talk them all into dyeing their hair for her bachelorette party, and so they looked like four different-colored flowers. Dixie’s reddish-purple locks had a few extra streaks of purple, Stacy’s blonde mane was now streaked with blue, Linda’s brunette hair had streaks of pink, and the bride’s blonde tresses were now green and blue. The colors would wash out over the next week or two before the wedding next month, but they added an extra dash of fun to this bachelorette weekend.

  Once they had all escaped the confines of the hot taxi, Linda gave Amanda a small hip-check and continued, “Besides, I tried to talk you into eloping last weekend, and you said you couldn’t possibly.”

  “I know.” The bride-to-be sighed. “It’s just wishful thinking. I have another month of torturous wedding planning before the honeymoon.”

  “Come on, Amanda, call Easton and have him meet you here,” Dixie said, only partially teasing. “He’s only a flight away.”

  “I talk about it, but I could never do it.” Amanda shrugged ruefully. “I hate confrontations.
Plus my mother-in-law would hate me forever.”

  “Maybe the psychic will change your mind,” Linda said. “What will you do if she takes your palm and says something like ‘you must run away with your groom’...?”

  Amanda raised her hands in surrender. “Let’s forget elopements and just enjoy having our fortunes told.”

  Dixie gazed appreciatively at the ornate entrance to the hotel, at the large stone gargoyle standing guard off to one side, and at the doormen, who were dressed in all black. She assumed they were supposed to be vampires, though she couldn’t spot any fangs. The men — tall, dark, and handsome for the most part — looked like slick male models, minus the tans.

  “This is the perfect place for a fortune teller! I love paranormal stuff.” Dixie also loved paranormal romances and the total silliness of the improbable creatures populating them — creatures this hotel brought to life. “This is great! Why didn’t we stay here?”

  Amanda raised a brow and gestured at the grandness of it all. “Couldn’t afford it. This place is one of the most expensive in Vegas, and they don’t have coupons. Besides, the Luxor gave us a great deal and was directly on the Strip, where we wanted to be,” Amanda continued. “Now, come on.” After a group of six highly pierced and tatted men and women passed by them on the sidewalk, they walked to the entrance.

  As they passed the gargoyle and entered the lobby, Dixie thanked the doorman, who nodded his head politely. His light blue eyes seemed to glow slightly, but when he blinked, the illusion faded. Contact lenses, no doubt.

  They stepped inside and stared. “Wow,” Dixie breathed.

  Eyes wide, Amanda nodded. “Yeah, wow.”

  Dixie turned in a full circle. “Where is Dracula? He really should be here in his castle.”

  “I don’t know, but that woman looks like she could be his bride,” Stacy motioned to their right, where a stunningly beautiful woman with white skin and long black hair stood behind the counter of the front desk talking to two other employees.

  To their left was the casino, and straight ahead a double staircase curved gracefully toward the second floor, which was advertised as a medieval shopping village.

  A large domed ceiling rose overhead, dark as velvet with the night sky stars and moon shining down on them as though they were staring at the sky outside.

  On the wall immediately below the ceiling, a recessed area showcased a huge display of medieval weapons — swords, shields, and battle axes — all safely out of reach.

  They headed up the staircase toward the shopping area with the flow of the crowd.

  At the top of the stairs, they paused in amazement; the entire place was enchanting. A cobblestone path meandered among little shops that looked exactly like a medieval village, complete with stonework, thatched roofs, and turrets.

  There was a huge slot machine nearby with a sign that read: Test the size of your good-luck streak now! The girls looked curiously at each other — why not? The group of boys who had been playing it left and they slid eagerly into their place, pulling out their quarters.

  Amanda put hers in first and won five dollars, Linda three, and Stacy one. Dixie grinned wryly as she dropped in her coin. “With the current downward trend, I should get about a dime.”

  Expecting the worst, all four of them were shocked when bells and whistles went off and a handsome man, taller than average but somewhat disheveled, strode toward them with a huge smile on his face. “You’re our big winner,” he announced in an impossibly low voice. “You’ve won a hundred dollars. Your good-luck streak has officially begun!”

  “Awesome! Thank you!” Dixie glanced back and forth between her friends, smiling as the man placed a hundred dollars in chips in her hands. Her grandmother had told her she’d have good luck, so Dixie wasn’t as surprised as the other three girls; she seemed to have feelings about things like that, and they usually came true.

  Amanda raised her arm and pointed at a wooden gypsy wagon parked on the cobblestone and surrounded by a crowd. The sunny yellow wheels and stairs stood out against the gleaming red sides, making it impossible to miss. Along the sides, gold lettering boldly announced that a psychic was available for palm and tarot card reading. “There’s the psychic.”

  The inside of the booth was vibrantly eclectic with red shag carpet on the floor and cluttered shelves lining the wall. Shelves along one wall featured monster figurines. Another wall displayed lovely glass jars of all shapes and sizes filled with mysterious liquids of every hue. Decorative plates lined the other wall.

  The psychic, Victorine Esmerelda Lee — “Call me Vic!” — looked like the stereotypical gypsy with her dark hair and eyes and high cheekbones. Her lips were painted the same brilliant red as the outside of her wagon. Except for her lack of accent, she really could have been a Romanian gypsy.

  Dixie glanced at her three friends seated on a plush couch decorated with purple throw pillows. Amanda and Linda had already had their fortunes told, and Stacy would go after Dixie.

  “I sense that you’re experiencing a good luck streak,” the glittering psychic told Dixie as they sat across from each other at a small table built for two. The woman moved her ringed hands above a glistening crystal ball about the size of a bowling ball. That must have cost a pretty penny.

  “I am.” Dixie grinned. The woman could’ve just guessed about the good luck streak, given that her wagon sat in a casino, but she hadn’t said anything about good luck to either Amanda or Linda in their readings. “I won a hundred dollars just five minutes after walking in this place.”

  The psychic looked at her appraisingly. “And now I suppose you’d like a happily ever after, like your friends have received.”

  “I do love happy endings.” Dixie tilted her head. “Don’t you?”

  The psychic nodded and smiled dreamily. “I just met my guy a few months ago.” She pointed to a picture on the wall of herself looking dainty next to a large bear of a man. He was a handsome bear, though.

  Dixie grinned. “Awesome. How’d you meet?”

  Vic’s smile widened. “A matchmaker, actually.”

  Dixie looked back at Vic. “You seem to have your own good luck streak going on.”

  “Definitely,” the psychic smiled and gestured toward the table. “And now I suppose I’d better get back to the business of reading your fortune.”

  She peered back down into the crystal ball, her brow wrinkling in concentration. “I see an adventure in your future.”

  Dixie smiled smugly. Grandma had gotten it right. Again.

  Vic continued to gaze into the ball. “Hmm. And this is interesting. You are going to meet your lifemate, but he isn’t going to be able to recognize you immediately.”

  That was pretty specific, and not, at the same time. “Lifemate?” Dixie wasn’t familiar with the term.

  The psychic looked up and smiled. “Soul mate.”

  “Ahh.” Her soul mate; that made more sense. “That’s got to be a happy ending, right?”

  Vic peered harder into the crystal, then leaned back, a bit frustrated. “Yes, if he can recognize you through your glamour. It’s unclear to me; I’m not sure why.” She sighed. “He’s very handsome, though. I think you’ll like him.”

  Dixie would never describe herself as glamorous, but that was the least of her worries. She leaned forward to peer into the ball, which still appeared crystal clear. “Can I see him?”

  Vic shook her head. “Only in person.”

  “Well then where is he? When will I meet him?” Despite her skepticism, Dixie’s heart sped up. If her soul mate was really out there, she wanted to meet him.

  “Oooh, and you'll be getting married here at the Nightshade. How lovely!”

  Dixie shook her head. “No, you’re mistaken. I’m not the bride-to-be. That's Amanda, the lady you read first.”

  Vic shook her head. “I’m not talking about her. This is your fortune I’m reading.”

  Dixie was visibly confused. “But I’m not even dating anyone.”
<
br />   “You will be very soon.” The psychic studied the crystal ball — which seemed completely authentic — and tipped her head. Finally, she floated a hand above the crystal, and said, “Your happily-ever-after will be found in Moonchuckle Bay, Utah, where everyone will treat you like the princess you are.”

  “Utah?” Dixie laughed, skeptical. “Princess?”

  The psychic nodded and repeated, “Moonchuckle Bay.”

  Vic looked unflinchingly into her eyes. Dixie felt a jolt of something and a chill raced up her spine. Maybe this psychic was the real deal, after all.

  But Vic’s next words broke the spell. “And you’ll be married by Elvis.”

  Dixie laughed. “How did you know I just said I wanted to do that?”

  “I didn’t,” Vic shrugged and smiled again. “I just know what the crystal ball reveals to me. Go to Moonchuckle Bay and you’ll find the true love you desire.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “Take a chance. That’s my advice. You’ll be glad you did. I know I was.”

  Dixie was still hesitant. “Is Moonchuckle Bay even a real place?”

  “It is. It’s a charming town where someone like you can be very happy, I think.”

  “Thanks. Maybe I will.” Dixie slid off the stool, placed a generous tip on the table, and motioned for Stacy to take her place.

  As Dixie sat on the couch between Amanda and Linda, Vic began her routine all over again, telling Stacy, “You are the creative type.”

  Stacy nodded. “I love to compose music, though I haven’t really done anything with it yet.”

  The psychic took her hand and ran a finger over her palm. Then she lifted both hands up and swirled them over the crystal ball again.

  Stacy exchanged a glance and a smile with Dixie.

  The psychic said, “Your lifemate is also to be found in Moonchuckle Bay, Utah.”

  Dixie tried not to laugh. Apparently everyone’s true love was located in Moonchuckle Bay.