Free Jesse's Brother by Wendy Ely

see if he was coming from the back way.
With no sign of him, she glanced toward the road. Still no Noah.
Being late wasn’t an option. It meant drawing more attention to herself and there’d be enough by showing up. Not being on time and without him to help her through this event? What should she do if he didn’t come? Call her parents on their cell? No way. Finding him was the first thing on her list. Beyond that, she had no idea.
Was she supposed to meet him at the wedding? Samantha shook her head. No, they were supposed to meet at her parents’ house and drive in her car. She clearly remembered talking to him about it.
With no sign of him, she got into the car and sped out of the driveway, spraying gravel all over the pretty flower beds. She drove down the road until she reached the turnoff to the pasture. Her car began to act sluggish before she reached the clearing, making it impossible to drive any further. Too much rain during the night had forced the ground to turn mushy and unable to hold the vehicle’s weight.
Kicking her heels onto the floorboard of the car, she lifted the hem of her dress to make sure it didn’t drag in the mud. She tiptoed her way through the gushy substance, feeling the wet dirt go all the way past her ankles. Was this worth it? Yes. Facing Jackie and Wiley alone was something she couldn’t do. Noah’s truck was still there. The door was shut with the curtains closed and no movement around the trailer. Blue wasn’t even squawking.
Once she finally reached solid soil, her feet were coated with mud. It even squished between her toes. It was the grossest feeling but she was glad that she had made the snap decision to kick her shoes off in the car instead of wearing them. Feet were easier to clean than shoes.
Approaching the trailer, she didn’t see any signs of him.
She knocked on the door and sucked in her breath. Was he there?       Where was he? Had he changed his mind about going and couldn’t face her? She knocked harder and could hear Blue rustling inside but no footsteps approached the door. She tried the doorknob. Locked. She waited another minute and turned away from the trailer.
He’d stood her up. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as the clouds started to weep along with her. Tiny raindrops fell on her face. Muddy footprints dotted the carpet on the floorboards. Her hair was now matted around her face from the rain. How could he do this to her?
She sighed as she backed out of the woods and went in the direction of home. She had to go to the wedding but needed to get cleaned up. There was no time for another shower. Going inside with muddy feet would piss off Mom and with things going so well now, she didn’t want that to happen. She jumped out of the car by the house, twisted the knob on the faucet and shuddered at the feel of the cold water over her bare feet. Once they both were clean, she shut the water off again, glanced toward the woods in hopes he would be there. If only he would emerge in his tux to take her to the dreaded event.
“Damn him,” she muttered as she climbed back into the car. Her nightmare was coming true. She’d have to face the happy couple alone. She shot one more glare in the direction of the trailer as she passed the entranceway to the pasture.
Anxiety twisted her stomach into a knot. Not only had Noah stood her up, but now she’d have to see Jackie marry Wiley—alone. Alone or with a date, she did not want to attend the wedding, but Noah would have made it easier.
Sadness weighed her down as she drove to the church. At first she blamed Noah as the reason. By the time she arrived, she knew the cause.
The wedding was about to start, which was the perfect time, as far as she was concerned. She glanced around for a good place to sit. The bride’s side or the groom’s? The back would be best. Then maybe the couple wouldn’t notice her.
She walked up the steps quickly and looked for a row nearly full. A spot away from her mother would be