This wedding was no small affair.There were seven bridesmaids, seven groomsmen, three ushers, two altar boys, three lectors, and enough firepower inside the church to wipe out half the congregation.All but two of the groomsmen were armed.

The federal agents weren’t happy about the crowd, but they knew it would be pointless to complain.The father of the groom, Judge Buchanan, wasn’t about to miss such an auspicious occasion, no matter how many death threats he received.The judge was in the midst of hearing a racketeering case back in Boston, and the federal agents assigned to protect him would continue their detail until the trial was over and a decision had been rendered.

The church was packed to capacity.The Buchanans were such a large family that some of the groom’s relatives and friends spilled over to the bride’s side. Most had traveled to the little town of Silver Springs, South Carolina, from Boston, but there were several Buchanan cousins who had come all the way from Inverness, Scotland, to celebrate the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna.

The bride and groom were deliriously happy, and their wedding was a joyous occasion, but it never would have happened if it weren’t for Dylan’s sister, Jordan. Kate and Jordan were best friends and had been roommates in college.The first time Jordan took Kate to her family’s home on Nathan’s Bay, all the siblings had gathered to celebrate their father’s birthday.Jordan certainly had no intention of matchmaking, and she definitely wasn’t aware at the time that there had been a spark between Kate and her brother Dylan, so years later when the spark ignited into a flame and the two became engaged, no one was more surprised–or thrilled–than she.

Every last detail of the happy event had been meticulously planned. Like Kate, Jordan was a great organizer, and so she was given the responsibility of dressing up the church for the occasion. Admittedly, Jordan had gotten a little carried away. She’d put flowers everywhere, both inside and outside the church. Raspberry pink roses and creamy white magnolias lined the stone walkway, their lovely scent greeting guests as they arrived. Pink and white roses delicately intertwined with baby’s breath in large wreaths with wide, lace-trimmed satin ribbons hung down on each side of the old weathered double doors. Jordan had actually considered giving the doors a fresh coat of paint but at the last minute had come to her senses and left them alone.

Kate had also asked Jordan to take care of the music, and Jordan had gone a little overboard on that assignment too. She’d started out with the notion of hiring a pianist and a singer for the ceremony and ended up with an orchestra.There were violins, a piano, a flute, and two trumpets. Seated in the balcony, the musicians played Mozart to entertain the gathering celebrants. When the groomsmen lined up in front of the altar,the music was to stop; the trumpets would then sound,the crowd would rise to their feet, and the pomp and splendor would begin.

The bride and bridesmaids waited in a dressing room just off the vestibule. The time had come. The trumpets should now be playing to begin the ceremony, but they were silent. Kate sent Jordan to find out what the delay was.

Mozart’s lovely notes covered the noise of the door squeaking as Jordan peeked ins