Thank you all for your patience. I hope you all enjoy the remaining chapters of this story. :)

Ichabod meets Miss Mills at Fredrick's Manor. Miss Gilbert wants to show her the layout of the room she selected for the guests and wedding party. A horse and carriage rest in front of the home.

"Who's this lovely thing?" Miss Mills says.

"This is Sky," says the man in the carriage seat. "He's here for rehearsal. A bride wants a Cinderella-themed wedding and wanted to see the horse before the ceremony. He's friendly."

She steps closer to the animal and coos at it. "Hey, there, handsome."

The horse sniffs her tiny hands.

"You gonna pet him, Crane?"

"I'd rather not, Miss Mills."

She glances at him. "You're not scared, are you?"

"I am more comfortable keeping my distance."

He refuses to tell her he got thrown off a horse during his equestrian lessons when he was a schoolboy around age 10. Thankfully, he left the incident unharmed and without broken ligaments. Since then, he's never much interacted with horses, for fear one may toss him off again.

"I had a terrible experience with a horse as a child. I shall not discuss the matter further."

"Never had any problems out of him. Sky's a good boy."

Miss Mills walks toward me and tugs my hand.

"It's not so scary the second time around. Promise. I got thrown off a horse, too. At summer camp. The horse got spooked. Nothing I could control. I was scared shitless to get back on, but I did anyway. Just to prove I could do it."

"You're quite braver than I."

She places his hand on the horse's forehead. They pet Sky together.

"See? Not so bad, right?" She grins.

He smiles a little. "I suppose not."

Their fingers twine. Ichabod doesn't know how he'll ever restrain himself from falling into her eyes. They call to him, and he touches her cheek.

Her eyes close. "Boundaries. Remember?"

"I recall." He desires to kiss her.

"We can't." She nuzzles his nose.

"Yet, here we are once again."

The man clears his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but I've got to take Sky to the bathroom."

Miss Mills puts distance between them. "Sorry for holding you up."

"Yes, our apologies."

"It's okay." He gets down from the carriage and untacks Sky. "Not trying to pry, but are you two dating?"

"We just work together," she says.

"Huh. You make a nice couple. Just saying." He walks Sky in the yard.

Ichabod has no doubts about that statement.

"I suppose we should head inside. Miss Gilbert is awaiting our arrival."

"Yeah."

He extends his hand. "After you, Miss Mills."

"Hi, Abbie and Ichabod. How are you two doing?"

"We are well. Thank you for asking, Miss Gilbert. Yourself?"

"Been busy as always but good." She turns to Abbie. "So, this is the room you picked. This is a setup for a wedding in a few days, but you can look around to get some ideas of how you want it designed."

Abbie gazes around the room. "It's gorgeous. I love the décor, especially the flowers."

The colors are lavender and silver. Lilies and glassed candles act as the centerpieces. The dishes are white with folded napkins atop them. The table cloths are white while the chairs are draped in lavender and silver ribbons.

Miss Gilbert's cell dings, and she types a message on her phone. "Please, excuse me. I've got to calm a bride down."

She leaves the room as a man enters. He's lean with gelled black hair.

"Vivian and Sam, it's good to finally meet you," he says. "You are here earlier than I thought, but that's fine. It gives us more time to practice on the dance floor, to really scope it out."

Abbie says, "We're not—"

"Don't be shy. Ballroom dance may seem intimidating at first, but you'll get the hang of it."

He pushes them together and in the stance of the waltz.

"Shall we, Vivian?" Ichabod says.

"I don't think we have a choice, Sam."

The instructor counts. They sway to his numbers.

"Perfect. Trust him to lead. Trust him, Vivian. Protect her with everything, Sam. There you go."

"You're refusing to look at me, Miss Mills."

"This is the complete opposite of boundaries," she says to their feet.

"It appears as if fate will bring us together, if not by our own doing."

"I see that." She pauses. "Calvin called."

"Oh, goody."

Ichabod knows he shouldn't behave this way, but he doesn't want to lose her.

"He's supposed to be back in town today. He says he has something important to tell me. I told him I'd be here if he arrived around this time."

"How are you feeling about it?"

"I'm not sure. I mean I've gotten used to being without him these past few weeks. He left, so…" She shrugs.

"That's understandable. Did he provide any further details over the phone?"

"No. He just said he wanted to tell me the news in person. It might have to do with work. He probably has another story to cover."

"It's possible."

They twirl around the wooden floor as the instructor continues to critique them.

"I want to give him a chance, but I just don't think it's going to work. We want different things. This is the first time he's called me in weeks. He either hasn't answered or told me he's heading in for an interview or re-writing. It's always something."

"What decision will you make regarding the wedding then?"

"I don't know. I mean Calvin wants work. And with me, I've fallen for you, as fast as it happened; it's insane. I couldn't drag him into a marriage, knowing you and I might have a good thing going. It's not fair to him. He put work before me, but he didn't step out of bounds. I should at least be honest with him. I couldn't get married with secrets."

He wants to be selfish and beg her to call off the wedding, but he couldn't live with himself if he forced her into a relationship with him.

"I desire to see you happy, Abbie. Make the choice that speaks to your heart, whichever one that is."

Before she can respond, someone calls her name. They turn to see Calvin and quickly separate.

Miss Mills walks toward him and gives him a hug. He kisses her cheek.

"Was I interrupting something?"

"Oh, no," she says. "We were just messing around. We got mistaken for another couple, so we played along."

He chuckles. "Up to shenanigans, huh?"

"Just a little."

"Did you miss me?" he says.

She shakes her head. "The audacity."

He grins. "Nice to see you again, Crane. Abbie tells me you've been pretty helpful. Thank you for that."

"It is my pleasure."

"He's been amazing," she says. "I couldn't have gotten this far without him."

Ichabod blushes. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Mills."

"You're welcome. So, Riggs, you had something important to tell me?"

"Yeah. Let's step outside."

"Ok. We'll be back, Crane."

He nods. "I shall remain here."

As Ichabod watches them exit the room holding hands, a knot drops in his stomach. He's anxious and a tad bit jealous. While he waits for them, he makes conversation with the ballroom instructor, who's been teaching classes since his teenage years. Mr. Tracy, as his namesake goes, has won numerous competitions and traveled around the world to dance.

"You've led such a fascinating life."

"I have. It's been a blessing. My mom instilled ballroom in me before I could walk." He laughs.

"It's paid off, I can see."

"Certainly. She'd be proud. I lost her to cancer five years ago."

"I'm utterly sorry to hear that, Mr. Tracy. I understand how you feel, as I lost my mother and father, too."

"We have that in common then."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"My mom always said she knew when two people loved each other."

"How could she tell?"

"She said it was in the way a couple danced. She just knew."

He wonders what he can tell about him and Miss Mills.

"Your mother had quite an intuition then."

"She did." He pauses and smirks. "You're smitten with her."

"I—" How can he deny the truth? He sighs. "You are correct. However, she's betrothed to another."

"Give her time."

"How do you know for certain she'll call off their wedding?"

"I've seen my share of engagements gone wrong. Trust me. She'll come back to you. She's love-struck herself."

"Well, thank you for the word of encouragement, Mr. Tracy."

"You're welcome."

Abbie enters the room, hand in hand, with Mr. Riggs.

"Is everything alright?" Ichabod says.

"Everything is fine," Miss Mills says. "Calvin is officially done with his story. He'll be pitching in more with the planning."

Ichabod is disappointed. Though silly, he expected her to return without him, to jump into his arms, and proclaim a cancelled wedding. None of that will come to fruition it appears. He even dared to imagine their life together.

"Ah. Very well. Miss Mills was admiring the décor of the room before we began ballroom with Mr. Tracy. He is an exceptional teacher. Perhaps you two may consider working with him."

"That is nice of you, Ichabod," Mr. Tracy says. "It's whatever the bride wants."

"I don't think we'll be waltzing at our wedding, but thanks for the lesson, Mr. Tracy," Miss Mills says.

"It was my pleasure," he says. "I should probably find the real Sam and Vivien and Miss Gilbert."

"We're sorry about that," she says.

"No worries, hon. It was nice meeting you two. And Ichabod, remember what I said."

"I shall, Mr. Tracy. It was a joy speaking with you. I'll pass along your services to my future clients."

"That would mean a lot, Ichabod. I wish you two well on your wedding day."

"Thank you," Mr. Riggs says.

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me."

When he leaves, Ichabod says, "How was your assignment in Chicago, Mr. Riggs?"

"It was something. Pretty chaotic. But the residents who were being forced out of them homes got their voices heard. They get to keep their places, and the apartment building is being renovated."

"That is very fortunate for the residents."

"It is. It was crazy trying to contact the powers that be, you know?"

"I can only imagine."

"So, what all did I miss in the planning? I know it's a bunch."

"Well, the cake and the venue are all set," Miss Mills says. "The caterer, the decorations, and the invites are all that's missing."

"Miss Gilbert can assist with all of these matters as well. She does have an in-house staff."

"That's right," Miss Mills says. "How about we go that route, Riggs?"

He shrugs. "Works for me."

"We just have to figure out the menu," she says. "I think she mentioned something about seafood scampi and apple crumble."

"Think we can sample it?"

"Probably. We'll talk to her."

"Sounds good. So… about my mom. She still wants to help."

Miss Mills rolls her eyes. "Here we go again."

Ichabod can't think of what to say next until Miss Gilbert saves him from the awkwardness. She apologizes for her absence, and they continue where they left off. They confirm details about the food and the decorations The entire meeting blurs by Ichabod. He arranges to meet with Miss Mills and Mr. Riggs this week to proof what has gotten done so far and what all remains. He has no clue how he will endure the rest of the wedding process, knowing that he won't be with Miss Mills after all.