Carolina Grace (Southern Breeze Series Book 3)

by Regina Rudd Merrick

  Lucy came in when she heard Emma’s voice. “Yes, ma’am, we do, and we might want you to be slightly surprised and a little awestruck like our regular brides.”

  Emma smiled. “You two. What would I do without you?”

  Lucy put her hands on her slender hips and shook her head. “You probably would still be planning other people’s weddings instead of your own.”

  She laughed and hugged her business partner. “You’re a peach, Luce. All right, I’ll leave you to it, and I won’t peek until after the ceremony.”

  “When your mom and dad get here, I’ll take them up to you, so don’t worry about a thing, please? Where’s Sophie?”

  “She forgot her shoes, so she went home to pick them up. I can’t believe my baby is driving. I think I’m more nervous about her driving than I am about marrying Rafe.”

  Sarah came in to the dining room, phone in hand. “Sophie called, and she’s on her way back. Said you weren’t answering your phone, and she knew you would be worried.” She grinned. “Boy, does she have you pegged.”

  “Fine with me, as long as she keeps me in the loop.” She paused and looked at them in horror. “Good grief, one of these days it’ll be Sophie getting married.”

  “She’ll have to date first.” Lucy was quick. “You know, Hayes has always been in love with her. Maybe you should hold off on letting her date for another twenty years or so?” She shrugged.

  Emma laughed, her nervousness dissipating. “That would be all right with me.”

  Charly went back to setting up, figuring she could be part of the conversation and work at the same time. She smoothed the table cloth with her hands as Rance put cloths on the other tables. “When will Ginger be here to do hair and makeup?”

  “In about a half hour, but when were you going to tell us about the sparkling rock on your hand?” Lucy grabbed her hand and looked up at her with her mouth hanging open.

  “The jig is up.” Rance laughed, and Charly gave him a look.

  “We wanted to wait until after the wedding to announce it.”

  Lucy squealed and pulled Charly into a hug. “Give, girl. When did this happen? Does Mom know?” She looked at Rance. “Do your parents know?” Lucy was tongue tied with all her questions.

  “My parents, all three of them, know, and Mrs. Livingston knows. That’s the extent of it.” Rance put his arm around Charly and pulled her close.

  “And Lydia.” Charly felt her face heat.

  “Lydia? I thought we were keeping it to the parents?”

  “She’s my best friend. I had to tell her. She practically guessed, anyway. As for the other question, he asked me last night.” The room didn’t need the candles that were being carefully placed on the tables. Charly’s smile was bright enough to light the way.

  “Uh, what did you say?” Lucy giggled. “I’m assuming yes?”

  “Definitely.” She looked up at her fiancé of a day. “I guess it seems quick to most people, but it’s been a long eleven months.”

  “And we wasted most of it. I was determined not to waste any more.”

  Emma had tears in her eyes and hugged the couple. “I’m so happy for you, and to find this out on my wedding day. It makes it much more special to me.”

  “You might even get a deal on wedding planning.” Lucy winked at her sister-in-law as she went to hug Rance. “I’m so excited!”

  Sarah oohed and ahhed over the ring. “Lucy got engaged at my wedding, and now yours is right here on Emma’s. I think it’s a nice tradition, don’t you?”

  Charly grinned. “I guess as many weddings as we’ve been a part of, it isn’t too much of a stretch.”

  Emma and Rafe stood in front of the ornate fireplace in the front parlor of Pilot Oaks. Sophie stood next to Emma, and Rafe’s father stood next to him. Charly looked at the intimate group of people assembled, wondering at the relationships that had begun, changed, and thrived over the years she had known these people.

  Rance put his arm around her and then pulled her left hand in his, playing with the ring he had placed on her finger the night before. She smiled. The ceremony was small but beautiful. God was there.

  Emma’s dress was a shimmering ivory gown with sleeves coming down to a point at her wrists and a simple column shape that suited her slender figure. Her auburn hair had been arranged in a sleek French twist, a style she often wore, so it was perfect for the day.

  Rafe was handsome in a charcoal grey suit and a red tie, homage to the date, which was Valentine’s Day. As beautiful as Emma was, it was Rafe Charly couldn’t stop watching. From his first glimpse of Emma, there had been tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. The love flowing from him to his bride was so evident it couldn’t help but bring a tear to her eye. To have a man look at one in such a way? It was too good to be true. But it was true.

  Charly sighed, and Rance pulled her closer. It was perfect. Since it got dark so early, there were candles all around, out of reach of the little ones in attendance. There were three crawlers in the room, and Hayes, who had acted as the ring-bearer.

  Her attention was drawn to the pastor as he began to read scripture from the Song of Songs 8:6-7.

  “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.

  For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.

  Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.

  Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it.

  If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.”

  Love. You can’t buy it. It’s a gift. Like being a follower of Jesus. It’s all about grace, something you can’t buy, and you don’t deserve.

  Charly turned her hand in Rance’s and linked her fingers with his, watching as Emma and Rafe, who had been hurt so many times, made a commitment to one another to love, honor, and cherish one another until death parts them.

  Once the caterers took over, Charly was free to enjoy the reception. Word of the engagement had gotten out, so she was getting used to people coming up to her and grabbing her hand to gawk at her diamond.

  Rance had done a good job. She had known he was the one since October, but she hadn’t expected a marriage proposal so soon. God was good.

  Rance had gone to have their punch cups refilled. She was sitting at a table as the crowd began to disperse when Tom and Jared sat down on either side of her, elbows on the table.

  “All right, little sister, time to give your brothers the scoop.” Tom gave Rance a mock-glare across the room.

  Jared gave him the “I’m watching you” signal.

  “Don’t be mean to my future husband.”

  “We won’t be any meaner to him than we have been to you, I promise.” Tom grinned and put his arm around her to give her a hug. “I’m glad you’re getting an earlier start than me.”

  Jared glared at Tom. “Hey, you’re just glad the pressure might be off to produce more grandkids. I mean, once you get started, the questions never quit coming about when you’re gonna have another one.” Jared shook his head.

  Tom nodded and grinned. “That might be part of it, now that you mention it.”

  “You two are impossible.”

  “Are these gentlemen bothering you, miss?” Rance came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

  “What are you, the bouncer?”

  Rance smiled. “Only if needed.”

  “Sit down here with us.” Tom pulled out a chair. “If you’re going to be in this family, and I’m including Jared and Sarah in this, you better get used to a few things.”

  “Such as?” Rance looked curious.

  “Getting teased, pranked, beaten at sports, watching sports, and doing whatever your wife tells you to do.” Tom ticked the items off, one finger at a time.

  “I think that’s doable. Except for the getting beaten at sports. I have the advantage there.” Rance looked at the two men with an arched brow and a serious look on his face.

  “
And what advantage might that be?”

  He coughed. “About six years and an actual set of abs.”

  Charly laughed. Rance was going to be a great addition to their little family.

  Tom looked at Jared and shook his head. “A bit harsh, don’t you think?”

  “Harsh, but true.” Jared looked down at his stomach. “We’re going to have to get busy before we end up with a Dad-bod.”

  Tom picked up his water goblet. “I’ll drink more water. Works every time.”

  “Okay, tell me I didn’t walk over here only to hear Tom and Jared talking about their famous water diet.” Lucy shook her head in disgust. Lucy and Sarah had joined them, one baby each, MariAnne and Beau.

  Sophie was entertaining Hayes, and Lydia was bouncing around with Evan, Jake hovering over them as if afraid she was going to drop him. If only he knew how tough that kid was. He climbed on everything, which meant he fell off of everything.

  “You did, but I think it’ll work out. They’re giving Rance the family manhood orientation.”

  Sarah laughed and handed Beau down to Jared when the baby tipped himself over, in utter trust, to reach for his dad. “You’ll be okay. They needed a little competition.” She pulled two chairs over, one for herself and one for Lucy.

  “When do we get to start planning your wedding?” Lucy sat, baby in lap, her eyes glittering in the candlelight.

  Charly looked at Rance, who answered. “As quickly as possible.”

  “Well, you know, I am the queen of getting a wedding together quickly.” Lucy batted her eyes.

  Tom nodded. “She is. We were engaged, what, two months?”

  Rance jumped on it. “Seriously? Charly’s been saying less than a year, but I say let’s get this show on the road.”

  “We’ll see. I don’t even have any Pinterest boards for weddings yet. Well, not for mine anyway.”

  Lucy waved her hand. “No problem.” She pulled out her phone, holding it out of reach of MariAnne, and tapped away. “I added you to my secret board, ‘Charly’s Wedding.’”

  “You have a Pinterest board for my wedding?”

  Lucy snorted and frowned as she glanced at a few “pins” before looking up. “Of course I do. I’m a wedding planner, and MariAnne won’t need my services for several years, so you are my next target.” She gave her a cheesy smile.

  Sarah nodded. “She can do it. She honed her skills on me and then went into business with Emma.”

  “Thank you?” She looked at Rance. “Looks like we’re going to be planning a wedding. And quickly.”

  He gave a fist pump. “Yes.”

  Charly laid her hand on his arm to temper his enthusiasm. “But not too quickly. I want to enjoy planning my own wedding. Tell you what. If I find a dress, I’ll let the dress determine the timeline. How’s that?”

  Rance nodded. “I can go along with that.”

  They linked pinkies.

  “Is it too cold to walk down to the beach?” Rance pulled on her hand as they got ready to leave.

  “I don’t think so. It got up to a record eighty degrees today, but I’ll grab my jacket.”

  “I’ll be glad to keep you warm.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.

  She smiled back but put her jacket on anyway. “I’ll hold you to it.”

  They made their way down the path to the beach, when another thought came to her. “Let’s go to the swing instead, okay?”

  “Sure. I wanted to get you away from prying eyes.”

  They changed direction, instead following the landscape lights to the swing overlooking the marsh. “We may wish we’d brought a blanket.” The wind had shifted, coming in off the water.

  “We won’t stay long.”

  They found their way to the swing, Rance putting his arm around her as they sat, Charly curling her feet up under her, cuddling up to him as he moved the swing gently with one foot. “It’s so quiet.”

  “It’s nice.” He nuzzled her until she lifted her lips to his.

  After a moment, she pulled away and smiled. “I love you, Rance.” She splayed her hand on his chest, her ring sparkling in the bright moonlight. “I think my ring is brighter than the stars.”

  “Your eyes are brighter to me. I love you, too, Charlotte Anne.” He chuckled. “It hit me that your middle name is the same as my mom’s name.”

  “Then we shall name a daughter ‘Anne.’”

  “With an ‘E?’”

  She grinned. “Of course.”

  She looked up at him, glad the moonlight let her see his face. “Do you think we’re getting too many blessings, too soon?”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t think we deserve it either. I think God likes to bless His children.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I am too.” He tightened his arms around her.

  “Have you told Sam?” She grinned.

  He nodded sheepishly. “Sorry I gave you a hard time for telling Lydia. This is the first time I’ve had a brother to share things with.”

  “They’re pretty great, you know. If you tell Tom I said it, I’ll deny it!” She shook her finger in his face and laughed.

  “I see how it is. I’m looking forward to spending time with Tom and Jared. I think I can learn a lot from them.”

  “And Sam.”

  “Yes, and Sam. I think he’s going to stay in Charleston for a while, until he figures out what he’s going to do next.” He nodded. “He wants to get to know Mom again.”

  “That’s good. How does your dad, Ashton, feel about all of this?”

  “I think he wants to help Sam, and he’s in a position to do it. He told Sam he wished Mom had brought him along when she left.”

  “That’s progress.” Charly nodded and looked out over the marsh, trying to make out a light in the distance.

  “It’s prayer.” He turned toward her. “Thanks for introducing me to ‘Amazing Grace’.”

  She laughed. “It’s been around a long time. I don’t think I can get the credit for it.”

  “Okay, thanks for being so enticing I was willing to go to church to spend time with you.” He kissed her and then held her for a minute.

  “Thank you for not making me choose.”

  “Choose what?”

  “You, or my relationship with Jesus.” She gazed into his eyes, shaking her head slowly.

  He took his arm from around her and put his hands on her cheeks. “I never want to do that. Even before I knew God, I knew it wasn’t right. We’re in this together, and I’m determined to be the man you need, and I hope I can make you laugh every day of your life.”

  “And I’m determined to be the woman you need, and I hope I can make you smile every day of your life.”

  “Then I think we should get married. What do you think?” He grinned and winked at her.

  She put her hands on top of his, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “I would say yes to you every day for the rest of my life.”

  Acknowledgments

  There are always many people to thank when a book is finished. For the first one, you want to include everyone who had anything to do with the process or getting you to that point, but for the third?

  For the third, you really know who to thank.

  First, I want to thank my husband, Todd, for putting up with a writer’s capricious moods and extended silences. I’m not mad, I’m just thinking.

  Next, my daughters, Emily and Ellen, who encourage me every step of the way.

  My parents and in-laws, for their excitement and wonder at this thing called being an author. It helps keep ME excited!

  For my church family and my friends, I thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and your understanding. I can’t do it all, and when I try, you tell me I’m being hard on myself. That’s a blessing.

  To Mantle Rock Publishing, thank you for taking a chance on a local girl and sticking with me through an entire series (and beyond!). You’ve made such a difference in my life. Jerry, Kathy, Pam, Diane, I wou
ldn’t be the writer I am without you!

  And to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who saved me forever, I praise you, for I have been fearfully and wonderfully made. May You receive honor and glory from anything coming from my fingers and my mind.

  From the Author

  Thank you for reading Carolina Grace and the Southern Breeze Series! I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip to South Carolina in each one. While I do not live in South Carolina, I’ve been there, and as I’ve said many times, fell in love with the area. Many of the places in these books are real, but a few, like Pilot Oaks, Crawford and Benton Real Estate, Calvary Church, and others, are purely figments of my imagination. I tried to remain true to the area with restaurants and historical districts, though.

  While I’ve loved writing about SC, I thought it was time to set some stories in Kentucky! Keep an eye out for my new Reno-Vations series! More info to come!

  Thanks again and drop me a line! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as on my website at www.reginaruddmerrick.com. I love to hear from my readers!

  Regina Rudd Merrick

  Also by Regina Rudd Merrick

  An unexpected inheritance in South Carolina comes at the perfect time for Sarah Crawford. But will a dream about an antebellum mansion, many rooms to be explored, and a man with dark brown eyes give her the confidence to take a leap of faith, leaving friends, family, and her job behind?

  Carolina Dream by Regina Rudd Merrick.

  She’s always gotten everything she’s wanted. He thinks he has to give up everything. Her best friend’s wedding is foremost on Lucy Dixon’s radar. Her biggest concern is once again meeting Tom Livingston, who has ignored her since an idyllic date on the boardwalk of Myrtle Beach the previous summer. At least, it is her biggest concern until tragedy strikes. Where is her loving, merciful God, now? When Tom Livingston meets Lucy, the attraction is instant. Soon after, his mother is diagnosed with an untreatable illness, and his personal life is pushed aside. His work with the sheriff’s department, his family–they are more important. He knows about the love of God, but circumstances make him feel as if God’s mercy is for everyone else, not him. Can a wedding and a hurricane–blessing and tragedy–bring them together?