Snowbound with the Best Man
Page 18
She looked up at him, even though she knew it would spell the end of her resistance. “Probably the same as what I’d give,” she replied. “But Monday’s coming anyway, isn’t it?”
His eyes gleamed. “So let it. We just pulled off the most unlikely wedding in North Carolina. What’s a Monday in the face of that?”
She pulled back just a bit to look at him. “You’re serious.”
“Look, I know Kinston’s not exactly close. And I know what I do frightens you. But they’re all just details in light of the big things, aren’t they?”
“Those details are big things, Bruce.” And they were.
“We’ve got bigger things. Four of ’em. And according to a certain florist I know, they’re all we need.” When she raised an eyebrow, he added, “In fact, we’ve got six by my count.”
“Six?” Her heart felt like it tumbled over the falls with his words.
“A man, a woman, a valley, God and two amazing little girls. I’d pile that up against any set of logistics any day of the week.” He gazed into her eyes with a certainty she’d not seen in him before this moment. “Would you?”
“You know,” she said, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, “I believe I would.”
His smile matched the glow she felt in her heart. “How should we tell the girls?”
“Like this,” and with that, she titled her head up and kissed him. The room, the wedding and even the whole valley fell away from her awareness, leaving just the exquisite bliss of new love. A surprising, wondrous second chance she’d never seen coming.
Kelly thought it was her pulse pounding in her ears until she slowly realized it was clapping. And the gentle vibration of Bruce laughing as the elated yelps of two little girls filled her ears. She pulled away just enough to see the entire reception staring at them and applauding, led by Darren and Tina.
“Way to steal my thunder, Lohan,” Darren said with a shameless grin.
“Sorry,” Bruce said, sounding anything but.
“I’m not,” Darren said, clasping Bruce on the back.
“We’re not!” yelled Lulu and Carly in unison, jumping up and down. “Mom and Dad! Mom and Dad!”
“What is it about this valley?” Samantha Douglas said as she stood holding hands with Rob Folston.
“I don’t know,” Bruce said, holding Kelly’s hand tight. “But I sure am going to stick around long enough to find out.”
Epilogue
“So,” Yvonne said, leaning over the bakery counter, “now that I know why there’s a bunch of hearts hanging in your shop window, I want to hear every single detail.”
“Well,” said Kelly, feeling a bit breathless, “we were at the airport in Charlotte—”
“Wait a minute,” Yvonne cut in, straightening up. “We’ve got the most beautiful waterfall in the state right out back and he takes you to the airport?”
Kelly tried to scowl, but her sheer joy just wouldn’t let her pull it off. She planted her hands playfully on her hips instead. “Are you going to let me tell the story or what?”
In reply, Yvonne leaned both elbows on the bakery counter and planted her chin in her hands, a dramatic “I’m all ears” pose if there ever was one.
“So we went up in one of the helicopters he flies for his new job. He said we were going to Raleigh to buy baby gifts for Jean’s shower next week.”
“Baby Julia will be here before we know it. Jean’s as big as a house. I’ve been kidding her they need to confirm it’s not twins. But don’t get off the subject. So you’re up in a helicopter...” She made a skeptical face. “Noise, altitude, headphones...”
“They’re a private fleet,” Kelly replied, “so these helicopters are very nice. But I knew something was up when we headed west instead of east. Bruce took me up over the mountains. And you know what a pretty summer day it was yesterday.”
“Gorgeous,” Yvonne agreed, “but you’re in a helicopter.”
Granted, most people wouldn’t consider the setting romantic, but to her it was perfect. “He said he wanted to be absolutely sure I’d made my peace with the sky.” That was the wonder of Bruce. He understood her—her history, her weaknesses, all of her—completely. “And while I thought I had, at that moment I knew I had. And I told him so, but of course I was crying when I did.”
“That is rather sweet. I’ll give him that,” Yvonne said.
“And he told me that while he was glad to have given me back the sky, I’d given him the whole world back. That he was sure he’d never find joy again but he was so happy now. And that he knew lots of men got down on one knee, but he wanted to ask me to marry him up among the clouds.” She stared at the stunning sky blue sapphire solitaire that now graced her left hand, surrounded by a “cloud” of white diamonds. Blue sky and clouds, at her fingertips for the rest of her life. It was the most romantic thing she could ever imagine.
“And you said...” Yvonne clued, wide-eyed and smiling.
“Of course I said yes,” Kelly gushed. “And I kissed him as much as two headphones and air traffic safely protocols would allow.”
“Which I expect wasn’t much.”
Kelly blushed. “We made up for it once we landed.”
“Of course. And the girls?”
“They were waiting up when we got home. Bruce had written them both letters saying what he was doing. It was adorable, really.” She yawned. “We all stayed up far too late being ridiculously happy.”
“Good for you,” Yvonne said, coming around the counter to admire the beautiful ring. “Matrimony Valley pairs off another one of its fine women. And I get to make another cake.”
“You do,” Kelly agreed, hugging her friend. “But be warned, I plan to throw my bouquet straight at you.”
Yvonne pulled away just a bit. “Oh, yeah? How’s your aim?”
Kelly discovered she could smile even wider. “Excellent.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story, go back to check out the
first heartwarming romance in the
Matrimony Valley series:
His Surprise Son
Find these and other great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from A Baby for the Minister by Laurel Blount.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
Dear Reader,
Comebacks are hard. Restoring hope is an uphill battle for so many of us, especially when life knocks us down. Ah, but God moves most mightily in the uphill battles, and He is a splendid restorer. Often, His restorations bring back to us even more than we had before. That certainly is true for Bruce and Kelly—and adorable Carly and Lulu—and my prayer is that it is true for you, as well.
If this is your first visit to Matrimony Valley, go back and discover His Surprise Son, where Mayor Jean has her own family restored beyond her wildest expectations. And look forward to the next book in the Matrimony Valley series, where baker Yvonne Niles finds her own recipe for happiness.
I love to hear from readers, so please connect with me on Facebook or Twitter, email me at allie@alliepleiter.com or use good old-fashioned post at P.O. Box 7026, Villa Park, IL 60181.
Blessings,
Allie
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.
Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Faceb
ook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
A Baby for the Minister
by Laurel Blount
Chapter One
Pastor Jacob Stone strode down the carpeted halls of the unfamiliar church, hoping he was headed in the right direction. He’d told the nervous bridegroom he’d be back in five minutes, and he was way past that deadline now. “My notes for the budget meeting are in the blue folder, Arlene. Keep looking.”
“Good gracious, Jacob, this desk is like a landfill.” He could hear rustling through his cell phone as his elderly secretary rummaged through stacks of paper. “No wonder you can’t keep track of anything. Okay, I’ve found the folder. What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Make copies and take them to the conference room.” Jacob checked his watch. “Then just sit in for me until I get there. I shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes late. Twenty-five, tops.”
“Five minutes late would be too much.” Arlene made a tsking sound. “You’re already on thin ice with Digby Markham because you skipped out on his businessmen’s luncheon last week. I really don’t see why you agreed to do this wedding. It’s not even at our church.”
“I told you—it was a last-minute thing. Pastor Michaelson came down with the flu.” Jacob halted in front of the third door on the left. He was almost sure this was where he’d left the groom.
“Yes, but I don’t see why Good Shepherd’s emergency is our problem, especially when you already had Digby’s meeting on the calendar. You need to start saying no.”
“We’re talking about somebody’s wedding, Arlene. I couldn’t say no.”
Well, he could have. He just hadn’t wanted to.
From the moment Digby had taken over as the chairman of Pine Valley Community Church’s board, the banker had been clogging Jacob’s schedule with endless meetings, all of which circled back to the same old topic: whether or not their little church should construct a fancy new fellowship hall.
Jacob already knew his answer to that question, and he was tired of arguing the same points over and over. A last-minute wedding made a welcome change.
Arlene sighed. “You really need to watch your step right now, Jacob. The whole church is up in arms, and people are choosing sides. Digby might be a frustrating old fusspot, but plenty of folks are backing him up on this.”
“We don’t need a new fellowship hall. There are way too many genuine needs in our community for us to waste money on a new building when the space we already have is perfectly—”
“Adequate.” Arlene finished the sentence with him. “So you’ve said. But it may surprise you to know that there are a good many people in our church who don’t agree with your ideas of what’s adequate.”
No, that didn’t surprise him. But it worried him. His church was pretty much the only family he had. He didn’t like being on the outs with them. Still, it was his job to make the right decisions, not the popular ones.
“I don’t think it sends the right message for us to fundraise right now. Since the textile plant shut down, half our town is out of work. We can talk about a new fellowship hall later, when our neighbors aren’t worried about losing their homes.”
“I’m already on your side, so you can save your breath. But I’ll tell you this—a lot of people with some serious social clout want this fellowship hall to go forward. If you don’t let them have it, you stand a good chance of losing your pulpit.”
His cranky secretary actually sounded worried. “Aw. Would you miss me, Arlene?”
She snorted. “Don’t you flatter yourself. I’m just too old to train up another new preacher. Now, enough of this jibber-jabber. You’d best get that couple married and get back here where you belong.”
Jacob sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Arlene was right. He needed to get back to Pine Valley Community as soon as he could.
First, though, he had a wedding to perform and a spooked groom to deal with.
He needed to focus. Jacob closed his eyes and murmured a prayer.
Then he sucked in a deep breath, fixed a smile on his face and pushed open the door to the choir room.
“All right! Let’s get this show on the...”
He froze, the rest of his cheery speech forgotten as he took in the scene in front of him.
Long gray curtains rippled as a chilly April breeze blew through the open window, filling the room with the smell of pine trees and wet asphalt. A crushed white boutonniere lay discarded on the carpet. The groom... What was his name again?
Adam Larkey.
Adam was nowhere to be seen.
Jacob’s heart gave one slow, painful thump, then revved into high gear. He crossed the room in two strides and batted the fluttering curtains aside to scan the damp parking lot. Sure enough, a bumper-sticker-encrusted Jeep that he’d noticed earlier had vanished, replaced by a rectangle of dry pavement.
Oh brother. This was bad.
Really, really bad.
The ceremony was due to start in exactly eight minutes, and Elvis had left the building.
He’d never had anybody actually bolt from a wedding before. This was uncharted territory.
Oh, he’d dealt with panicky grooms plenty of times. What minister hadn’t? That was why, when the first words out of Adam Larkey’s mouth had been “I don’t think I can do this, bro,” Jacob hadn’t taken it all that seriously.
Apparently, he should have.
He hadn’t believed for a minute that Larkey was serious about skipping out. Grooms never were, not really.
And there was no way Jacob could’ve suspected that this guy would be the world’s one exception because Jacob had never met either member of this wedding party before.
In fact, he still hadn’t laid eyes on the bride. He’d skidded into the church only a scant half hour before the wedding was scheduled to start. Since then he’d been so busy coping with Adam and Arlene that he hadn’t had time to speak with the bride.
Well, he was definitely going to have to go talk to her now. He checked his watch again and winced. Zero hour.
There was no way around it. He had to go tell some poor woman that her fiancé had just climbed out of a window rather than marry her.
This was not going to be fun.
Jacob threaded his way back through the narrow halls toward the bride’s dressing room, racking his brain for the best way to break the news. Unfortunately, Good Shepherd Church wasn’t much bigger than his own, and he was standing outside the door before he came up with anything useful.
He spread his hand flat against the wood of the door and bowed his head. Please, Lord. Help me to find the best words to explain this mess. Help this woman, whoever she is, to handle what I’m about to tell her with the kind of grace and peace only You can give. Carry her through this disappointment, Father, and heal her heart. Amen.
As if on cue, the door opened a crack, and Jacob found himself looking down into a woman’s wide brown eyes.
“Is it time?”
Her voice wobbled as she tucked loosened strands of maple-sugar hair back into a softly coiled bun. She wore no veil, and Jacob had seen enough brides to know that the simple hairdo and light makeup were her own work. Not surprising, since this was supposed to be a no-frills wedding.
“Oh! It’s nice to meet you.” The woman accepted his hand, her fingers icy in his. “I’m Natalie Davis. Are you ready for me now?”
“Not exactly. There’s been a small...uh...glitch.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he cringed. A small glitch?
“Another one?” Natalie laughed nervously. “First my car wouldn’t start, then the minister gets sick and now this. I’m starting to wonder if this wedding is even going to happen today.”
“May I come in? We need to talk.”
The bride’s creamy skin went a shade paler. “All right. Come on in and have a seat.” Pulling the door open wide, she turned sideways, making room for him to enter.
Jacob didn’t budge. For the second time that afternoon, he found himself frozen on a threshold with no clue what to do next.
He’d thought this wedding couldn’t get any more complicated. He’d been wrong.
In the back of his bewildered mind at least a hundred alarm bells were going off at once. He had no idea what to say. In fact, at that moment, he knew only three things for certain.
First, there was no way he was making it to that meeting. Arlene would just have to cope with Digby and the board on her own.
And second, he should definitely have taken Adam Larkey’s prewedding freak-out a whole lot more seriously.
Because the third thing he knew for sure was—that wasn’t a bridal gown Natalie Davis was wearing.
It was a maternity dress.
“You’re pregnant?” He didn’t know why he made it sound like a question. With a baby bump of that size, there was absolutely no doubt about it.
* * *
Natalie’s cheeks were stinging so hard that she knew they must be as red as apples, but she forced a little laugh. “Eight months and counting. Please. Come on in”
She made her way back to the worn armchair, her Bible lying open on its seat. A few more minutes and one short ceremony and she could get out of this church and stop blushing every time somebody mentioned her pregnancy. She wasn’t sure which of those two things she was looking forward to more.