by Dixie Land
He looked at her and smiled. “They’re corkers, Maggie. We had a great time on the ride home.” He kissed her before they went back into the living room to join Clara and Emily.
Lil, Caroline and Charlie joined them for a while, but they left by nine-thirty to be “rested for the big day.” Ross left the three ‘girls’, as he referred to them, at eleven.
“I’m certainly glad this is the last night we’ll have to part at bedtime,” he whispered into her ear when she walked with him to the door.
The girls stayed up for another thirty minutes, reluctant to say goodnight after such a pleasant evening of reminiscences and catching-up.
Throughout the night, two unmarked cars patrolled the street outside Maggie’s house.
ChapterTwentyNine
aturday, Maggie and Ross’s wedding day, dawned a perfect December morning in Serenity, North Carolina. The sun was bright; the high was expected to be around fifty. Maggie was the first one up at her apartment. She moved quietly into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. Within minutes, the smell of freshly brewing decaf drifted through the little apartment.
By the time Clara and Em joined Maggie in the kitchen, she had stirred up a batch of blueberry muffins, and they were rising in the oven.
“Oh, my dear, you shouldn’t be waiting on us on your wedding day.”
“I’m happy to do it, Aunt Clara,” Maggie said, giving each aunt a little squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re here with me for this day.” She felt her eyes begin to tear.
Quickly, Maggie went to the oven and opened the door to check the muffins. “I think they’re done,” she said, when the toothpick she stuck into one came out clean. She set them on a baker’s rack to cool.
“Now don’t those look like the best muffins you’ve ever seen, Clara?” Emily asked. “And don’t they smell just mouthwateringly delicious?”
“Oh my, yes. They do!” Clara agreed.
…
By half-past-twelve, Maggie had begun dressing for the most important day in her life. She took special care with her makeup, and after she brushed the earth tone, eye shadow onto her lids and brow, she dotted just a touch of aqua in the inner corners of her lids. Then, she smoothed it over the lid with her fingertips to bring out the color of her eyes. She brushed a bit of color onto her cheeks and applied her lipstick last.
She went to her closet and removed the ivory-colored two-piece silk wedding dress and laid it on her bed. She removed the clear plastic covering. She stepped into the ankle length skirt and pulled it up around her tummy. She straightened the side seams and smoothed the skirt down over her hips. She turned to make sure that the slit was in the exact center of the back, then she slid the over-blouse from the hanger and slipped it over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror. It fit her perfectly today, as she had allowed a little extra room when she purchased it two weeks ago. The pearl and iridescent beaded top shimmered softly under the indirect bedroom lighting. She had had a difficult time choosing between this outfit and another, but today she was so glad she had selected this one. It was very flattering in the way it minimized her ever expanding mid-section.
Now she was ready to style her hair. She put a clean white towel around her shoulders and began brushing her hair. Then she swept her chestnut locks up onto the top of her head and fastened a circular comb around it to hold it in place. She left a few wispy tendrils about her face. Ross always like her hair when she wore it up, and today this style would be perfect with the miniature white orchid and baby’s breath floral headpiece she fastened into her upswept hair. She slipped her feet into a pair of cream-colored satin pumps and took one last look in the mirror.
She went into the living room to join her aunts who had finished dressing a short time earlier. As she entered the room, they drew in their breath in unison.
“Oh, my dear,” Emily said. “You look exquisite!” She took a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes.
“Absolutely lovely! Wouldn’t our Lucy have been proud? Your father and Jill would’ve been too,” Clara said, her voice breaking as she spoke. She, too, dabbed at her eyes. “I’m afraid that even with the sun shining, it’s going to be a wet afternoon.” She managed a chuckle before blowing her nose.
Maggie glanced at the clock on her kitchen wall. “I guess it’s time. I’ll call Charlie and Caroline and let them know we’re ready.”
…
Caroline’s eyes teared the minute she saw Maggie. She hugged Maggie to her and sobbed softly.
Maggie knew exactly what was going through her mind, and her heart ached for Caroline. “I’m so glad you and Charlie are in my life,” she whispered into her ear. “And that you’re a part of this special day.”
Caroline released Maggie and nodded. “Me, too, dear,“ she managed to whisper back.
Charlie walked over to the garage to back the car out. Maggie noticed that he stopped to wipe his eyes and blow his nose before getting into the vehicle.
When they arrived at the church, Maggie noticed that Ross’s car was already there. So far, it was devoid of decoration. She was grateful. It would attract no undue attention that way.
Maggie and Charlie went in through the side door that opened into a small room near the altar. Ross had been instructed to go to the room on the opposite side of the altar. Caroline and the aunts walked around to the front of the church.
Reverend Townlee was in the room waiting for Maggie and Charlie, as the two stepped inside.
“Maggie Thornton, we may have to change the order of this occasion slightly, but don’t let anything that happens this afternoon trouble you. Just follow Doc’s lead. Okay?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Now, would you come with me for a minute, Charlie?”
Maggie looked at him in surprise. The two men turned and left the room. “Now what did he mean by that?” she asked aloud of no one.
A few moments later, Charlie rejoined her. “Alright little girl, they’re ready for us to go around to the front of the church.”
“Did you see Ross when you left?”
“I did. He’s waiting for you.” Charlie put his hands on Maggie’s shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “Before we go back there, I just want to tell you how proud we are of you and how much you mean to Caroline and me. I know you haven’t been part of our lives for very long, but it feels like you have.”
“You know how special you both are to me.” She kissed his cheek. She noticed that his face flushed a bit.
Charlie cleared his throat. “We’d better get back there now. Wouldn’t do for them to start without us, would it?” Just after Maggie and Charlie stepped inside the church, and the doors closed behind them, a black Mercedes drove down the street. It pulled into the church parking lot. Two other cars, both white Fords, pulled onto the side street and parked.
…
Lil and Bobby Hensley were waiting for Maggie and Charlie in the narthex of the church. Lil grinned her broadest when she saw Maggie, and Bobby ran to her and threw his arms around her waist.
“Wow, Maggie! You’re the beautifulist bride I’ve ever seen,” his brown eyes danced with excitement.
“And just how many brides have you seen, Bobby?” Lil wanted to know. “But you’re right, honey. She’s about the beautifulist I’ve seen, too.”
Maggie laughed. “We’re all beautiful, Bobby. You look so handsome today, like a real little man in your cutaway. She thought Lil looked the perfect matron-of-honor with her smiling blue eyes and wearing a lovely silver-gray crepe dress with matching shoes and gloves. She’d made a special trip to Raleigh to find “just the right dress” for the occasion.
Charlie and Maggie stood arm in arm, awaiting Marion’s cue for Ross to step to the front of the altar so that Maggie and Charlie could start down the aisle. At last the note sounded!
Ross stepped out of the door to the left of the altar, followed by Doc Miller. They stood before Reverend Townlee and turned to watch Maggie begin her walk toward Ross and their future together. The expression on
Ross’s face as he glimpsed his bride left no doubt in anyone’s mind as to how he felt about Maggie. It brought a tear to Maggie’s eyes, as she smiled back at this man, who, in a matter of months, had come to mean the world to her. Who could have dreamed that day in August, as she left Alexandria in despair, that she would find such joy a few months later with a wonderful man in a tiny town called Serenity?
Heads turned as Maggie and Charlie proceeded down the aisle. When Maggie was only a few steps from Ross, she saw Doc’s expression change. He nodded toward someone behind her, then he whispered something to Ross.
Ross reached out and took Maggie’s arm. With his other hand he grabbed Bobby’s wrist. He pulled them forward and hurried them into the small room at the side of the altar where Maggie had been when she first arrived at the church.
Charlie stopped and stood at the entrance to the front pew where Caroline, and Kathryn Miller were seated. Kathryn rose and quickly stepped into the center aisle. She moved to the front of the church and took her place beside her husband.
“Friends,” Reverend Townlee addressed the congregation. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the renewal of vows of our dear friends Kathryn and Andrew Miller, better known to all of you as Doc.”
From behind the closed door, Maggie asked, “What’s going on, Ross?”
“Yeah,” Bobby added. “I need to know too!”
“Shhhh!” Ross said, gently cupping his hand over Bobby’s mouth. Just trust me, both of you. This will all be over soon.”
Maggie moved closer to the door and peered out of the small window at the top of the door.
There was a loud commotion at the back of the church. Suddenly, a man burst through the back doors of the sanctuary and started down the aisle. He reached into his coat pocket and removed a black metal object. A shot rang out; the bullet lodged in the rafters overhead. Two men at the back of the congregation jumped up and ran toward him. Two deputies entered behind him, with weapons drawn.
“Hold it right there! Stop! Put the gun down, and get your hands in the air or I will shoot!” Sheriff Barton’s booming bass voice was commanding.
Bobby fell to the floor. Ross leaned down and whispered to him. “Just stay real quiet, Bobby. Everything’s gonna be fine.” Ross lifted the boy up into his arms patting his back gently to calm him.
Beyond the door in the sanctuary, Maggie could see that the intruder had stopped. There was a wild look in his green eyes as the tall, dark-haired man turned to face the sheriff. Still holding the gun, he stretched his arms above his head. His motions were jerky, he appeared dazed, confused.
“Where’s the wedding party?” he demanded. “Where’s Maggie Thornton? I’m not going to hurt anyone. I just want Maggie!” he demanded angrily, looking around the church.
Maggie turned back to Ross. “I need to go out there before some innocent people get hurt,” she whispered. “Maybe I can talk some sense into him. It’s me he wants.” Her hand shook as she reached for the doorknob.
‘Absolutely not!” Ross was adamant. “Let them handle it. It’s their job.”
Bobby reached out and grabbed Maggie’s shoulder. “No. No. Don’t go!” His little face clouded up, and tears began rolling down his cheeks.
They heard Sheriff Barton’s voice again, “Okay, mister, just hold real still. We don’t need any accidents today. Just drop that gun nice and slow now, and everything’s gonna be fine. And nobody’s gonna get hurt.”
There wasn’t a sound to be heard in the church. The man looked about, arms still in the air, and realizing himself surrounded by four armed men, slowly opened his hand and let the weapon fall to the floor. Sheriff Barton pulled the intruder’s arms down behind his back and secured the handcuffs about his wrists. His deputy grabbed one of the man’s arms; the sheriff held the other.
“Where’s the wedding party?” the man asked again, in a loud voice. “Where’s Maggie? Just tell me that!”
“Here’s the wedding party, young man,” Doc said calmly. “My wife and I are renewing our vows today, and I don’t believe you were on our guest list.”
The interloper still looked stunned as he was escorted out of the church and taken to a patrol car.
…
Ross gently lowered Bobby onto the floor. He and Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. “Now, Bobby,” Maggie said leaning down to the child. “Let’s dry those tears before we go out there.”
Bobby ran the backs of his hands under his eyes. “Those aren’t tears, Maggie. My eyes just leak sometimes. I wasn’t scared!”
Maggie shook her head and grinned at Ross. There was a knock at the door. “Let’s get on with this happy occasion,” Reverend Townlee said, as the door swung open. Maggie and Ross stepped up to the altar for the second time on their wedding day.
…
As they started down the aisle toward the back of the church, Maggie whispered into her new husband’s ear. “Can’t we do anything in a normal way? Do you suppose this is how it will go for the rest of our lives? At least no one will ever call us boring.”
“I expected your first words as my wife might be something far more romantic, Mrs. Harrington. Like, I can’t wait to get you alone or I want your body desperately,” he whispered back and kissed her cheek.
“That’s a given, Mr. Harrington.” She looked up at her husband and winked.
The wedding party and all of the guests moved to the basement of the library. It had been chosen to host the reception, as it would accommodate more people than the fellowship hall. The room was abuzz with talk of the wedding. Everyone was in agreement that this had been the most unusual wedding ever in Serenity, probably one of the most unique anywhere. And, by far, the most exciting!
The guests had been alerted as they arrived to the possibility of a “little interruption” but no one, except for Matt Hensley, was given any clue as to what they might expect. They certainly didn’t want to take the chance of him having a relapse so soon after his heart attack. He had insisted he’d be fine and wouldn’t hear of staying home. He’d said he’d be much more anxious not being there, as his imagination might work overtime. Everyone else had been instructed to remain calm and in their seat and not to show surprise at anything. They were also assured that the matter was under control. Everyone had handled the situation beautifully.
“I’m sorry we had to let things get so far,” Jeff Farnsworth, one of the deputies who had returned for the reception, told the newlyweds. “But we had to give him enough time to make his move, so we’d have legal grounds to arrest and hold him.”
Clara and Emily couldn’t stop talking about it. “I’m certainly glad you broke it off with that Michael,” Clara told Maggie animatedly. “Even if he is a doctor, he turned out to be a real honest to goodness nut! He needs to treat himself, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh my, yes!” Emily agreed wholeheartedly. “I was just wondering, Clara. Do you think this qualifies as a shotgun wedding?” She chuckled at her own little joke.
Clara burst out laughing. “I’d say it does! Good one, Em. First literal shotgun wedding I’ve ever been to.”
Ross chuckled and shook his head. “Corkers,” he whispered in Maggie’s ear.
Clara and Emily had gotten on quite well with Maggie’s friends. It had been arranged that Charlie and Caroline would take them to the airport the following day. They would spend tonight at Maggie’s apartment.
So far, no one knew where the newlyweds would honeymoon, including Maggie. When Maggie and Ross were ready to leave the festivities, Ross tapped a spoon on his champagne glass. It took a few seconds for the room to become hushed.
“Before my wife and I leave you today, Maggie has an announcement she’d like to make.”
All eyes focused on Maggie Harrington. She stood in front of what was left of the wedding cake Caroline had baked and decorated for them.
“I’d like to ask Diane Summers to step up here with us.” She waited as Diane left Ryan’s side and joined them. Then she continued.
“All of you have given me such a wonderful gift since that very first day I came to Serenity, and you’ve made me feel so welcome. You’ve given me your acceptance and friendship, and I treasure each of you. I’ve wanted to give something back to all of you. Ross and I have decided on a way to do it.
“We’ve arranged to have an addition built onto the library. It will allow the children’s section to add a third more books than it currently houses, and the same will be added in the general section.”
She turned to Caroline and Charlie before continuing. “The addition will be known as the Joy Keller Memorial Wing. Construction is set to begin in about a month. Diane has a blueprint and mock-up of the project upstairs. You’re all welcome to stop in. She’ll be happy to share it with you.”
Caroline and Charlie approached Maggie and Ross. “I don’t know how to thank you,” Caroline whispered through her tears.
“You already have.” Maggie embraced them both. When they were finally alone in Ross’s car, he asked, “Where would you like to spend your honeymoon, Mrs. Harrington? I decided to let you name the place. Anywhere! The Bahamas? Paris? Rome? Just tell me your hearts desire, and I’ll take you there.”
Maggie hesitated only a moment before replying. “Take me to paradise, Ross. That’s where I want to spend our honeymoon.”
“And where might this paradise be?”
“It won’t take long to get there, and when we do, we’ll find a lovely old home with green shutters and a porch that spans three quarters of the house. And there’s a beautiful little pond we can fish in and a bridge where we can watch the sun rise and set. The most remarkable man I’ve ever known has been tending to it lovingly for a very long time. And now, all I want is to spend the rest of my life there, loving him and loving it the way he does.”
Ross turned into the gravel lane that led to their home and stopped the car. He turned off the ignition and took Maggie in his arms. “I love you, Maggie Thornton Harrington. I’ll love you forever and beyond.”
He slowly removed the wedding band from her finger and held it up so she could read the engraving. “Forever and Beyond.”
