She’d wanted something beautiful enough to get married in but casual enough for a barefoot walk on the beach with Grant later. The silk chiffon gown had an Empire waist, an illusion bodice covered in delicate white-on-white embroidery, short sleeves, small fabric-covered buttons down the back, and a slight train. It was gorgeous, she could move in it, and it wasn’t itchy. Anywhere. She wore lace ballet flats threaded with blue ribbon bows, a penny in her shoe, and her grandma’s pearl bracelet. She’d decided to skip the veil.
Her mom had pinned a wreath of rosebuds and tiny white orchids into her hair. She carried a bouquet of white cattleya orchids and rosebuds tied with a white double-faced satin bow.
Her dad held out his arm for Daisy to slip her hand through. “Ready, kitten?”
She was shaking. It wasn’t that it was nerves—well, maybe it was nerves. She wanted to marry Grant. She was crazy in love with him, to be honest. At the same time, this was the rest of their lives. What if they got tired of teasing each other about all the activities he wasn’t allowed to engage in while he still played for the Sharks? What if he got sick of dealing with her flight schedule? What if she got tired of a refrigerator full of Gatorade and protein bars?
“I’m a little nervous,” she said to her dad in a low voice.
“Everyone who gets married is nervous. If you weren’t nervous, I’d worry about it.” Her dad kissed her forehead. “Are you nervous because you’re thinking about the rest of your life with one person, or are you freaking out because you’ve never done this before?”
“Maybe both.” She heard a golf cart approaching behind them and the toot-toot of the ridiculous little horn all golf carts came equipped with.
“I heard there was a wedding,” Tom Reed called out to them as he drove past. “Free booze.” Catherine had one hand through the hand-holds on her side, but she was laughing.
Catherine and Tom got out of their golf cart twenty-five feet or so ahead. Catherine had on a floor-length sleeveless soft yellow chiffon gown, which was made by the same designer as Daisy’s and outlined the slight baby bump she was sporting these days. She was already holding her bouquet of white cymbidium orchids. Tom wore a linen shirt, slacks, flip-flops, a boutonniere, and a big grin.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” he said to Catherine. “Shall we?” He extended his arm to her. “How are you feeling?”
“I might be able to get through the next hour without being sick,” she said. “Let’s get them married.”
“I love that idea.”
Daisy heard applause from the guests as Catherine and Tom stepped onto the aisle runner. She knew that Cam was already waiting at the altar with Grant; Grant had decided he wanted two best men. She wanted to see Grant, but she needed to stay hidden for just a few moments more. Plus, she had some things she’d like to discuss with her dad.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage, but there are plenty of happy ones. Your mother and I are pretty happy. Your brother’s pretty happy with his wife,” her dad said. “There’s no reason why you won’t be happy too.”
“What if we get sick of each other or fall out of love? What happens then?”
Her dad stroked her cheek. “Then you remember all the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place. You have a lifetime to discover everything about him that you love. I’m still discovering new things about your mother, and we’ve been married for forty years.”
“I think she has a crush on Grant,” Daisy said.
“Everyone has a crush on Grant, kitten, but he’s marrying you today, isn’t he?”
“That’s true.”
“Then come on. Let’s go show everyone how beautiful you look.”
Daisy and her dad stepped onto the cloth runner as her mom got to her feet. The rest of the guests followed. She glanced from side to side, trying to take in all of the guests, the beautiful day, Catherine’s smile at the little archway. Her dad patted her hand as she finally recognized the song the guitarist was singing, and they began making their way along the aisle.
Grant had asked to choose the song she walked down the aisle to. “You’ll love it,” he’d said.
“It’s supposed to be some big, formal bridal thing.”
“We’re getting married on the beach. I’m not wearing a tux. It’s not going to be a big, formal thing.”
“Please tell me I’m not walking down the aisle to ‘All About That Bass.’ ”
“People wouldn’t forget it, would they?”
She’d tried to find out what his plan was, but he was maddeningly silent. He even told the guitarist they’d hired for the ceremony music not to tell her.
He’d chosen “Here Comes the Sun,” the Beatles song she woke up to every morning. She’d been listening to it since she was a little girl. The words of the song fit them perfectly. For a couple who’d made their home in rainy Seattle, the return of the sun was always an event. They’d each lived a long, cold, lonely winter before meeting each other and falling in love. Even the warmth of the Hawaiian sunshine could never compare to the joy in her heart when she spotted Grant at the end of the aisle.
He wore a pale ivory long-sleeved linen shirt and linen pants and had an orchid pinned to his collar. His long, dark hair blew in the breeze. His smile was dazzling. He stepped forward and reached out his hand to her.
Her dad kissed her cheek and whispered, “Be happy, kitten. We love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” she said.
She felt her dad step away from her, but she didn’t look back.
She took Grant’s hand as the minister said, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to share in the happiness when two hearts are joined together in love. Please be seated.”
Grant turned to face her as she handed off her bouquet to Catherine so she could take both of his hands in hers. She looked up at him.
“You look so beautiful,” he whispered.
She felt overwhelmed. She clutched his hands and whispered, “You look beautiful too.”
“I can’t wait to marry you,” he said.
“I can’t wait to marry you, either.” She let out a sigh. “I’m such a dork. Maybe I’ll be able to come up with something more original to say the next time we get married.”
The minister cleared his throat.
“ ‘I do’ has worked well at every wedding I’ve performed so far, so let’s start,” he teased Daisy. He turned the page of the small black book he held open.
“Daisy and Grant, you are about to enter into a relationship that will determine and shape the rest of your lives. None of us knows what lies ahead when we speak the promises in our wedding vows, but we step forward in faith, believing that our lives together will be full of happiness with our beloved. After today, you will belong to each other. You will be one according to the law and according to the love you share. You will start your life together with the self-sacrifice that comes from true love, the belief that you always want the best for each other. Your love will grow stronger and deeper as the years go by. If your actions are guided by unselfishness and love for each other, you can expect a happy, lasting marriage.” He paused for a moment. “No pressure.”
Daisy could hear Derrick Collins’s deep voice from the back of the seated guests. “Amen, brother.”
Grant squeezed her hands in both of his. “I love you,” he whispered. “Have I told you how beautiful you are yet?”
“I love you too,” Daisy said.
“Do you, Grant Parker, take this woman, Daisy Spencer, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” Grant said.
“Do you, Daisy Spencer, take this man, Grant Parker, to be your lawfully wedded—”
“I do,” she blurted out. “I do. I do.”
“Well, then,” the minister said through his laughter. “Let’s try this again: your lawfully wedded husband.”
“Yes,” she said. “I do. For all of my life.”
Author’s Note:
I TOOK A l
ot of liberties with my descriptions of what the life of a flight attendant is like. I hope the flight attendants (and other airline employees, past and present) who may read my book will forgive my artistic license, especially since you have a really tough job, and it wasn’t my aim to add to this. I’m also pretty sure the nightmarish scenarios I dreamed up for poor Daisy pale in comparison to your stories. If you’d ever like to share them with me, I’d love to hear them! There’s a contact form on my website, which is http://www.juliebrannagh.com.
Again, thank you for your hard work.
Go Sharks!
World of Love and Football:
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Love and Football series!
BLITZING EMILY
A Love and Football Novel
All’s fair in Love and Football . . .
Emily Hamilton doesn’t trust men. She’s much more comfortable playing the romantic lead in front of a packed house onstage than in her own life. So when NFL star and alluring ladies’ man Brandon McKenna acts as her personal white knight, she has no illusions that he’ll stick around. However, a misunderstanding with the press throws them together in a fake engagement that yields unexpected (and breathtaking) benefits.
Every time Brandon calls her “Sugar,” Emily almost believes he’s playing for keeps—not just to score. Can she let down her defenses and get her own happily ever after?
RUSHING AMY
A Love and Football Novel
For Amy Hamilton, only three F’s matter: Family, Football, and Flowers.
It might be nice to find someone to share Forever with too, but right now she’s working double overtime while she gets her flower shop off the ground. The last thing she needs or wants is a distraction . . . or help, for that matter. Especially in the form of gorgeous and aggravatingly arrogant ex-NFL star Matt Stephens.
Matt lives by a playbook—his playbook. He never thought his toughest opponent would come in the form of a stunning florist with a stubborn streak to match his own. Since meeting her in the bar after her sister’s wedding, he’s known there’s something between them. When she refuses, again and again, to go out with him, Matt will do anything to win her heart . . . But will Amy, who has everything to lose, let the clock run out on the one-yard line?
CATCHING CAMERON
A Love and Football Novel
Star sports reporter Cameron Ondine has one firm rule: she does not date football players. Ever. She tangled with one years ago, and it did not end well. Been there, done that.
But when Cameron comes face-to-face with the very man who shattered her heart—on camera, no less—her world is upended for a second time by recklessly handsome Seattle Shark Zach Anderson.
Zach has never been able to forget the gorgeous blonde who stole his breath away when he was still just a rookie. They’ve managed to give each other a wide berth for years, but when their jobs suddenly bring them together again and again, he knows he has to face his past once and for all.
Because as they spend more time together, he becomes less focused on the action on the field and more concerned with catching Cameron.
COVERING KENDALL
A Love and Football Novel
Kendall Tracy, General Manager of the San Francisco Miners, is not one for rash decisions or one-night stands. But when she finds herself alone in a hotel room with a heart-stoppingly gorgeous man—who looks oddly familiar—Kendall throws her own rules out the window . . . and they blow right back into her face.
Drew McCoy should look familiar; he’s a star player for her team’s archrival, the Seattle Sharks. Which would basically make Drew and Kendall the Romeo and Juliet of professional football . . . well, without all the dying.
Not that it’s an issue. They agree to pretend their encounter never happened. Nothing good can come of it anyway, right?
Drew’s not so sure. Kendall may be all wrong for him, but he can’t stop thinking about her, and he finds that some risks are worth taking. Because the stakes are always highest when you’re playing for keeps.
HOLDING HOLLY
A Love and Football Novella
Holly Reynolds has a secret. Make that two. The first involves upholding her grandmother’s hobby answering Dear Santa letters from dozens of local school children. The second . . . well, he just came strolling in the door.
For the last two years, Holly has not been able to stop thinking about gorgeous Seattle Shark Derrick Collins. His on-field exploits induce nightmares in quarterbacks across the NFL, but she knows he has a heart of gold.
Derrick has never met a woman he wants to bring home to meet his family, mostly because he keeps picking the wrong ones-until he runs into sweet, shy Holly Reynolds. Different than anyone he’s ever known, Derrick realizes she might just be everything he needs.
When he discovers her holiday letter writing, he is determined to play Santa too. And as the pair team up to bring joy to one little boy very much in need, they discover the most precious Christmas gift of all: love.
CHASING JILLIAN
A Love and Football Novel
Score a touchdown with Julie Brannagh’s latest Love and Football novel about discovering who you are and finding love along the way.
Jillian Miller likes her job working in the front office for the Seattle Sharks, but lately being surrounded by a constant parade of perfection only seems to make her own imperfections all the more obvious. She needs a change, which takes her into foreign territory: the Sharks’ workout facility after hours. The last thing she expects is a hot, grumbly god among men to be there as witness.
Star linebacker Seth Taylor had a bad day—well, a series of them recently. When he hits the Sharks’ gym to work out his frustration, he’s startled to find someone there—and even more surprised that it’s Jillian, the team owner’s administrative assistant. When he learns of Jillian’s mission to revamp her lifestyle, he finds himself volunteering to help. Something about Jillian’s beautiful smile and quick wit makes him want to stick around. She may not be like the swimsuit models he usually has on his arm, but the more time Seth spends with Jillian the harder he falls.
And as Jillian discovers that the new her is about so much more than she sees in the mirror, can she discover that happiness and love are oh-so-much better than perfect?
GUARDING SOPHIE
A Love and Football Novella
Hearts beat and sparks fly when two people find shelter in each other.
Seattle Sharks wide receiver Kyle Carlson needs to escape and Noel, Washington is the perfect place for him to do it and figure out his next step. He likes the seclusion and predictability of the small town . . . until the biggest surprise of his life turns up in the local grocery store.
Sophie Hayes has her own reasons for disappearing without a trace and moving to Noel. This mountain town makes her feel safe for the first time in a long time. But her quiet routine is threatened when Kyle walks back into her life. Growing up in the same Florida town, she always had a little thing for the sexy football player. This tie to her old life, though, could mean she has to run again, even if her heart wants to stay.
When the reason she fled shows up in Noel, Kyle and Sophie, with a little extra help from his teammates, must decide to stay and fight for the life, and love, they’ve found together.
About the Author
JULIE BRANNAGH has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two uncivilized Maine Coons, and a rambunctious chocolate Lab. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family room couch.
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Also by Julie Brannagh
Guarding Sophie (novella)
Chasing Jillian
Holding Holly (novella)
Covering Ke
ndall
Catching Cameron
Rushing Amy
Blitzing Emily
Give in to your Impulses . . .
Continue reading for excerpts from
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THIS EARL IS ON FIRE
THE SEASON’S ORIGINAL SERIES
by Vivienne Lorret
TORCH
THE WILDWOOD SERIES
by Karen Erickson
HERO OF MINE
THE MEN IN UNIFORM SERIES
by Codi Gary
An Excerpt from
THIS EARL IS ON FIRE
The Season’s Original Series
By Vivienne Lorret
Vivienne Lorret’s Season’s Original series continues with an earl whose friends are determined to turn him into a respectable member of society . . . and the one woman who could finally tame him.
Liam Cavanaugh grinned at the corrugated lines marking his cousin’s lifted brows. It wasn’t often that Northcliff Bromley, the Duke of Vale and renowned genius, showed astonishment.
Bending his dark head, Vale peered closer at the marble heads within the crates. “Remarkable. Even seeing them side by side, I hardly notice a difference. The fellows will be fascinated when you present this to the Royal Society at month’s end.”
“It was pure luck that I had the original as well.” Liam shrugged as if he’d merely stumbled upon the differences between a genuine article and an imposter.
Vale turned, and his obsidian eyes sharpened on Liam. “No need to play the simpleton with me. You forget that I know your secret.”
Liam cast a hasty glance around the sconce-lit, cluttered ballroom of Wolford House, ensuring they were alone. Fortunately, the vast space was empty aside from the two of them and a dozen or more large crates filled with artifacts. “By definition, a secret is that of which we do not speak. So lower your voice, if you please.”
Intercepting Daisy Page 21
