Oh, Jake, she thought. What I wouldn’t give to be marrying you today.
As Holly and Gayle crossed the square, another man headed over to greet them. “You look absolutely beautiful, Gayle,” he said.
Gayle burst into a smile. “I didn’t think you’d really come,” she told the man. “Greg, this is my dear friend, Holly. Greg is my boss,” Gayle added, quite unnecessarily, from the look of pure love in her eyes.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Holly said.
“You, as well,” he replied.
Holly’s heart was bursting with happiness for Gayle. The woman looked so happy, so dazzlingly happy, that Holly hoped this was the start of a new relationship for Greg and Gayle.
“You’ll save me a dance at the reception, won’t you?” he asked, and Holly could tell from his expression and tone that he had a thing for his receptionist. More than a thing.
“You’ve got them all,” Gayle whispered, and he gently touched her cheek with his hand.
Holly slipped away to give them some privacy.
“Holly Morrow, just when I didn’t think you could look more beautiful, you go and surprise me.”
Jake.
Holly felt herself blush. “Thank you. And you’re looking quite handsome yourself.”
“Holly-girl, there you are!”
Holly whirled around. Standing not one foot away from her were Miss Ellie and Herbert!
Holly rushed over to embrace her beloved neighbors. “I am so happy to see both of you!”
“We received a special invitation from the bride herself,” Miss Ellie said. “She called us yesterday and said she’d heard all about us from a certain man in your life and that she would have invited us sooner but there’d been some wedding hoopla and for a while she wasn’t sure if there’d even be a wedding. Sounds like quite the to-do!”
“Oh, it was,” Holly said, blushing. “But everything’s just fine now,” she added, giving Jake’s hand a squeeze. Oh, goodness, she thought. In her excitement and surprise at seeing Miss Ellie and Herbert, she completely forgot to introduce Jake!
“Holly has told me all about you two,” Jake said with a wink. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”
Miss Ellie grinned. “Oh, me too, dear.” She winked back, and they all laughed. “Herbert, how about you dance me over to our seats. These heels are killing me!”
“You did practice—” Holly began.
“Just kidding!” Miss Ellie said, laughing. “I walked up and down the block in front of our houses. Herbert and I practiced our tango for this very occasion.”
As Jake pointed out which side of the aisle was for the bride, Holly squeezed Miss Ellie into another hug, and the elderly woman whispered, “You come back to your old neighborhood and visit sometime, you hear? And bring that handsome man of yours with you.”
Holly blinked back tears. As Herbert and Miss Ellie seemed to know way back when they escorted Holly to the train, Holly was going home to Troutville.
How she wished she could stay.
“You may now kiss your bride,” the minister said, and Dylan dipped Lizzie for a Hollywood kiss to end all kisses.
Holly burst into tears of joy, and Jake handed her his handkerchief. “Thanks,” she said. “Of course, I said I wasn’t going to cry, and here I am.”
Jake smiled. “Well, it’s been quite an emotional time. I say you’re owed a few tears.”
Holly smiled back, and it was all she could do not to burst into a fresh round of tears again. But not tears of joy for Lizzie.
Tears of sorrow for her heart. Last night, she’d dreamed that she and Jake were getting married today. That it was the two of them standing before friends and family and saying “I do.” Vowing to love, honor and cherish each other for all the days of their lives.
“All this lovey-dovey stuff is too much for me,” said a voice behind Holly and Jake.
They turned around. Jimmy Morgan sat there in a suit and tie, his arm slung around his girlfriend, the girl of his dreams from school.
“For someone so lovey-dovey himself,” the girl said, tapping Jimmy on the nose, “I’m surprised to hear you complaining!”
Jimmy blushed, defeating his attempt to appear cool, and Jake and Holly laughed and turned back around. Holly was so happy that everything had worked out between Jake and Dylan and Jimmy. The three men had spent several hours together reforming their friendship and offering Jimmy a new mentor role at the center. Jimmy had jumped at the chance.
Holly glanced around, spying Gayle and her boss staring into each other’s eyes, Miss Ellie and Herbert indulging in yet another kiss, and Pru and Dan jumping in, hands entwined, to congratulate her brother and her new sister-in-law.
A bright future was in store for everyone. Holly had never felt so hopeful.
Tell him how you feel, Holly, she ordered herself. Tell him.
“Jake, do you know the big old yellow house at the end of this road?”
“The one right there?” Jake said, pointing to the storybook house with the white picket fence.
Holly nodded. “There was a ‘for sale’ sign posted yesterday. I took it as an omen.”
Jake turned to her, eyebrow raised. “An omen for what?”
“That I was meant to buy it, meant to live in it. Between Up Hill and Down.”
Jake took her hand. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“I would like to live in a house like that,” Jake said, smiling. “Between Up Hill and Down. With someone I love very much.”
“Then perhaps you should live there, too,” she said. “With me.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said.
“It took a long time, but you know what they say.”
“You were worth ten years, Holly. You’d be worth a hundred, but thank God you didn’t wait until we were both old and gray and unable to start a family of our own.”
Tears came to her eyes and she blinked them back. “I love you, Jake.”
“I love you, too, Holly. And if you’d marry me, I’d be the happiest man alive.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she breathed. “Oh, Jake, yes!”
He leaned down to caress her lips with a kiss. “Sealed with a kiss.”
She smiled. “Let’s tell everyone tomorrow. I don’t want to steal Lizzie’s thunder.”
“It’ll be our secret for the night,” Jake said. “And I know a great way to celebrate that secret.”
She squeezed his hand.
He squeezed back, then reached inside his jacket pocket and took out a small manila envelope. “I did a little research last night. Just in case I needed some extra ammunition.”
“For what?” Holly asked.
“For getting you to stay. To even consider staying. Here. Open it.”
Holly pulled out several printouts from the Internet and some newspaper clippings, including several ads from the Troutville Gazette. “Eleventh grade English teacher needed at Troutville High,” Holly read. “Twelfth grade English teacher needed at Riverton High. Eleventh grade teacher needed at Leesville High.” Riverton and Leesville were neighboring towns.
Holly’s heart moved in her chest and she thought she’d start crying all over again. “Oh, Jake.”
“There’s more,” he said. “Keep reading.”
She put the classified ads back in the envelope and read the clippings and Internet printouts. “Pastry chef wanted at family-style grill,” Holly read. “Pastry chef courses at Troutville Community Center. Catering company seeks wedding cake baker. Become a Pastry Chef at Culler County’s famous culinary institute. Pie contest at the Troutville Fair next Saturday—best pie wins two tickets to the Troutville Cinema.”
“I’ve been in the mood for a movie,” Jake said, winking. “Popcorn’s on me.”
“I’ve got to bake a winning pie first,” she said, tears in her eyes.
“You’ll win, Holly,” he said. “I have no doubt.”
“I’ve already won,” she said.
> He smiled and kissed her, a long, sweet kiss that she was sure she’d remember for the rest of her life.
“Ahem,” said Gayle, laughing, in the row behind her. “Isn’t it the bride and groom who are supposed to be doing all the smooching?”
Holly couldn’t suppress her laugh.
“Good thing I’d already planned to make an honest woman of you, smoocher,” Jake whispered into Holly’s ear.
“Jake Boone, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Holly Morrow. I’ve loved you my entire life.”
“Single gals, line up!” Lizzie shouted. “If you catch it, you’re next!” She stood with her back to the crowd and threw her pink-and-white bouquet high in the air.
It landed in Holly’s waiting hands. She locked gazes with Jake and grinned, certain that she would be the “next” bride in the crowd, and very soon.
EPILOGUE
Seven months later, a little miracle was born in Troutville. A baby girl, half Up Hill, half Down Hill, seven pounds, six ounces, a fuzzing of soft blond hair and slate blue eyes. Her parents, Lizzie and Dylan Dunhill, named her Dorothea Victoria after Lizzie’s beloved grandmother and Dylan’s mother. They called the baby Thea. Victoria Dunhill doted on her tiny granddaughter, spoiling her like crazy with frilly dresses that even Lizzie had to admit were adorable, if completely unwearable except for a few holidays. And Pru, with a modest engagement ring on her finger from her fiancé, Dan, had turned to complete mush the moment she laid eyes on her little niece. Lizzie’s mom was so enamored with her new granddaughter that she’d hired a couple of extra waitresses at Morrow’s Pub so that she could spend as much time with Thea as possible.
Six months after baby Thea was born, another little miracle joined the residents of Troutville. The eight pound, three ounce son of Holly and Jake Boone. They named the baby Jacob Jr.
Holly would never forget the look in Jake’s eyes when he held his baby son, a carbon copy of himself, for the first time, just seconds after his birth.
Of course, the buzz had already started around Troutville. Thea and Jake are going to marry, everyone said. Mark my words.
The four parents rolled their eyes at the gossips, but couldn’t help smiling.
Today, Lizzie and Holly were taking Thea and baby Jake for a walk around Down Hill, to show them the houses their mommies had grown up in.
“Look, Thea, there’s Mommy’s old house,” Lizzie said, pointing to the yellow bungalow. “Now it’s Mommy’s photography studio.”
Lizzie had transformed the downstairs of her house into the studio of her dreams, complete with darkrooms, Photoshop station, backdrops, lights—the works. She had decided to become a portrait photographer, and once people saw the photos she took of Thea and little Jake, they lined up with their children and pets for Lizzie’s magic camera.
The upstairs had been converted into a nursery and playroom for Thea while Lizzie worked downstairs. Lizzie’s mom offered to watch Thea whenever Lizzie wanted to work.
“And there’s the shop that Mommy is going to buy for her bakery!” Holly told baby Jake, pointing to the old bakery that had been closed for over a year. The owner hadn’t been able to find a buyer and had retired to Florida; he’d been thrilled when Holly had called to buy it.
Holly had decided to open her own bakery, her dream, and volunteer as a tutor at Troutville High for students needing help with English. She spent three days a week at the school, tutoring for three hours a day, and the schedule was perfect. She could help kids as she always wanted, and bake, having her own business. It was a dream come true.
“And there’s where your mommy-to-be used to live before she finally convinced her stubborn boss to fall in love with her and marry her!” Gayle said, patting her rounded belly. She was five months pregnant and just starting to show.
Gayle and Greg had married in exactly the same square that Lizzie and Dylan, and Holly and Jake had married in.
Holly laughed. “Gayle, I think I’m having sympathy cravings. For a hot fudge sundae.”
“Oooh, me too!” Lizzie said. “Oh, my back!” she mock-complained, rubbing an imaginary sore spot. “I need ice cream now!”
“Must. Have. Ice cream. Now,” Gayle said, laughing.
“And what do you say we invite the daddies?” Lizzie suggested.
“Jake would never pass up an opportunity for a hot fudge sundae,” Holly said. “How about you, little guy?” she added, bending down to trace a gentle finger down baby Jake’s soft cheek. “Are you going to take after your daddy and be an ice-creamaholic?”
Holly would swear that at that exact moment, baby Jake smiled his first real smile.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2004 by Janelle Taylor
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-2736-2
Dying To Marry Page 25
