by Debra Holt
The Christmas gifts had been opened, stockings emptied, and the Christmas dinner would soon be on the dining table at Mae and Vernon’s home. Charlie and Angel were in the den watching the movie Santa had placed in her stocking. Every few minutes she would take time out and run into the kitchen, giving quick hugs to her dad and especially to Emma. Her smiles couldn’t get any wider as she danced around the room and then ran back to watch more of the animated movie.
“Well, you’ve always been one to work miracles, Mother. I’m sure this will be no different.” Cole grinned across the kitchen at her, slowly rising from his chair at the table in the alcove where he and his dad had been told to sit and stay out of the way… advice they were pleased to follow. With coffee mug in hand, Cole moved to lean against the kitchen cabinet, close to where Emma was busy placing the homemade yeast rolls onto the baking pan.
“And maybe Emma has other ideas. She might not want to be so rushed down the aisle. A perfect wedding takes some time.” Mae sought confirmation from her future daughter-in-law.
Emma patted her hands on the front of the apron she wore and turned her attention to the matter at hand. “I think seven days might be an issue.”
Mae nodded an I-told-you-so toward her son. That did not last long as Emma’s next words followed with a saucy grin.
“Seven days is a bit long. I told Cole I was fine with a justice of peace tomorrow morning at the court house.”
“A justice of peace? Oh, my Lord… Vernon don’t just sit there with a silly grin on your face… help me talk some sense into these two.” Mae’s gaze moved back to Emma. “Wedding days are special and there are so many people who want to help celebrate such a day. Surely, you’d like a cake and flowers and—” She stopped when she caught the look Emma and Cole shared, both having problems keeping their laughter contained. “You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You’ve been pulling my leg!”
“I’m sorry, Mae,” Emma replied. “These two men talked me into this joke.”
“It is only partly a joke,” Cole amended. “I am serious about seven days. We plan to be married next Saturday night so we can celebrate the New Year as the beginning of our life together.”
“We need to get busy. First, we need to call the pastor and see about the church and—” Mae stopped when she saw the tentative look on Emma’s face. “No church?”
“I would really like to have the wedding at Cole’s home.”
“Our home,” he corrected, the look he gave Emma warmed her all the way to the tips of her toes. “That’s what will happen then. I chose the day, and the rest is however Emma wants it to be. I think I can trust you, Mom, to see it’s everything my bride deserves.” His hand covered one of Emma’s and she returned the squeeze he gave hers. It was still incredible, the feeling that filled her whenever she met his gaze and saw the immense amount of love that shown there. Love for her.
“It will be a day to remember all your lives. I guarantee that.”
“And now that is settled, can we get that turkey carved anytime soon?” Vernon chimed in and brought them back to the matter at hand.
The dining table was beautiful with its cream linens and silver-rimmed china. A large centerpiece of poinsettias and holly surrounded two hurricane candles. The turkey was perfectly browned and there was an assortment of bowls filled with dressing, vegetables, fruit salads… more than enough for a celebration. As they joined hands for the blessing delivered by Vernon, Emma’s heart felt as if it would burst. Suddenly, she had so much to be thankful for, so much had changed in her life in such a short time. She had never dared to think that one day she would have the love of a good man like Cole Drayton, or be the mother of a beautiful little girl like Charlie. And she had found a family in Mae and Vernon and all the caring friends in McKenna Springs. The angel had more than blessed their Christmas.
The food was delicious. Most of the talk centered on wedding planning and Charlie couldn’t help but chime in with her request.
“Can I have a new dress… a party dress and can it be purple?”
“That’s up to Emma, the bride, to choose what colors to have at her wedding,” Mae replied.
Emma smiled at the child’s enthusiasm. “I think there is every possibility we’ll find a beautiful dress just for you. And purple is definitely in the color scheme.” She finished with a wink at the little girl.
It seemed that the clock jumped into high gear after that dinner. Time sped at a faster rate. They did find a perfect outfit for Charlie. Black suits with western piping at the yolks with black boots and hats were easily chosen for Cole and Vernon and the same for Davis, who agreed to be Cole’s best man. Vernon had been given a special duty for the wedding. The evening after the Christmas dinner had been put away and people were enjoying the firelight and soft talk in the living room, Emma had drawn Vernon outside on the porch.
“So, what secret are we sharing out here?” He had grinned at her.
Emma took a deep breath. The butterflies were suddenly racing around inside her stomach. She hoped the man would agree with the request she was about to make of him. “I don’t have any family as you know… I was going to just walk down the aisle on my own. But I… well, I was thinking that maybe I could ask if you might… and it’s okay if you don’t agree and don’t…”
“If you’re trying to ask me if I would give you my arm down that aisle on the grandest day in our lives in a long, long while, then you don’t need to say anything else.” Was that a hint of moisture in his gray eyes that filled with warmth and his ever-present smile? A sudden knot of emotion had formed in Emma’s throat as she saw and heard his response. “It would be the greatest of honors for me. I never had a daughter so I thought that privilege would never come my way. But I couldn’t have chosen a better wife for my son and a better mother for Charlie. And I have come to think of you as more a daughter, than a daughter-in-law. You make this old man very happy.”
She had been drawn into a tight bear hug at that point and laughter had freed the butterflies.
*
“You’re certain this is what you want? To get married here, in the sun room in front of the fireplace?” Cole sounded a bit skeptical, but Emma didn’t blame him. He had gone along with everything so far without question. If she was pleased, that was good enough for him he had said.
“It will look different on Saturday. Just use your imagination. With flowers and plants and candles arranged just right, and we can open the double doors into the living room and if the weather cooperates, the doors leading out onto the porch can be opened back and there will be plenty of room for the eighty guests that have been invited to the ceremony.”
“And the rest of the guests will get invites to the reception and dance at Mom and Dad’s place and we will all ring in the New Year at midnight. Then you and I will make our getaway. Unless you decide to take me up on my standing offer to take you away right now and we just elope and…” Cole’s voice faded away and he grinned as he saw the look he was receiving from her. “I know… I was just kidding. Can’t blame a bridegroom for trying.”
She playfully squeezed the arm that she had her hands wrapped around as they stood on the porch of the house that would soon be her permanent home. “I just want us to say our vows in the house that we’ll share for the rest of our lives. I knew the moment I laid eyes on this house, the day Mae brought me here, that I felt there was something special about it. It was a little forlorn here and there, but it just needed some love and care and it would be perfect. It holds so much of your family history… and this will be another chapter… our chapter.”
Cole dropped a soft kiss on her forehead as she pressed her head against his shoulder. “You brought it alive… and me, too. And I agree that our lives with Charlie… and any other children we might be blessed to have… should be celebrated as beginning right here.”
Emma turned to go down the steps, but Cole’s hands kept her beside him. Her gaze questioned him.
“When I proposed
to you that night in Ft. Worth, I didn’t bring a ring. In my haste to get to you, I overlooked that important element.” He withdrew a small, blue velvet box from his jacket pocket.
Emma’s pulses began to race. This was one of those moments that a girl would remember for the rest of her life. It was a moment she never dared to dream about.
“You love family history and all, so you’ll appreciate this, I think. When my grandfather married my grandmother, they didn’t have much to start their lives with. Just a small four-room house on sixty acres. They managed to buy two small bands of gold. Three years later, after their first really good crop of cotton came in, he bought her what he called a proper ring.” He opened the box and Emma caught her breath.
The ring sparkled in the sunlight, but its unique design caught her imagination right away. It resembled a rose in bloom… the center of the rose was the largest of the diamonds. Smaller diamonds formed the petals and the band had diamonds in leaf patterns.
“I realize that you might not like the design, so we can have it reset in any—”
“No… absolutely not,” Emma spoke up right away. “This is so gorgeous just as it is. I love it.”
“The ring began with the center stone. Then each year for the next forty-two years, another stone was added until the rose bloomed as you see it now. My granddad said Grandma was the most beautiful rose in the gardens around this house so he wanted a rose for her ring.”
Cole took the ring from the box and reached for her hand. The ring slid on and they both shared a quiet moment as the jewels sparkled on its new mistress.
Emma’s free hand made a quick swipe at the corner of one eye. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. I’ll cherish it forever.”
“And I will cherish you forever.” Cole’s lips claimed hers in a tender kiss that served to seal his words. “Now, while you do the measurements for Mae that she needed for the sunroom, I need to check the barn area and see about parking plans for those wedding guests. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.” They went their separate ways.
A little while later, with measurements on the paper in her pocket, Emma returned and sat on the porch steps to wait for him. Her eyes kept being drawn to the ring on her hand.
Cole approached her across the soft grass. There was something about the set of her shoulders that caught his attention. Was she upset about something? Where was the smile of a happy bride-to-be?
“Hey, I know I’m running us late to the party Darcy and Stacy are hosting, but I just needed to—”
“It’s okay. We have time.”
“No, it’s not okay. You’ve been crying. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head to toss it off. “It’s just bridal jitters.”
He wasn’t buying the trite excuse. He glimpsed real pain in those eyes before she lowered her lashes and stood, preparing to head towards the truck.
“It’s more than that. Talk to me, Emma.” His hands gathered hers into them and stopped her retreat. He waited.
“I’m scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“I’m scared that all of this will go away. It’s like I’m dreaming and everything is so perfect and happy and what if I wake up and none of this… you, Charlie, Mae… all of it… what if it’s not real? And you can think me silly or overreacting, and maybe I am, but that’s why I’m crying.”
He gathered her into his arms and he didn’t laugh. His breath was warm against her forehead as his lips touched her. His hand meant to soothe away the fears from her mind as it smoothed over her hair in a repeated motion. “I’m not laughing, sweetheart. I know what you mean. I’ve felt the same way.”
“You have?” Those glittering eyes raised to meet his. “Why?”
“I never expected to have such happiness, either. I was content in my life… or so I thought until you came along. That’s why I was such an arrogant fool in the beginning with you. You scared me. What I felt for you scared me, because I knew what pain there would be if and when you did leave. I pushed you away to avoid the pain. But then I realized that as long as I held your hand in mine, I wasn’t scared. I could jump off any cliff as long as we were together. And I just needed to have faith in the fact that you did love me and we will get through anything… together. This is all real and I am not going anyplace… unless you’re with me.”
“Wither thou goest, I will go also,” she murmured the ages-old words, the warmth of their love chasing away all the dark clouds of doubt. Her hand in his increased the strength they shared.
And those same words were the ones they repeated to each other in front of a multitude of family and friends when their day arrived. The house had been transformed with candlelight in hurricane lanterns throughout the rooms, huge baskets of red roses and white lilies and poinsettias adorned corners and steps and garland entwined staircases and mantels. Soft music chosen by the bride and groom was provided via a pianist. Guests greeted each other and mingled in the beautiful rooms as Vernon circulated and made certain all were made welcome.
Upstairs, Mae helped put the finishing touches on the bride’s hair, which had been swept up and back in an elegant chignon. Fresh flowers adorned the clip at the back of her hair that held the soft, elbow-length veil of lace in place. The day they had gone through the trunks in the attic for clothing for Mae and Vernon’s anniversary party, Emma had spotted a dress in a tissue-laden box and she had but one dress in mind when it came time to choose a wedding dress. None of the wedding dresses in the stores they shopped in Austin had removed it from her mind. She had told Mae what she really wanted… but she hadn’t been sure her request would be granted. Mae had taken a few moments as she stood in the living room after hearing what Emma had asked.
“You really want to wear that dress? It needs some taking in at the seams and the design is outdated a bit and—”
“If you’d rather not, I understand. But I think it’s too beautiful to just stay in a box in an attic. Of course, we might keep looking in the stores and…”
“No more looking. That dress was meant for you. And the fact you love it as I did when I wore it, makes it all the more special. And we’ll make a few changes to make it even more beautiful and all yours.”
The dress was her “something old” but looked as if it had stepped out of a bridal magazine page. The portrait collar with its deep white satin accentuated Emma’s beauty. The rest of the dress with its fitted waist and flared, tea-length skirt was white lace over the same satin. Slim lace sleeves went to her wrists. Cole’s wedding gift to her of a single strand of pearls with pearl and diamond earrings to match were perfect accessories.
“You look like Cinderella,” Charlie said in a child’s awe, standing beside the two women as they gazed in the mirror at their handiwork.
Emma smiled at her. “I think I feel like Cinderella today. It’s perfect.”
“But not complete,” Mae said, reaching into a box on the small table beside her. Mae handed over a small, white leather-bound bible along with a cream lace-edged handkerchief to Emma. “I carried these under my bouquet when I married Vernon. My mother carried them before me. It’s your turn now.”
Moisture threatened and Emma had to blink to keep it at bay and keep from reapplying her makeup… again. Tears had already made it necessary once. “Thank you, Mae. For everything you’ve done for this day. For welcoming me into your family and for rescuing me that night in the diner when I was feeling pretty hopeless about life. You turned out to be a true guardian angel.”
Mae looked at her with a soft smile lighting her eyes. “I think more than one angel was at work that night in our family. You came along when Charlie and I needed your help in the middle of nowhere. Cole’s heart was reborn when you arrived in this house. I think guardian angels had their hands busy in all our lives in recent months.”
“And my angel on the tree did the best job… she gave me the mother I wanted,” Charlie chimed in. “And Angel is an angel too… if she hadn’t got lost
in the garage, then you wouldn’t have rescued us at all. So, she has to be a real angel, too. Right?”
Both Emma and Mae grinned at the little girl and her simple statement.
Emma nodded her head. “Angels come in all forms when they’re needed.”
And Angel, the dog, wasn’t done with her part. Several minutes later, the music changed and Darcy, in lavender satin, began the procession down the staircase and through the assembled guests. She was followed by Charlie, diligently doing her duty by dropping pale lavender rose petals along the cream runner. Her dress was floor-length and full-skirted in yards of white tulle with a bright purple satin sash tied in a bow at back. A matching bow was in her hair. The purple sparkles on her dress shoes showed now and then as she did her practiced step-glide-step.
The music changed and then it was Emma’s turn. Vernon met her at the bottom of the staircase and she wasn’t certain which of them would keep the tears at bay better. She carried a nosegay of lavender roses dotted with white freesia blossoms, along with the small bible and hanky.
When they turned and stepped into the sunroom, her heart went to her throat. She met Cole’s steady gaze at that moment as he waited beside the pastor and Davis at the altar. The warmth in his eyes drew her on winged feet to his side. She remembered little else of the next few moments as they exchanged their vows. All the love she had searched for was shining upon her as he repeated his vows in a strong, steady voice, his gaze never wavering from hers.
And then came one more participant down the aisle. Charlie and Angel had worked each day on a special surprise. And Emma had forbidden anyone from discouraging Charlie’s idea. On cue, Angel appeared on the aisle. As befitting a member of the wedding party, a ribbon and bow matching Charlie’s purple satin, adorned the animal’s neck. To one of the ends of the ribbon had been tied—by Vernon—the two gold bands. With tail wagging, ears flopping, and a happy grin, Angel trotted right up to the couple and sat down. Laughter and tears accompanied the sight which made the moment even more memorable. Cole retrieved the bands and gave a pat on the furry head for a job well done.
