“I wasn’t exactly aiming for tears,” he said.
He’d gone to so much trouble, and not because he had a competitive streak, as he’d claimed. He’d done it for her.
“I love you,” she said. “I love you so much it hurts.”
“I know, baby. Believe me, I know.”
She turned into his embrace, burying her face in his neck, her arms tight around him, breathing in the good, strong smell of him. He held her just as tightly, hands splayed wide on her back. After a moment she was able to let him go, sniffing back the last of her tears.
Heath tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes gentle on her face.
“So, Ms. Bennett, what do you say we go plan our wedding?”
She smiled slowly. “That sounds like a mighty fine plan, Mr. McGregor. Mighty fine.”
Epilogue
Barely a month later
Andie slipped her arms through the spaghetti straps as the cool satin of her wedding dress slithered down her body.
“Just let me get the zip,” Lily said, and Andie held her breath as her friend tugged at the back of her dress. She’d known the moment she tried it on in the pretty dressing room at Married in Marietta that it was her dress. Her chest had gotten tight, and she’d suddenly been so excited for the big day to come that she almost couldn’t stand it.
Wait till Heath sees me in this, she’d thought.
And now that moment was but minutes away.
“Okay. You can look now,” Lily said.
Andie turned to face the mirror. For a moment, she was so taken aback she couldn’t speak. This morning, she and Lily had spent a couple of hours at Nell’s Cut ‘n Curl having their hair fixed by Rainey Brown, who was nothing short of a hair genius. Andie had been impressed with the way Rainey twisted her hair into a loose bun and pinned it to one side of her head, creating a charmingly asymmetrical look that made the most of her slim neck. Now that the hairdo was combined with her dress and full make-up, however, she didn’t quite recognize the woman in the mirror.
Her dress was made from ivory satin with a sweetheart neckline and a gauzy, lacy over-dress embroidered with daisies and other wildflowers. A sheer lace panel rose up from the sweetheart neckline to cover her chest, supported by two slim straps, while the A-line skirt flowed from a natural waist, making the most of her willowy figure.
“You look beautiful,” Lily said, awe in her voice.
Andie took a deep breath and said something she’d never said before in her life. “I do. I do look beautiful.”
Lily made a triumphant sound and punched the air. “That’s my girl. You own it, Andie.”
Lily scooped up the pearl earrings Beau had bought Andie for the occasion, helping her fasten them. Andie watched her friend’s attentive face in the mirror, well aware of how much care and time Lily had poured into her and Heath’s wedding planning over the past month.
It had been a crazy, hectic time, with every single evening for the past month being dedicated to some aspect of the big day or touching base with one or other of the businesses or people who had offered prizes for the wedding giveaway. There’d been a meeting with Laurent Fletcher, who was making them a full bedroom suite from locally sourced recycled timbers, and another with Beck Hartnett, who was hosting their reception at Beck’s Place, his restaurant on the outskirts of Marietta. There’d also been a meeting with The Copper Country Band to go over the music for the reception, an in-depth discussion with Risa from Sweet Pea Flowers about the bridal bouquet, fittings for her dress and Heath’s suit, practice runs for her hair and make-up with Rainey…
Andie’s head spun just thinking about it, and Lily had been with her every step of the way.
“Before we go, I have something for you,” Andie said, reaching for her handbag. She pulled a small velvet pouch from the side pocket. “This is to say thank you for everything, especially the insanity of the past few weeks. You’re my rock, Lily, and I wouldn’t be standing here without you.”
Lily made a dismissive gesture but she was blinking rapidly, obviously worried about ruining her make-up. Andie watched as Lily pulled the delicate gold chain and pendant Andie had chosen from the pouch. Made by local artisan, Bailey Jenkins, the pendant was a gold and sapphire rendering of a Mariposa Lily, the stone at the center a perfect match for the deep blue-purple of Lily’s floor-length sheath.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous,” Lily said. She fanned her face and Andie laughed.
“No crying today. We made a pledge.”
“As if we’re going to be able to stick to it. Andie, thank you. I love it. Will you help me put it on?”
Lily turned her back and Andie slipped the chain around her neck and fastened the catch.
“There. I think we’re both done,” Andie announced.
For a moment they stopped and stood side by side, studying their reflections in the mirror.
“Men are going to weep,” Lily predicted. “‘They’re going to gnash their teeth that you are off the market, Andie Bennett, soon to be Andie McGregor. But I will be waiting to comfort their tears.”
Andie grinned at her friend’s bravado. She knew for a fact that Lily hadn’t stepped out with a man for months, part of the “man sabbatical” she’d imposed on herself.
“We’ll see,” Andie said.
They spent another few minutes double-checking lipstick and spraying on perfume, then they left the bedroom and made their way to the living room where Beau was waiting to drive them to the church, Heath having been banished to Beau’s place last night. Her brother looked pretty damned breath-taking in an ivory tuxedo with white shirt and black tie, a prefect match for Heath’s suit.
“Wow,” Andie said. “Don’t you scrub up okay, if it’s not creepy for a sister to say that about her brother.”
“I was about to say the same,” Beau said. “You look beautiful, Andie.”
He wore a proud smile, and she was so thankful that he had set aside his concerns and embraced her new relationship with Heath. She had no idea if he and Heath had ever formally cleared the air—she suspected it wasn’t their way to hash things out the way she and Lily might have—but they certainly seemed to be back on their former footing. If anything, they might even be closer.
Beau’s gaze went to Lily. “You look lovely, too,” he said politely.
Her smile was just as polite. “Thank you.”
Andie frowned, but today was not the day to tackle their apparently mutual antipathy.
“Your chariot awaits, madam,” Beau said, waving her toward the door.
Andie lifted her skirts and walked carefully out to his SUV, picking her way across the gravel driveway and sliding into the back. Lily got in beside her and they exchanged small, excited-but-tense smiles.
Beau fired up the engine.
“Wait. Did you put the flowers in the car?” Andie said suddenly, leaning forward to grab her brother’s shoulder as he started to pull away from the house.
“They’re in the back,” Beau said.
“And you’ve got the rings?”
“You sound like Heath. Yes, I have the rings.”
“Okay. Then I think we can go.”
“Thank you,” Beau said dryly.
Andie held Lily’s hand all the way into town, her belly getting more and more tense as they approached St. James Church. Beau pulled up out the front and her father exited the huge double doors, hurrying down to open the car door. He and her step-mother had arrived in town yesterday. His smile was wobbly as he helped Andie exit the car.
“You’re stunning, sweetheart. So beautiful.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Your mother’s in the vestibule. She was worried the wind would take her hat,” he explained.
Andie glanced at the entrance and saw her mother waving from inside, the wisp of pale pink silk and straw on her head a match for her floral dress and matching long jacket. According to her mother, she’d scoured all of Miami before she found the perfect mother-of-the-bride ensemble
. Andie waved back, then accepted her bouquet from Lily. Risa had crafted a beautiful, relaxed bouquet of peonies and pale lavender David Austin roses, all bound with a pale lavender ribbon, and Andie took a moment to close her eyes and inhale its fragrance.
So many people had told her that her wedding day would fly by in a blink, and that tomorrow she would be complaining how it was nothing but a blur, but she was going to do her best to make as many memories as she could on this special day.
Consequently, she took a moment to look at her father, taking in the pride in his eyes, as well as Lily, who was blinking like crazy now, trying to stave off tears. Beau had already slipped into the church to take his place beside Heath at the head of the aisle. She tilted her head to admire the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds overhead, as well as the weathered stone of the church’s façade.
Then she took in a deep breath, and let it out.
“Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go find my husband,” she said.
Her father offered her his arm, and they walked into the vestibule where her mother got emotional about how pretty Andie looked. Lily passed over some of her secret stash of tissues, and they waited until Andie’s mom was calm again before throwing open the doors to the church proper. The organist took her cue, and the first strains of the wedding march filled the church. Heads turned in a rustle of clothing and hushed murmurs, but Andie’s gaze was only for the man at the head of the aisle. Heath looked almost shockingly handsome in his ivory tuxedo, his hair tamed for the occasion, and his gaze was loaded with private meaning as it met hers down the long aisle.
I love you, his eyes said. I can’t wait to make you mine.
Lily started up the aisle, each step in time to the music, and after a few beats Andie followed, a parent on either arm.
Heath watched her every step of the way, and she could tell by the way he kept swallowing that he was fighting strong emotion. She could sympathize—her chest felt three sizes too small for her heart, and she had to quell the urge to simply run into his arms.
Finally she reached the head of the aisle, and Father Kincaid began to speak.
He asked who gave Andie into marriage, and both her parents announced that they did, stepping away and allowing her to take Heath’s hand. His fingers closed over hers, warm and sure and strong, and Andie looked into his eyes and saw her future and her past and her present.
This was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. The man she would make children with, God willing. The man she would grow old and mellow with. The man who would protect and support and challenge and love her every day.
The man she loved, the man she had always loved.
It was so easy to say the words when the time came. It felt as though she’d been waiting years to say them, and in many ways she had. Holding both Heath’s hands in hers, looking into his eyes, she offered up her vows.
“I, Andie Eloise Bennett take you, Heath Adam McGregor, to be my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance, and therefore I pledge thee my faith.”
Ten minutes later, her secret, most cherished, most private and special dream became a reality as they were announced husband and wife. Heath didn’t stand on ceremony—he pulled her into his arms, kissed her with unseemly but very welcome desire, and spun her around in a dizzying circle.
They were both laughing when he set her back down on her feet, and Andie knew that there would be many more years of laughter and love ahead of them, because this man wasn’t just her passionate, avid, intense lover, he was also her trusted, gentle friend.
“Ready?” he said.
“Always.”
Hand in hand with her husband, she turned to greet the world.
The End
Montana Born Brides
The excitement is building in Marietta, Montana, with a series of stories centered around the 100th Anniversary of the Graff Hotel and – as part of the celebration – an incredible Wedding Giveaway
Available Now
Prequel: Beauty’s Kiss by Jane Porter
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Book 1: What a Bride Wants by Kelly Hunter
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Book 2: Second Chance Bride by Trish Morey
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Book 3: Almost a Bride by Sarah Mayberry
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Book 4: The Unexpected Bride by Joanne Walsh
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Book 5: The Reluctant Bride by Katherine Garbera
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Game of Brides by Megan Crane
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The Substitute Bride by Kathleen O’Brien
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Last Year’s Bride by Anne McAllister
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About the Author
Sarah Mayberry is the award winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books. She lives by the bay in Melbourne with her husband and a small, furry Cavoodle called Max. When she isn’t writing romance, Sarah writes scripts for television as well as working on other film and TV projects. She loves to cook, knows she should tend to her garden more, and considers curling up with a good book the height of luxury.
Visit her website at SarahMayberry.com
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Make-Believe Wedding (Montana Born Brides Book 9) Page 15
