by Candace Sams
Pru sat in the back of the white sleigh, drawn by albino does. Her conveyance was one used by Elf Town dignitaries so the seat on which she sat was raised. Her higher position gave her the appearance of royalty. And truly, she looked as lovely and regal as any princess of the Polar domain.
He picked up his booted feet and moved forward, though he’d never thereafter recalled what signal had actually found its way from his brain to his limbs. He held out his hand when the sleigh pulled next to him.
He saw his gauntleted hand come out, as if in a dream. The love of his life―clothed in a white gown and cape that was embellished with bits of mistletoe―was carrying the wonderful bouquet of flowers he’d chosen. She put her gloved hand in his.
Her long dress sparkled in the candlelight. Thousands of crystals had been sewn to the bodice and the full skirt. The heart-shaped décolletage outlined her beautiful face as did the hood of her long white cape.
There, nestled in her cleavage, was the blue star diamond that he’d so carefully and lovingly chosen. His guess at the chain’s length was perfect. The jewel hanging on it mimicked the shimmering, pale blue of her eyes.
Strands of her long hair had escaped her hood and they now lifted and fell with the evening breeze. Starlight illuminated her features perfectly. She smiled up at him. For though the sleigh was very large and she was sitting on a raised seat, his height was still that much greater than hers.
She gazed at him as she exited the sleigh and Gavin’s entire body responded to her proximity. When she drew nearer, he caught the faint scent of vanilla and flowers. His groin grew hot and he knew they’d share a night of bliss that would rock the universe. He could almost feel the softness of her skin and how warm she’d make this winter’s night. As tradition demanded, the couple walked side-by-side, through a mass of onlookers and up to the dais where Santa stood. The great man of the North looked down on them and smiled. Clarinda stepped forward to temporarily hold the bride’s bouquet.
Pru handed the lovely flowers over to Clarinda and smiled broadly when the older woman winked at her. Then, she turned to Gavin and placed both her hands in his upturned, gloved palms. She felt her heart beating so fast now. Gavin gazed down at her with all the love in the world in his dark eyes. She wasn’t supposed to say anything until after the handfasting ceremony; it was one that Santa had performed on couples for centuries. The words he’d speak were meant to bind them forever; there was no denomination or belief system for which they would not apply.
Pru was aware of Santa stepping closer, but her full attention was on Gavin and the loving message in his sincere gaze. She tried to send a message of her own back. He must have understood because his bright, perfect smile lit the world around her. There was only him. He was the man of her dreams. He’d protected others who would have used him; even at the cost to his reputation. But all that was in the past. All of it was now forgiven.
Santa looked down at the couple before him. From his black belt he pulled a series of long, shiny ribbons. The first of these, he wrapped around their clasped hands in a figure-eight pattern. Then, he began the ceremony.
“With this gold ribbon, I unite you both in the bonds of matrimony,” he loudly proclaimed so that all could hear. “May the sun shine on your joined lives for as long as you both shall live.”
The crowd chanted, “So it has always been, so shall it always be. So it has always been, so it shall it always be.”
Santa then took a blue ribbon from his collection and wrapped it over the gold one. “May the night sky bring you rest, peace and contentment as long as you both shall live.”
Again, the crowd chanted, “So it has always been, so shall it always be. So it has always been, so it shall always be.”
Santa then produced a green ribbon and repeated his joining of the couple’s hands with it. “May the green of the earth make you ever mindful of your responsibilities to the life it produces and may it one day find you fruitful in your own right.”
Once more, the crowd repeated their mantra and Santa wrapped the last of his ribbons―a silver one to represent prosperity―around the young couple’s hands.
“May you ever have what you need, may your needs never blind you to what is most important in life; each other.” With these final words spoken, he smiled down at them both. When the couple just stared at each other with tears in their eyes, he chuckled heartily. “Well…put the ring on and kiss ’er, man! That’s what we all came to see,” he loudly joked.
Laughter rang through the winter woodlands.
Pru’s mother stepped forward to remove the keepsake ribbons from the newly wedded couple’s hands, as tradition dictated.
Once those ribbons were gone, Gavin wasted no time.
He quickly extracted the wedding band from his right hip pocket, pulled Pru’s glove from her left hand and slid the band onto her finger, next to her engagement band. Both glistened up at him like stars in a midnight sky.
Scarcely a second went by before he pulled Pru into his embrace, slanted his mouth over hers, and kissed her long and deep. Her passionate response and soft little moan heated his blood, from the cells out.
When he finally broke the kiss, he kept his lips very close to hers. He’d tried to think of what to say at this moment, since he was finally allowed to speak. The traditional, inane silence rule had only been thought up years ago to keep an anxiety-ridden bridegroom from saying something stupid and offending the bride’s nearby relatives. But these first words must be for her ears only.
For weeks now, he’d written one phrase after another on paper, just so he could memorize some very profound and grand oath of loyalty. But only three words came to mind now. And they were the three that meant more to him than anything. They came straight from his heart.
“I love you,” he swore.
“I love you right back, sleigh maker. And nothing will ever come between us. For the rest of our lives, it’s you and me. Forever,” Pru softly and earnestly promised.
Gavin smiled though a sheen of tears threatened to nearly blind him. That was the exact word inscribed on the inside of her wedding band.
He grabbed Pru around her waist and twirled her high in the air. He didn’t hear the crowd cheer. He didn’t hear his or Pru’s families shouting their wishes for happiness. All he saw was her, laughing down at him. All he heard was her repeated proclamations of love and devotion.
He finally brought her down to earth and led her into the raucous crowd. This celebration would last for hours before they’d finally be alone. But he didn’t mind sharing his happiness with others…for just a while.
He glanced up at the seasonal stars―stars that were shining down on them so brightly―and whispered his thanks. He had to laugh when he glanced at Pru and caught her doing the same exact thing. There was nothing for it.
He just had to pull her under some mistletoe and kiss her again.
Author’s Bio…
CANDACE SAMS (also writing erotica as C.S. Chatterly) graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Agriculture. She worked as a police officer with the State of Texas, the San Diego Police Department, and in a teaching capacity for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Candace is the senior woman on the US Kung Fu Team (working on her fourth black belt), and has been awarded the Medal of Putien and the Statue of Tao by the Chinese Martial Arts Confederation in Quanzhou, China. She holds international martial arts titles. As confirmed by members of the US Senate, she serves as a martial arts ambassador between US and China and has trained with the Shaolin Monks in Quanzhou as well as exhibiting martial arts throughout Quanzhou, Putien and Fouzhou.
In her career as an author, Candace has won numerous reader honors: the five-time winner/nominee of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a Booksellers' Best Award winner and being the USA Book News National Best Book Award finalist. Her award winning Tales of the Order series is now being vetted for movie options. Candace is a member of Romance Writers of America and many of i
ts chapters as well as Novelists Inc. Currently, she’s published with The Wild Rose Press, Dorchester, Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, Adams Media, Zumaya Press and Total-E-Bound. She frequently utilizes her experiences as a police officer and martial artist to write fight scenes. She loves hearing from readers. Please contact her through one of her web sites, www.candacesams.com or www.cschatterly.com .
Candace is available for speaking engagements on how to write fight scenes in story plots. Please contact her from the above web sites.
Hobbies include: weight lifting, martial arts, gardening, collecting rare and unusual reference books, collecting minerals and Halloween paraphernalia. She also looks after two dogs and four cats who’ve adopted her. She has been married for more than twenty-four years. You can frequently meet her at Romantic Times Conventions and other author/reader venues. To find out more about her appearances, you can join a free, non-spam newsletter list (join from one of her web sites).
Candace Sams’ motto: “Reach for the Moon…if you fall, you may land on a star!”
Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press publication. For other wonderful stories of romance, please visit our on-line bookstore at www.thewildrosepress.com.
For questions or more information contact us at [email protected].
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