Ian smiled and nodded. “My mother can be very persuasive. Besides, it doesn’t look as if the hotel will remain open much longer. I think given the lack of guests they will definitely close early in September for the winter. Maybe for good. Not only that, but having your mother and Kenny living here will keep her from getting lonely.”
“Well, it’s not like we’ll be far away.”
“Maybe not, but I definitely intend to keep you to myself as much as possible.”
Phoebe sighed again. “I think I would like that very much.”
Ian pulled her closer. “I know we agreed to wait until after we said our vows to kiss, but I’m having second thoughts about that. Maybe it would be a good idea to just try it out now. You know, get a little practice in.”
He received an elbow in his side as Phoebe moved away, laughing. “Your mother warned me about you.”
“How traitorous.” He shook his head. “Very well. I shall bide my time, but when our vows are said I intend to kiss you and kiss you often.”
“And I shall let you.” She stood and gave a shrug. “In fact, I shall probably initiate a good many of them.”
The church was decorated in a rather fussy manner, just as Ian had predicted. Phoebe thought it all very beautiful and was deeply touched that their mothers would go to such effort to ensure a perfect setting. The women of the church begged to be allowed to host a reception after the wedding, and Mutter had agreed. It was their way of welcoming Phoebe into the church, as well as making up to Mutter for having refused Vater’s burial in the churchyard.
“Are you ready to go, Phoebe?” Kenny asked, pulling at his collar. He was clearly uncomfortable in his new suit.
“I am.” She turned to give one last look in the mirror. Her blond hair was done up in perfect order. Mutter had helped her to sweep it high atop her head with just a few small wisps of blond hair to curl around her face. The fashionable arrangement was crowned with a small tiara of sapphires and a long lacey veil. The Sapphire Duchess had insisted on having the tiara delivered as a wedding gift, although Phoebe had no idea where she would wear it in the future. For now it seemed quite fitting, since sapphires had brought her and Ian together.
“I’m nearly ready,” Phoebe told her brother as she drew her veil forward to let it fall before her face. “Now we can go.” Kenny held out his arm, doing his best to make a loop for Phoebe to slip her arm through. “You are quite handsome, and I am very honored that you are going to give me away.”
“I’m not going to give you away, Phoebe. I’m just going to let Ian marry you. I waited too long to have a sister to give her away.”
Phoebe wanted to laugh, but they were already approaching the sanctuary. Ahead of her awaited Ian and a life of what she prayed would be happiness. Ian smiled, looking quite dapper in his black suit and tie. His brown hair was combed back off his forehead, and the beard and mustache he’d grown was neatly trimmed. Phoebe liked the look and in fact had been the one to encourage Ian to grow it. She thought it made him look quite distinguished.
It was hard to take her gaze from his face, but Phoebe did so just long enough to meet her mother’s eyes. She looked so very happy—happier than Phoebe had seen her in a long time. Mutter had gone through so much, sacrificed so much on her account. It made Phoebe appreciate her all the more.
Kenny brought her to the front of the church and stopped. Phoebe looked down at him and could see he appeared quite nervous. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze.
Pastor Clearwater cleared his throat and posed the question. “Who giveth this woman to be married?”
Kenny straightened. “Her mother and I do.”
Phoebe smiled and gave him a nod of approval. He’d practiced his one and only line all week.
Kenny handed her over to Ian, then stepped back and stood beside his mother, seeming quite pleased with himself. Ian’s mother stood beside him as his witness, while Mutter stood as Phoebe’s. It was the only way they could think to do things, and although it was unconventional, no one seemed to mind.
Phoebe peered at Ian through the veil and felt her heart skip a beat. He would soon be her husband, and they would belong solely to each other. The thought of such intimacy caused her to tremble. Ian seemed to read her thoughts and gave her a wink. Phoebe flushed and looked back to the pastor, who even now had called them to prayer.
The vows were stated and agreed to, and then as Pastor Clearwater called for the ring, he paused. He held up the ring Ian had offered him and smiled.
“I learned only a few days ago that Ian crafted this ring himself. In fact, Phoebe also had a hand in faceting the stone.” He lowered the ring. “You know bringing two people together in marriage is a precious occasion for me—one that I do not take lightly. Marriage requires that both the bride and groom be willing to work together, as well as give themselves over to the Master’s touch.
“And given Ian’s profession, I am reminded of how the Master sands down our rough edges and refines our beauty. He applies just the right pressure to enhance us, without breaking us. Without that sanding and cutting, however, the stone would never be able to reflect the light, and neither would we be able to reflect the light of God’s Son. Without the Master to craft us, we would never attain our full purpose and beauty—just as this ring would never have been formed had Ian not brought it to perfection.”
He prayed a blessing on them, handed the ring to Ian, and nodded. “You may place the ring upon your bride’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Ian took the ring and slipped it onto Phoebe’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
His voice was hardly more than a whisper. Phoebe heard the emotion in his words and knew he was just as moved as she was. What a wonder it was, this love between a man and woman.
“And with my body, I thee adore.” Ian repeated the pastor’s words, fixing his gaze on Phoebe’s face.
“And with all my worldly goods, I thee endow,” Pastor Clearwater spoke.
Ian nodded. “And with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” Pastor Clearwater smiled and gave Ian a nod.
Phoebe thought her knees might well give way. She was so overcome with emotion that she couldn’t stop shaking, nor hold back her tears.
Ian smiled in understanding. “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,” he murmured.
“Amen,” Pastor Clearwater declared. “And now with the power vested in me, I declare you to be husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Ian gently lifted the veil and smoothed it back. His gaze never left hers, and Phoebe lost herself in the love so clearly revealed in his expression. As he took her into his arms, she fought a wave of dizziness and blinked several times to clear her vision.
Ian leaned closer. “Don’t you dare faint on me—I’ve waited much too long to do this.”
She barely had time to nod before he pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were warm and his kiss so very tender—just as she’d imagined. She had waited a lifetime for this moment—for this man—and both were exactly as she had hoped they’d be. Perfect.
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and ALASKAN QUEST series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie’s website at www.traciepeterson.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
www.traciepeterson.com
SAPPHIRE BRIDES
A Treasure Concealed
A Beauty Refined
BRIDES OF SEATTLE
Steadfast Heart
Refining Fire • Love Everlasting
LONE STAR BRIDES
A Sensible Arrangement
A Moment in Time • A Matter of Heart
Lone Star Brides (3 in 1)
LAND OF S
HINING WATER
The Icecutter’s Daughter
The Quarryman’s Bride
The Miner’s Lady
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
Chasing the Sun
Touching the Sky • Taming the Wind
BRIDAL VEIL ISLAND*
To Have and To Hold
To Love and Cherish
To Honor and Trust
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love
Hearts Aglow • Hope Rekindled
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude
Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights
Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In
A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
THE BROADMOOR LEGACY*
A Daughter’s Inheritance
An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom
A Fragile Design
These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope
A Love Woven True
The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon
Across the Years
Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard
A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond
A Promise for Tomorrow
RIBBONS WEST**
Westward the Dream
Separate Roads • Ties That Bind
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope
Hidden in a Whisper
A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North
Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
All Things Hidden***
Beyond the Silence***
House of Secrets
A Slender Thread
What She Left for Me
Where My Heart Belongs
*with Judith Miller **with Judith Pella ***with Kimberley Woodhouse
traciepeterson.com
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