Christening bonnet? For an instant Kaitlyn thought her mother had gone around the bend. Then she remembered the delicate bit of linen and lace. It had started out as the handkerchief Audrey had carried on her wedding day, and when Kaitlyn was born, a few deft stitches and a bit of ribbon had made it into a bonnet. Now, on her wedding day, Kaitlyn was supposed to clip the stitches and have a handkerchief again, until the next generation came along.
“It was the special something old I wanted you to carry,” Audrey said. Her voice cracked. “I put it aside as I was unpacking, and then I forgot it.”
Kaitlyn hugged her gently. “I have something old. Your dress.” She brushed the delicate ivory satin sleeve of the gown she wore. “Don’t be superstitious, Mother. Besides, tears are far worse for the bride than a forgotten handkerchief is.”
Audrey smiled bravely. “I know, dear. Nothing is going to keep this marriage from working, is it? You and Penn—” She kissed Kaitlyn gently. “I’m so glad, darling.”
Kaitlyn watched her mother leave the little anteroom at the back of St. Matthew’s. For an instant, she felt like crying herself. Superstition or not, that handkerchief was important to her. It had been her father’s gift to his fiancée, the last before Audrey became his bride. And since he wasn’t here today to walk Kaitlyn down the aisle...
But there was no time for regrets, so she joined the group of young women in snappy dark green cocktail dresses and laughed with them as Stephanie muttered, “Bridesmaids? With almost a dozen kids among us, we’re hardly any kind of maidens.”
The carillon chimed the hour just as Jill took the last shot, of an excited flower girl with her basket of blossoms, and the little troop moved out into the entryway.
The final notes of a haunting violin melody floated through the air, and the church settled into the expectant hush that was so familiar to Kaitlyn. The last guests were in place; her mother had been seated.
“I guess it’s time,” Kaitlyn said. Her voice quavered a little.
Footsteps pounded up the staircase from the lower level of the church and an usher burst into sight. “Don’t,” he gasped. “Don’t give the cue yet. We can’t find Penn.”
Kaitlyn could actually feel the blood draining from her face. “Has he been here at all?”
Another usher appeared on the steps. “Yeah, he was here.”
He can’t possibly stand me up at the church. “He didn’t happen to mention Botswana or the Sahara Desert or Tahiti, did he?”
“He didn’t say anything.” The usher shrugged. “He was just gone all of a sudden.”
A third usher peered hopefully up the steps. “Is he back here?”
Kaitlyn put her hands to her head. “I am never going to go through this again,” she muttered.
“I should hope not.” The calm voice came from behind her, near the doors that opened to the street. “One to a customer, that’s always been my understanding.”
Kaitlyn wheeled round. Relief flooded through her as she saw Penn standing in the doorway, tall and elegant and perfectly at ease in his black tuxedo. Only his wind-ruffled hair hinted that everything was not as it should be.
He looked around at the crowd. “Nice of you all to form this reception committee. Why are we short one usher, Kaitlyn?”
“Where have you been, Penn Caldwell?”
His fingers brushed the veil at her temple, and his voice softened to an intimate murmur. “I’m sorry I’m late, Kitten.” He pulled a delicate scrap of fabric from his pocket.
Kaitlyn’s fingers trembled as she took the christening bonnet from his hand. “Mother sent you across town for this?”
“No. In fact, she doesn’t know I went after it. But when she told me, I thought you’d want to have it.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes blurred a little. She nodded.
“It would be a shame to break the tradition, don’t you think?” he whispered. “Someday, when we bring a child here to be christened... Ah, here’s our missing usher. I thought you’d be along sooner or later.” He kissed the tip of Kaitlyn’s nose. “Meet me at the front of the church in two minutes, Kitten?”
Kaitlyn nodded. “Can I trust you not to get sidetracked between here and there?”
He didn’t answer, but he flashed a thumbs-up sign at her as he led a parade of ushers down the steps, on their way to the altar.
And as the first soft strains of the wedding march drifted through the church, Kaitlyn fingered the delicate linen and lace of the bonnet, and smiled.
Thank you for purchasing this book!
The Best-Made Plans is one of a loosely-connected set of books about a group of friends who grew up together in the small town of Springhill and have remained close as adults. The series includes Sell Me a Dream (Stephanie’s story), Once and for Always (Jill’s story), An Uncommon Affair, and Family Secrets. The five stories are available in all ebook formats.
1Leigh Michaels is the author of more than 90 books, including contemporary romance novels, historical romance novels, and non-fiction books including On Writing Romance. Six of her books have been finalists in the Romance Writers of America RITA contest for best traditional romance of the year, and she has won two Reviewers’ Choice awards from Romantic Times magazine. More than 35 million copies of her books have been published in 25 languages and 120 countries around the world.
Her website is http://www.leighmichaels.com
Follow her on Twitter: @leighmichaels
This book is copyrighted by the author and may not be reproduced, resold, or given away without written permission.
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