“Wow, Cady. I don’t know what to say,” Trey continued studying the spurs. “No one has ever given me a gift quite like this. Thank you.”
“I wanted those hearts to be significant for you, too. I hope every time you look at them, you’ll feel surrounded by my love.”
He set the spurs and the box on the coffee table, then turned to Cadence, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair.
“Darlin’, just seeing you across the room makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. Your love surrounds me every time I walk in the door. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so glad you are here.”
After another kiss that made Cadence’s stomach quiver and her cheeks fill with heat, Trey slid off the couch. Getting down on one knee, he pulled a little box from his pocket. Opening the lid, he held it out to Cadence and smiled.
“I met you just a few short months ago, but I know in my heart you’re the one I’m meant to love forever. You fill me up and complete me. You’ve made this house a home again. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life showing you just how special you are to me. Cady, darlin’, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”
“Oh, yes, Trey! Absolutely, yes!” Cadence said, throwing her arms around him while tears rolled down her cheeks.
She felt his breath warm on her neck as he whispered, “I love you so much, Cady. I love you.”
He pulled back, took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. She held it up in the firelight.
“I love you, Trey. The ring is perfect and beautiful,” Cadence said, admiring the way the diamonds set into the silver band sparkled in the amber light. Turning her hand, she studied the ring. “What is this shape?”
“It’s a copy of a horseshoe nail,” Trey said, holding her hand and pointing to the overlapping ends. “Sometimes people use horseshoe nails as temporary rings until they can get the real thing. I liked the way the ends overlap, just like the way our hearts and lives have wrapped around each other.”
“Trey, it’s wonderful,” Cadence said. The ring was so much like the ring she had tried on at the mall, she thought for a moment it was the same one, except for the unique design.
“How did you know I couldn’t wear gold?” Cadence asked.
Trey grinned. “I saw you trying on that ring in the mall and after you left the store, I went in and had a little chat with the salesgirl. They have a very talented artist who does their custom work for them and he just happened to be there that day. I showed him what I wanted and he was able to get it done just in time.”
Gazing at her fiancé of five-minutes, Cadence felt her heart melting into a warm puddle. “You are amazing, Trey, and I’m so blessed to be loved by you. I can’t wait to marry you.”
Trey smiled against her mouth, kissing her again. “I can’t wait much longer either, so what do you say we start the New Year off right?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Many people spend more time in planning
the wedding than they do in planning the marriage.
Zig Ziglar
When Trey proposed to Cadence Christmas Eve, he envisioned a tiny wedding with just family members, maybe at the house, with an intimate reception following. He should have known better than to make small plans with his mother and Aunt Viv on the case.
He and Cady went to the courthouse first thing the day after Christmas and applied for their marriage license, which sent the rumor mill into overdrive. By that afternoon, he was convinced most of Sherman County and parts of the surrounding areas were aware a marriage was being planned for New Year’s Day.
Trey knew Cadence was pleased they would wed on the same day that her great-grandparents shared their nuptials.
By the following afternoon, the church was reserved, the pastor agreed to perform the ceremony, flowers and cake orders were placed, and Viv kidnapped Cady and Cass to go to Portland to shop for dresses with Denni.
Trey had hardly caught a glimpse of Cadence the past several days with the fuss and flurry of wedding plans. Now, as he stood in front of the church, he was impatient to see his bride.
Thoughts of a few secret wedding plans he’d made caused him to smile. First, he had his brothers help him clean and rearrange the furniture in the master bedroom. He bought a new sitting room set to go in front of the fireplace in the spacious room. His mom contributed a wedding ring quilt for the bed with matching shams in the shades of green Cadence seemed to prefer. The bathroom had all new towels and luxurious rugs. He couldn’t wait to surprise her with the master suite when they got home.
Since they were getting settled into a family unit with Cass, neither one of them wanted to up and leave on a honeymoon right now. They decided a Valentine’s Day escape would be just right. Trey suggested they go to Mexico to visit her parents and Cadence agreed that would be great.
What she didn’t know was that Trey invited her parents to the wedding and they had arrived last night, hiding out at Viv’s. When Cady got ready to walk down the aisle, her dad would be there to give her his arm.
Miss Fancy Pants Greer wasn’t the only one who could plan wedding details.
><><
Cadence wasn’t nervous like she expected she would be minutes before walking down the aisle to become a rancher’s wife.
Even though she knew next to nothing about ranching, Cadence did know she was deeply, truly and irrevocably in love with one handsome, good-hearted cowboy.
Just thinking of Trey made her smile.
“What’s that look for?” asked her maid of honor, Maria, who arrived two days ago from Seattle. They had been close friends since grade school. “Don’t tell me. You’re thinking about that gorgeous fiancé of yours, aren’t you?”
Cadence grinned. “Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe about it, girl. And who could blame you. Those Thompson brothers are something else. It’s a pity they are buried out here in the middle of nowhere. Now, if they were in the city they’d be snatched up so quick their hats would be spinning.”
“Which is precisely why I’m grateful Trey is out here in the middle of nowhere so I had a chance to find him first. What do you think, Lindsay?”
Cadence had become friends with the schoolteacher and asked her to stand up as a bridesmaid. Trent and Travis were serving as joint best men so it was decided Travis would escort Maria and Trent would escort Lindsay.
“Think? About what?” Lindsay asked, looking dreamy.
“Trent?” Maria asked, with an impish grin.
“Well, I…” Lindsay stammered.
Viv stuck her head in the door. “You girls ready to go?”
“Perfect timing, Viv,” Lindsay said, hurrying out the door.
Cadence choose black and white for her wedding colors; Maria and Lindsay both wore black dresses, carrying bouquets of mixed white flowers.
The music started and Lindsay walked down the aisle followed by Maria. Viv pointed Cass in the right direction with her basket of flowers.
Cass took her job of dropping petals seriously and caused more than one muffled laugh to escape from the crowd, especially with her turquoise cowboy boots peeking out from the bottom of her ruffled white dress.
Cadence had to take a moment to collect herself when she stepped out of the dressing room to see her father standing there. Embracing in a long hug, he kissed her cheek and whispered, “You’re beautiful, baby,” in her ear, before walking her down the aisle.
Willing her tears to stop, Cadence’s mother gave her a small wave from where she sat in the front pew.
Forcefully turning her attention to the front of the church, Cadence caught her breath at the sight Trey made in his black tux. He was absolutely stunning. His broad shoulders and chest were highlighted by the elegant cut of the jacket and the blue of the vest was the exact shade of his eyes. From the black Stetson on his head to the tips of his polished black boots, he was one fine looking cowboy.
Pulled in by the love
and longing in Trey’s sea-blue eyes, Cadence smiled at her beloved and whispered “thank you” as her father handed her over to her soon-to-be-husband’s keeping.
Trey’s breath caught in his throat when Cadence started down the aisle. She was breathtaking in her white satin gown. He didn’t know the formal words to describe how she looked, but the sleeves of lace that hit half-way down her arm, the scalloped edge that came just off her shoulders and across her neckline, and the tight bodice that gave way to a full skirt - it was all perfect for her. The skirt of the gown glistened with beadwork and she wore a short lace train that nestled on top of her head on an abundance of rich, dark curls. Her grandmother’s pearls encircled her neck and she carried a bouquet of all white roses, tied with a white ribbon. When she was almost down the aisle, she paused for just a second to lift her hem ever so slightly and flash Trey a glimpse of her turquoise cowboy boots.
That made him grin from ear to ear. It was her way of saying she was ready to blend their two very different lives into one.
In what seemed like no time at all, they were saying “I do” and the pastor gave Trey permission to kiss the bride, which he did so thoroughly the overflowing congregation began to clap and whistle.
“I think you got the job done, son,” the pastor whispered with a wink as Trey straightened and took Cadence’s hand.
Everyone hurried over to Viv’s Café for the reception.
Amid all the well-wishers, Trey found it hard to keep track of his bride.
Finally coming up behind her, he put his arms around her and kissed her neck. “Well, Miss Fancy Pants…”
“That’s Mrs. Fancy Pants, to you, boss man,” Cadence corrected.
“Mrs. Fancy Pants, how does it feel to be a married woman?”
“Wonderful.” Cadence leaned back against Trey and absorbed his warmth and strength. “Thank you so much for getting Mom and Dad here. I didn’t realize how much I missed them and wanted them to share in today.”
Not only had Trey managed to get her parents there, Neil along with Peter and their caseworker Barbara had all been invited and joined in the celebration, along with their families. Neil was going to return to Portland and spend a few days with Peter since they were old friends who didn’t often get a chance to visit.
“You were busy planning a few surprises of your own this week weren’t you?” Cadence asked, placing a warm hand to his cheek. “Thank you, Trey, for giving me a home, making me feel needed, wanted and most of all loved. Thank you for this fabulous day.”
“You made the day special, Cady. One I’ll remember always.”
“And I’ll always remember our first Christmas together. If I hadn’t already been head-over-heels in love with you, I certainly would have been by the time Christmas Eve rolled around. You made it magical and wonderful beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Leaning close to her ear, Trey took a quick nibble. “Maybe it was just the mistletoe doing its thing.”
Cadence put her arms around his neck, not caring who saw them kiss.
Just then, Cass ran up and wedged herself between them.
“We’re a real family now, aren’t we?” Cass asked. Trey picked her up and Cadence gave her a kiss.
“You bet we are, honey,” Trey said.
“Yipee! And I’ve got grandmas and a grandpa and uncles and an aunt. And I get to stay with Aunt Viv tonight, right?”
“Yes, you do.”
Cadence’s parents wanted to spend a little time getting to know Cass, so Viv volunteered to have her stay at their house for the few nights her parents would be in town. Not only would it give them time to bond, it would also give Trey and Cadence a few days to adjust to being married without a five-year-old underfoot.
“I’m the luckiest girl, ever,” Cass said, trying to hug them both, which made all three of them laugh.
“That you are,” Trent agreed as he and Travis walked up to them, each placing an arm around Cadence, squeezing her between them. “And we’re the luckiest brothers-in-law, ever. I still can’t believe you gave us tickets to go a Blazer’s game. ”
“Yeah, Cady, those center court tickets are impossible to get,” Travis said. “I don’t know what kind of Christmas miracle you managed, but Trent and I can’t wait for the game. This will be awesome.”
Cady pointed across the café toward Peter. “You might want to tell Peter thanks. He was a big help in getting the tickets.”
“We’ll do that, but in case we haven’t mentioned it before, we’re all so glad to have you as part of our family, officially,” Trent said, kissing her cheek.
“We think you’re crazy for marrying this old man,” Travis teased, pointing at Trey, “but glad just the same.”
Trey scowled at them both. They laughed then wandered toward Peter, taking Cass with them.
><><
Travis and Trent decided to drive Denni back to The Dalles and spend the night there with her so Trey and Cadence would have the house to themselves.
Trey pulled his pickup up at the front of the house in the circular drive, instead of parking around back. Cadence gave him an odd look, but didn’t say anything when he hurried around the truck, opened the house door then hustled back to open her pickup door.
After sweeping her into his arms, he carried her across the threshold and kicked the door closed with his boot.
“Welcome home, Cady.” Trey gave her an impassioned kiss that left them both breathless before slowly setting her down.
Still in her wedding gown, Cadence adjusted the full skirt so she could walk and turned toward the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?”
Trey caught her arm before she took a step. His eyes glowed from an inner fire. “Nope. Not for dinner, anyway.”
“Oh.” Cadence licked her lips that had suddenly gone dry.
“Do you need anything?” Trey asked, as he removed his Stetson and set it on a nearby table. He unpinned her veil with surprising dexterity and laid it next to his hat.
“No,” Cadence whispered, watching as Trey removed his tux jacket and vest, along with the black crosstie he had worn around his neck. He unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt and let them hang loose.
“Are you sure?” Trey asked, grasping her around the waist, rubbing his hands up and down her sides. Each trip up, he rubbed a little higher until the heat in Cady’s eyes sparked into a flame, nearly matching his own.
“I’m sure,” she managed to whisper on a ragged breath. Trey stirred her emotions in a way she’d never felt before and the sensations were overpowering.
Trey continued letting his hands wander where they willed while he nibbled on her ear then trailed hot kisses down her neck and along each scalloped edge of her gown’s bateau neckline.
Cady sighed in pleasure and he felt her tremble. He pulled her flush against him, not leaving a breath of space, and drank in the delicious wonder of holding her close. When his own knees started to feel weak, he stepped back and took her hand in his.
“I want to show you something,” he said, leading her toward the north wing hallway. She hesitated at her bedroom door, and Trey grinned, coaxing her to the end of the hall where a bunch of mistletoe hung over the door. Pointing above their heads, Cadence smiled and he kissed her again.
“This is the master bedroom,” Cadence said, confused.
“I’m well aware of what room it is and now it’s ours.” Trey opened the door. He picked up Cadence and carried her inside. After giving her another searing kiss, he set her down as she looked around, admiring the amazing transformation that took place in the room.
Tommy and Rex had built a crackling fire in the fireplace, lit a profusion of candles, and carried in a large bouquet of fragrant flowers that filled the room with an enticing exotic scent. The forsaken aura that had hung so long in the air was gone, replaced by a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Cadence didn’t think a five-star hotel in Seattle could have looked any more romantic or welcoming.
“Trey, i
t’s wonderful,” she said, turning around to take in all of the room again. “I think you must have worked some holiday magic in here.”
“Possibly.” Trey stepped behind her and placed a kiss on her neck. He fumbled to undo the first of many, many buttons down the back of her gown.
“Why can’t a bride be practical and go for snaps, or even a zipper?”
Cadence laughed, some of her fear and tension taking wing and flying away.
“I think it was just last week a love-struck cowboy told me some things are worth waiting for.”
“Sounds like an idiot,” Trey muttered as he continued working on the buttons. Nearly halfway finished, he gained confidence that he might get the dress undone before tomorrow morning.
“I wouldn’t call him an idiot, although sometimes he can be a little thick,” Cadence teased, shooting him a saucy grin over her shoulder.
“Is that right?” Trey stopped with the buttons as he fell into the warmth in her eyes.
“Yep, boss man, it shore enough is,” Cadence said in her best imitation of talking like one of the hands.
Trey chuckled, returning his focus to the buttons. “You sure I can’t use my pocket knife and cut this thing off?”
Cadence gasped. “Absolutely not! What if Cass wants to wear it someday for her wedding? Or one of our other kids?”
The Cowboy's Christmas Plan Page 29
