“I told you.” Gil thumped Rylan on the shoulder.
Brianna opened the door enough to wedge herself through the tight opening.
Gil’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. “You are breathtaking.” He moved forward to grasp Brianna’s hand and bring it to his lips.
Brianna’s cheeks grew hotter by the minute. “And you both look very handsome.”
She pulled her attention to Rylan, who shifted from one foot to the other, fingers plucking at the cufflink on his sleeve. Her heart softened at his panicked expression. “Is everything okay?”
“Colleen’s taking so long. I wanted to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind.”
Brianna laid a soothing hand on his arm. “I’ve never seen a bride more certain of her decision.”
Rylan’s shoulders sagged as a relieved sigh whooshed out. “Praise be to heaven. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I love her more than I ever imagined possible.”
Brianna smiled. “Just a few minutes more and she’ll be all yours. You’d better go. Send Daddy back. It’s time for him to walk her down the aisle.”
She turned to Gil. “You, too.”
Gil grinned and bent to give her a lingering kiss before following Rylan down the hall.
Brianna returned to the anteroom, unable to erase the smile from her face. Gil looked so incredibly handsome in his suit it made her insides quiver. She’d never really allowed herself to believe the day would come when she and Gil could openly declare their feelings for each other, never mind be planning a future together.
“You look more lovesick than I do,” Colleen teased from her spot in front of the full-length mirror.
Brianna laughed and came to give her sister a hug. “Wait until you see your groom. He’s almost as handsome as my fiancé.”
The hug suddenly became tighter as Colleen clutched Brianna closer. “I’m so glad we’re finally acting like true sisters. And that you agreed to be my maid of honor.”
Brianna squeezed her back. “I expect you to do the same for me in a few years.”
“I’d be delighted.” Colleen pulled away with a loud sniff and reached for her bouquet of fall flowers.
Another knock sounded in the room, and her father poked his head inside. “Are you two ready? The crowd is growing restless—not to mention the groom and best man.”
“I’m ready, Daddy.” Glowing, Colleen went to meet him.
The sight of tears standing in her father’s eyes almost undid Brianna’s control.
“Ah, look at my two beautiful girls. God has certainly blessed this family.”
“Yes, He has.” Colleen slipped her hand through Daddy’s arm and nodded to Brianna. “Come on, Bree. Let’s go put our men out of their misery.”
A few minutes later, organ music filled the air, and Brianna pressed a hand to her stomach, willing the chorus of butterflies to settle down. She paused at the entrance as every head swiveled to watch her begin her march up the aisle. She took a moment to drink in the details of this sacred event—the familiar wooden pews filled with friends and neighbors, the rich scent of candles and flowers permeating the church, and dear Mrs. Shepherd plucking at the organ. Seated in the first row with Connor, Deirdre, and little Delia, Mama pressed a gloved hand to her mouth, and Brianna knew she was fighting a rush of happy tears. Behind her, a throat cleared—Daddy’s signal to get a move on.
As she glided in measured steps down the aisle, her gaze moved to the head of the church where Gil and Rylan stood tall and proud beside Reverend Filmore, love shining on their handsome faces.
At that moment, a bold ray of sunshine prismed through the stained glass window, flooding the altar area with a beautiful array of colors. Brianna’s smile widened, thinking that God’s happiness had made itself manifest in the sanctuary—His personal stamp of approval on this rather unconventional, yet holy, marriage.
Filled with gratitude for God’s great gifts in her life—the blessing of Gil’s love, her father’s long-awaited approval, as well as Colleen and Rylan’s faith-filled union—Brianna sighed with perfect contentment.
Today would indeed be a monumental day!
A Note from the Author
DEAR READERS,
As I came up with the storyline for Irish Meadows, many factors blended together to influence the creation of my fictional world. With Irish roots on both sides of my genealogical tree, I knew I wanted to write about a big Irish family. My great-grandparents on my father’s side emigrated from County Armagh in Ireland to New York City in about 1890. My great-grandfather, Stewart Moneypenny, worked as a ship captain based out of New York, but unfortunately he died quite young, leaving a widow and many children behind. My great-grandmother remarried a shipmate of her husband’s and, for unknown reasons, they ended up leaving New York to live in rural Quebec—thus contributing to half of my Canadian roots. My grandfather, Harry Moneypenny, met my grandmother, Daisy, a farm girl in a small, rural town, and they went on to have five children, my father being the youngest. (I must give a shout-out to Ancestry.com, where I learned much of my family’s history.)
In researching Irish immigration to the United States, I learned that the Irish were not well treated when they arrived in America, and were in fact despised by many. They had a hard time finding work because many employers would simply post signs indicating “No Irish.” So the idea of an immigrant family clawing its way up from poverty and discrimination formed the background for James O’Leary’s family and provided the motivation for James’s actions. Having attained some degree of wealth and respectability in Long Island, James was not about to slide back into the hard times his father had endured as a new immigrant. This is why James is so determined that his daughters marry well, in order to maintain their status in society.
In choosing the actual setting for the O’Leary farm, I found that around the turn of the century, many of the wealthy New Yorkers built grand country estates on Long Island, which came to be known as the Gold Coast. It seemed a fitting place for the O’Learys to raise and train thoroughbred horses for their elite neighbors.
By accident, when researching horse racing in New York, I discovered that racing had been banned in New York for several years right around the time period I had decided on for my story. This provided additional motivation behind James’s desperate actions in making Gil court the banker’s daughter to save Irish Meadows from financial ruin.
When I wrote about Rylan’s voyage to Ireland, one other tidbit of research led me to learn about the RMS Olympic, a transatlantic ocean liner similar to the Titanic. The Olympic’s accident at sea actually occurred on September 20, 1911. However, for the purpose of my story, I took an author’s liberty and had the incident occur several weeks earlier, so it could tie in with Rylan’s return from Ireland and wreak a little more havoc for my characters!
I hope you enjoyed the saga of the O’Leary family, and of Brianna and Colleen’s journey to happiness. If you did, please look for Adam O’Leary’s story coming out in 2016!
Blessings and happy reading!
Susan
Acknowledgments
MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE and events came together to bring about my dream of one day seeing Irish Meadows in print.
First and foremost, I thank God for the gift of this wonderful story that seemed to pour forth from my subconscious. I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the history—and many times, through divine inspiration, came upon the right research at the right time.
Secondly, a most profound thank you to Dave Long for choosing this story from a contest win, and for loving it enough to take a chance on a new writer. His support and encouragement continue to amaze and humble me. Thank you so much, Dave.
Thank you also to Charlene Patterson for her excellent editorial input that made this story so much better!
My critique partners, Julie Jarnagin, CJ Chase, and Sally Bayless, have been an incredible blessing to me. I am so grateful for their input in making my story stronger
and for their friendship and support. Thank you, guys!
Last, but never least, I must thank my family—my husband, Bud, and my children, Leanne and Eric—for allowing me to pursue my passion and for not complaining about the occasional burnt dinners or the crazy amount of hours I spend on my laptop! I love you all.
I am honored to be a part of such a distinguished publishing house and to share this journey with such amazing fellow authors. I feel blessed to be able to do what I love, to write beautiful stories of romance, and to share God’s message of hope and love with my readers.
About the Author
Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance sprinkled with faith.” She particularly enjoys exploring the themes of forgiveness and redemption in her stories. Irish Meadows is her first historical novel and won the Fiction from the Heartland contest sponsored by the Mid-American Romance Authors chapter of RWA. Susan lives outside Toronto, Ontario, with her husband, two children, and two cats. Learn more about Susan and her books at www.SusanAnneMason.com.
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
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