Rick wore a tie to work every day, but this morning for some reason, his fingers wouldn’t work properly. He stood in front of the full-length cheval mirror in one of Ellie’s pretty guest rooms, sighing as he undid the knot—again—and started over.
A low chuckle sounded in the doorway, and he angled a look over his shoulder to find three Calhouns dressed in their Sunday best staring in at him.
“Are you new at this or what?” Brian teased, sauntering into the room with his usual confident stride.
“I never wear those things,” Jordan chimed in as he sprawled out across the foot of the bed in the kind of casual pose that seemed to be wired into his laid-back personality. “They’re a pain.”
“Holly did mine for me,” Sam said, motioning for Rick to spin around to face him. “You can copy hers if you want.”
“Very funny,” Rick shot back, turning to look in the mirror. Then again, it wasn’t the worst idea he’d heard, even if its purpose was to make fun of him. “Is she up here, by any chance?”
“Downstairs wrangling the kids into place,” his tall brother-in-law-to-be informed him. “Seeing as Emma’s kinda busy.”
“It’s been like that all month,” Rick complained, although he couldn’t help smiling. “She’s always wanted an outdoor fall wedding, and when she’s not putting together favors for the guests, she’s been glued to the weather forecasts. I know Ellie has room for everyone indoors, but I’m glad we got such a nice day.”
“I’m glad we can finally stop monkeying with the backyard,” Jordan groaned. “I’ve done enough mowing, planting, weeding and raking to last me a long time.”
“Hey, you wanted to come home,” Brian chided, tossing a throw pillow at his head.
“Yeah, I did. Now that we’ve got baby Henry with us, I’m surer than ever that it was the right decision.”
Rick remembered that new-father feeling, equal parts pride and joy, knowing that all of a sudden he was responsible for the well-being of a tiny, helpless person. “Where you raise your kids makes a huge difference in their lives. My girls love it here, and I’m sure Henry and his future siblings will, too.”
“It’s a great place to grow up, that’s for sure,” Jordan agreed, rolling off the bed to get to his feet. “I’m gonna go check on Ainsley, so I’ll see you guys downstairs.”
After he’d gone, Rick got the impression that there had been some kind of secret signal among the cousins that had prompted the lanky artisan to leave. Bracing himself for whatever might be coming, he faced Emma’s protective older brothers squarely. “Something you want to say?”
“He’s good,” Brian commented, motioning for Sam to go ahead.
In his usual direct way, the former Ranger got right to the point. “In the past, we’ve given you a hard time on occasion.”
“Every occasion,” Rick corrected him good-naturedly.
A slow grin worked its way across Sam’s features, and he went on, “But it’s easy to see how much Emma means to you, and we’ve never seen her happier. So we just wanted to officially welcome you to the family.”
He held out a large hand scarred from countless scrapes and knocks, and Rick accepted the gesture without hesitation. Working with Brian on his business had netted them a friendly camaraderie, but Sam had always been more of an enigma for him. While Steve and Melinda had accepted him easily, it was Sam he’d always wondered about. Now that he knew where they stood, he felt his jangled nerves settling nicely into place.
“All right, then,” he announced, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Let’s go have the kind of wedding Emma’s always wanted.”
Because he couldn’t possibly choose between them, the two brothers were his best men. Pastor Welch was already in the yard that Jordan had put so much effort into, standing under an intricate arbor Jordan had made and Ainsley had strung with garlands of fall flowers. The charming setting was flanked by two rows of chairs from the church with a wide aisle in between. A white runner ran up the opening, and he smiled when he saw Chase escorting his famous grandmother to a seat right up front.
Daphne paused on the nearly full bride’s side, then glanced back at Rick with a thoughtful expression. Granting him an almost playful smile, she walked over to the groom’s side and sat down next to his parents. Their eyes widened in surprise when they recognized the retired film star, and nearly popped out of their heads when she introduced herself to them as if they had no clue who she was.
As he walked past her on his way up to the lectern, he leaned in and whispered, “Thank you.”
She waved off his thanks but winked at him as if she understood how it felt to be outnumbered and in need of a little reassurance.
Once everyone was in their seats, Mrs. Welch began playing a classical piece on her portable piano, and the guests turned, looking expectantly toward the back of the outdoor chapel. Caitlin came first, carrying her bouquet just so and looking incredibly grown up in the fluffy pink dress that seemed to float on the breeze. Taylor squealed in delight, and Lindsay hushed her, handing her a stuffed giraffe to keep her occupied.
Ellie was stationed at the back, shepherding people in from the rear porch door as they emerged, and he wondered if she’d have to nudge Aubrey into place. To his relief, his not-so-shy youngest stepped forward on cue, smiling at each guest as she scattered red rose petals on her way to the front, where matron of honor Holly gave her a quick hug.
Then the piano sounded those famous wedding chords, and everyone stood as Emma appeared with her parents on either side of her. She paused for a moment, looking up into the flawless autumn sky with a grateful smile. She mouthed a “Thank You,” and Rick silently added his sentiments to hers.
God had answered so many of his prayers recently, sometimes Rick wondered what he’d done to deserve that kind of grace. But as his future wife made her way up the aisle to stand beside him, the only thoughts he had were of her and the life they were about to have.
Steve and Melinda each hugged her before stepping back and sitting with the rest of their clan. He noticed them exchanging looks with his parents, who still seemed to be a little bewildered by the fact that Daphne Mills was sitting beside them at their son’s wedding.
“Friends and family,” the pastor began, holding out his arms to include everyone, “I want to welcome you to this beautiful day the Lord has granted us for this very joyous occasion. The joining of two remarkable people, Emma Calhoun and Richard Marshall.”
Rick heard a giggle and out of the corner of his eye saw Aubrey cover her mouth with her hand while Caitlin elbowed her in the side. They didn’t often hear him referred to by his given name, and apparently it had struck her as funny. Not surprisingly, Emma smiled over at her, letting her know that her humorous outburst was okay with the bride.
This was the woman he’d chosen to love for the rest of his life and help him raise his daughters, Rick thought fondly. If he’d kept searching for years, he couldn’t have possibly found anyone more perfect.
After a brief homily about the solemn promise they were about to make to each other, the pastor took Emma’s wedding ring from Sam. Handing it to Rick, he asked, “Richard Allan Marshall, do you take this woman, Emma Jean Calhoun, as your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” he replied, sliding the band into place with her diamond.
Handing Rick’s ring to her, he asked, “Emma Jean Calhoun, do you take this man, Richard Allan Marshall, to be your wedded husband?”
“I do.”
Once she gave Rick his ring, the pastor closed his Bible and announced, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Rick leaned in to do just that, but was interrupted by his suddenly impetuous daughters breaking free of Holly to circle Emma and him in a jubilant double hug.
“We’re a family!” Caitlin exclaimed, tossing her bouquet in the air for whoever wanted it.
“Daddy?”
Hearing Aubrey’s voice, he bent down to pick her up, assuming she was feeling overwhelmed by all the excitement they’d had today. “Yes, sweetness?”
“I’m hungry.”
“That’s okay, because Grandma Ellie made us a fantastic lunch.”
“Oh.” Clearly disappointed, she fixed him with one of those looks he could never seem to resist. “But it’s a special day. Can we have cake first?”
Emma burst out laughing, and Rick threw his head back and laughed in a way that he was looking forward to doing a lot more of. Gazing over at his new wife, he cocked his head and grinned. “What do you think, Mrs. Marshall?”
“I think it’s time for cake.”
If their guests found the arrangement odd, no one said anything as they fell into line behind the new family and followed them to the linen-draped table that held the beautiful four-tier wedding cake Ellie had made for them.
“Is this how you pictured our marriage beginning?” he murmured to Emma while they both grasped the antique cake server and posed for pictures.
“Truthfully?” When he nodded, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I never pictured it any other way.”
* * * * *
If you loved this tale of sweet romance,
pick up the other books
in the LIBERTY CREEK series
from author Mia Ross:
MENDING THE WIDOW’S HEART
THE BACHELOR’S BABY
And check out these other stories
from Mia Ross’s previous miniseries,
OAKS CROSSING:
HER SMALL-TOWN COWBOY
RESCUED BY THE FARMER
HOMETOWN HOLIDAY REUNION
FALLING FOR THE SINGLE MOM
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE COWBOY’S LITTLE GIRL by Kat Brookes.