On the longest day in June, Dahlia clung to her father’s arm as they followed Grace and Glory down the aisle—the aisle being the now-finished Damon Wheatley Go-Kart Track.
The girls had chosen pink dresses and pink shoes. They carried little nosegays of palest pink rosebuds. Dahlia wore a blush-pink ankle-length dress with a silk organza overlay. She carried one bright pink rose.
With the community in attendance, Rick officiated as Dahlia and Grant pledged their love to each other.
“I promise to love you, cherish you, honor you and always believe in you. I promise that together we will teach our children to love God. I love you, Dahlia.”
“I promise to trust you no matter what and to love you forever. I promise to be by your side through whatever God sends our way. I love you, Grant.”
When Rick pronounced them husband and wife, the audience rose and clapped. A sudden roar of an engine came from the end of the track. Then Arlen, who’d returned for the wedding by special request of the couple, burst over the smooth pavement to run the first lap of the new track in a freshly painted, perfectly humming go-kart.
“Did you know?” Dahlia asked her new husband.
“No clue. Pretty cool way to open the track, huh?”
“Way cool,” she agreed as everyone clapped when Arlen returned, grinning from ear to ear.
Dahlia and Grant celebrated their marriage in a reception at Lives, reveling in the support they received, but eager to be alone together. They snuck away after cutting their cake. Dahlia’s parents drove them to the train station.
“You have our phone numbers,” Dahlia said to her parents. “If anything happens with the twins, you promise to call?”
Glory tugged on her new grandmother’s skirt. “Do they know about the boat ride we’re going to take?” she whispered.
“Boat ride?” Grant asked carefully. “What boat ride?”
“To see the whales,” Grace explained. “It’s a blow-up boat. A Zoe-something. I hope the whales don’t poke a hole in it.”
“I hope you don’t fall out,” Glory said.
Grant opened his mouth just as the train whistled. Dahlia leaned over, kissed his cheek and reminded him, “We’re leaving things up to God, remember? He surely knows how to care for two little girls.”
“I have a hunch it’s your parents who will need looking after,” Grant told her.
They got on the train in a flurry of confetti and took seats by the window, where they could wave goodbye until the train slowly pulled out of the station.
“I love you,” Dahlia whispered.
“I love you,” Grant replied.
The bride and groom were oblivious to the other passengers as they stared into each other’s eyes while the train rumbled over the tracks, taking them away from the tiny town where they would create their first home together.
“They’re all looking at us, you know,” Dahlia whispered after a quick glance around the train car.
“They’re looking at you, the most beautiful woman in the world,” Grant corrected.
“Thank you, darling.” Dahlia returned his kiss then laid her head on his shoulder to watch the taiga give way to trees as the midnight sun shone on. Suddenly she sat up. “I never did find out where you’re taking me for our honeymoon.”
“Banff.” He waited for the smile to light the flecks of gold in her eyes.
“Really?” A smile spread across her lips.
“I know how much you love nature, and I have it on good authority that the stargazing is unbelievable.” Grant snugged his arm around her.
“‘The heavens declare the glory of God.’ They’re a marvelous display of His handiwork,” Dahlia murmured. “It’s the perfect place to thank God for all He’s done for us.” She leaned over to kiss Grant’s cheek.
Grant turned his head just in time to catch her kiss. When it ended, they heard the woman behind them sigh and say, “Love. Nothing can beat that gift from God.”
Grant smiled at Dahlia, who nodded in perfect agreement.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE FOREST RANGER’S CHRISTMAS by Leigh Bale.