IT was a beautiful day for a wedding. The trees surrounding the Falls were awash with splashes of crimson, gold, and orange. The heat wave of summer gave way to milder temperatures, and the sun cast a brilliant shimmering light over the proceedings.
Sarah couldn’t take her eyes off Josh. He looked mouthwatering in his dark gray suit and silver-toned tie. His tawny brown hair was tamed with a recent haircut, and his sharp jaw was smooth enough to invite her lips for a few dozen kisses. He stood tall and proud at the altar, with just a hint of the sexy grin that she loved. Josh winked at her when they made eye contact.
His dad, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop fidgeting. Kenny pulled at his collar and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His suit matched Josh’s and set off the silver streaks of hair highlighted at his temples. All dressed up, with his hair slicked back, Sarah could imagine how handsome Josh would be in twenty or so years.
Sophie gave her a little nudge. “Isn’t he cute?”
“Which one?”
“I wanted to say Reed, but I know you haven’t looked at any of the groomsmen besides Josh.” Reed Sutton stood on the other side of Josh, holding his own in the hot-guy-in-a-suit department. She and her sister both had gorgeous dates for the wedding. “I meant Kenny.”
“Do you think he’s going to faint?” He was looking a little pale under his craggy features.
Sophie answered with an affectionate smile. “He might once he sees Mom.”
Sarah took in the barely visible tremble in Kenny’s knees. “Aw, he is cute.” She was glad that everything had calmed down enough for Lucy and Kenny to take the plunge. It had been a short engagement even though Lucy wanted to wait until Sarah had gotten back on her feet again. Things were still getting settled with the insurance and finalizing the plans for the new and improved Sarah’s Suds and Spuds. Of course, Sutton Construction had signed on to build her new bar. With all the details that still needed taken care of, Sarah didn’t see the sense in Lucy putting a hold on her own happiness.
She glanced out at the crowd sitting in white folding chairs strewn with colorful leaves and fall flowers. Seth Hughes was in the middle row. Somehow, he’d gotten caught sitting between Darlene Donaldson and Mabel Thompson. Thanks to good reflexes, he shifted in time to avoid Darlene setting her hand on his knee. The poor man was going to need a rescue soon.
When it was time for the reception, Sarah would see to it that he was sitting on the opposite side from any silver-haired cougars. It was the least she could do after how hard Seth and his deputies had worked to come through for her. It had taken over a week of pursuit, but Seth had finally caught up with Richard and Brandi. They’d been holed up in a cheap motel two states over. Even with assumed names and Brandi’s inky hair bleached blonde, he’d run them to ground. They were due to stand trial soon for embezzlement, arson, assault, attempted murder, and a list of other crimes.
Kelly was in the same boat as Brandi. Karma being the bitch that she was, they’d ended up cell mates at the women’s prison in Granby Creek. Sarah practically broke out into song every time she thought about it. Served them right. Maybe they could do each other’s roots.
Richard had tried to plead insanity and cried like a baby when he was arrested. Like the coward he was, he blamed Brandi and Kelly for all wrong doing. He also had the nerve to ask if his one phone call could be to Sarah. For the time being, he was on suicide watch.
Julie Hanlin had made a full recovery. Her job as a server was waiting for her as soon as the bar had its grand opening. In the meantime, she was doing clerical work at the fire department. Alex had gotten her the job despite his discomfort with Julie’s massive case of hero worship. They sat with Keith, Sabrina, and her sister Fiona between them.
Christopher King sat in a seat across the aisle. He kept stealing glances at Dr. Anthony, who happened to be Fiona’s date for the wedding. For a man who was such a computer whiz, he had a lot to learn about women. Every time Fee leaned back to peek at him, he was looking the other way. He glanced up at Sarah and grinned.
Lord, she didn’t want to blush in front of a crowd. Chris had gotten rid of all the video footage of Josh and her together, but he liked to joke that he might have stolen a few glances and that Josh was one lucky bastard. He smirked and looked away when Josh gave him a dirty look from his place next to his dad. She took a deep breath and waited.
There. There she was. Lucy Brandon, soon to be Logan, stepped through the crimson and cream ribbon and flower-strewn archway. The bridal march gained in volume and everyone stood and turned around. Sarah could hear the breath whoosh from Kenny as he gasped out, “Lucy’s here.”
Her mom looked ethereal in her drop-waisted silver lace gown. She held a small bouquet of golden-tipped cream roses. There was a slight tremble in her hands that matched the shaking in her groom’s knees.
Sophie sniffled next to her. “Oh, look at her, Sarah. Mom’s beautiful.”
And she was beautiful. Lucy only had eyes for Kenny, and her radiant smile stayed with her the entire way down the aisle. Sarah had never been happier for another person’s happiness.
Sophie whispered, “You’re next.”
Sarah hoped so, since that awful day in the hospital, she’d told Josh to wait on his proposal. She’d wanted him to ask under much better circumstances. She was still waiting. He still stared at her in ways that made her heart flutter in her chest. He still spoke to her in that sexy southern drawl when he whispered naughty things in her ear. Josh also couldn’t keep his hands off her and insisted she stay at his apartment with him. It had been months. What was the hold up now?
She felt his eyes on her during the recitation of the vows. When they each gave Kenny and Lucy their rings, he flirted with a sexy grin. Sarah held on tighter to her own bouquet and couldn’t help but smile back. Engagement or no engagement, she could see that he loved her.
The wedding was short and sweet, and the reception carried over to an enormous canvas tent set up closer to the tree line. With the shorter autumn days, darkness was falling early, and the tiny lights decorating the tent looked like twinkling stars. As part of the bridal party, Sarah and Josh danced the first set together. Before the end of the song, Josh twirled her out to a pair of folding chairs set next to the woods.
“Where…?”
“Have a seat, sunshine.”
“But…”
“They won’t need us for a while, and I wanted to talk with you in private.”
“Now?”
The golden light from the tent barely lit up his features. He wasn’t smiling.
“Josh, what’s wrong?”
“It’s just that…you see…” He sat in the chair next to her and took both of her hands in his. He fiddled with her fingers and reached into his breast pocket. Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. He was finally going to do it! Josh took out his cell phone. It obviously wasn’t a ring. She tried to mask her disappointment. He thumbed the screen and scrolled until he found what he was looking for, then he handed it to Sarah.
“What’s this?”
“Go on and look at it.”
Sarah peered down, half-hoping it was an ad for a ring. No luck. Instead, it was a real estate listing for a house. The picture was taken from a distance, but she could see the wraparound porch, complete with porch swing and white picket fence.
“You bought your house?”
“No.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and left a section in front sticking up slightly.
“You didn’t buy a house?”
“No.” He huffed out an exasperated breath. “I’m doin’ it all wrong, damn it.”
She waited patiently for him to continue.
He took the phone back and shoved it in his pocket. “You said to wait until you had a good hair day, and I’ve never seen you look more beautiful. Every time I look at you, the world fades to black and white, and you are the only thing I see in color.” His eyes glittered when he leaned in closer. “You’re everythin’ to me, Sarah. If you’ll marry me, that’s gonna be our house, the one you always talked about. I found it. You can plant those wildflowers you like, and I can complain about mowin’ the grass. I want a life with you. I want little golden-haired babies and maybe a lazy dog who takes up half the bed. I want to make love to you every night and wake up to you every mornin’. I want…”
“You’re forgetting something.”
Josh paused. “Well, I wasn’t done tellin’ you…”
“You need to ask the question.”
“The question.” He closed his eyes. “I was gettin’ there.” Josh reached into his other pocket and pulled out a ring. The sun had set so Sarah had no idea what it looked like. It didn’t matter. She didn’t care if it was tin foil balled up on a twist tie at this point. “Sarah Elise Brandon…”
“Yes!” Sarah interrupted.
“Damn it, let me ask.”
“Yes. My answer is yes.”
“Still, I wanna ask…”
“Yes, Josh.”
“Doin’ it anyway.” Josh got down on one knee amid a pile of crisp fallen leaves. “Sarah…” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to interrupt again. When she remained quiet, he continued. “You gonna marry me?”
“I don’t know.” She grinned at the stunned look on his face. “Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you! I thought you’d never ask.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her up and into a kiss that took her breath away and stole her senses. It took her a good few minutes to hear the applause.
They drew apart and peered back over at the tent where the crowd had stopped dancing and were now watching the proposal. Lucy tossed her bouquet to Sarah with a dubious aim. Josh caught it in midair and handed it to her.
“I love you, Sarah.”
She grabbed Josh by the tie and hauled him down for another kiss. The crowd whooped and cheered and the music started up again. “I love you too.”
Sarah laced her fingers with Josh’s and caught the sparkle of the diamond that outshone the twinkling of the stars. “I caught the bouquet.”
“Actually, sunshine, I caught it. Now you have to marry me. Tradition says I’m next.”
“Well, we can’t go against tradition. Especially since fate brought us back together.”
He tugged her closer, and they swayed together to the next slow song. Josh whispered in her ear, “I’m never leaving you ever again, Sarah.”
“Good, because I’m never letting you go.”
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Susan Behon
Susan Behon, author of the Madison Falls series, enjoys creating a world that brings readers romance, laughter, and a healthy dose of sexiness. Susan graduated summa cum laude with a B. A. in English from Norfolk State University. She currently lives in Ohio with her very own romance hero of a husband and their two wonderful daughters.
Visit Susan at www.susanbehon.com or e-mail her at suebeephile@aol.com.
Other Titles by Susan Behon
Fall For You
More Than Words
Made For Me