“IF I FALL in this mud, I will totally blame you, Owen Cooper.”
“Oh no you don’t!” Owen laughed, grabbing Lucy’s hand as they walked the path from their house to the vineyard. He’d warned her the trail would be slippery after three days of rain. He’d offered to drive her to the waterfall. Lucy had given him a lengthy explanation of the “symbolism” of walking the path to the falls, like the original couple in the legend had done.
He’d promised her she’d have exactly the wedding she wanted, and if she wanted them to walk to meet everyone else at the wedding site, then that’s what he’d do.
She was using her free hand to clutch her cotton skirt up around her waist to keep it clean as they walked. After a dreary week of cold and rain, the weekend had arrived sunny and relatively warm. They started down the hill, and he slid his arm around her waist to be sure she didn’t slip. He couldn’t resist reminding her.
“This was your idea.”
“Getting married? You asked me, remember?”
“You know, that was so long ago I can hardly...”
“Oh, be quiet, you.” She giggled. She’d been doing a lot of that lately—bright, sparkling giggles. Throughout the exhausting move into their farmhouse, repainting almost every room in the place and trying to make it their own...giggles. Sometimes he’d hear her giggling to herself in a room as he walked by, as if she was so happy she couldn’t contain it. He knew the feeling. He’d been close to giddy himself more than once. It was hard to believe they could both be so happy. But that’s what love did. She was his sunshine surprise every day.
Cooper Landscaping was off to a busy start in Rendezvous Falls, although the winter months would slow things down a bit. But Lucy was now co-owner of Rendezvous Blooms with Connie, and the winter months would be fairly busy with that business over the holidays and Valentine’s Day. Their incomes would balance out between the two jobs.
“Stop!” Lucy hissed, and he did, looking at her in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shush!” She released his hand. “We’re almost there. Give me the bag!”
They were at the edge of the woods now, and the ground wasn’t as muddy. Lucy let her skirt drop, brushing her hands down the front to smooth it. She looked like an Earth goddess in the long ivory eyelet dress. The design was simple, but it suited her, with the hemline swishing around her ankles. A ring of fresh flowers in fall colors rested on her head—she and Connie had put it together last night at the house with flowers from the shop. Long beaded ribbons fell from the back of the flower crown. She was his goddess. He still couldn’t believe it. And he’d almost lost her.
He handed her the bag he’d been carrying. She pulled off her shoes and gasped at the cold of the ground under her toes. She dropped the muddy shoes in the bag and held it up, brows raised.
“Is this really necessary?” He grumbled the question but tugged his shoes off before waiting for a reply. And damn, the ground was cold. He could only imagine how cold the water in the stream was going to be. He looked at Lucy, and she giggled again.
Hell, if she’d asked him to stand directly under the freezing waterfall, he’d say yes...just to hear that laughter again. He rolled up his pants, hoping the rain hadn’t made the water too deep for wading.
“Come on,” Lucy grabbed his hand, her face shining with happiness. She tugged him to follow her. “They’re waiting!”
THE LEGENDARY ROCK was dry on top, but still slippery under their bare, wet feet. More than once, Lucy thought she and Owen would end up sitting in the cold water. But they got through the ceremony—a civil one blessed by Father Brennan—while staying relatively dry.
The officiants and the guests had stayed on the shore. But Lucy was determined that, barring a downpour, she and Owen were going to stand on this legendary rock and take their vows, sealing them with a kiss that would guarantee they’d be together forever. After the first wedding fiasco, she wanted everyone to be sure about one thing—this marriage was forever.
Owen stepped off the rock into the water, grimacing from the cold before smiling up at her. Instead of taking her hand, he swept her off the rock and cradled her in his arms, high and dry as the freezing cold water swirled around his legs.
“Hello, wife,” he sai, his eyes gleaming with love.
“Hi, husband.” Her arms wrapped around his neck.
“I love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
“That’s good.” He kissed her softly. “Between the justice of the peace, Father Joe’s blessing, and the legend, there’s no way we’re turning back now.”
She giggled. “Not to mention we have two businesses and a mortgage together. We’re in this for the long haul, mister.”
He tipped his head back and laughed.
She’d married a man with the best laugh in the world.
He walked to the shore and set her down, keeping her in the circle of his arms. They were surrounded by a small group of their closest friends and family. Another group of people, those who didn’t want to deal with hiking and October weather, were waiting at the warm, dry Taggart Inn for a wedding luncheon catered by Nikki.
“Can we put our shoes on now?” Owen asked, making her laugh.
“Yes! My feet are freezing!”
Piper Taggart handed them their shoes, as well as two fluffy towels to dry off with. They sat on a large rock near the water, and she bumped her shoulder against Owen’s. “Thank you for giving me my barefoot wedding.”
He straightened. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
“What?”
“I’d give you the moon if you wanted it, Lucy Hig...” He caught himself and chuckled. “Lucy Cooper. I like the sound of that.”
“I like it, too. But you can leave the moon where it is. As long as I have you, I’m good.”
Owen leaned in and kissed her, and she knew she’d never walk away from this man again. He was hers...forever.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Accidental Homecoming by Sabrina York.