The pastor again addressed only the bride and the groom. “Love and only love brought you here today. As your lives go forth from this day, never forget what brought you here. Never forget that it is love that will make your marriage last because you both came here freely, of your own will, in the name of love.”
The pastor looked across the crowd. “Now I’d like to share a reading from Corinthians 13:1-3 titled ‘Love Is Indispensable.’ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
“Love,” the pastor said, “is the key to all success and happiness.” Then he looked at Kendall and Decker. “Please face each other and join hands.”
Kendall faced Decker and put her hands in his.
“Kendall, do you freely and without hesitation give yourself to Decker in marriage? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?”
“I do,” she said.
“And Decker, do you freely and without hesitation give yourself to Kendall in marriage? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only to her forevermore?
“I do.” Decker’s deep voice resounded in the auditorium.
“Do you have rings?”
Decker removed Kendall’s ring from his pocket and she untied his from a ribbon around her bouquet.
“Decker and Kendall have written their own vows. Decker, will you begin?”
Decker held the ring at the tip of her finger. “I ask you to accept this ring as a reminder that it was you who taught me love. You showed me love. From this day forward, I promise to be faithful to you, to respect you and to forever be grateful that you’re in my life.”
Kendall had to fight the sting of joyful tears. He hadn’t shared his vows with her. She hadn’t shared hers, either. They’d only agreed to begin with “I ask you to accept this ring” and to make one promise to each other.
He slipped the ring on her finger.
Kendall held his ring at the tip of his finger. “I ask you to accept this ring as a symbol of my love for you. I didn’t plan on falling in love, but you showed me I could trust you with my heart and soul. I promise to always be your best friend and lover and to be by your side for all the days of my life.”
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the pastor said, smiling fondly, then to Decker he said, “You may kiss the bride.”
Decker moved close and kissed her softly. The guests clapped and some cheered.
“I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Colton.” The pastor went on to announce the reception, which would be held at The Chateau.
* * *
Decker never imagined he’d be married and in love—and now he felt like the luckiest man alive. For food they’d opted for hors d’oeuvres. After cutting the cake, taking pictures and their first dance, he and Kendall had dispersed to mingle among family and friends. He couldn’t stop looking at her, though, and noticed her doing the same with him.
“You’re going to set the floor on fire.”
Turning, he saw Skye standing beside him.
“It’s really good to see you so happy,” she said. “I was worried about you.”
“You should have more faith in me.”
Skye looked at Kendall, who glanced at Decker again.
“She’s really a great woman,” Skye said. “We all like her.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
“Even Dad does now.”
He rolled his eyes. “Only because he thinks I’ll be motivated to turn Hadley Forestry into a profitable company again.”
“Of course. The Colton Empire is his firstborn baby.”
Decker watched Kendall dance with her father and Russ dance with Mara. Wyatt and Bailey did a bouncy two-step, Wyatt twirling her with surprising finesse.
Phoebe showed up on his other side. “Skye and I had a lot of fun setting this up.”
“Yeah, turned out pretty nice.”
It was nice, very upscale. The hors d’oeuvres had been created by an expert chef who had made them look like art.
“Dad told me there’s a big developer here who isn’t happy with his lumber supplier,” Sloane said, pointing across the room. “His name is Nicolas Stone. Dad invited him to the wedding so you could talk to him.”
Decker grunted derisively. “Always working.” Decker walked across the room and headed for Nicolas Stone.
The man saw him coming. About six feet tall and slightly on the heavy side, he was around sixty and had graying dark hair.
“Decker Colton?” Stone said.
Decker shook his hand. “Yes. Thanks for coming.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“You father invited me so I could have a word with you. I told him it could wait but he insisted.”
Decker nodded. “That sounds like my dad. How can I help you?”
“I run the Colorado division for Stone Homes.”
Decker had heard of it—a large developer with a presence all over the country.
“I’ve been getting my lumber from another supplier. Actually, I was going to reach out to Hadley Forestry to see if we can work a deal.”
“I’d love to. I’m sure we can arrange something both of us will like.”
“I already like the beetle kill harvesting,” Stone said. “That’s why I wanted to call you. Then I ran into Russ and he told me you were acting as CEO for the company.”
“I am.”
“Good. Let’s set up a meeting after your honeymoon.” Mr. Stone took out a business card.
Decker took it.
“Now go enjoy the rest of your wedding reception.”
Decker couldn’t believe his luck. Today was indeed a very special day. He thanked the man and walked over to Kendall, who sat with her mother and Sloane at a table.
He extended his hand. “I’d like to spend some time with my wife.”
She put her hand in his and stood. “I’d like to spend some time with my husband.”
A slow song had started. Wyatt and Bailey were still on the dance floor. Decker escorted Kendall there, seeing Liam take Sloane’s hand and follow.
“Who was that man you were talking to?” Kendall asked.
“Our new client. Stone Homes is in the market for a new lumber supplier. We’re going to meet in the next week or two to talk terms.”
Her smile had widened and her mouth dropped open. “That’s great news!”
He slow-danced her in a circle.
“You must be my lucky charm,” she said.
“Looks like I won’t have to act as CEO after all, at least, not for long. I was thinking about spending less time at The Lodge and more time at home with you. Maybe set some regular hours so I’m home at a decent hour every night. How does that sound?”
“Not like Decker Colton.” She laughed. “But it sounds great to me.”
“There will be nights that run long, but for the most part I bet we can make it work.”
“You can make anything work.” She kissed him as they moved in each other’s arms. “Oh, I talked with your dad earlier. He said there are some avalanche warnings across the state. The way the weather has been around here, you might want to keep an eye on the mountain.”
“Yeah, we talked about that too. I’ve already put a watch in effect.”
The weather had gone from warm to cold and they’d had that big storm. Colorado could be dangerou
s in the spring. Another big spring storm was forecast for tomorrow. The Wicked slope was steep enough to be prone to avalanches, and often had to be cleared.
“That’s my man, always prepared and proactive.” She looped her arms over his shoulders.
Decker enjoyed her happy eyes and kissed her again.
“Keep that up and we’re going to have to leave early.”
“When you put it that way...” He kissed her again, this time lingering.
“Decker...”
“We might as well get started on a family,” he murmured.
“No need to rush anything. I want to enjoy you for a while.”
He held her close against him as they danced in a circle.
“Hey, you have a room at The Lodge,” Wyatt quipped as he and Bailey danced next to them.
“You’re one to talk,” Decker answered.
Wyatt chuckled and swung his woman around as the song changed to something more upbeat.
“When do you want to start a family?” he asked when his brother was no longer within earshot. “That’s one thing we didn’t really talk about.” There was a lot they hadn’t talked about, only having been together romantically for one month.
“Maybe in a year. You okay with that?”
“Darling, I am fine with whatever makes you happy.”
She beamed up at him. “For such a powerful man you sure are nice to me.”
“Nice?” He stopped dancing. “About leaving early...”
She looked around as though searching for a way to sneak out.
“I know a way.” He took her hand and headed for the back doors that led to the kitchen area. He’d never felt more alive than he did now and sensed Kendall sharing that sentiment. He was going to love his new life. With her.
* * *
Don’t miss the previous volumes in the
Coltons of Roaring Springs miniseries:
Colton Cowboy Standoff by Marie Ferrarella
Colton Under Fire by Cindy Dees
Available now from
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And don’t miss the next Coltons book,
Colton’s Secret Bodyguard by Jane Godman,
coming in April 2019!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Cowboy Defender by Carla Cassidy.
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Cowboy Defender
by Carla Cassidy
Chapter 1
Miranda Silver was in a foul mood and desperately trying to hide it from her two children, who were running ahead of her on the sidewalk. Actually, she was exhausted and that always made her cranky.
Part of her exhaustion came from the fact that the high school students she taught English to had been particularly difficult and rowdy all day, as if in anticipation of the end of the school year that would occur in less than two weeks.
However, the real culprit behind her being beyond tired was her ex-husband, Hank. He had shown up at the house at one-thirty in the morning, drunk as a skunk and thinking that was the perfect time to fix the rickety front porch stairs of the house where he had once lived.
It was only when she had threatened to call Dillon Bowie, the Chief of Police of Bitterroot, Oklahoma, that Hank was finally convinced to go home. Thank goodness he hadn’t awakened the children, otherwise Miranda would have really been angry.
“Slow down,” she called to seven-year-old Jenny and eight-year-old Henry. Right now she wished she had half of their energy. She shifted her shopping bags from one hand to the other and tried not to worry about all the money she had just spent.
Last night she and the kids had gotten out all of their summer clothes and she’d been dismayed to discover nothing from the year before fit her kids now. So a shopping trip had been necessary and she’d spent way more than she intended. The price of new sneakers alone had nearly taken her breath away.
Of course, it would help if Hank would occasionally pay some child support, but at the moment he wasn’t working and she couldn’t depend on or expect any financial help from him. In truth, she’d never been able to depend on him for much of anything. He’d rarely kept a job during the last couple of years of their marriage and nothing had changed since their divorce a little over a year ago.
The two kids came to an abrupt halt at a storefront that sported frilly pink-and-white curtains at the window. “Mom, can we go in and get a treat?” Jenny asked, her big blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
Henry ran back, grabbed Miranda’s hand and looked up at her with a sweet appeal. “Come on, Mom, we’ve been really good all week. We did our homework and made our beds and everything. Please? Please?”
Unfortunately The Cupcake Palace was a little pricey. “Yes, you both have been very good all week, but I just spent a lot of money on your new summer clothes.” She hated to see the disappointed looks that settled on their little faces. Darn Hank anyway for never paying his child support.
“I’d love to treat a couple of cute kids and their mother to cupcakes and ice cream.” The smooth, deep voice came from behind Miranda and instantly she stiffened.
“For real, Mr. Clay?” Henry asked. He dropped his mother’s hand. “That would be totally awesome.”
“Yeah, awesome,” Jenny echoed.
Miranda turned to look at the cowboy who made almost all the female hearts in the small town beat faster.
Clay Madison was ridiculously handsome with his slightly shaggy blond hair and beautiful bright-blue eyes. His brown cowboy hat sat on his head at a cocky angle, and the smile that curved his lips not only showcased deep twin dimples but also seemed to light up the entire area around them.
“Evening, Miranda,” he said with a gentlemanly dip of his cowboy hat.
“Clay,” she replied with a curt nod of her head.
“Mommy, Mr. Clay said he’d treat us,” Henry said. “Did you hear him say that? That’s what he said.” Once again excitement lit Henry’s and Jenny’s features.
“And how do you know Mr. Clay?” she asked her son. Bitterroot, Oklahoma was a small town but there was no reason her eight-year-old son would know Clay Madison, who was a cowboy on the Holiday Ranch on the outskirts of town.
“He came and talked to our class last week about being a cowboy,” Henry replied. “I want to be a cowboy just like Mr. Clay when I grow up.”
She was surprised Clay hadn’t talked to the class about being a womanizer and a party boy. Rumor had it he did both things quite well.
“And I meant what I said.
I’d love to treat you all.” He gestured toward the shop door.
“Mom, please?” Jenny begged.
When Miranda hesitated Clay leaned toward her, his eyes sparkling merrily. “It’s just a cupcake, Miranda,” he said beneath his breath.
“All right,” she capitulated, knowing to say no now would make her the meanest, most hateful mom in the entire world. Henry and Jenny jumped up and down in excitement. “Good manners,” she murmured to them as Clay opened the door and ushered them inside.
Myriad scents greeted them, all of them good. The smell of chocolate competed with a sweet fruity mix. Cinnamon and sugar added to the mouthwatering combination.
Pink-and-white ice cream parlor tables and chairs beckoned people to sit and enjoy. Miranda stifled an inward moan as she saw the older couple who occupied one of the tall tables. Wally Stern worked at the post office and his wife worked at being the town’s biggest gossip. Who knew what rumors would be whipping through the town about Clay and Miranda by morning?
Henry and Jenny danced up to the counter where cupcakes the size of small dinner plates were displayed. When you ordered one of the cupcakes you also got a healthy serving of ice cream on the side, making for a totally decadent dessert.
Mandy Booth greeted them with a big smile. The dark-haired woman was clad in jeans and a pink T-shirt advertising The Cupcake Palace.
“You don’t have enough to do with the café?” Miranda asked Mandy. Mandy had bought the town’s popular café several months ago and had opened The Cupcake Palace a month ago.
Mandy laughed. “The café is my bread and butter, but this place is my heart. I’d thought about opening some sort of fine dining place here in town, but Bitterroot isn’t really a fine dining kind of place, and Tammy’s Tea House already fills that need. Then I came up with this idea where I can bake to my heart’s content.”
Colton's Convenient Bride Page 22