by Elle E Kay
"That proves it. You are insane. Full scale wackadoodle." She leaned over to poke him in the chest.
He chuckled. "If Pastor Dan can marry us on March 31st, will you agree to the date?"
"Yes. I will."
"I'll make sure he includes a salvation message, for both of our families."
"Sounds perfect."
"You're the best. You know that?"
She smiled. Her smile could light up the darkest corner of the earth.
He left the room, cordless phone in hand. "Brother Dan?"
"Hey."
"How's your schedule on Saturday, March 31st?"
"I'll be fretting over the Resurrection Sunday sermon. Why?"
"I'm getting married. Can you marry us?"
"That's awfully sudden, isn't it?"
"When you know, you know, right?"
"If you say so."
"She's the one, Dan. Can you do the service?"
"I'd love to. She is born-again, correct? Please tell me she's saved."
"She is."
"Great. It's settled. Are you going to have the service at the church?" Pastor Dan asked.
"Yes. Definitely. There is one more thing."
"What's that?"
"We'd like it if you would include a salvation message and altar call. Can you do that?" Brady asked.
"Nothing would please me more. Can you two come in after Sunday service for premarital counseling and planning?"
"I have to check with Justine, but I think we can. Pencil us in and I'll call if we can't make it."
∞∞∞
Justine was suitably impressed. Brady was so sweet with her mother. It was a bad day and yet, he handled it with practiced ease. On the way to dinner he reached for her hand. "You know, we could move your mother in with us after we get married."
"It's kind of you to offer, but I'm not sure you want to take on the responsibility of caring for someone with dementia. She isn't going to get better."
"I understand. We dealt with it with my grandmother."
"I don't know. I hate having her in a home, but I think it's the safest place for her. Why don't we revisit the idea in a few weeks?"
"Sounds like a plan."
When they got to the Tonopah Inn and sat down to dinner with her siblings, Brady was charming and funny. He held his own in the conversation. That's when she knew he would fit in with her family. It was a relief.
"Where have you been hiding him, sis?" Elisa asked.
"I haven't been hiding him. We haven't known each other long."
"Sure. And you're getting married? My sister who plans ten years of her life at a time. I'm not buying it."
Justine laughed and Brady reached over and squeezed her hand. They would let her siblings think what they wanted. They knew the truth. Tony monopolized the conversation with talk of baseball spring training. Brady knew enough to keep up. Overall it was an excellent day and she felt ready to marry him. She was anxious. Unsure if it was too soon, but she was also delighted.
Lying in bed that night, a thought occurred to her. She needed a wedding dress. She got out of bed and scurried up to the attic. She knew her mother had kept her wedding dress for her and her sister to wear if they so desired. She found it packaged up in a big white box. The dress fit her nearly perfectly. It might need to be taken in slightly around the ribcage, but her sister was handy with that kind of thing, so she'd get her to take it in. She twirled around in front of a full-length mirror and then she added the tiara wrapped in the box with the dress. As she was putting the dress away, she noticed a paper folded up in the bottom of the box.
If you're reading this without me, I want you to know I hope if you wear this dress, it will be on one of the most amazing days of your life. I pray you are as in love with your future husband as I was with your father. May every moment of your lives together be savored. I sit here today watching my two daughters dance around the living room in ballet slippers while their brother tries to trip them. I know time will march on and you won't always be children, so I am penning these words, so you will know you are my joy and my life, even if I'm not there to remind you. You are your father's pride. Please know whatever the future brings, we will always love you.
-Mother
By the time she put the letter down, tears streamed down her cheeks. Her mother had thought ahead. Prepared for the possibility she might not be there for these special moments. She never could've known it would be dementia that would rob her of her memories, essentially leaving them without her guidance. Yet, her thoughtful words had given Justine what she needed. Reassurance. It was going to be a life worth living with Brady by her side.
∞∞∞
The day before the wedding was chaotic. Having a small wedding was supposed to make it easier, but the details seemed endless. Justine made them a list and split it in half. She took half for herself and left him the other half. He was supposed to make sure his vows were memorized, the caterer had everything they needed, the flowers arrived at the church hall, the place cards were in their proper places, and he remembered his steps for the first dance.
Sounded simple enough, but getting in contact with the caterer proved difficult. The flowers hadn't yet arrived. The place cards were not where they belonged. It was proving to be a much harder list of tasks than he'd expected. When Gray walked through the doors of the church hall, he wanted to shout with joy. Someone he could unload some of these tasks on had arrived.
"Grayson, so glad you're here."
"You look panicked."
"I am," Brady said.
"Take a deep breath."
Brady followed the directive.
"Let me see your list," Gray said. "This isn't so bad."
"That's what you think. Wait until you try to accomplish the tasks on that list."
"I'll take care of everything except place cards and vow memorization. You already know the dance, so cross that off."
"How do you know that?" Brady asked.
"No woman in her right mind would let a man wait until the last day to practice their first dance."
"Why don't you go spend a some time with God and come back in here when you're ready to face your few remaining tasks? Somehow I don't think your panic has anything to do with this list." Gray held the list up in the air and waved it at him.
"You may have a point. I'll be in the front of the church if you need me."
Brady sat in a pew near and stared at the wooden cross. He poured out his heart to the Lord and a peace settled over him. This marriage would work because they would both put Jesus first. As long as the Lord remained their focus, they would be in His will and that was the best place to be.
∞∞∞
The tiny pearls around the bodice of her dress matched the pearls in her tiara. Her sister had curled her hair and pinned it, so waterfall curls cascaded from a twist on top of her head. She'd never felt more beautiful. The fragrance from the jasmine in her bouquet comforted her as she walked down the aisle. Her eyes met Brady's and she could see the appreciation in his gaze. His tuxedo fit him well and she longed to embrace him.
Her sister was her matron of honor and Brady's friend, Grayson, was his best man. Lindy and Blitz stood beside them. They'd kept the wedding party small.
At Pastor Dan's directive, they read their vows and exchanged rings. When Brady bent down to kiss her, she struggled to breathe. She was overwhelmed with love, so much love for Brady.
Once they made their way to the foyer to greet the guests, Pastor Dan preached a message of salvation and played "Just As I Am" for the altar call. Justine watched through the window on the door as several people moved toward the front of the church. Her heart filled with joy. She gazed up at Brady, grinning. What better wedding gift could there be than to see family and friends receive Jesus as their savior on their wedding day.
Brady pulled her away from the door and kissed her thoroughly. All was well in her world. They weren't planning a trip right away, but they intended to start their h
oneymoon immediately. Justine was grateful to God for this new love. Tonight, she would be lawfully held by Trooper Brady Hall and she intended treasure him forever.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading my romance novella, Lawfully Held. Please check out some of my other titles, including my debut novel, Stella, the first book in my Endless Mountain series. The second book in that series, Claudia, released on December 15, 2017. The third and final book in that series of stand-alone novels is Sofie, which will release later this year.
If you enjoyed Lawfully Held, the most helpful thing you can do is leave an honest review. So, please consider submitting a review on Amazon and/or GoodReads. It doesn't cost anything, other than a moment of your time and can be tremendously beneficial to me. Your quick review helps to get my book into the hands of other readers who may enjoy it.
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For a list of my current books and upcoming releases check out the novel page on my website: https://www.elleekay.com/novels/
Thank you.
Elle E. Kay
https://www.elleekay.com
https://www.lawkeeperseries.com
About Elle E. Kay
Elle E. Kay lives in the Back Mountain area of Pennsylvania. She loves life in the country on her little farmette. Elle is a born-again Christian with a deep faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. She desires to learn how to live for Him and to put Him first in everything she does.
She writes children's books under the name Ellie Mae Kay.
You can connect with Elle on her website and blog at https://www.elleekay.com/ or on social media:
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Acknowledgements
I would like to give special thanks to my husband, Joe Kelleher, who took the time to read my work and make suggestions. He put up with me and my hectic schedule over the past few weeks. Thanks also go out to my fellow Lawkeeper Authors who invited me to join the series. I'm happy to be a part of the group.
This story is a product of my imagination. Any similarities to actual events or people are purely coincidental.
Any errors or deficiencies are my own.
Coming Soon
the next book in the Lawkeepers Series
Lawfully Adored
by Jenna Brandt
A K-9 Lawkeeper Romance
Police officer Aiden O’Connell looked out over the mountain peak at the setting sun and knew only a small window of time remained to find the missing hiker.
Aiden was bent down next to his German Shepherd partner, Cooper, allowing him to inspect an area below a cluster of towering pine trees between a set of giant boulders. True to his trained behavior, Cooper barked and urged Aiden to follow him up an overgrown hiking trail.
Clear Mountain, Colorado was a popular destination for tourists. The craggy rock formations overlooking the quaint town were a constant attraction for outdoor enthusiasts, but often inexperienced hikers would underestimate the dangers of the area, causing themselves to get hurt or lost.
Aiden and Cooper were one of the only two K-9 search and rescue teams for the entire area and the Clear Mountain Search and Rescue team compromised of only five officers total. The constant call-outs to the surrounding mountain areas kept the unit busy.
This evening, a wife of a missing hiker came in from Boulder to report her husband hadn’t returned home after his weekend hiking trip, resulting in the team being deployed to locate the missing man.
“K-9 2, this is K-9 1, we aren’t having any luck over on this side. What’s your status?” a deep male voice echoed out over the radio.
Aiden pulled the receiver for his radio free from his dark blue uniform and pushed the button on the side to talk back. “K-9 1, we might have gotten a possible beat over here.” Pulling a map out of his back pocket, Aiden glanced down to confirm his location, still getting used to the area after transferring from Boulder County Police a year prior. “We’re two clicks from Meadow Ridge near the cluster of pines by the twin boulders.”
“Copy that, K-9 2, we’re headed over your way.”
Like a well-oiled machine, Cooper and Aiden continued to move up the trail with Cooper stopping every few hundred yards to inspect a new area. The west side of the mountain sheered off, leaving only forest on the east side.
Several minutes later, a second German Shepherd came charging in from the right side of Aiden and Cooper. The smaller dog joined Cooper and playfully nipped at him while the same male voice from earlier said, “I think Harley is jealous of Cooper for picking up the scent on this one.”
Aiden turned his head to the right, recognizing fellow officer, Zach Turner. “Eh, it’s only cuz Cooper has a couple of years on Harley. She’ll catch up soon enough, especially with you handling her Zach.”
“Yea, but I was hoping to find this hiker on my own so I could finally secure that date with that female reporter from the Clear Mountain Gazette that keeps following you around.”
Aiden shrugged. “Me and you both. It would be great if you could get her off my back.”
“Man, what is it with you? Have you seen her? She’s hot; a solid nine. What? Are you holding out for a ten?”
“No, she just seems more attracted to the badge than to me and you know I’m not into that,” Aiden explained.
Get your copy of Lawfully Adored for the low preorder price of $.99
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