by Maggie Fox
Today was the first wedding at Carrdale. As if running the wedding business and looking after Jacob wasn’t already enough to keep her fully occupied, Karo was also now pregnant again. Their second child was due to put in an appearance in around six months’ time.
“So, everything is in hand as I promised it would be.” Karo consulted her clipboard as she spoke. “Matt’s down at the waterfall, if you want to go and do any last-minute checks?”
“I trust you entirely, Karo, and leave everything in your capable hands. But I do need to go and have a word with Matt, so I’ll head down there.” Zane turned to Faith. “Catch you later?”
“Sure. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Faith linked an arm through Karo’s. “How are you doing? You must be exhausted sorting all of this. All OK?”
“I’m fine!” Karo nodded. “Honestly.”
“Still, why don’t you have a sit down? You’ve been working so hard on getting all of this organised. And that’s tiring enough in itself, without being pregnant at the same time.”
The new, calmed-down version of Karo took a seat in the wedding yurt.
Within one month of Matt and Karo getting back from Austria, they had purchased an old farmhouse and an acre of land a few miles outside Carleton. Unsurprisingly, Emily had gone ballistic when she’d found out that Matt was married. So, sensibly, he had moved out of the cottage in record time, even though his rental contract didn’t expire for another couple of months. He and Karo had instead taken on a short-term rental in a village a few miles from Carleton whilst they looked for somewhere to buy.
Karo soon had their new place swarming with builders and interior designers. Within six months, the farmhouse had been transformed from totally run-down to totally stunning. Of course, there had been the additional incentive for Karo to create her dream home with Matt in super-quick time. Less than two months after they’d moved in, she gave birth to their first child.
There were two wedding options at the Centre. If the weather was OK and people wanted to get married outdoors, there was a special wooden platform down near the waterfall. If the weather wasn’t playing ball and people wanted an indoor venue, but still wanted something a little different, they had the large wedding yurt. The chef at the Royal had recently left to set up a catering business with his wife, and after meetings and menu discussions they had become the caterers for the big events at Carrdale.
With Matt and Zane working all hours with the activity side of things, Karo had taken on every aspect of the wedding and event side of the business, from sourcing quotes and researching yurts to keeping a tight grip on the finances. All this whilst looking after little Jacob. She was like a one-woman whirlwind. On a couple of occasions Faith and Zane had babysat whilst Karo and Matt had a night out, and Faith knew what a bundle of energy Jacob was – he could make you feel exhausted within five minutes.
Faith had been patient with Zane and had delighted in how he’d gradually relaxed into their relationship. He’d stopped trying to be Mr Perfect all the time and started to just be himself. There had been times when it was so good between them Faith had felt overwhelmed with how much she loved him. At other times, she’d seen the little flashes of insecurity creep back, and had seen his eyes betray the fear of losing her, the fear of being hurt all over again.
When that had happened, she’d been swift to reassure him she wasn’t going anywhere and that she truly loved him. And, slowly, he’d come to believe it. He still hadn’t been in touch with his mother, but he had talked about the possibility of ringing her. Faith knew that even that had been a huge step for him to take. Afterwards she’d noticed yet another change in him, as if finally he might be starting to forgive his mother for what she’d done. In turn, she felt him become more at ease with their own relationship.
His mother Anna was happy with Colin, the man she’d left her marriage for. His father was living happily with Helene in Scotland.
It was beginning to look as though Zane was finally allowing himself to be at peace with what had happened. Both his parents had moved on, forgiven each other, and let go of the past.
It was high time he did too.
Down by the waterfall Faith appeared at Zane’s side and slipped a hand into his.
“All set?”
“Yes. Totally.” He nodded. “Doesn’t the place look great?”
Faith smiled. The sun was shining. The wooden decked area down near the waterfall was festooned with flowers. Rows of chairs were arranged facing not just the river but also the towering cliffs behind it. In front of all that stood the altar, shaded from the sun by the cream fabric arbour.
It was time for the first wedding at Carrdale.
When it had happened she’d been stunned and delighted. She’d been picturing a future with Zane, but had been in no rush for them to formalise things. When he’d proposed she’d taken less than a second to answer. She’d been sure she wanted to marry him. She’d known for quite some time.
The first people they’d told had been Karo and Matt. They’d gone shopping for an engagement ring for Faith, and because she’d wanted to get something for Zane too, to show her commitment to him, they’d chosen a watch designed for climbers. It included a compass, an altimeter, and various other gadgets Zane had been delighted with.
On the way back they’d called at Matt and Karo’s farmhouse to tell them their news. Matt had said, about time too, and Karo had gone to fetch some bubbly to toast their celebration.
The wedding was over, the sun continued to shine, and the happy couple were now enjoying their first dance.
“That will be us soon,” Zane whispered to Faith as they wandered onto the dance floor with the bride and groom, amongst the other couples, to enjoy a slow dance of their own.
Faith smiled. “Four months.”
The wedding had been timed to be at the end of the wedding season at Carrdale, so that Karo could organise everything before going on maternity leave.
“Four months,” Zane sighed. “It seems so far off.”
“Things were just too hectic at the Centre to fit it in before then,” Faith answered. “You’ve got weddings booked for every weekend right through the main season. It’s been amazing.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Zane said as he spun Faith in a gentle twirl and then pulled her back into his arms.
“About what?” Faith asked, frowning and easing away to look him in the eye.
“The wedding,” he said. “Our wedding.”
Faith pulled away. “Are you telling me you don’t want to get married?”
“No,” he answered, pulling her back into his arms. “I’m telling you I don’t want to wait another four months. The weekends might be booked up for weddings here for the rest of the summer, but we can get married earlier if we do it on a Friday. We just need to arrange all the necessary bits and pieces, and with Karo on the case I think we should be able to sort things pretty quickly.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Totally.” He looked calm and relaxed. “So? What do you say? Want to make an honest man of me sometime in the next month or so?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I do. Totally.”
The End... well, the beginning really!
Please read on for details of how to get your free copy of The Big Day via BookFunnel
PLUS
I’ve included an extract from Moving On, a beautiful romance set in a Scottish castle, for you at the back of Knowing You!
Please look out for more romantic reads from Maggie Fox!
Your Free Read:
Georgia Montgomery has known Ryan since they were five years old. They’d made daisy chains together out on the school playing field.
Aged ten, he’d presented her with an ice cream as they’d played football - and then declared that one day they would be married.
As teenagers they’d eventually shared a first tentative kiss before moving on to dating.
Now they’re both in the
ir twenties and the Big Day has finally arrived, but it’s not at all how they’d expected things to turn out...
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Simply click on the link below to download it:
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These other Maggie Fox books are either out now or coming very soon to Amazon, please do check them out!
*Remember When
*Starting Over
* Moving On
PS: If you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited then you can read all of these books for free with your membership. Get them today!
Do you love mysteries with your romance?
Then you might enjoy my romantic comedy cozy mystery books and series written under the pen name of Zanna Mackenzie:
Amber Reed Mystery books by Zanna Mackenzie:
In The Stars (Book 1)
On Trial (Book 1.5)
Precious (Book 2)
Forever Mine (Book 3)
Past Perfect (Book 4)
Stop The Beat (Book 5)
Paradise Lost (Book 6)
Celebrity Mystery books by Zanna Mackenzie
Murder On The Menu
Holiday Heist
Murder At The Bake Off
Glen Falls Mystery books by Zanna Mackenzie
Keeping Secrets
Finding You
About the author:
Zanna Mackenzie /Maggie Fox lives in the UK on the Derbyshire / Leicestershire border with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.
Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot!
Find out more about Zanna on her website or over on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook
Please read on for an extract from Moving On, a wonderfully romantic escapist book set in a Scottish castle...
Moving On
(The Second Chance Series)
by
Maggie Fox
Moving On © 2017 Maggie Fox
The moral rights of the author have been asserted. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All plots, incidents, characters, locations, organisations, names etc. are fictitious, created from the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real persons, incidents, locations, organisations, names is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be stored, shared, copied, transmitted or reproduced in any way without express written permission from the author.
About this book extract:
Lucy’s life is a mess. It’s official.
Her ex just walked out on his wedding, telling everyone it’s because he’s still in love with Lucy. Now everyone in town hates her, even though she’s the innocent party in this dreadful wedding day fiasco.
Desperate for a place to escape to while the dust dies down, Lucy gets the chance to spend two weeks in a luxury castle in the Scottish highlands - for free. The catch? She has to be a last minute replacement contestant on a reality TV series about relationships.
The Love Programme will offer Lucy a much-needed get out of town quick opportunity, and it can’t be that bad being part of a TV show, can it?
Actually, yes it can...
To make matters even worse, her ex is still refusing to accept things are over between them and is now trying to track her down in Scotland.
The only good part in this whole disaster seems to be Liam, the intriguing and very handsome Scottish Laird (complete with kilt) who owns the castle. Lucy senses there's a spark between them, but the reality show’s director has made it perfectly clear that Liam is strictly off limits to the Love Programme’s contestants.
Now Lucy has some serious soul searching to do.
Should she consider giving her ex another chance? After all, their relationship has been on and off since they were teenagers and Marcus was her first love.
Perhaps she hasn’t even met the true love of her life yet and The Love Programme might help her to find him.
Do you enjoy fun and flirty romantic comedies packed with warmth, charm and intrigue? Then you’ll love Moving On. Join Lucy as she tries to figure out life, love and relationships in an impressive castle in the middle of the stunning Scottish Highlands...
Chapter One
“It could have been you up there,” whispered Fiona. “How many times did Marcus ask you to marry him?”
“Three,” Lucy replied, shifting position for the fourth time in as many minutes. Why did church pews have to be so uncomfortable? As she watched the groom shuffle nervously from one foot to the other at the top of the aisle, she added: “The first time when we were five, then again at twenty and finally,” she paused, reliving the moment in her head, “eight months ago.”
“Well,” Fiona said, as the organ struck up filling the cold but pretty church with overly loud music, “it looks as though you’re safe from any more proposals because I think the bride has just arrived.”
Amelie Marchant made her way slowly down the aisle, blonde hair in an elegant chignon, designer dress looking a million dollars. Beneath her thin veil it was clear she was smiling. No doubt savouring each precious second of being the focus of everyone’s attention, yet keeping her own attention firmly fixed on Marcus, who was awaiting her arrival at the altar.
Fiona nodded in approval. “She looks gorgeous. Her dress is exquisite.” She nudged Lucy, “Doesn’t the little bridesmaid look sweet in deep pink?”
“Yes, she’s Amelie’s niece, apparently.” Lucy let a small sigh of contentment slip from her mouth as Amelie reached the altar and stood close to Marcus. Finally she, Lucy Stokes, was going to be free of Marcus McKenzie. He was marrying someone else. She would, at long last, be able to live her life exactly the way she wanted to. The whole reason she was here today was to witness the ceremony for herself. To know it was for real.
OK, so she and Marcus had been childhood sweethearts, they’d played at the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing on and off, sometimes quite successfully, for well over fifteen years. When she’d reached her twenties Lucy had sensed they didn’t have a future together, and she’d been trying to get Marcus to realise the fact ever since.
When she’d broken it off with him for the last time to say he hadn’t taken kindly to the idea they were no longer an item was a major understatement. Over time she’d grown used to his regular phone calls, the fact he often just popped round to see her and casually suggested, if they were both at a loose end, they might go for a drink or to the pictures.
Even when she’d attempted to date other people it had been a complete disaster. Friadon was a small town and Marcus seemed to know every detail of where she went when and with whom. On more than one occasion he’d tried to talk her out of going on a date and she suspected, but couldn’t prove, he’d persuading at least one of her dates to stay well away from her, causing her to be stood up, all alone in the heavy rain, outside the local cinema.
Six months after they’d split up, in a completely misguided attempt to woo her back, he’d got down on one knee and proposed to her for the third time at the travel agency where she worked. Armed with a huge bouquet of red roses and a bottle of champagne he’d asked her to marry him one last time. It had been in front of several customers too; Lucy had been pink with embarrassment. When, riddled with guilt, she’d gently declined his offer yet again he’d gone off and met Amelie. Eight months later here the two of them were, standing at the altar about to become man and wife.
Realising the ceremony was already well under way and she’d missed the first bit through not paying attention, Lucy tried to focus on what was being said, forcing the memories of Marcus from her mind. Yes, they’d enjoyed some fun times ov
er the years and she had to admit there had been occasions when they’d been completely great together but it was all in the past now. His future lay with Amelie.
Clearing his voice the vicar glanced nervously towards the congregation and questioned, “Does anyone here object to the marriage of Amelie Marchant and Marcus McKenzie? If so speak now or forever hold...”
“I object.” The words were barely audible but Lucy heard them and anxiety shivered up her spine.
The vicar, looking as though his worse fears were being realised, glanced around, unsure what to do or say next.
“I object!”
This time the voice was louder.
The vicar became flustered. Clearing his throat again, colour rising in his cheeks as all eyes in the be-flowered church of St Martyn-on-the-Myle fixed upon him and the bridegroom, he said, “I’m sorry, sir, did you say you object?”
The bridegroom nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m afraid I did.”
Those in the first few rows of the church heard the faintest of whimpers escape from beneath the bride’s veil and her knees appeared to buckle just a little.
Fixing a stern gaze upon the unwilling groom the vicar muttered, “Why exactly do you object, Mr McKenzie?”
Marcus addressed the packed congregation, his eyes scanning the rows, seeming to search for someone.
Then in a loud, clear voice, he announced, “I object because I’m still in love with another woman!” Raising his right hand he pointed to an area, three pews back on the right, just in front of a stone pillar. “Lucy, my love, will you ever take me back?”