“Friends, we are gathered here to join this man and this woman together as husband and wife,” Pastor Osbourne began. “God’s timing is perfect. He brought Gilbert Howard and Grace McAllister together in a time that suited His purposes for them. Unfortunately, not everyone runs on His divine schedule and I’m told there’s a train in forty-five minutes, so we’ll be brief so we can return the staff of the hotel back to their posts.”
Everyone tittered, and Pastor Osbourne smiled down on the bride and groom. “Let’s begin.”
***
It was only a little awkward, holding a wedding party in the parlor and a meal service in the dining room. It was the only way the staff could balance it, though, as this was the day and time Gilbert and Grace had chosen. At midnight on a Sunday, they would have had the hotel to themselves, but everyone agreed that would have been silly.
After the girls finished serving their customers, they milled around in the parlor, congratulating Grace and Gilbert and making sure they’d received the gifts they’d left in the corner for them. Tom had promised to tuck the gifts away and bring them over to the cottage the following afternoon so Grace didn’t have to worry about them. Gilbert had surprised her by telling her that he’d ordered her a sewing machine, which would be one of the first items delivered by Howard Shipping.
During a lull in the well-wishing, Grace looked over and noticed Nora approaching the Osbournes. She held her breath, sensing that Nora had made her decision and was going to tell them. She couldn’t imagine a choice with greater weight than the one Nora faced now.
Nora handed Oliva a small package. Olivia unfolded the paper, lifted out a tiny pair of knitted booties, and looked at Nora with shock on her face. Nora nodded, and Olivia threw her arms around her, the booties flying through the air. Pastor Osbourne collected the booties and put them in his pocket, then watched on with a smile on his face as the women hugged and cried.
“What’s going on?” Gilbert asked at Grace’s elbow. “They seem ecstatically happy about something.”
“They are. I’ll tell you about it later—we haven’t been married long enough.” She turned to him with a smile. “Are you ecstatically happy?”
“More than I can even tell you.” He snaked his arms around her waist. “And you?”
She looked up into his eyes. “I believe so, but we might have to experiment with it a bit. What if I only think I’m happy? What if I’m just excited that I get to wear a beautiful dress and eat cake? We must be absolutely clear about this.”
“Oh, we definitely need to experiment,” Gilbert said, pulling her closer and lowering his lips to meet hers. “It might take us several years of experimentation before we’ll know for sure,” he whispered before he closed the gap and melted into her, not seeming to care at all that there were twenty other people in the room.
For that matter, Grace didn’t care either.
THE END
About Amelia C. Adams
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.
She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born more recently (she won't say how recently or not recently) because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She has hit Amazon bestseller status three times.
You can reach Amelia at [email protected].
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The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning (free!)
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
A Narrow Road
The Bitter and the Sweet
The Calm of Night
A Begrudging Bride
A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
A Twisted Fate
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers (free!)
Cause of Conflict
Touch of Tenderness
Heart of Hearts
Test of Time
The American Mail-Order Brides series:
Hope: Bride of New Jersey
Tabitha: Bride of Missouri
The Hearts of Nashville series:
Whiskey and Women
As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:
Mail Order Molly
As part of the River’s End Ranch series:
Accidental Agent
Rugged Rockclimber
Welcome Wagon
As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:
Meredith’s Mistake
As part of the Magnolias and Moonshine series:
Sweet Georgia Peach
An Unspoken Dream (Kansas Crossroads Book 13) Page 11