by Debra Holt
There was another tap at the door and Aunt Victoria entered the room.
“This is your two-minute warning ladies. Here are the bouquets.” She handed cream and red roses to Kaitlyn. The cascade of pink throated stargazer lilies and red roses went to the bride. “This is for you also, Angelina. It was my mother’s.”
Angie gazed at a beautiful silver cuff bracelet with an intricate design carved into it, as it lay on the velvet lining.
“It’s almost the same design as my ring,” Angie looked at the woman who lifted the bracelet from its box. “But this is a family piece. It should be Marita’s.”
“Marita has been given a necklace and earrings. This is for you. You are a daughter of our house and our hearts, too.”
Tears threatened to spoil her eye makeup. Angie’s heart was full of gratitude as they shared a hug. She truly belonged to this family, and they to her.
“Let’s go before my nephew comes to find you himself.”
The sanctuary was beautiful. Candlelight flickered off the walls and soft organ music filled the chapel. Angie took her walk down the aisle on the arm of Uncle Tomas. He beamed proudly as he escorted the lovely bride. Family and friends filled the pews… Zoe and Carrie grinned from the front row. Angie was only vaguely aware of any of them.
It was the look on Jace’s face and the fire in his eyes that caught at her breath when their gazes met. They were the only two people in the room from that point on. His gaze never wavered from her face as he repeated the vows. She did the same. Then they were pronounced husband and wife… again. It felt like the first time as Angie lifted her face for Jace’s kiss. Angie knew then the face of the bridegroom she had imagined in her daydreams growing up.
With a quick dash up the aisle, they paused on the threshold for Angie to add a soft cape to her gown. They were leaving the chapel in a romantic horse drawn carriage. The congregation filtered out to watch their departure. Handfuls of birdseed rained down on them among peals of laughter and well wishes. As they pulled away from the chapel and headed toward their reception in a nearby gallery, huge snowflakes began to drift through the night sky. They floated softly to the ground around them.
A few caught in Angie’s eyelashes and she laughed, batting them away in playfulness.
“I now know what a living, breathing angel looks like on this earth.” Jace’s gaze warmed the night air and caused her heart to squeeze so tightly around his words that she found it hard to breathe.
The kiss they shared at that moment was a seal to their vows. Angie laid her head on Jace’s shoulder, happiness too much to place into words. Then something caught her attention.
“Stop here, Jace. Please!” Angie spoke up suddenly.
Jace motioned for the driver to stop. With surprise and a question in his eyes, Jace stepped down and helped Angie out of the carriage. She immediately went toward the wishing fountain in the center of the courtyard.
“Please tell me you have a coin on you,” Angie spoke, turning toward her husband.
Jace dug into first one pocket and then another. His fingers came up with a dime. He passed it to Angie. Her eyes closed tight, she took a couple of moments and then she tossed the coin over her shoulder into the fountain. Angie opened her eyes and gave him a beautiful smile.
He drew her into his arms. “What does my wife wish for now?”
She raised her head and looked into his eyes. “I thanked your Mother Earth and Father Sky for granting the wish I made under that Apache moon and bringing my love to me. Then I asked all the other angels above to provide a healthy, happy life for our baby.”
Jace looked for a moment as though he had not heard her. His eyes grew larger as he wrapped his mind around the unexpected words.
“That’s my wedding present to you, dear husband.”
The whoop he let out could have woken the neighborhood if anyone had been asleep at that hour. Angie found herself swung up into his arms and his mouth claimed hers in a swift, heart stopping kiss. When he lifted his head from hers, their combined laughter echoed through the courtyard.
As Angie hugged Jace’s neck, she lifted her eyes to the sky above. Jace had been right when he told her that one day she would understand the enchantment of this land. Her enchantment was in her arms forever.
The End
The Texas Lawmen Series
The three sexiest lawmen ever to wear a badge. Two of them wear the silver star of the elite Texas Rangers. One is a United States Federal Marshal. Besides having the law in common, they are good friends with their friendships having been forged over the years. They keep their bonds of friendship and have each other’s backs whenever needed. Dedicated to duty and their badges, their private lives are solitary ones until the day each of them meets their match in the opposite sex.
Book 1: Beware the Ranger
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Book 2: The Lawman’s Apache Moon
View the series here!
Book 3: Along Came a Ranger
Coming Soon!
Book 4: Coming Soon!
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About the Author
Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers. Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most. She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and planning high-end weddings (ah, romance!).
Debra’s real pride and joys, however, are her son, an aspiring film actor, and a daughter with aspirations to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (more story ideas!) When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure. She read her first romance…Janet Dailey’s Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary western romances, is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles…and sighs…to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s.
Visit her website at www.debraholtbooks.com. Follow her on Twitter @DebraHoltBooks and Facebook here!
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