“Oh, Claire,” Jenny said with a laugh as she scooped her infant granddaughter out of Kat’s arms. “Let’s get moving, ladies. We have a church full of guests waiting with bated breath.”
Within a few minutes, everyone was ready. Claire gave Kat a kiss, took the other twin from Mari and left to take her seat. Jenny handed each of the Barrett girls their bouquets—yellow roses with blue ribbon for Belle, green for Theresa, yellow for Miranda and pink for Caroline. “Y’all wait with your grandfather for a minute, please, and tell him I’ll be right out.”
With the room empty but for Jenny, Mari and Kat, Jenny said, “I wish Emma were here.”
Kat nodded, her smile wistful. “Her absence is the only thing that’s keeping today from being perfect. I’m rather perturbed about that.”
“We’re all rather annoyed at Emma, but let’s put that aside for the time being. We’ve a wedding to attend.” Jenny held Kat’s face in both her hands. “Be happy, Katrina. I love you with all my heart, and wish for you nothing but good luck in love.”
“Thanks, Mama. I love you, too.”
After Jenny left Kat and Mari alone in the vestibule, Kat said, “I hope you don’t regret sharing the twins’ special day with this spectacle.”
“Never.” Mari fussed with her sister’s hair. “This was the best idea ever. A true Menace event.”
“Minus a Menace.”
Mari sniffed. “Emma had better start sending more letters or, I swear, Papa’s going to go after her.”
“I wonder where she is and what she’s doing, don’t you? I wonder if she’s found her true love with Alasdair MacRae. She’s the last, you realize. First you and Luke, now me and Jake.”
“I’ve considered that” Mari said. “I didn’t know if you’d…Kat, has your task been revealed to you?”
“You mean now that it’s completed?” Kat gave a little laugh. “It would have been helpful if Roslin of Strathardle had filled us in on that little detail, but yes. I have completed my task.” She drew a deep, calming breath, then said, “I’ve forgiven myself.”
Mari nodded, and satisfaction filled her expression. “Yes. Of course. That makes perfect sense.” The two sisters shared a look of total understanding, then Mari kissed Kat quickly on the cheek. “Now I guess it’s time. Do you know what you’re going to say, honey?”
“I know exactly what I’m going to say.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Katie-cat?” Trace said. “You ready? They’re gettin’ restless out here.”
“Yes, Papa.” As Kat opened the door, she said to her sister, “That’s part of the surprise.”
JAKE STOOD at the church altar disgusted with himself for shaking in his shiny dress boots as the organ began to play. He hadn’t been nearly this nervous the first time he married Kat.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the McBride boys slip back into the church pews, suspicious-looking bulges in their jackets. Everyone in church knew to expect some sort of addition to the ceremony from the animal kingdom.
Then Jake spied little Caroline walking toward him wearing the color-coded pinafore he’d ordered all those months ago. She was followed by her sisters, dressed similarly, and he forgot his nervousness as his heart gave a little hitch. Ah, Penny, I hope you know how much I love them.
Maribeth Garrett followed his nieces up the aisle, and she touched her sapphire pendant, then gave him a saucy wink that made him nervous all over again. He didn’t have time to dwell on that, however, because Kat had moved to stand at the end of the aisle on her father’s arm.
She was a vision in white, and her beauty took his breath away. Love for her swelled up inside Jake, filling him with a peaceful calm. Then she smiled at him and he knew that he must be the luckiest man on earth.
In the two days since the fire, they’d hardly had any time alone. The one private conversation they did have had been short and sweet. She’d told him she had things to say to him, promises to make him, and she asked if she could do it in front of witnesses as they renewed their wedding vows. Jake would have agreed to anything at that point. The look in her eyes had been downright loving.
As she joined him at the altar, that light in her eyes hadn’t changed. Trace McBride glared at Jake out of habit as he handed his daughter over to her husband. They turned to face the minister, who said, “Dearly beloved. Mr. and Mrs. Jake Kimball stand before you now to renew their wedding vows in front of friends and family. Now, because I have experience officiating over McBride weddings, I think it’s best if we go right to the meat of the matter, so to speak. Mr. Kimball, you wished to recite your vows first?”
“Yes.” After Kat handed her bouquet to her sister, Jake took both her hands in his. “Kat, as I make these vows to you again—with a few additions—know that they are spoken in total sincerity, and with a love that is strong, vigilant and true. I, Jacob Alexander, take you, Katrina Julianne, to be my wedded wife. I promise to love you, comfort you, honor you and keep you, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good luck and in bad.”
Laughter gleamed in her eyes and she smiled as, at her side, Mari Garrett let out an unladylike snort. Jake took a deep breath and continued, “Forsaking all others, I vow to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.”
Then a voice rang out from the back of the congregation. “But will you stay with her, Jake Kimball, when adventure calls? I’m Daniel Kimball and I want you to come with me to Tibet.”
Jake shut his eyes and muttered, “Son of a bitch.”
“Hold on a second.” Trace McBride shot to his feet “Didn’t somebody cancel the brother? Who was supposed to do that?”
“Me.” Luke Garrett spoke up. “I’m sorry. I forgot. The twins are keeping me up all night and…well…I’m just not thinking straight these days.” Turning around, he called toward the back of the church. “Never mind, Jasper. We don’t need you anymore.”
Kat glared first at Jake, then at her brother-in-law and finally at her father. “Cancel the brother?”
“You can’t cancel me.” The bartender from the End of the Line Saloon stepped from a pew and took a challenging stance in the center of the aisle. “Not now. I put on a suit and everything. You owe me fifty dollars.”
Jake heard Mari say to Kat “I thought the wedding excitement would come from the piglets the boys have stuffed in their shirts.”
The buzz in the congregation grew louder. Kat pulled on Jake’s sleeve. “Jake? Who is that man?”
“Look, I had no part of this. I told him it was a stupid idea.”
She stepped toward the front pew. “Papa?”
He smiled winsomely. “It’s a long story, Katie-cat. We’ll go into it later. For now, why don’t you carry on with the wedding?”
Kat got that look on her face that said they’d be going into it now when the squealing started. At first Jake thought it was one of the twins, but then he realized the McBride boys must have let loose their pigs. His suspicion was confirmed when he heard Tommy say, “Holy crap.”
The piglets were just a beginning. Some unseen helpers let loose pigeons, prairie dogs and a pair of armadillos.
“Yes!” Wilhemina Peters called out. “Typical McBrides. Typical Bad Luck Wedding.”
The observation pushed Jake right over the edge.
He rounded on the woman, strong and determined. “This is not a bad-luck wedding, by God. My love for my wife is strong, vigilant and true and nobody—not a newspaper gossip or a scoundrel of a father or a barnyard full of farm animals—is going to interfere and turn it into one.”
He grabbed his wife’s arm and all but dragged her toward the altar. “Now, where was I? I promise never to take a swing at your father even when he deserves it, which is bound to be often. I’ll be kind to your sisters even when they’re giving me hell, and I’ll love your mother, but that’s an easy one because she’s a damned fine woman. I’ll be a friend to your brothers, although I will swing back at them if they let one fly first. All ri
ght, what else? Is there anything else you want, Kat? Ask now or forever hold your peace.”
“I…uh…I…”
“Maybe I should tell you I don’t want to rebuild the Braxton house. I bought some land, and I’d like to build our own place. Something that suits us. I like Fort Worth and I want to make our home here. Texans are good people. Now, we’ll probably have to go back to England when Robbie gets older because he has that title and everything, but that’s something we’ll deal with together as a family. And speaking of families…the children. I love ‘em. I’m happy to be their father. If you want more babies, I’ll be happy with that. If you’re fine with our family the way it is, that’s all right with me, too. So, that ought to about cover it, don’t you think?” He paused for just a second. “Kat? Anything else you want covered?”
“I, uh, no. I guess that’s…enough.”
“Good. All right, then. That’s my wedding vow, so help me God.” He folded his arms, glared at her. “Now it’s your turn.”
“Um…”
“I Katrina Julianne Kimball…” he cued, making a circling motion with his hand.
“Katrina Julianne McBride Kimball,” she corrected.
“Take me…” Again, the hand circles.
She folded her arms. Tapped her foot. Turned her lips down. But none of that hid the look in her emerald eyes—that soft, warm, loving look—and it seeped into Jake’s soul and warmed it, relaxed it. He rubbed his thumb in gentle circles along the inside of her wrist and said in a low, raspy tone, “Ah, come on, honey. Take me. Please?”
“Out to the woodshed, maybe. That’s what you deserve. Really, now, Jake. Hiring a man to be your brother? You knew about this?”
“It was your father’s idea.”
“Hey, now,” Trace interrupted. “Watch what you say, boyo. I’m still not sold against shooting you, you know.”
“Trace, sit down,” Jenny said, pulling him back to his seat.
Jake slipped his arms around Kat’s waist and drew her toward him. “Take me, Katrina. Here. Anywhere. Everywhere. Give me the words I’ve wanted, needed, to hear for so long. Even before I realized it myself.”
After a long moment’s pause, she nipped at his finger, then said, “I Katrina Julianne McBride Kimball, take you, Jacob Alexander Kimball, to be my husband. I promise to comfort you, honor you, and keep you, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good luck and in bad, although I don’t anticipate any of the latter. Forsaking all others, I vow to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.”
Seconds dragged by as Jake waited, frowning. “And…?”
She sighed. “I promise to protect you from my father.”
Following a snort of disdain, again Jake waited, only vaguely aware of the scurrying and scattering of the congregation in the wake of darting animals. “And…?”
“I won’t fuss if you need to take business trips of a reasonable length, and I’ll always be happy to entertain ideas of, um, more private journeys.”
That was almost enough to distract him from what he was waiting to hear. “That’s good. I like that a lot. But, Katrina, isn’t there something more?”
She sighed, rolled her eyes, then sighed again. “Oh, all right.”
Her smile warm and welcoming, Kat clasped her emerald pendant in her right hand. “It was wrong of me to withhold my love, withhold my trust, from you, and I apologize to you in front of God, our family and our friends and neighbors for it. You see, I didn’t need you to pass a test of the strength of your love for me. I didn’t need a hired brother or a house fire to prove to me that your love is vigilant and true. I was afraid, Jake, and I let my fear and self-doubt blind me to the simple truth. You love me. And I love you.”
“Finally,” he murmured.
Kat chuckled. “My love for you, like yours for me, is strong, vigilant and true. That is my wedding vow to you.”
Then, even as Jake bent to kiss her, she took her necklace off and slipped it over his head. “I think this was meant for you all along, pirate. You found the necklace, Jake.”
“I found my family.”
Jake took his wife’s mouth in a long, loving kiss. As the minister pronounced them man and wife again and asked the McBride boys to please get the armadillo out of the gladiolas, Trace McBride grumbled, “The only thing that makes this bearable is the fact that the scoundrel will eventually get his. The man has four daughters of his own.”
EPILOGUE
MUSIC, LAUGHTER AND THE tantalizing aroma of barbecue floated on the gentle afternoon breeze as the messenger arrived at Willow Hill, where the combination christening and wedding reception was in full swing. Winded from his run, he took a minute to catch his breath and peruse the crowd, searching for the recipient of the telegram he carried in his pocket. There, by the dessert table. The messenger drew a deep breath, then let out a heavy sigh. It was a shame to ruin a celebration this way.
Standing with her husband, wondering how he could possibly eat a third piece of chocolate cake, Kat glanced around at the crowd of guests and took note of the new-comer. Something about the young man’s expression caught her attention, and a little ribbon of fear fluttered through her when he began to walk toward Mari’s husband, Luke. Instinctively, she reached for Jake’s hand.
Jake turned toward her with a smile that slowly faded when he spied the look on her face. “Honey? What is it?”
“I don’t know. Nothing good, I’m afraid.”
The young man approached. “Sheriff Garrett? I have a telegram for you, sir.”
Jake took half a step forward and sideways, shielding Kat as Luke tore open the envelope and withdrew a folded sheet of paper. Kat watched her brother-in-law closely as he scanned the contents. Her stomach dropped to her knees when his face went hard.
Suddenly, Mari moved to stand beside Kat. The two sisters clasped hands as their father demanded, “What is it, Luke? What does the telegram say?”
Luke muttered a curse, then rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s from Scotland. A detective in Edinburgh. He says…”
Jenny McBride looped her arm around her husband’s. “What is it, Luke?”
“Emma is wanted for murder.”
“Murder!” Kat and Mari gasped.
“Not Dair,” Jake demanded. “Dair’s not dead.”
Luke shook his head as Trace ripped the telegram from his grasp. He read it quickly, then his face flushed red with anger. “An old man? They’re saying she’s murdered an old man? That’s a damned lie!”
“I know people in Edinburgh,” Jake said, stepping forward. “I’ll leave on the first train tomorrow.”
“We will leave,” Luke corrected.
Mari nodded. “All of us. We’ll all go.”
“No, Mari.” Luke folded his arms and leveled a stern gaze upon his wife. “I’ll go. You stay with the children.”
“No!” Kat’s voice rang out, demanding attention. She lifted her hand and clutched her emerald necklace. “No. We must all go—children, too. Mari and I need to be there. Don’t you see? We’ve found our love, completed our tasks, and Emma took off with a man.”
“A rat bastard,” Trace declared.
Ignoring her father, Kat continued. “She wouldn’t have done that if she didn’t have feelings for him. I’ll bet anything that those feelings have grown into love. That means we’re close. We’re so very close to breaking the Curse of Clan McBride.”
Mari closed her hand around her sapphire pendant “You’re right. Of course. We do need to be there. For Emma. For the whole McBride family.” She gazed around at her family members, her expression imploring. “The curse began in Scotland. Maybe it’s supposed to end there!”
For a long moment no one spoke. Fiddle music swirled along with laughter in the air as the guests remained unaware of the drama unfolding in their midst. Kat, Mari and their mother shared determined looks. Jake and Luke glanced from their wives to one another and shrugged. Everyone waited for Emma’s father to s
peak.
Finally, Trace McBride threw the telegram into the dirt like a gauntlet. “All right, then. Everyone, go pack your bags. The McBrides are going to Scotland to find Emma.
“And that sorry, no-good outlaw she ran away with…well…he’d damn well better keep her safe in the meantime.”
The End
Don’t miss any of THE BAD LUCK WEDDING series, now available in digital format.
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING SERIES in order:
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING CAKE
SIMMER ALL NIGHT (Bad Luck Abroad trilogy #1)
SIZZLE ALL DAY (Bad Luck Abroad trilogy #2)
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING NIGHT (Bad Luck Abroad trilogy #3)
HER BODYGUARD (Bad Luck Brides trilogy #1)
HER SCOUNDREL (Bad Luck Brides trilogy #2)
HER OUTLAW (Bad Luck Brides trilogy #3)
Other historical romance titles available in digital format:
THE WEDDING RANSOM
THE KISSING STARS
Coming soon:
THE TEXAN’S BRIDE
CAPTURE THE NIGHT
TEMPTING MORALITY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geralyn Dawson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty-five novels written in a variety of sub-genres including historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and women's fiction. She is a three-time Finalist for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award and a recipient of Romantic Times magazine's Career Achievement Award. Her novel THE WEDDING RANSOM was named one of Romance Writers of America's Top Ten Favorite Novels of the Year.
Geralyn is currently writing romantic women's fiction for Ballantine Books under the pseudonym Emily March. The first novel of March's Eternity Springs series, ANGEL'S REST, was named a Top 100 Book of 2011 by Publishers Weekly magazine. It, along with the next two books in the series, HUMMINGBIRD LAKE, and HEARTACHE FALLS each earned coveted starred reviews from Publishers Weekly magazine. The fourth book of the series, LOVER'S LEAP will be published December 27th, 2011 with NIGHTINGALE WAY to follow in Fall 2012.
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