by Elsie Davis
Rachel’s Road to Love
The Great Smoky Mountain Getaways, Book 3
Elsie Davis
© 2021, Elsie Davis
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Cover Design by RockSolidBookDesign.com
Edited by: Elaine Hyatt – Clarity Editing Services and Cassie Cornell
Proofread by Alice Shepherd
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Sweet Promise Press
PO Box 29
Glennallen, AK 99588
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
Contents
About this Book
Publisher’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
More from Sweet Promise Press
More from Elsie Davis
Meet the Author
About this Book
Rachel trusts God's plan for her life, but did that plan really include being left at the altar? After delivering the news from the cold-footed groom, her maid of honor offers solace in the form of her family's mountain getaway. Despite the threat of wintry weather, Rachel eagerly accepts the opportunity for a quiet escape from prying eyes.
Chad's military career is over. Home from his final deployment, he's not ready to face the world-at-large, especially his nosy sister, and instead sneaks away to his family's cabin in the Great Smokies. Nothing could have prepared him for the arrival of his sister's best friend who barges into his family's retreat as if she were an invited guest.
When a snowstorm makes good on its promise to layer the mountainside in a blanket of white, Rachel and Chad realize they're stuck together—for better or worse. Left with no other choice, they make the most of their forced, albeit platonic, cohabitation. Cooking mishaps and a bear encounter only serve to deepen their budding friendship.
By the time they're able to leave the cabin, her broken heart and his shattered spirit are on the mend, and they're not ready to say goodbye. Can Rachel and Chad trust that God's master plan for their lives may be different than their individual goals?
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One
The biggest day of her life, and Rachel was as nervous as a mouse cornered by a cat. She had always pictured her wedding day as one filled with laughter and excitement, with the bride the center of attention as she walked down the church aisle on her father’s arm. And with Leslie, her best friend since forever, helping her to get dressed, do her makeup, and calm her nerves.
Instead, she was alone in the dressing room, gazing at her reflection in the mirror and not liking what she saw. She turned away, wishing Leslie would return soon. Her friend had received a text and practically flown out of the room mumbling something about wedding details. That was at least thirty minutes ago. Besides, wasn’t that what they hired a wedding planner for?
Rachel paced the room, adjusting and readjusting the dress, which seemed far too loose, sagging in all the wrong places. Stopping in front of the mirror, she stared back at her reflection, not recognizing the person standing there. The makeup was too much, the dress overly frou-frouy with puffed sleeves. The tiara and veil were dripping with tiny pearls that looked more like raindrops. No stranger to a camera, she knew it would look like she had splattered her face with cake batter in the wedding photos. The long train was fit for a regal princess, but then, her mother had insisted that it was precisely the right look for her daughter. Even her hair cascaded in long, tight ringlets down the side of her face, adding to the pomp and circumstance of the entire event.
None of which Rachel would have picked for herself.
Unfortunately, she had left the wedding planning to her fiancé, hoping Alex, her mother, her soon-to-be mother-in-law, and the wedding planner could handle everything. At the time, pawning off the wedding details had seemed like an excellent idea. It allowed her to do what she loved—serve others by sharing the word of God and helping to educate children in remote areas of the world. Not to mention, the decision had allowed Rachel to honor her commitment to join the South America mission trip team.
But over the past week since her return, Rachel wasn’t so sure. From her appearance to the grandiose church wedding, flowers, and banquet reception to be held afterward, it was an over-the-top spectacle of an event. And nothing like she had envisioned in her head. Small, quiet, and full of awe and joy, a wedding focused on love, not some show to be captured in photos and splashed across bridal magazines.
Rachel glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes until the wedding started. Where was her father? And where was Leslie? She moved to the window and stared out at the parking lot overrun with vehicles. Tiny snowflakes fluttered to the ground, leaving the barest trace of snow. Luckily, the storm was still hours away. By then, she’d be on her way to the airport and sunshine on her honeymoon.
A few last-minute guests pulled in, hurried inside the church. Everyone had come to see the matrimonial union of Alex Chesterfield and Miss Rachel Harrelson, son and daughter of two of the most prominent families in Edgewood. In the county, for that matter.
The timing of Alex’s proposal had been way wrong, and the well-rehearsed public setting had prevented her from saying no. Not that she wouldn’t marry him— as it had always been the plan. However, the parents had been pushing them to take the next step in their relationship. At the time, neither they nor Alex had known about the mission trip in South America she’d signed up for and eagerly accepted. Unwilling to cancel out and leave the team hanging, she accepted the ring but made sure Alex knew she’d be gone a year. Her fiancé hadn’t minded in the slightest, proof they were well suited.
So why was she so nervous? Her mother called it bride jitters, claiming they were expected. Rachel glanced at the clock on the wall again. Five minutes until the wedding sta
rted, and there was still no sign of her father or Leslie. Rachel took a deep breath, hoping to calm the dratted butterflies in her stomach.
The door opened, and her father walked in. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. The most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I could put a bag over my head, and you’d still tell me I look good.” Rachel smiled, knowing it was true. Her father had always been there for her, helping Rachel maneuver through the twists and turns of life and keeping her controlling mother, well, somewhat under control.
“That may be true, but there’s no need to stretch the truth. Alex will fall in love with you all over again when he lays eyes on you.” Her father’s warm smile did wonders to make her feel better.
Alex loved her. That is what she needed to focus on, not the fear she secretly harbored that this was a mistake. She loved Alex. They had been friends for a long time before they dated, and after years of dating, this was the natural next step. It’s what everyone expected.
“Then let’s do this,” Rachel said, taking her father’s arm as he held it out to her.
The door burst open, and Leslie came rushing into the room. But, unfortunately, her maid of honor was anything but the calm, cool, collected friend Rachel needed by her side.
“We’ve got a problem,” Leslie said, her voice tight with tension.
“Let me guess, my mom’s not happy with the flowers? Or is it the view from the front row pew?” Rachel teased, knowing her mother could be demanding. It was supposed to be the maid of honor calming down the bride, not the other way around.
“I wish. Don’t get me wrong, your mother is having a hysterical meltdown, but it’s not for either of those reasons. Honestly, I wish it were,” Leslie said, shaking her head and reaching for Rachel’s hand. “Honey, I’m so sorry.” Her friend’s eyes pooled with tears, the thin-set line of her lips in direct contrast.
Something was seriously wrong. “Has something happened to Alex? Was he in an accident? Tell me,” Rachel pleaded.
“He’s going to wish he had been in one when I get through with him,” Leslie ground out. “He’s not coming today—or any other day for that matter. Roger was shocked when he got a call from Alex and was told to call off the wedding. Apparently, even his best man didn’t know Alex had misgivings. I could kill Alex for doing this to you,” Leslie ground out.
The room was spinning. This couldn’t possibly be happening to her. Rachel grabbed onto a nearby chair for support. “What?” she squeaked out.
In all the times she’d thought about her wedding day, never once had the vision included being left at the altar.
Jilted.
Rachel felt faint and crossed the room to sit on the sofa, rubbing her temples with her fingertips to ease the headache that was forming. She ripped off the veil, trying to make sense of what Leslie was telling her and the implication of her runaway groom.
“He doesn’t want to get married. I can’t imagine why he waited until the last minute to figure this out and tell you. Alex is a mouse, not a man, and he doesn’t deserve you.”
“Where is he now?” her father asked, his face red with fury. “I need to have a chat with that boy. This is unacceptable. No one stands my daughter up and gets away with it. I thought he was better than this.”
“Daddy, let it go. Please, it won’t change anything. Maybe Alex has a case of cold feet, and this is just bad timing.” Rachel had her own jittery nerves to deal with—she just hadn’t been brave enough to call off the wedding and figure out why.
“Cold feet? Let’s hope so. Of all the rotten things he could do to you. And on your wedding day. Not to mention, but there’s a lot of money tied up in this event.” Her father’s practical side was showing. Rachel wouldn’t put it past him to demand the Chesterfield family reimburse him since Alex pulled a disappearing act.
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Rachel was trying to hold herself together and not give in to the urge to fall apart. She took several deep breaths, trying to quell the rising agitation threatening to explode.
Leslie sat next to her. “Everyone’s downstairs, waiting to see you. They feel awful. Even Alex’s family has stayed. They are equally furious with him,” she said, rubbing Rachel’s back with soothing strokes.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. What would I say? Please, make them go away, Daddy.” She looked up at her father, imploring him to take over the situation. Just like he always did when things got out of hand.
“I’m on it, sweetheart. I should see to your mother anyway, as I’m sure Leslie’s description of your mother’s hysterical meltdown was an understatement of her condition.”
Rachel knew she could trust her father to manage everything. When the door closed, she turned to Leslie. “What am I going to do? Even if Daddy gets rid of them now, they will still come to see me and want answers I can’t give. And think of the wedding gifts that need to be returned. It’s just too much, right now.” Rachel rocked back and forth, hugging herself, trying to stop the overwhelming sensation of nausea that threatened to take control.
“Let me think.” Leslie stood and paced the room. “Why not go on your honeymoon alone? You could sneak out the back door. I drove your car here since mine was blocked in at your place.”
Rachel shook her head. “No way. That would be awkward staying in a honeymoon suite for one. Think of all the pitiful looks I’d get then.”
Leslie stopped pacing and turned to her. “I’ve got it. Go up to my family’s cabin in the Smoky Mountains. It’s only an hour from here, right close to the North Carolina border. Totally private.”
Rachel had forgotten about the cabin Leslie, and her brother inherited when their uncle died a couple of years ago. She and Leslie had talked about going up. Still, it never seemed the right time for them to coordinate clearing their schedules, especially with college workloads and then after she left on the mission trip. “I don’t know. I’m not sure that’s a good idea either. What about your brother? He might not like me staying there.”
“He’s still in Afghanistan on deployment. So you’d be doing me a favor by checking on the place. I promised Chad I would keep an eye on it, and I haven’t been up there in weeks. There’s a caretaker who looks in on the place occasionally, but otherwise, the responsibility has been mine.”
Becoming a recluse, even if only for a short time, sounded ideal. Rachel was tempted. “Are you sure? And what about the storm that’s headed this way? It’s supposed to be a doozy.”
Leslie frowned. “Stop looking for excuses not to go and look for reasons to say yes. It’s the perfect answer to your dilemma. Stay as long as you like. Let me check the weather. The last I heard, it’s still hours away.” Leslie pulled out her phone, pushing a few buttons.
“There see.” She held up her phone for Rachel to see the screen. “If you leave now, you’ll be way ahead of the snowstorm and be hunkered down by a nice fire by the time it hits. It’s a winter wonderland up there this time of year, and the cabin is already stocked with food basics. I’m sure you can make do. Although, you might want to stop for milk as I’m not sure powdered milk is your thing.”
Her friend made it sound easy, and it did sound nice. And private. After a year on a mission trip, she’d learned to face challenges head-on, and this wasn’t as complicated. She could handle a quick stop at a gas station for milk.
Leslie was right. The cabin would be ideal for what Rachel needed. Out of the limelight and away from people. People who would be all too willing to cast diplomacy out the window in exchange for the inside scoop on why Alex walked away.
Something Rachel wished she had an answer to as well. “Fine. I’ll do it. And on the way, I’m going to call Alex and find out precisely what just happened and why.”
“That a girl. I’ll jot down the instructions. Just keep in touch with me. Oh, and I’ll add the code for you to unlock the front door.” Leslie snagged her purse off the dresser and took out a set of keys, and a paper and pen, jotting down some no
tes.
This whole scene was surreal. How many romance movies had she watched on Hallmark or the Up Family and Faith channel where someone was left at the altar? This was made for TV drama—not real life. “Thank you. I can’t believe this is happening to me. Correction, happened to me.”
Leslie hugged her. “Here are the keys to your car, the directions to the cabin, and the code to get it. Now get going before your mother appears, and you can’t make an escape.”
Rachel nodded. “You’re right. And thank you for everything.”
“That’s what besties are for.” Leslie peeked out the door and motioned for her to follow. It was all very secretive, adding to the already intense drama as Rachel made her escape.
They headed out the back door into the cold, blustery day. Rachel shivered with only her wedding dress to ward off the cold.
“Here, take my sweater,” Leslie said, helping Rachel into it. “It’s better than nothing. Get inside the car, and I’ll be right back with your suitcase.” Her friend pulled open the door, helping Rachel slide into the driver’s seat, helping to push the train of the gown out of the way, a move made impossible by the sheer volume of material.
“Wait. I know how to fix this little problem.” Rachel yanked at the train, ripping the gown with an intensity that echoed her mood. Finally, the material gave way, and she handed Leslie the shredded remains. She started the engine and flipped on the heat. “Thanks, Leslie. For everything.”