The Wedding Gift Page 18

  “As we said, you are marrying a wonderful man.” Kevin held out his arm. “Let’s go, Cindi Pearl. It’s time.”

  “Wait, your flowers.” Joyce passed Cindi a small white prayer book covered with a spectacular white orchid, stephanotis, and trailing white ribbons. Joyce had carried the same prayer book when she said her vows.

  Cindi’s attendants and flower girls had gathered in the vestibule, anxiously waiting for the ceremony to begin. There was some commotion, but it was expected.

  Cindi smiled at Samantha, Jennie, and Jessie. Their dresses were similar to Cindi’s with the white strapless corset tops, but the slenderizing skirts were velvet red. The small cluster of red roses, holly, and stephanotis on the front of their white muffs matched the spray in their hair. Her three flower girls, dressed in off-white and velvet red, were in a corner with their charges, giggling. Hopefully they weren’t planning to stir up trouble. It was a good thing the reception was in a barn.

  “You look gorgeous,” Samantha said. “The runner is set. I still can’t believe you are doing this. I was surprised the church sexton didn’t have a hissy fit. The moment the string quartet starts playing the processional, Edith will go first, and the others will follow.” She gave Cindi a quick hug and whispered in her ear, “I couldn’t be happier for you and Preston.”

  “Someday it will be your turn.”

  Samantha shook her head. “It’s okay. I have everything I could ever want.” She had to learn to stop lying to herself.

  When both mothers were seated, everyone lined up. Edith, Susan, Victoria, Jessie, Jennie, and Samantha. Double quacking preceded the low chords of a cello, followed by the violins, as they struck the first chords of Pachelbel’s Canon.

  Edith Amanda’s left hand was in a muff, but her right held a double leash attached to the collars around Cupcake and Muffin’s necks. The flowers on their wide-brimmed hats matched the cluster in the attendant’s hair. Before everyone could get over the shock of seeing the ducks waddling down the aisle, Susan escorted Cherry Cheesecake. The pygmy donkey’s hat matched the ducks’. Vicky had a little trouble with Donut when they started down the runner. All these people made him nervous, and he wasn’t comfortable wearing a bowtie. He circled around and headed back toward his mommy. His silly antics made everyone chuckle. Cupcake and Muffin saved the day and started quacking. Donut decided to join his friends. When all of the pets got to the front of the church, without leaving any telltale evidence, Clyde Thornton gathered them together like a professional dog walker. He would make sure they got home safe and sound.

  Excitement governed all of Cindi’s nerve endings. As each of her attendants stepped onto the runner, she took a step closer to fulfilling her dream. When it was almost her turn, she looked at all of the people in the church. Every pew was filled, but there were more, lots more. Total strangers lined up on either side of the church waiting and watching.

  “Where did all these strangers come from?” she whispered to her father.

  “We had a lot of people looking for you. They want to share in your happiness.”

  When the organist struck the first chords of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus,” the notes sent a shiver down Cindi’s spine and goose bumps blossomed under her long white gloves. She breathed deeply, trying to steady her anxiety, and smiled at her father. “Here goes nothing.”

  She took the first step to meet her destiny.

  Preston didn’t think this moment would ever happen. Last night, sleep had been impossible. The events of the past week had dominated his thoughts, and he kept reminding himself Leland was behind bars and couldn’t do anything to prevent their wedding. With each step Cindi took, his dream became a reality. She looked so beautiful and nervous. He was too, but they’d be nervous together.

  When Kevin Sullivan placed his daughter’s hand atop Preston’s fingers, he felt like he’d been given all the riches in the world.

  Before walking up the three marble altar steps where the minister was waiting, Preston gripped her hand as they faced one another. “We made it,” he whispered, forgetting about the microphone attached to his lapel. Along with their guests in the church, they wanted the residents in the assisted living center to hear their vows while they watched the ceremony over closed-circuit television.

  “I’m so nervous, I need one of your delicious kisses, maybe two.”

  “I’ll give you a whole lot more tonight, with interest.” He grinned.

  The pastor cleared his throat twice, and the soft chuckles in the church made them realize everyone had heard their private conversation.

  “If you two are ready?”

  They turned and faced the clergy who would make them man and wife.

  Hours later, Cindi leaned back against the stack of pillows and watched her gorgeous, naked husband add wood to the shooting flames in the fireplace. She loved saying that word, husband. The hearth wasn’t the only place that contained a fire. Their bedroom was an inferno of lust. They’d officially christened their marriage bed twice, a second time for good measure. His kisses and loving had stirred her body to an all-time high. The lingerie had been a total turn-on, not that she wore it very long. Preston’s eyes went hot and she found herself flat out on their bed. The top went first, then his mouth and teeth dispensed with the tiny shorts. She lost all coherent thought. She had to thank the girls for helping make this a very special wedding night.

  She reached for the bottle of champagne on the nightstand and refilled their glasses. “Everyone said it was the best wedding they’d ever attended.”

  Preston sat on the side of the bed and removed his prosthesis. “It was the best wedding because you were the bride.” She looked gorgeous in her wedding dress, but more beautiful with her naked body highlighted by gold and blue flames. The bunny-fur shawl was draped over her shoulders, and she still wore her pearls. He settled himself next to his wife and pushed the wrap aside to expose her beautiful, pinkish breast. One look rekindled his passionate need to touch, to taste, to feel. He couldn’t get enough of her. Wife—he loved the sound of the word, and found every opportunity to think and say it.

  “You are really living up to your part of being a husband.” Cindi’s breath hitched when he his lips latched on to the tightened tip of her blushing breast. His mouth was unrelenting and moved to her other breast. She crossed her legs to capture the heat burning between her thighs.

  “Complaints?”

  “No. You better move your mouth to a lower part of my body and take the bite out of the fire you started.”

  “Husband at your service,” he grinned and proceeded to temporarily, douse the flames in their bodies.

  Preston rolled away from his wife and settled back on the pillows. “Our honeymoon will be perfect with all this practice. I hope you took my advice and didn’t pack much. It will be hot in Australia and Hawaii, and we’ll be spending a lot of time on the beach.”

  “Not that much time.” Cindi laughed and passed him his glass of now-warm champagne.

  “I stand corrected. Only part of our time on the beach. This is the same champagne you had at your naughty shower. Will it have the same effect on you tonight?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “I don’t need artificial stimulants because I have the sexiest husband on earth.”

  Preston lifted her left hand and kissed her ring finger. The wedding band interlocked with her engagement ring and formed small petals of a purple and white pansy. “People will be talking about our wedding for a long time. How many people have their pets in the wedding procession and hold the reception in a barn? The lighted trees surrounded by poinsettia plants created an indoor wonderland.”

  “Samantha outdid herself with the cake,” Cindi said. “No one expected a huge gingerbread house with a village made up of cookies that everyone could eat. Your mother loved the idea of using Mason jars to hold the greenery for the centerpieces.”

  “Our guests were overwhelmed when we announced their thank-you gifts from us were a balled pine tre
e.”

  “We broke tradition with our choice of music for our first dance. ‘Santa, Make Me His Bride for Christmas.’” Cindi kissed him on the cheek. “You made my wish come true. The day was just perfect.”

  “It didn’t matter that three little girls, who shall not be named, forgot to close the door to the lower section and the animals wandered into the party. It was a good thing Jennie was standing next to the table with all the cookies when Donut jumped up and decided to help himself. The Wishing Sisters got nervous thinking Santa was going to put them on naughty list.”

  “Speaking of Santa, the girls were shocked—and, frankly, so was I—when the guy in the red suit walked in and presented me with a scroll declaring me officially off the naughty list. At first I thought it was Don Huff, our insurance man, playing Santa, but he was at the party. Where did you find the guy? He made a great Santa. Even his beard looked genuine.”

  Preston shook his head and emphatically denied he’d hired someone to dress up as the jolly old elf. “It was a surprise for me also. It had to be one of our friends. We’ll look into it when we get back from our honeymoon.”

  “You’ve got gift giving down pat. I loved wearing the bunny-fur shawl when we rode in the horse-drawn carriage, and my pearls are perfect.”

  “I’m not done.” Preston rolled away from her, opened the draw in his nightstand, and took out two items. “Here are the last two. Open the envelope first, and then the gift box.”

  The envelope contained a legal document confirming the purchase of twenty acres in the name of Cindi Pearl Reynolds. The property contained a three-acre spring-fed pond. He’d enclosed a picture with a bench just in from the shoreline.

  “You purchased land with a pond! Where is it?”

  “We haven’t been able to explore all our property, but on the other side of our fruit orchard there is an open field, a tree line, and the pond. It borders state game land.”

  Cindi threw her arms around his neck. “I love it!”

  “Open your other gift.”

  The box contained a very unique bracelet. Cindi was practically speechless. A wide gold band was the base for two soapbox derby cars in diamonds and gemstones, a duplicate of the cars they’d raced against each other in the opening of the Laurel Heights soapbox derby, the same day he proposed. Below the cars he’d had the designer engrave Winner Takes All.

  Tears were running down her face. “It is so beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Cindi, there isn’t anything in this world I wouldn’t do for the woman who gave me my life back and I love with all my heart.”

  Cindi lowered her chin, but kept her eyes on the beautiful bracelet in her hands. “I was also the one responsible for Leland being able to find you and cause all this trouble.”

  “Ah, ah, none of that.” He lifted her chin and kissed the wetness on her cheeks. “He’s locked up, without bail. Nate said they got Momma trying to get on a plane with a false passport. They’re done.”

  “Okay, I only have one gift for you.” She smiled at him with watery eyes. “I wanted something special, something that reflects on us and how it all started.” Cindi moved to his side of the bed and reached for his prosthesis. “You have to put this on.”

  “What are you up to?” he asked, standing up.

  She hurried to her walk-in closet, and picked up a good size box and set it on the end of the bed. “Open it.”

  He opened the first box, only to discover another smaller box inside. “You’re kidding me,” he said when he encountered a third box. “How many more?”

  With the opening of each box, her excitement grew and watched him lift out the last and smallest box.

  Preston removed a beautiful snow globe of a remote cottage surrounded by a blanket of snow. “It’s beautiful.” If Cindi was trying to tell him something, he was totally missing the point. He didn’t need to put his prosthesis on for a snow globe.

  “I better explain. I once embarrassed you in front of the entire town because you wouldn’t dance with me. I loved you then and I love you now. She turned it over and twisted the key on the bottom. The music box filled the bedroom with the song, “My Romance.” She held out her arms and asked, “Preston Reynolds, may I have this dance?”

  Preston took her in his arms and pressed their naked bodies together. “Only for the rest of our lives. It’s the ultimate wedding gift.”

  .

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  Meet the other colorful characters in The Wedding Gift

  ELUSIVE OBSESSION, Book 1. Scott Landis is bored at his surprise birthday party and is looking for an excuse to leave but changes his mind when the catering staff rolls in a cardboard birthday cake. Julie Keaton is a widow trying to support her two children and brings in extra money working for her sister’s party catering business. Find out what happens when the cake is delivered to the wrong birthday party. Fun romance with a hint of suspense.

  ***

  MAID TO ORDER, Book 2. Russell Long returns from vacation to find an ad in a newspaper on his desk. “Wanted: Wife, little or no experience. Willing to pay $20,000.” The intended joke backfires, and Russell Long is drawn into the scandalous life of Alexis Snow, a former world-class fashion model once framed for smuggling jewelry. Now someone from her past is out to destroy her life, once and for all. Fun, romantic suspense.

  ***

  ARREST OF THE HEART Book 3, Lincoln Adams closed the door on the painful memories of his past eighteen years ago. When a friend from another lifetime calls in his marker, Linc is duty-bound to fulfill his promise. Forced to save a dying town, he uncovers secrets that will change his life forever.

  Sergeant Jessie Taylor has worked hard to gain the respect of her fellow police officers and the people of the town she has sworn to protect. When Lincoln Adams returns to Laurel Heights, he becomes a threat to everything she has achieved and loves.

  ***

  WINNER TAKES ALL, The first part of Cindi and Preston’s love story.

  Preston Reynolds, a wounded warrior, lost a part of himself in the desert from hell and thinks life as he knew it was over. Cindi Pearl, a ditzy blond do-gooder, decides to show him what life is all about.

  ***

  LOVE ON TAP, part of Ruth Cardello’s Kindle World

  Grayson Wolff was currently enjoying the success of the microbreweries he’d added to his family’s chain of roadhouses. Working and taking care of his nine-year-old nephew didn’t leave time in his life for a woman. That all changes when Malibu Barbie comes into the western style bar and orders a Pina Colada, with extra fruit.

  COMING IN 2016

  Samantha Kingsley’s book

  TEA IN TIME

  Chapter 1

  Walk away, just walk away, Samantha Kingsley told herself for the hundredth time as she parked her Harley in one of the white-lined parking spaces of the newly remodeled Adams Security building. More than two dozen spaces were occupied despite it being four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. When Lincoln Adams, her former boss had called about a highly critical situation, she couldn’t say no. Sam didn’t need a crystal ball to know what he wanted to discuss.

  Right now, her life couldn’t be better. Within the next few months, she’d realize her dream and open “Tea in Time,” her Victorian-themed tea shop and small bakery in the quaint town of Laurel Heights. She’d been supplying her cookies and pastries to Sallie Mae, the owner of the Spoonful Café, for the past seven months, and the customers were eager to purchase her sinfully delicious baked goods.

  Four tall-glass doors dominated the entran
ce that opened into a spacious, modern lobby. Three Adams Security guards manned a horseshoe-shaped reception area twenty-four/seven. A scattering of light passed through a checker-patterned wall of glass blocks that proudly displayed the black-and-silver Adams Security shield.

  “Hi, Sam. Bring us any of your great cookies?” asked one of the guards.

  “Sorry, Eric, this is an unexpected visit with the big boss. Stop by the Spoonful and I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee and a cherry-cheese Danish.”

  “You’re on. You’ll have to take the stairs. All the elevators are locked down because they are updating the security system.”

  “No problem.” Sam pushed open a metal door and walked upstairs to the third-floor administrative level. A small panel to the right of the entry door displayed a keypad. She punched in her code and stepped into a space the length of the century-old brick building. All of the windows had been replaced, and decorative skylights had been added to the slanted roof line. She paused to admire the abounding mountains that resembled a Thomas Cole painting of fall in all its red-gold glory. She’d lived and worked in many places during her ten years as an undercover operative with Adams Security, but nothing gave her more pleasure than viewing the tree-strewn mountains she now considered home.

  She continued down the wide-open corridor to the last office suite in the building. Visitors had to stop at the desk of Cindi Pearl, Lincoln’s very efficient admin, before they got to see the head man. Sam already knew Cindi wouldn’t be manning her desk. She and Preston, her fiancé, were away for the weekend visiting with her parents.

  Lincoln’s door was open and two men were deep in conversation on their cell phones. She recognized Nate Haines, the FBI agent. He’d lost weight since she’d seen him almost seven months ago. His shadowy black beard was gone and he’d trimmed his sable brown hair. Tan chinos and a tailored shirt with fine navy lines was his dress for a Sunday afternoon. Once again her brain shouted, you know what this is about. Walk away.