Close to Her Heart (25 page)
And it was. Sage’s best friends Jenny, Selah, and Chelsea were there as well as the gorgeous new men in their lives. Jenny, pregnant and glowing, Chelsea with a sparkly new diamond from her very rich and sexy new fiancé.
Despite the fact that they were their nearest neighbors, none of the Sheenan boys came, out of deference to Hawksley and his life-long feud with their father.
Grouchy Great-Aunt Mabel was there, however, along with her great niece, Eliza Bramble. Eliza ran a bed and breakfast in the historic Bramble family house in Marietta. Dani made sure to introduce her daughter and Eliot to both Great-Aunt Mabel and Eliza. It seemed unfortunate to her that though their cousin had moved to Marietta from Nashville a few years ago, and was close in age to Sage, none of them knew Eliza very well.
At one time, Dani had been suspicious that Eliza might be after whatever remained of the Bramble’s copper mining fortune. But today, she was feeling magnanimous and put her cousin’s reticence down to shyness.
The one false note in the day was when Hawksley walked Sage down the aisle. He stumbled a bit after handing Sage’s arm to Dawson, then almost collapsed, before Sage and Dawson intervened and helped him to his chair. A glass of water had seemed to revive him, but Dani thought his complexion was still a little grey. If only he would agree to go to the doctor. But, stubbornly, he insisted he was fine.
And he probably was. The ornery old coot would probably live to one hundred.
Dinner and toasts were over, and people were dancing to the lively bluegrass music being played on a raised platform in the tent. Dani looked for Eliot and found him heading for her.
“I just put Beverly down to sleep. Several women are chatting in the kitchen, and they promised to keep an eye on her.”
God he looked good, elegant and handsome in his beautiful charcoal suit. A lot of the men were dressed in Western wear today, but Eliot managed to look perfectly comfortable and at ease among them. He had a gift for mingling with people, Dani realized. It came from being the sort of person who cared about others and didn’t spend too much time fussing about himself.
“I want to dance with the most beautiful woman on the Circle C Ranch.” Eliot held out his arm, and she gladly took it. She’d grown up on this ranch. But in Eliot’s arms she was truly home.
The End
If you enjoyed
Close to Her Heart
, you’ll love the other Carrigans of Circle C novels!
The Carrigans of Circle C
Hawksley Carrigan, owner of the Circle C Ranch south of Marietta, Montana, always wanted a son to carry on the family name. Unfortunately for him, he ended up with four daughters
Sage Carrigan’s story
Mattie Carrigan’s story
Book 3: Close to Her Heart
Dani Carrigan’s story
Book 4: A Cowgirl’s Christmas
Callan Carrigan’s story – coming soon – Christmas 2014
About the Author
Hard to imagine a more glamorous life than being an accountant, isn’t it? Still, I gave up the thrills of income tax forms and double entry book-keeping when I sold my first book in 1998. Hard to believe I’ve now written more than 40 (2 of which were nominated for RITAs).
When I’m not writing I love to be out hiking, cross-country skiing or biking. I’m not athletic—I just enjoy the outdoors, especially here in Calgary, where I live, and on Flathead Lake, Montana, where we have a cottage. My partner Mike and I share this in common. We also love to play cribbage and Scrabble. If a glass of wine is on the table, so much the better! Visit C.J.’s website at
www.cjcarmichael.com
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