Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania (39 page)

But when Jasper entered the room, Kylie tore away from Sadie’s embrace and gasped with delight at the gift Jasper carried into the room.

It was the most perfect, adorable puppy with coal black ears and round, dark eyes. Sadie wanted to protest but knew it was hopeless. It had been love at first sight, and the damage was already done.

Kylie had the round little ball in her arms, rubbing her cheek against its silky fur. “Is
perfect
, Jasper! Now Kylie is a mommy too!”

Sadie held her breath, just imagining all the adventures Kylie would have with this.
Oh, Lord
. But her happiness extended to include the newest addition to their family, and she moved to kneel beside Kylie. She smiled as she touched a hand to the puppy’s nose and it sneezed.

“Kylie will call him
Lava
,” the five-year-old announced with determination.

Sadie frowned. “Lava? What kind of a name is Lava?”

Kylie stared at her. “Because of the volcano, Mommy. And because we
love
him. Don’t we, Jasper?” She looked up at him.

Jasper winked at her. “We sure do.”

Sadie knew for certain she was defeated, but it had never been so sweet.

While Kylie became acquainted with her new friend, Jasper helped Sadie to her feet and pulled her aside.

“Now it’s your turn.”

Sadie still felt ripples of guilt. “No, seriously, Jasper. You didn’t need to get me anything. Just you being here…” She felt tears of emotion prick her eyes. “It’s more than enough,” she whispered.

He appeared to be ignoring her as he reached into his pocket and drew out a ribbon of beautiful red silk. He handed it to her, and she raised an eyebrow. The string lay between them, but whatever was on its end remained tucked in Jasper’s pocket. She bit her lip, already having a good feeling where this was going.

Her hesitation made Jasper pause, and she sensed his nervousness rise. She ran her fingers down the silky thread and tugged lightly when it became taut. Nothing happened.

She reached down and, with Jasper’s help, pulled the rest of the string from his pocket. She held it up to her face, the diamond ring glittering brightly between them in the illumination of the Christmas lights.

He cleared his throat. “So…this is where your gift for me comes in.” His voice cracked with worry.

“Say you’ll marry me, Sadie…and I’ll never need another present for as long as I live.”

The ring was swinging back and forth like a pendulum, and she felt hypnotized by it. She followed it for a moment, seeing a whole world of possibilities flashing before her eyes. Finally she lowered her hand to look in Jasper’s eyes.

They were blue and clear and ringed with hope. This was what she had been waiting for, all those months without him. She just hadn’t known it until now.

“You do realize I’m not catering the wedding. The stress would just break me.”

It was good enough for him. He let out such a loud whoop that Lava emitted a squeaky bark, and Sadie laughed as he lifted her in his arms and swung her around.

He planted her down under the mistletoe and took full advantage of tradition as he kissed her thoroughly. He only let up once Kylie tugged at his jeans, demanding to see the ring and saying, “Lift Kylie, lift!”

So it happened that Jasper spent Christmas Eve with his two favorite girls in the whole world and received the best Christmas gift of all, sheltered in the love of those who held him close.

Sadie thought it was only his just desserts.

Sadie stood in front of the full-length mirror that had been set up in one of the Sunday school rooms at the church and surveyed herself critically from head to toe. Her wedding dress was simple, but she thought it had class, and Belva’s last-minute arrangements to her hair looked stunning.

She turned to the side and held her bouquet in front of her.

“I don’t look half bad, do I?” she asked Lucinda, her maid of honor, whose hair Belva was
still
attempting to tame after three previous tries.

“You look g–gorgeous!” Lucinda enthused. Sadie knew she stuttered out of sheer nervousness. Dmitri was serving as the best man, and the sight of him in a tux would be enough to set even the most levelheaded woman to stuttering.

Except Sadie, of course. All her babbling was reserved for Jasper.

As the bride watched Belva attempt to flatten another strand of Lucinda’s flyaway hair, Kylie bounced into the room with Lava tripping on her heels. In the seven weeks since Lava’s adoption into their family, he had made himself a permanent part of their lives, especially Kylie’s. Where Kylie went, therefore went Lava. When Jasper drove Kylie to school in the morning, Lava rode along. And before she came home in the afternoon, Lava sat on the doorstep waiting for her, his little tail thumping a furious staccato of happiness.

Sadie understood how he felt. Her own heart had been thumping the exact same beat for nearly two months solid.

And now, here she was, on her wedding day. It was only appropriate that it fell on Valentine’s Day, as well. She spread her veil around her bare shoulders and smiled at herself.

“Grampa says they’re almost ready,” Kylie announced, twirling beside Sadie and watching her own dress of pink-and-white chiffon flare out around her.

Belva immediately gave up on Lucinda’s hair and stuck a flower above her ear instead.

“There,” she declared. “That oughta hold things in place through most of the service, sugar.”

Kylie tugged on Lucinda’s hand. “Guess what! After the wedding, Mommy and Jasper—I mean
Daddy
,” she corrected herself, “are going to see
real
volcanoes in Hawaii!”

Kylie had been announcing this to nearly everyone she’d encountered in the last month.

Lucinda smiled patiently at the little girl as she tried to remove the hem of her gown from Lava’s mouth.

“And Jasper—Daddy,” she revised again, “even promised to bring Kylie back a piece of a volcano!”

Belva leaned down to help free Lucinda from Lava’s chewing. “Just so long as you don’t flush it down the commode, darlin’. Especially not while I’m stayin’ with you the next two weeks.”

Sadie interrupted this exchange in momentary panic. “Kylie!” Her voice stretched to a crescendo. “Where’s Lava’s ring pillow?”

Kylie continued to dance around, performing a series of pirouettes. “Grampa has the rings and pillow,” Kylie informed her as she executed another twirl.

“All right then, sugar, we’d better get going,” Belva announced. And with her help, Lucinda and Sadie herded Kylie and Lava out of the room and toward the church foyer. Mac was waiting, pillow and rings in hand.

He took hold of Lava with an expert touch, attached the pillow, and made sure everything was in order before entrusting him to Kylie’s care.

Dmitri wished Sadie luck and offered her an encouraging wink before extending his arm to Lucinda. He graced her with a warm smile, and Sadie couldn’t help thinking that if Lucinda hadn’t already fallen for their tall, dark-haired Russian, she surely would soon. Sadie cocked her head with interest. Sure, Dmitri had put the kibosh on her other matchmaking attempts, but Lucinda was different… .

She shook herself out of this reverie. There would be plenty of time to consider her friends’ love lives later. Right now, it was time to focus on her own.

With Dmitri and Lucinda on their way to the front, Belva took charge of the rest.

Under her direction, Kylie and Lava headed up the aisle, side by side. Kylie scattered rose petals, and Lava trotted happily alongside her. Sadie couldn’t watch. She was filled with too many imaginings on what could go wrong.

Then things moved in a bit of a blur—Belva kissed her cheek, tears in her eyes, and shared a glance with Sadie that only the two of them could understand. She drew her in close and whispered, “Ned would be happy, sugar.”

Sadie told her to cut that out or she’d be applying her mascara all over again. She blinked back the tears as Belva slipped inside the sanctuary.

Mac threaded her arm through his. He stood up straight, still a little shorter than her, and said, “I wish I’d been here the last time, Sadie girl.”

She squeezed his arm. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”

And then came the music that propelled them forward, and she reached the front without stumbling—miraculously, since she had stumbled no less than three times during the rehearsal. Mac handed her to Jasper, and for a moment, nothing existed but the two of them. Him in his tux, his blue eyes such a rich cobalt blue she felt she could swim in them forever. His hair was combed, but it still had the choppy edges that were so familiar to her. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but she didn’t think that would be appropriate just yet.

The service commenced and things went smoothly. Even her fears about Lava were laid to rest—he behaved like a true gentleman, and the rings were easily removed and placed on their fingers without a single hitch in the plan.

She was beginning to relax and content herself with the knowledge that this was the last time she had to go through with this, and she could soon rest easily and happily as she assumed the honored role of being not only Jasper’s best friend but his wife, as well.

But just as Pastor Samuel was bidding Jasper to kiss her, it happened.

Aunt Matilda, seated in the front, had broken free from her nurse’s grasp and stood to her feet. She pointed a shaky finger and trembled with indignation as she cried out for all their friends and family to hear, “This hussy…has stolen my bifocals!”

Everything fell silent. The preacher stood speechless. The pianist froze. Every row along each aisle sat frozen with surprise.

Jasper looked at Sadie, and she stared back at him, their happy smiles fixated in place. Kylie groaned and shook her head while Lava simply sat back on his haunches and stared, his tail thumping with amusement against the carpeting.

“If she brings up an eye for an eye, I am
so
out of here,” Sadie hissed at him.

Jasper couldn’t help it. His happiness overflowed, and he ended up laughing so long and so loud that eventually the entire congregation joined in. Indignant over this reaction, Aunt Matilda huffed her way into the aisle and began the long walk to the back of the sanctuary. Kylie ran after her with Lava yipping at her heels.

Sadie pulled Jasper’s attention back to her and went ahead with the kissing part—and as everyone laughed uproariously around them, Sadie couldn’t help thinking…

Great.

Want a peek into local American life—past and present? The
Love Finds You
™ series published by Summerside Press features real towns and combines travel, romance, and faith in one irresistible package!

The novels in the series—uniquely titled after American towns with unusual but intriguing names—inspire romance and fun. Each fictional story draws on the compelling history or the unique character of a real place. Stories center on romances kindled in small towns, old loves lost and found again on the high plains, and new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways. Summerside Press plans to publish at least one novel set in each of the 50 states. Be sure to catch them all!

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