Silver Christmas (10 page)

Jennifer slipped her hand behind Owen's neck
and pulled his face down to hers. She closed her eyes, rested her
forehead against his, and let the emotion spin inside her like a
tornado until she could speak.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes. I would love to
be your wife."

"Jenn." Owen drew her close, his lips finding
hers. She lost herself in his kiss, relished the sensual pleasure
of his fingertips stroking her neck.

As Owen slid the ring onto Jennifer's finger,
Chloe rushed back into the room, cuddling Sixpence. She skidded to
a halt and stared, her brown eyes big and round. "Is that an
engagement ring?"

Owen nodded.

Chloe dropped to her knees at their feet and
ran her finger over the ring. "It's so pretty. Does this mean
you'll get married soon?"

"In the spring, I expect." Owen stroked some
of Chloe's hair back behind her ear. "Do you fancy being our
bridesmaid, cocoa puff?"

"That'll be great. Can Paddy be a bridesmaid
dog? We can make a ruffled collar for him out of the same material
as my bridesmaid dress. And Sixpence will be big by then. Can she
be a bridesmaid cat? I can hold her in a basket with ribbons on
it."

"Whoa," Owen said. "Let's decide the date of
the wedding before we get carried away."

"A spring wedding will be perfect," Jennifer
said. "After Easter will be nice. And I think it'll be fun to have
a bridesmaid dog and cat." She gave Owen a mischievous smile. "We
could even have a bridesmaid goat. What do you think, Chloe, seeing
as how your dad loves his goats so much?"

Chloe howled with laughter and then climbed
on the sofa holding Sixpence, worming her way between Jennifer and
Owen. Paddy circled the sofa, tail wagging furiously, not sure why
everyone was excited.

"Hey, Paddy Paws. Come on up here and join
the family cuddle," Chloe shouted.

Jennifer called him up and he lay on the
cushions at her side, his front paws on her lap, his nose pressed
against Sixpence, who snuggled sleepily on Chloe's lap.

Owen put his arms around them all and kissed
each of them in turn. "Merry Christmas, Chloe. Merry Christmas,
Jenn. Merry Christmas, Paddy, and Merry Christmas, Silver Sixpence.
This is my favorite Christmas of all time."

"Mine too," Chloe said.

Jennifer did her round of kisses, starting
with Chloe and ending with a lingering press of her lips against
Owen's.

Ten years ago, she'd taken a wrong turn and
got lost. She'd searched for happiness on the other side of the
world and finally come home where she belonged, to the man she
loved and her darling daughter.

"It's definitely my favorite Christmas as
well," she said.

Silver Sixpence meowed as if agreeing, and
they all laughed.

The church bells pealed, and villagers lined the road
to watch Jennifer arrive at Rosemoor church in a white limousine.
From a clear blue sky, the sun shone on the purple crocuses and
yellow daffodils that carpeted the churchyard with spring
color.

Owen's cousin's wife Vicky held open the
kissing gate at the entrance to the churchyard. "Come through the
gate carefully. I nearly stained my wedding dress on the green
wood." Only two weeks before, Vicky had been the one getting
married to Owen's cousin Jonathan.

"Thanks for the tip. It'll be a miracle if I
make it inside the church without getting dirt on my dress."
Jennifer slipped through the gap sideways. The ivory wedding dress
was gorgeous, but with the farmyard and dogs at home and the moss
and lichen on the church gate, she had to hold the satin tulle
bunched above her knees.

Safely on the flagstone path leading to the
church door, she released the soft, floaty fabric, and Owen's
sister, Shelly, joined Vicky to smooth it and spread out the
twelve-inch train behind her.

"You'll pick up some dirt on that train,"
Shelly said.

"I know, but I couldn't resist this dress."
Jennifer had loved the form-fitting cut and the tiny crystal
buttons down the back. Most of all, she'd adored the sheer beaded
overlay on the bodice with butterfly-wing sleeves. It was like
something out of a fairy tale, and sometimes she thought she was
living one.

The past four months with Owen and Chloe had
been a dream come true. Owen was so loving, so determined to make
up for all their years apart. And their daughter was a delight.

Chloe's shiny dark hair, which Jennifer had
brushed for her, hung over the shoulders of her primrose-yellow
satin bridesmaid's dress. She had a silver circlet decorated with
freshly picked primroses on her head. For once, Paddy sat
obediently at her side. He had a new yellow leash especially for
the occasion, and wore a frilled collar of primrose-yellow silk
around his neck.

"Paddy's going to be good, Mum. I promise,"
Chloe said. The black Labrador's tail wagged lazily. He was always
so pleased to be with his people.

"I'm sure he will." Jennifer smiled, fairly
certain that if Paddy managed to go through the whole wedding
ceremony without being naughty, it would be a miracle. Chloe had
been desperate to bring Silver Sixpence as well, but all the people
and the noise might have scared her. Owen had arranged for one of
his men to bring Sixpence to the church for photographs after the
ceremony.

Marcus strode out of the church, cutting an
impressive figure in his dove-gray morning suit and primrose
cravat.

"Nearly ready?" he asked.

"Is Owen inside?"

Marcus gave her a roguish grin. "Don't worry.
We didn't lose him last night. Jon arranged a very civilized meal
at the Fat Goose, and we were all in bed by midnight."

Jennifer hadn't really worried when Owen, his
cousins, and a few male friends announced they were going out for a
stag night on the eve of the wedding, but she was relieved all was
well.

"Okay, your dress is perfect and you look
stunning," Shelly said, tweaking a couple of the crystal beads in
Jennifer's hair. "Chloe, you and Paddy come and stand behind your
mum." Chloe did as she was told, and Shelly stepped back beside
Vicky to admire their handiwork.

"Take your place, Marcus," Shelly
ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Marcus moved to Jennifer's side
and offered his arm as he whispered a teasing aside. "My little
cousin can be so bossy."

Shelly rolled her eyes. "That's the result of
growing up with a brother and two boy cousins who tried to tell me
what to do all the time."

Jennifer slipped her right hand through
Marcus's offered arm, chuckling at their banter. They loved each
other, really. She was privileged to be joining such a close and
loving family.

Marcus led her sedately along the path
towards the open church door. She had tried to contact her dad
about her wedding, but he'd moved without telling her. After all
the pain of her past, she decided not to search for him. Instead,
she'd accepted Marcus's offer to walk her down the aisle and give
her away.

He was such a lovely guy, and yet he was
always on his own. Jennifer had been in Rosemoor for five months
and had yet to meet his wife, the infamous Gabriela.

Organ music greeted them as they stepped
beneath the arched doorway of the medieval church. Her guests were
work colleagues from the charity and some old college friends.
There were far more people on the groom's side of the church—Owen's
relatives and friends from all over the country.

Before they started down the aisle, Jennifer
glanced over her shoulder to check on her daughter. Paddy walked at
Chloe's side, behaving himself so far. A miracle in itself.

They walked past the font and she was bathed
in rainbows from the sunlight shining through the brightly colored
stained glass windows. Then she had her first glimpse of her
fiancé, standing beside his best man, Jonathan. Owen was so
handsome in his gray morning suit, a cream orchid in his buttonhole
that matched her bouquet. Her heart fluttered and nerves tingled in
her tummy.

Tearing her gaze away from her husband-to-be,
she smiled at her friends as she passed them. Some had travelled
all the way from Africa to be here.

Marcus kissed her cheek and passed her hand
to Owen, then took his seat on the front pew with Chloe, Shelly,
and Vicky.

Owen squeezed her hand and drew her beside
him. As she met the warm affection in his brown eyes, the
fluttering nerves settled. Whatever had happened before, she had no
doubt that standing here in the sight of God to marry Owen today
was the right thing to do.

"I want to welcome you all here on this
beautiful spring morning to celebrate the marriage of Owen and
Jennifer." The vicar beamed at everyone.

The marriage service passed quickly. Jennifer
tried to memorize everything, the fragrance from the beautiful
floral arrangements, the feel of Owen slipping the diamond-studded
wedding band on her finger, and the sound of Paddy howling as he
joined in the hymns.

She met Owen's startled gaze as the first
doggy yowl filled the church. They both tried to stifle their
laughter, as did most of the guests. Even when the hymn finished,
Paddy kept singing for another ten seconds.

By the time he'd finished, Jennifer's
abdominal muscles ached from laughing. Chloe looked mortified and
kept trying to shush him.

"It's all right, sweetheart. Don't worry,"
Jennifer said to her daughter.

"It could be worse," Owen whispered.
"Sixpence could be screeching along too."

It was lucky the vicar had a sense of humor
and found the whole thing hilarious.

Jennifer's eyes were still running from
laughter as the vicar declared them man and wife.

Owen pulled her into his arms, his eyes
sparkling with amusement. "Nobody will ever forget our
wedding."

"I certainly won't. This is my perfect day."
Jennifer slipped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to
his and inhaled his warm, spicy fragrance that she knew so
well.

"You're right where you belong, Mrs.
Bramwell. In my arms," Owen said.

The organ struck up again, and they walked
down the aisle with Chloe towing Paddy in front of them as she
dashed out to avoid more doggy singing.

Jennifer and Owen stood on a carpet of purple
crocuses beneath a cherry tree dripping with pendulous pink blooms.
Chloe took Silver Sixpence out of her carry basket, and crouched in
front of them with Paddy at her side and her cat in her arms, a
perfect setting for a family photograph.

"Say cheese," the photographer said. The
flash went off and Sixpence shot out of Chloe's grip. Paddy took
off after her, knocking Chloe on her backside in the grass.

"Ah, married bliss," Owen said before he
dashed after Paddy.

Jennifer helped Chloe up and brushed off her
dress. She dropped down on a wooden bench to enjoy the spectacle of
Owen trying to grab Paddy's trailing leash, and Chloe coaxing
Sixpence down from the cherry tree.

Finally, Chloe gathered Sixpence in her arms,
and Owen pulled Paddy back, his primrose silk collar grass-stained
and askew.

"Shall we try again," Jennifer said. "We seem
to have more luck the second time."

Chloe sat on one side of Jennifer, holding
Sixpence, and Owen sat on the other side, keeping Paddy on a short
leash well away from the cat.

"To wonderful second chances," Owen said, and
kissed her as the photographer's shutter clicked.

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Silver Christmas
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