The Army Doctor's Wedding (14 page)

It seemed strange entering a
church for her wedding on the arm of her husband. From the start, nothing about
her marriage had been normal.

The fragrance of pine, flowers,
and beeswax polish welcomed her in through the arched portal. Wintery sunlight
streamed in the stained-glass windows painting jewel-bright patterns of color
along the aisle. A pretty nativity display sat to one side and holly and pine
boughs trimmed with bows and baubles decorated the pew ends.

Alice gripped her bouquet of
lilies nervously. Her gaze traveled over the people seated, waiting. The
invitations had gone out at the last minute by e-mail. She hadn't expected many
people to be free on Christmas Eve but many familiar faces were there.

Kelly Grace and Julia
Braithwaite, both home on leave, smiled back at her. She hardly recognized the
two women who had witnessed her wedding in Africa, both clad in dresses instead
of dusty desert camouflage gear. Kelly Grace especially looked stunning with
her red hair pinned up and some subtle makeup. No wonder Cameron had dated her.

Her dear friend Maeve had
obviously managed to arrange cover for the women's refuge. She grinned and
poked two thumbs in the air as Alice and Cameron walked past.

Most of the guests were Cameron's
friends and relatives. A number of men in uniform stood among the civilian
suits.

Although she smiled and nodded at
people, part of Alice was focused on her father's neat dark hair at the front.
She swallowed and tightened her grip on Cameron's arm. She shouldn't let her
father get to her.

Alice's tension escalated as they
neared the front of the church. Then little George stepped out from beside
Radley and smiled up at her. "You look pretty, Auntie Alice."

He held out a lucky horseshoe on
a ribbon. "Mummy says this makes you lucky."

"Will bring them luck,"
Olivia said in stage whisper.

Alice laughed, all her tension
releasing. "Thank you very much." She slipped the ribbon over her
wrist then stooped and kissed the little boy's cheek.

She'd forgotten George was to be
Cameron's best man. He moved to Cameron's side, a serious smile on his face at
the important part he was to play.

Cameron laid a hand proudly on
the boy's shoulder. "Have you got the rings, bud?"

George opened his fist to display
the two gold bands on his palm.

"Excellent. You hold on to
those tightly until we need them."

Cameron grinned at Alice as they
walked the last few steps and halted in front of the vicar.

After the short interruption,
Alice's fears had fled. As they seemed to be breaking all the traditions, she
reached out and hugged her mother. "I'm so pleased you're here," she
whispered.

"I wouldn't have missed it.
You look beautiful, darling." Her mother stepped back to her place, stunning
in a lavender dress and matching hat.

Her father was stylish in a dark
suit and high-collared shirt with a cravat. He nodded a greeting, and even
managed a slight smile. He valued his public image too much to create a scene
in front of Cameron's relatives. Today Alice could relax and enjoy herself.

The vicar welcomed everyone.
"I'm very happy to see you here today, to bless the marriage of Cameron
and Alice Knight, two young people who made their vows under trying
circumstances. They now wish to restate their commitment to each other."

They sang a hymn and prayed. Then
the vicar invited them to recall the vows they made at their wedding and they
recited them again together.

When the time came, he asked
George for the rings. The boy stepped forward solemnly and laid them on the
vicar's book to be blessed. Cameron slipped a white gold band set with diamonds
on the third finger of her left hand beside her engagement ring, and she put a
plain gold band on his finger.

Her heart fluttered in her chest,
so happy she couldn't stop grinning. Cameron lifted her hand and pressed his
lips to it, his brown eyes twinkling with pleasure.

They kneeled to pray, and Alice
thanked God for this wonderful man and his loving supportive family. She had
wanted a wedding ring so much, but it was what it symbolized that mattered,
Cameron's commitment to her and Sami.

When the vicar finally said they
could kiss, she stood on her toes and threw her arms around Cameron's neck, not
embarrassed to show everyone how much she loved this man. She was the luckiest
woman in the world.

Cameron kissed her sweetly, then
grasped her hand to lead her back down the aisle. Smiling faces greeted them as
their friends and family approached to embrace her and slap Cameron on the
back, wishing them luck.

A shiver of happiness ran through
Alice, but her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her father's voice. He
stepped forward and shook Cameron's hand. "You stand up for yourself. I
like that."

He nodded to her and she did
something she hadn't for a very long time, she rose on her toes and kissed her
father's cheek. Today she was so happy she wanted to forgive, to wipe away the
past and start afresh.

She could afford to be
magnanimous. She was a Knight now, and the Knight family looked after their
own. She and Sami would always be safe and loved. This Christmas would be the
best ever and the start of the rest of her life.

Author's Note

For those of you trying to work
out where in Africa the story is set, I purposely kept it vague. As this story
is set a little while in the future, I did not want to forecast conflict for
any specific country.

The nomadic
people mentioned are completely fictitious. I know of no nomadic African people
who would reject a newborn baby because it has a cleft lip. This idea actually
came from a documentary about the Ancient Greeks. Archeologists found a well in
Athens full of babies' skeletons. Many of them had evidence of cleft palate,
leading the researchers to believe these babies were killed because of this
deformity.

The part of
the story about babies and children with cleft lip and cleft palate not
receiving the surgery they need is sadly true. In many parts of the world the
people are too poor to afford this surgery, or the local medical provision is
inadequate. If you were touched by Sami's plight, there is a wonderful charity
called Operation Smile. Their volunteers travel the globe to provide
life-altering surgery for those who have facial deformities. I'm sure they
would welcome your support.

If you enjoyed
The
Army Doctor's Wedding
, you might also enjoy these other books by Helen
Scott Taylor

The Army Doctor's Baby

After his wife betrayed him, Major Radley
Knight dedicated himself to becoming the best Army doctor he could be,
dedicated himself to saving soldiers' lives. When he returns on leave from
Afghanistan he is ready for a break. Instead he finds himself helping a young
mother and her newborn baby. He falls in love with Olivia and her sweet baby
boy and longs to spend the rest of his life caring for them. But Olivia and her
baby belong to Radley's brother.

Praise for
The Army Doctor's Baby

"This is a sweet romance with a
wonderful happily ever after. Highly recommend this read!" Luvbooks

*

"I loved this sweet, tender romance
about a woman in need of a father for her baby and the man who falls in love
with her..." Ruth Glick

*

"Loved the twists at the end of the
book. Just the right amount of tension to keep me turning those pages! Totally
recommend." Mary Leo

*

Read a sample or buy The Army Doctor's Baby
HERE

The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby (Army
Doctor's Baby #3)

After he loses his wife, army surgeon
Colonel Sean Fabian protects his damaged heart by cutting women out of his
life. He dedicates himself to his career and being a great dad to his twin
babies. When he asks army nurse Kelly Grace to play nanny to his children over
Christmas, he realizes how much he misses having a beautiful woman in his life
and in his arms. Caring for Sean's adorable twin babies is Kelly's dream come
true. She falls in love with the sweet little girls and their daddy, but she's
hiding a devastating event from the past. If she can't trust Sean with her
secret, how can she ever expect him to trust her with his bruised heart?

Praise for
The Army Doctor's Series

"This enjoyable story has lots of
twists to keep you going. Highly recommended." Nancy Radke

*

"Helen Scott-Taylor pens a delightful
romance with so much conflict and emotion one has to read it in one sitting."
Reader Forever

*

Read a sample or buy The Army Doctor's Christmas
Baby
HERE

Love is All Around: Box Set of Three Contemporary
Romances

Three highly rated contemporary romances in
one box set—excellent value!

Praise for Helen's
Books

"This is the type of book to snuggle
up on the couch with on a slow Saturday afternoon to lose yourself in
heartbreak, romance, and happily ever after." Sandy M, The Good, The Bad
& The Unread.

*

"It was incredibly romantic and sweet,
and I couldn't wait to find out how it turned out." Abbey, Wendy's Minding
Spot

*

"You'll adore this romance with a
charming hero who has such generosity of spirit and so much love to give the
right woman. You'll cheer Maria on and hope she realizes that sometimes you
just have to take a risk and follow your heart." Joan Reeves, Slingwords

*

Read a sample or buy
Love is All Around
on Amazon
HERE

A Family for Christmas

A heartwarming tale for Christmas.

A lonely career woman stranded in a
blizzard, a disillusioned man who has cut himself off from women. When he
rescues her from the snow and takes her into his home, the spirit of Christmas
and his little girl's love work their magic.

Praise for A
Family for Christmas

"What a delightful novella with
appealing characters, lovely descriptions, and a sprinkle of suspense."
Reader Forever

*

"A Family For Christmas is a top-notch
holiday read." Heather Hiestand

*

"If you want to enjoy a heart warming
Christmas story, you'll love this book." OnTheMark

*

Read a sample or buy A Family for Christmas
HERE
.