Three Dog Day (34 page)

Mae and Tammy had decided that Renee would perform the ceremony in the living room, where rows of silver folding chairs formed an aisle. Ben and Patrick had moved the living room furniture out to the barn yesterday. This morning at eight the party rental company had set up the chairs for the ceremony as well as the huge white reception tent in Mae's front yard—complete with a stage for the band, a dance floor surrounded by small tables with red and pink linens, and more silver chairs. They'd also brought several large space heaters for the tent, as well as dishes and glassware for the caterer to use.

“
I think Rhonda's outdone herself,” Mae looked around at the abundant displays of flowers in shades of red, pink, and white. Tall branches spray-painted in white and silver formed a breathtaking tableau at the front of the room where Tammy and Patrick would take their vows.

“
Yeah, she really came through for us. She said Valentine's Day is like the Super Bowl for florists, so I guess it's lucky she and my mom are such good friends. I think Rhonda must have been up all night working on this.”

“
She was here by eight-thirty this morning. As soon as the party rental guys were done setting up, she told me to get out of her way.” Mae laughed. “She had a team of assistants and they decked this place out in no time. I love all the twinkly white lights they put up, too.” Mae heard her parents and Olivia coming in the front door. “Go find your mom, Tammy. I'll get our bouquets and we can get these pictures done.”

At ten o'clock Mae and Ben were sitting at one of the little tables close to the dance floor. Ben had carried Matthew upstairs and put him to bed a few minutes ago, and July and Fred had taken their three kids home, but other than that the party was in full swing. Mae watched Tammy, radiant in her red gown, dancing with her new husband. Mae thought the vows, which they had written themselves, had been beautiful in their simplicity. The naked emotion on Patrick's face when he said “for now and forever, as long as I live, I'm yours,” had been the ruination of Mae's mascara. And Tammy's reply of “Patrick, you may not be perfect, but you're perfect for me,” had brought out the smiles and tears of everyone in the room.

“
She looks so beautiful, doesn't she?” Mae turned toward Ben, who had removed his tuxedo jacket and bowtie and was leaning back in his chair.

“
She does,” Ben smiled. “It's too bad her flower girl and ring bearer stole the show.”

Mae's niece, Olivia, had looked enchanting in her red dress with tiny white hearts embroidered around the neckline and a white silk sash. With her blonde hair in a French braid and huge blue eyes shining with excitement, she had indeed stolen the show. When she and Matthew, solemn as only a four-year-old could be in his tux, walked down the aisle, they were as adorable as anything Mae had ever seen.

“
They did,” Mae agreed. “July said they looked like a miniature version of us.”

“
You're wonderful.” Ben's blue eyes darkened to navy as he stared at her. “I can't believe you did all this for Patrick and Tammy. You fostered those puppies and helped me solve another case while you planned this wedding. Not to mention busting a dog-fighting ring, an illegal still, and a marijuana farm … all with a broken wrist. And you're the most beautiful woman here, by the way.” He stood up and waved at Jill Chapman, who nodded and turned to say something to her band members. They played the opening strains of “Miss December,” the song Noah West had written right after he and Mae first met, but quickly segued into Eric Clapton's “Wonderful Tonight.”

Ben took something from the pocket of the tuxedo jacket hanging on the back of his chair and walked around to her side of the table. He got down on one knee in front of Mae.

“
I know we've been together less than a year, but I've never been more certain of anything.” He opened his hand to show her a gold ring set with a glowing ruby. She held her breath. “Mae December, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

Everyone had stopped dancing and moved to stand in a half circle behind Ben. She looked from her mother's tearful face to her best friend's smile and her father's encouraging nod. The song faded away, and even Jill and her band were hanging on Mae's answer.

“
Yes, I will,” her voice rang out in the sudden silence. Ben slipped the ring on her finger with a broad smile. “As long as we can have a longer engagement than Tammy and Patrick did. I need a little time to recover before I start planning another wedding.”

Ben got to his feet, holding out his hand. “Dance with me.” The music started again and he held her close. As they swayed in time, he whispered in her ear, “We could elope. I know a judge who would marry us next weekend, if you'd like.”

“
I'm getting married in a church.” Mae pulled away slightly, looking up into Ben's smiling face. He winked.

“
Well, Mae December, I guess that means I am too.”

* * *

Lia Farrell
is actually two people: the mother and daughter writing team of Lyn Farquhar and Lisa Fitzsimmons.

Lyn Farquhar
taught herself to read when she was four years old and honed her storytelling abilities by reading to her little sister, Susan. Ultimately, her mother ended the reading sessions because Susan decided she preferred being read to rather than learning to read herself.

Lyn fell in love with library books when a Bookmobile came to her one-room rural school. The day the Bookmobile came, Lyn decided she would rather live in the bookmobile than at home and was only ousted following sustained efforts by her teacher and the bookmobile driver.

She graduated from Okemos High school and earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Michigan State University. She has a master's degree in English literature and a PhD in Education, but has always maintained that she remained a student for such a long time only because it gave her an excuse to read.

Lyn is Professor of Medical Education at Michigan State University and has authored many journal articles, abstracts and research grants. Since her retirement from MSU to become a full-time writer, she has completed a young-adult fantasy trilogy called
Tales of the Skygrass Kingdom. Volumes I and II (Journey to Maidenstone and Songs of Skygrass)
, available on amazon.com. Lyn has two daughters and six step children, nine granddaughters and three grandsons. She also has two extremely spoiled Welsh corgis. Her hobby is interior design and she claims she has the equivalent of a master's degree in Interior Design from watching way too many decorating shows.

Lisa Fitzsimmons
grew up in Michigan and was always encouraged to read, write, and express herself artistically. She was read to frequently. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, she was seldom seen without a book in hand. After becoming a mom at a young age, she attended Michigan State University in a tri-emphasis program with concentrations in Fine Art, Art History and Interior Design.

Lisa, with her husband and their two children, moved to North Carolina for three exciting years and then on to Tennessee, which she now calls home. She has enjoyed an eighteen-year career as a Muralist and Interior Designer in middle Tennessee, but has always been interested in writing. Almost five years ago, Lisa and her mom, Lyn, began working on a writing project inspired by local events. The Mae December Mystery series was born.

Lisa, her husband and their three dogs currently divide their time between beautiful Northern Michigan in the summertime and middle Tennessee the rest of the year. She and her husband feel blessed that their “empty nest” in Tennessee is just a short distance from their oldest, who has a beautiful family of her own. Their youngest child has settled in Northern Michigan, close to their cabin there. Life is good.

Three Dog Day
is the third book in the May December Mystery Series, which began with
One Dog Too Many
and
Two Dogs Lie Sleeping
. Next up:
Four Downward Facing Dogs
.

You can find Lyn and Lisa online at www.liafarrell.net.