What a Bride Wants (16 page)

From the
bulletin board of Grey’s Saloon, the pen of Mardie Griffin, and accompanied by a snapshot of the blissful bride being swept off her feet by the groom…

Last Saturday, former bartender Cam Sawyer married Marietta’s own Ella Grace Emerson beneath a blue summer sky and with the soaring Crazy Mountains of Montana right behind them.

Ella
was attended by Joanna Talbot and Mardie Griffin, who loved their beautiful muted caramel-colored gowns of silk and taffeta almost as much as they loved their bridesmaid necklaces. General consensus has it that both Jo and Mardie looked very fine indeed (both Mardie and Joanna are currently seeking the perfect lover and/or a domestic God of a husband).

One of the groom
’s attendants was a beautiful and mysterious young Spanish woman, whose husband also attended as a guest. The other groomsman was a childhood friend of Sawyer’s named Joe.

The groom
’s brother was not in attendance because he’s doing a nickel and dime, but the groom’s parents were there, dressed to impress and looking rather pleased with the show. They have Ella for a daughter-in-law now – damn right they should be pleased.

The
reception took place in the Emersons’ ever-so-atmospheric and freshly painted and re-floored big barn. Rumor has it that Ella stole all the Graff Hotel’s fairy lights for the occasion, but the Graff fairy lights are pink and Ella’s were white and I have it on good authority that Ella purchased them herself, so… She probably purchased them in anticipation of all the future Emerson barn dances she’s going to host for her dear single friends.

T
he quality of the beverages provided by the groom’s parents had to be tasted to be believed. Maybe drinks spectacular was because JB Brewing is back on its feet now, with no small thanks to Sawyer, but I figure the elder Sawyers would have spent up big on their son’s wedding anyway. His mother thinks Sawyer makes the sun rise. His father only thinks he hung the stars.

This isn
’t quite the case.

I know for a fact that Ella and he
r bridesmaids hung most of those shiny little stars while Sawyer was out somewhere delivering a calf with Samuel T.

T
he country and western band sounded absolutely brilliant, even if they did sometimes play the blues, and the dancing lasted until dawn. Coincidentally, this was around the time the bride and groom slipped away.

As the s
ky grew lighter, our very own bartender Josh took up one of the band member’s guitars and showed us all how bluegrass should be played. He’s so good, in fact, that our altogether taciturn Jason Grey waxed lyrical (his exact words were ‘You’re not bad’) and then proceeded to offer Josh a Sunday afternoon solo gig at the saloon – for double pay.

I
’m still trying to convince Reese that we need a Happy Hour then too, but that’s an announcement for another day. Back to the wedding.

The big breakfast cook-up the next morning
was a treat, and the gift boxes guests received on their way out the barn door contained complimentary coffee vouchers for several of Marietta’s wonderful cafés and a selection of Sage’s chocolates to devour on the drive back to town.

Congratulations, Ella and Sawyer, from
your friends at Grey’s Saloon. We love you both and wish you every magical, love-soaked moment this world possesses.

The End

The excitement is building in Marietta, Montana, with a series of stories centered around the 100
^th
Anniversary of the Graff Hotel and—as part of the celebration—an incredible Wedding Giveaway.

The Graff Hotel has enlisted the entire town to stage a spectacular 100-year repeat of the Great Wedding Giveaway of 1914.
Photographs and posters of the original event inspired a look back to an elegant time. Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States and King George V ruled England. High fashion drawings featured long skirts and elaborate feathered hats. As the dance craze swept the world, everyone was learning the tango… hemlines started to rise and “dance shoes” became popular.

Today
’s Great Wedding Giveaway seeks to recapture the style and grace of Marietta’s past and launch a campaign to make Marietta a wedding destination. So couples from all over the country are invited to enter the contest and compete for the works—air fare, bridal gown, flowers, photography, food, the wedding suite at the Graff, a honeymoon, and more.

The stories in the Montana Born Brides series bring you the heart, humor, and charm of Marietta and the people who want to get married there (or not). Some brides are sweet, some are sassy, and all are as unique as Montana snowflakes. Watch for new releases… you won
’t want to miss a single one!

Click here to learn about Montana Born Brides releases:

www.MontanaBornBrides.com

If you enjoyed What a Bride Wants, you will also love…

“
I don’t understand.”

He said nothing.

She bit down so hard into her bottom lip she tasted lipstick and blood.

Keep it together
, she told herself. Keep it together. You can fix this. You can. You’ve fixed everything else in his life... you can fix this, too.

She masked her panic with one of her professional smiles.
Thank God for a stressful career. The workload and deadlines had taught her to cope with pressure. She’d learned how to be strong. “I hear almost every bride and groom experience some cold feet. It’s natural.” She managed a lopsided smile. “We wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t have a few pre-wedding jitters.”

“
Jenny, I’m not going to marry you.”

What happens next?

Buy
Take Me, Cowboy

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

For more from Kelly, visit
KellyHunter.co
.

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MontanaBornBooks.com