Marianne smiled and slipped the coin into her shoe. She then grabbed the bouquet of silk roses her mother had made her. A new blue ribbon anchored a borrowed handkerchief around the flowers’ stems.
Papa poked his head into the room, and his smile stopped halfway. He swallowed and sniffed, seemingly stuck just inside the doorway of the room, causing Mother and Evelyn to have to squeeze their way out around him.
Marianne grabbed the gift she’d fashioned for Calvin and gave her father a reassuring smile. “Oh, Papa, it’s not as if I’m leaving and never coming back.”
“No, it’s just . . . my little girl has disappeared, and in front of me stands a woman as beautiful as her mother.”
She tiptoed up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
He shook his head a bit as he helped pull the veil in front of her face. He knew she wasn’t just thanking him for the compliment, but for how they’d paid and arranged for this wedding without much fuss. “I’m just sorry we gave you so much grief early on. He is as fine a man as you’ve always said.”
The way her throat constricted made it impossible to talk, but thankfully she didn’t need to. Papa swept her out into the corridor, and she looked down the holly-decorated aisle to the man who stood front and center.
Calvin was pale and fidgety, but when the crowd hushed, he looked up and locked his eyes on her.
If she’d had any doubts, they all disappeared at the completely enamored look in his eyes. She couldn’t help the smile of peace and happiness that welled up from within, knowing this man was going to be loving her for the rest of his days. She’d been right not to postpone the wedding for a “more appropriate” gown, for being his bride had nothing to do with what she wore, but everything to do with how they’d live. And she couldn’t wait another moment to be his.
At the altar, she caught a quick wink from David, who stood behind Calvin as best man, and listened to her pastor ask Papa to give her away.
Once Papa lifted her veil, she could see the tears shimmering in Calvin’s eyes.
She slipped her hand into his, and he frowned down to where she’d pressed his gift into his palm.
He pulled his hand away slightly to see the little engagement heart he’d crocheted for her, now with a pearl bead sewn onto its middle.
“You’re worth everything I have,” she whispered.
He squeezed the handmade heart between their hands. “And you’re worth more than I could ever acquire.”
But it would be their love that would make them rich.
About the Authors
Christy Award finalist and winner of the ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes historical romances because she believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher and shower singer, and she bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children. To learn more about Karen and her books, please visit www.karenwitemeyer.com.
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies about cowboys. She’s the author of THE CIMARRON LEGACY, THE KINCAID BRIDES, and TROUBLE IN TEXAS, as well as other acclaimed series. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. They have four grown daughters and several grandchildren. Learn more about Mary and her books at www.maryconnealy.com and facebook.com/maryconnealy.
Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist, and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children and can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.
Much to her introverted self’s delight, ACFW Carol Award winner and double INSPY finalist Melissa Jagears hardly needs to leave home to be a homeschooling mother and novelist. She lives in Kansas with her husband and three children and can be found online at Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, and www.melissajagears.com.
Books by Karen Witemeyer
A Tailor-Made Bride
Head in the Clouds
Short-Straw Bride
Stealing the Preacher
Full Steam Ahead
A Worthy Pursuit
No Other Will Do
Heart on the Line
A Cowboy Unmatched from A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection
Love on the Mend: A Full Steam Ahead Novella from With All My Heart Romance Collection
The Husband Maneuver from With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry
Worth the Wait: A LADIES OF HARPER’S STATION Novella
The Love Knot: A LADIES OF HARPER’S STATION Novella from Hearts Entwined: A Historical Romance Novella Collection
Books by Mary Connealy
THE KINCAID BRIDES
Out of Control
In Too Deep
Over the Edge
TROUBLE IN TEXAS
Swept Away
Fired Up
Stuck Together
WILD AT HEART
Tried and True
Now and Forever
THE CIMARRON LEGACY
No Way Up
Long Time Gone
Too Far Down
The Boden Birthright: A CIMARRON LEGACY Novella from All for Love: Three Historical Romance Novellas of Love and Laughter
Meeting Her Match from A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection
Runaway Bride: A KINCAID BRIDES and TROUBLE IN TEXAS Novella from With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry
The Tangled Ties That Bind: A KINCAID BRIDES Novella from Hearts Entwined: A Historical Romance Novella Collection
Books by Regina Jennings
LADIES OF CALDWELL COUNTY
Sixty Acres and a Bride
Love in the Balance
Caught in the Middle
OZARK MOUNTAIN ROMANCE
A Most Inconvenient Marriage
At Love’s Bidding
For the Record
THE FORT RENO SERIES
Holding the Fort
An Unforeseen Match from A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection
Her Dearly Unintended: An OZARK MOUNTAIN ROMANCE Novella from With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry
Bound and Determined: A FORT RENO Novella from Hearts Entwined: A Historical Romance Novella Collection
Books by Melissa Jagears
A Bride for Keeps
A Bride in Store
A Bride at Last
TEAVILLE MORAL SOCIETY
A Heart Most Certain
A Love So True
A Chance at Forever
Love by the Letter: An UNEXPECTED BRIDES Novella from With All My Heart Romance Collection
Engaging the Competition: A TEAVILLE MORAL SOCIETY Novella from With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry
Tied and True: A TEAVILLE MORAL SOCIETY Novella from Hearts Entwined: A Historical Romance Novella Collection
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