Then Ashley came forward in her salmon-colored dress that looked quite similar to the one she’d worn the first time they’d married. Ethan’s breath caught deep in his throat. A radiant glow shone from her face. How can it be that she’s mine? How is it that I should be so blessed?
The ceremony lasted only a few minutes. They exchanged their vows; then Ethan took up the wedding ring he’d first given Ashley so many years ago and replaced it on her finger with a pledge of all that was his. His worldly goods, his heart, his very life.
And then the affair was over and they were laughing and sharing well-wishes from all their friends and family. Ashley looked rather tired by the time they were ready to put the party behind them, but Natalie seemed as fresh as ever. She came to them, her eleven-year-old gangly frame seeming almost half a foot taller than when Ethan had first met her.
Natalie wrapped her arms around them both and laughed. “Now we’re really a family and nothing will ever change that.”
Ethan rubbed her curls. “But we’ve always been a family,” he said, knowing a deeper joy than he’d ever thought possible.
Natalie looked up at him and then at Ashley. “Grandpa said that family was a matter of heart. That sometimes total strangers ended up being as close as family. You were a stranger at first, but I always liked you. Guess my heart knew you were my daddy.”
Ethan felt his eyes mist ever so slightly. He looked at his wife and saw the tears in her eyes. “And my heart must have known you as well,” he said in a voice barely audible. “But then, how could it not? For you are my heart.” He looked back at Natalie, adding, “You are both my heart, and no matter the future . . . we are family.”
TRACIE PETERSON is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 80 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Belgrade, Montana.
Visit Tracie’s Web site at: www.traciepeterson.com
Books by Tracie Peterson
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www.traciepeterson.com
House of Secrets • A Slender Thread • Where My Heart Belongs
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
BRIDAL VEIL ISLAND*
To Have and To Hold To Love and Cherish
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude • Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love • Hearts Aglow • Hope Rekindled
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights • Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In • A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
A Daughter’s Inheritance • An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom • A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon • Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond • A Promise for Tomorrow
RIBBONS WEST**
Westward the Dream • Separate Roads
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope • Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North • Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
* with Judith Miller ** with Judith Pella