Loving The Country Boy (Barrett's Mill Book 4) (17 page)

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Authors: Mia Ross

Tags: #Contemporary, #Fiction, #Romance, #Inspirational, #Christian Romance, #Worship, #The Lord, #Second-Chance, #Explosion, #Wife, #Start Family, #Mechanic, #Country Boy, #True Love

BOOK: Loving The Country Boy (Barrett's Mill Book 4)

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“Okay, fine.”

His playful expression gave way to a more serious one, and she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Wait. If it’s something I won’t like, it can wait. I don’t want to spoil today with nasty stuff.”

“Oh, I think you’ll like it.” Reaching into the watch pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a beautiful antique ring set with a modest diamond flanked by two smaller ones. Taking her left hand, he slid it onto her third finger and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. Returning her shocked look with a calm one of his own, he asked, “Whattya think?”

It took her a few seconds to find her voice. When she finally did, it occurred to her that he hadn’t said the words she wanted—that she needed—to hear. Rather than scold him, though, she opted to deflect his mischief back to him. “It’s very pretty.”

That got her a confused reaction, but true to the character she’d come to value so much, he recovered quickly. Chuckling, he said, “It’s been in my family a long time, and it’s got a great track record. I love you, Tess, and I’m hoping you’ll marry me and help me carry on the tradition.”

“You’re proposing to me when I’m covered in bread crumbs and turkey juice?”

“Well, yeah. Is that okay?”

It was time to put the poor guy out of his misery. Beaming up at him, she nodded. “It’s perfect.”

“Can I take that as a yes?”

“Yes.” Drawing his face to hers, she sealed her answer with a kiss.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when applause broke out. Standing a few feet away, framed in the archway that led to the dining room, stood a crowd of people cheering as if they’d just witnessed an unexpected touchdown. Now that the private moment was over, they all surged into the kitchen, surrounding Heath and Tess in a circle of hugs, back-patting and good wishes.

“How long were you crazy people standing there?” she demanded with a laugh.

“Long enough to know I was right,” Gram announced proudly. “No matter what anyone else thought, I always thought you two were a solid match.”

Heath chuckled. “Have you called Helen and Lila yet to tell them?”

“Good idea. They’ll spread the word for you.” Patting them both on the arm, she hurried toward the living room for the phone. Pausing in the doorway, she asked, “Do you have a wedding date in mind?”

Heath angled a look at Tess, and she hesitated. “It’s silly.”

“I doubt that. What is it?”

“Christmas Eve,” she confided shyly. “It’s my favorite night of the year.”

“Any objections?” he asked the family. When he got a chorus of noes, he grinned down at her. “Christmas Eve it is.”

Delighted by his quick, unthinking agreement, she let out a very uncharacteristic squeal of excitement and embraced the man who’d made it all possible.

Simply by loving her. And always backing it up.

Epilogue

“W
ith this ring, I thee wed.” After sliding Tess’s ring onto her finger, Heath lifted her hand for a kiss. Finishing the romantic gesture with a subtle grin, he whispered, “Merry Christmas Eve, magpie.”

Hearing his quirky nickname for her in such a solemn setting made her laugh. A few months ago, she couldn’t have dreamed up an evening as perfect as this one had been. But here she was, taking his gold wedding band from its place on Pastor Griggs’s open Bible, ready to make the commitment she’d resisted for so long. Silently, she thanked God for her country boy. Heath had found things in her she hadn’t known were there, and now she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

Gratitude welled inside her, and she swallowed hard to make sure her voice would come out confident and clear. Slipping his ring into place, she repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Beaming proudly, Pastor Griggs pronounced them husband and wife and stepped back to let them have the spotlight for their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Heath Weatherby. The entire congregation burst into applause, and they turned to face the people who’d stayed beyond the traditional service to attend their wedding.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Heath said as he put an arm around Tess’s shoulders. “We hope to see you all over at Paul and Chelsea’s.”

Their guests cheered in response, and fifteen minutes later the stately Colonial was filled with people talking, laughing and digging into the best Barrett family feast yet.

“I have to admit,” Jenna said, “getting married on Christmas Eve is pretty cool.”

“Even though you had to wear a dress?” Scott teased, plucking his best man’s boutonniere off the lapel of his suit jacket and tucking it into her bouquet.

“Even though. I mean, the church was pretty enough, but look at this place. Chelsea made it look like a Thomas Kinkade painting in here.”

Tess couldn’t argue with her matron of honor, even if she’d wanted to try. Which she didn’t, since this was her wedding day and she had a smile permanently fixed to her face. The entire ground floor looked like a page out of a designer’s magazine on how to decorate for the holidays. Fresh garlands tied with velvet ribbons were looped along the walls, dotted with antique ornaments every few feet.

The living room’s wide front window showcased a huge spruce that held the collection of vintage decorations Chelsea had collected over the years. Some were Victorian, others were hand-painted tin and ceramic, and still others looked like they were made of spun glass. Over top of it all, a lacy angel floated in the place of honor. Tess was just giddy enough to imagine the little cherub keeping an eye on everyone to make sure they were enjoying themselves.

In the doorways hung more of the garland, with mistletoe added in the centers of the wide openings to encourage plenty of kisses. People seemed to have no reservations about putting the romantic greenery to good use, and the air was filled with a warm, loving vibe even the most talented wedding planner couldn’t have come close to duplicating.

“I never would’ve been able to pull all this together without your help,” Tess told her ruthlessly organized cousin-in-law. Ticking the red and green bow on her very junior bridesmaid’s head, she smiled, too. “Or yours, Aubrey. You did a fabulous job during the ceremony.”

“Slept through most of it,” Paul informed her with a chuckle. “I couldn’t get her to settle down no matter what I did, but your father’s a natural when it comes to fussy babies.”

Seeking him out in the crowded dining room, she found him standing in a masculine circle with his brothers and cousins, laughing about something or other. “Yeah, I’m learning a lot about him I never knew before.”

“We all are,” Paul said quietly. “It’ll be nice to have him around for a couple weeks. He and Dad still have a lot of catching up to do.”

He’d just finished speaking when Jason and Amy bounded over to join them. After they delivered another set of congratulatory hugs, Jason got right to the point. “What’d you guys think of the kids’ Christmas pageant tonight?”

“Adorable, like always,” Jenna answered. “Why?”

“Of course it was,” Amy said, “but we could make it even better next year. What if—” she held up her hands in a director’s framing pose “—the messenger angel flew over the manger?”

No one responded at first. Then Scott nodded. “You could put in a track on the beam over the altar. You can’t damage the wood, but we could use some strapping hefty enough to hold someone around fifty pounds or so.”

“Wait a minute,” Tess cut in, once again the voice of reason. “You want to dangle someone’s child from the ceiling of the church?”

“Oh, I’ve got a student who’d do it in a heartbeat,” Amy assured her. “He played Peter Pan and said the flying was his favorite part. Scott and Jason did the rigging for us, and it worked perfectly.”

After some more back and forth on the basics, Scott and Jason broke off into a huddle with their wives to hash out artistic and engineering logistics. Someone called out Paul’s name, so he and Chelsea promised to catch up with Tess later and moved off into the crowd.

Alone for the first time all day, Tess’s stomach growled as she eyed the overflowing buffet table. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and suddenly she was starving.

While she was contemplating where to start, Heath appeared at her side with two full plates and a grin. “Thought you might be hungry.”

“Famished.” Taking the food from him, she smiled. “How did you know?”

“You were eyeballing the buffet like a half-starved wolf. I took a shot.”

He was so cocky about it, she couldn’t resist yanking his chain. “Like you did when you asked me to marry you?”

“Sorta.” His grin made it clear he knew very well what she was doing and it didn’t bother him in the least. “That was more of a timing thing, though.”

“Really? So you weren’t worried I might say no?” Popping a strawberry in her mouth, she gave him the skeptical look she’d once trotted out on a daily basis but hardly ever used anymore.

“Nah. Even if you did, I’d just ask you again sometime.” Slipping his arms around her waist, he reeled her in for a kiss.

“And if I said no again?”

“I’m a pretty patient guy. Eventually I’d wear you down.”

“Let me get this straight,” she teased, toying with the burgundy tie that to her knowledge was the only one he owned. “You’d keep asking until I said yes, no matter how long it took?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

One of those sunshine grins slowly worked its way across his rugged features, and he leaned in to nuzzle her ear. “Because you’re worth the trouble.”

“Good answer.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
NURSING THE SOLDIER’S HEART
by Merrillee Whren.

Dear Reader,

I love Thanksgiving! It’s often overlooked in our eagerness to get to Christmas, but for our family, it’s a great time to get everyone together and catch up on what’s been happening throughout the year. Not to mention have a great meal and watch football.

Sometimes, when you’re looking for something, the hardest part is figuring out where to search. The opportunity that opened up for Tess at Barrett’s Sawmill might have seemed nutty at first, but she believed it was at least a step in the right direction. From Heath, she learned how to listen to her heart. His generous, forgiving example encouraged her to put aside her old ways and embrace what’s truly important: faith, family and friends.

Heath’s experience in Alaska gives him a unique perspective on the future, which for him needs to include a family. He wasn’t planning on falling in love with someone as challenging as Tess, but he’s smart enough to recognize that the best things in life are worth some extra effort. Fortunately for both of them, they find a way to make things work and end their year looking forward to a long happily-ever-after. It’s a reminder to all of us that the past is only part of who we are. The rest is up to us.

If you’d like to stop by for a visit, you’ll find me online at
www.miaross.com
, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. While you’re there, send me a message in your favorite format. I’d love to hear from you!

Mia Ross