Snowy Christmas (11 page)

While Emily showered, Vicky made toast and
coffee. Fifteen minutes before the hairdresser and beautician were
scheduled to arrive, Jennifer and Chloe turned up.

"Sorry we're late. Harry kept me up half the
night," Jennifer said.

"I'm just pleased you're here." Emily hugged
her. Poor Jennifer had only given birth to her baby boy five days
ago, and apparently tiny Harry had his days and nights mixed up. He
was sleeping all day and awake all night.

They lounged around on Marcus's expensive
white leather sofas in the sitting room, eating chocolates and
sipping mimosas or orange juice from crystal flutes while they had
their hair styled and their makeup done. It was difficult to keep
the dog fur from sticking to their nail polish, but mostly they
managed.

"Time to get dressed," Vicky said.

They all filed through to the bedroom,
carrying their glasses, and Emily reverentially unzipped the cover
of the satin-and-fur creation. With its long sleeves and
faux-fur-trimmed bolero jacket, the dress was perfect for a winter
wedding.

While Vicky and Chloe helped Emily into her
gown, Jennifer fell asleep on the bed.

"Poor Jenn looks exhausted," Vicky said. "I
know the feeling. That first week while you try to get the baby
into a routine is difficult."

"I'd love a baby." Emily hadn't thought about
it until she met Marcus, but she knew how much he wanted
children.

"There's nothing to stop you from getting
right down to that as soon as you're married." Vicky waggled her
eyebrows, and they both laughed while Chloe rolled her eyes.

Once Emily was happy with her appearance, she
tied a burgundy ribbon on Snow White's collar that matched the
bridesmaid dress that Chloe put on. The groomer had visited the
previous day to bathe and groom the Westie so she looked her
best.

Jennifer and Vicky changed into their
outfits, and they all went down and climbed into the vintage Rolls
Royce that was taking them to the church. The village street was
lined with people waving as they drove past. Emily waved back
tentatively, a little embarrassed.

"I feel like the Queen."

"You are the Queen as far as the villagers
are concerned," Jennifer said. "They love Marcus, and now they'll
love you."

Emily swallowed. That was not something she'd
considered when she agreed to marry him, but she'd cope.

The car pulled up outside the church, and she
climbed out to the pealing of church bells. Someone had swept the
snow from the path, and her neat little white suede ankle boots
barely got wet.

Her parents had flown in from Cyprus early
that morning, and they met her outside the church.

"Oh, darling. It's so good to see you. Just
look at you, so pretty. Life at Rosemoor Hall obviously suits you."
Her mother hugged her lightly, careful of her dress. "We'll catch
up later." Her mother squeezed her hand. "Love you, darling. I'm so
pleased to see you happy."

Tears filled Emily's eyes as her mother
stepped back. For years, she hadn't felt close to her parents.
She'd resented them for leaving her behind when her father joined
the army. But they'd done it for her, so she could stay in the same
school with her friends.

"Look at my girl, all dolled up to be the
lady of the manor." Her father kissed her cheek. "We're proud of
you, love. Marcus stopped to talk to us on his way in. He's turned
into a nice young man."

"I know, Dad. I couldn't be happier."

She passed Snow White's leash to Chloe, who
took her place behind her, ready to walk into the church.

"You're not taking the dog in with you, are
you?" her mother asked.

"Snow White is the reason Marcus and I met,
Mum."

"Owen and I had a dog at our wedding as
well," Jennifer said. "It's a family tradition."

"I don't want to keep Marcus waiting," Emily
said. The others wished her luck and hurried inside. Emily slipped
her hand through her dad's arm and they walked in the church door.
The burst of warm air as they passed inside was a relief after the
cold.

The church was packed full with friends,
relatives, and villagers. Marcus stood beside his best man,
Jonathan, at the front, smiling as she walked down the aisle. The
strains of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" rose to the rafters,
played by the old man who owned the post office, who'd been the
church organist for fifty years.

Marcus lifted her hand and kissed it as she
stepped up beside him. "Good morning, my darling," he
whispered.

She squeezed his hand. "Missed you."

"Me too."

The vicar chuckled. "When you two have
finished talking, we'll start."

The wedding ceremony flew by, the familiar
words spoken, the rings exchanged. She touched the diamond-studded
gold circle on her ring finger in wonder. This was real. She was
married.

Marcus pulled her close and kissed her,
taking her by surprise.

"I'm in a dream," she whispered, and he
laughed.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Bramwell," he
said.

"Thank you, my darling husband."

Chloe passed Snow White's leash to Emily, and
her little dog trotted beside them as they walked out to be greeted
by a group of people, all pointing cameras at them.

"Smile," Marcus said as the flashes nearly
blinded them.

"I can't stop smiling," she said.

She'd thought after Vicente that she would
never fall in love again. Now she realized she'd never been in love
with him, not really. Marcus had shown her what real love felt
like. He was her one and only.

Marcus stopped the car near the back door of Rosemoor
Hall and opened the door. Stepping out of the air-conditioned
interior, the July heat hit him. He rounded the vehicle to open
Emily's door and took her elbow to help her out. She slid down from
the high four-wheel drive, wincing a little.

"All right, darling?"

"A little sore."

He stroked the hair back from Emily's face
and kissed her. She'd been wonderful and brave, and he loved her so
much. Watching her give birth to their daughter had been the most
magical moment of his life.

"I'm going to look after you. I'll run you a
lovely warm bath, and once you've fed Rose, you can have a long
soak and go to sleep. I'll look after her as much as I can
tonight."

He opened the back door of the car and
unfastened the straps on the baby seat before lifting his precious
newborn girl into his arms. She had a little tuft of dark hair like
a Mohawk, and a squashed face. Yet to him, she was the most
beautiful baby in the world. He thought he'd fallen in love with
Emily fast, yet Rose had claimed his heart in an instant.

He passed their adorable little girl to Emily
and while she went in, he gathered the rest of the baby
paraphernalia out of the back of the car, and then locked up.

When he reached their apartment, Rose's
plaintive wail sounded, and he nearly tripped over as he dropped
everything to hurry to find out what was the matter. "Is she all
right?"

Emily smiled. "A dirty nappy or an empty
tummy."

"Oh, not the end of the world then." They
smiled at each other uncertainly. They both had so much to learn
about caring for a child. Vicky and Jonathan and Jennifer and Owen
made it look easy.

"I'll do the bottom end, and then you can do
the top." Marcus took his daughter, feeling as though his hands
were too big and clumsy for her small, fragile body. He cupped her
head in his palm and held her to his chest. She was such a tiny
thing. It was difficult to imagine she would grow into a little
girl, then a teen, and finally a woman. He didn't even want to
think that. He wanted to enjoy her being a baby first.

He took her through to the dressing room off
their bedroom, where they had set up the changing table, and laid
her on the waterproof mat. What should be a five-minute process
took him about fifteen, and Rose was bawling her eyes out by the
time he finished.

"It's all right, sweetie. Daddy's sorry he's
so slow." He lifted his daughter into his arms. "Let's go and see
if Mummy's ready to fill that little tummy of yours, shall we?"

Emily had changed into her nightdress and was
sitting propped up against a heap of pillows in bed when he
emerged, grinning, his huge sense of achievement over putting on
the fresh nappy disproportionate to the task.

"I'm too tired for a bath. I'll go straight
to sleep once I've fed her." She held out her arms. "Come to Mummy,
angel." Emily accepted Rose into her arms, giving a serene smile as
she started feeding her.

Marcus sat on the bed beside them and watched
in wonder, fatherhood so new and amazing. He couldn't quite believe
this little girl was really his to keep forever. He touched his
fingers to her tiny foot and smiled. They would have so much fun
together, playing hide-and-seek in the garden and the house,
spotting the deer, and walking the dogs.

There would be birthday parties outside in
the summer sun, and winter fun in the snow. In a few years, Rose
would run around, gurgling with laughter like Jonathan's little
Isabelle. With only thirty months between the girls, they were near
enough in age to be friends and play together.

Rose dozed off when she was satiated. Lifting
her free and placing her between his legs on the bed for a moment,
he helped his exhausted wife to lie down. He kissed Emily. "Love
you so much, darling. Thank you for giving me my dream." He cuddled
his little girl and gently rubbed her back to burp her as he
watched his wife sleep.

Snow White came into the bedroom, jumped on
the bed, and snuggled beside Emily, curling against her front.

"You missed your mum, didn't you? She's back
now, safe and sound."

Snow White and Peggy had stayed at Owen's
while Emily was in the hospital. Apparently Snow White had sat at
the door, whining most of the time. Dogs had a sixth sense, and
Snow White was so close to Emily, she knew something unusual was
happening when the contractions started.

Marcus settled Rose in her bassinette beside
the bed and changed into his pajamas, even though it was only six
and there were hours of daylight left. He lay behind Emily, his arm
over her so he could hold her hand, and released a contented
sigh.

The stress of the past was a distant memory.
Gabriella had married an Italian billionaire who'd quickly realized
his mistake and dumped her without a penny. Vicente had been
arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to three years in prison. It
turned out what he'd done to Emily was the tip of the iceberg. He
was stealing credit card details from his restaurant customers and
selling them to criminal organizations.

What goes around comes around, he thought.
The bad people had got their comeuppance, and the good people had
married, had an adorable little baby, and lived happily ever
after.

A tiny, plaintive cry emerged from the
bassinette and Marcus jumped up, gathered Rose in his arms, and
took her out of the room so she didn't disturb Emily.

"What's the matter with you, Daddy's little
rosebud?"

Rose cried louder, her tiny face turning red.
Peggy lay down and tried to push her head under a cushion.

Okay, maybe the good people with the adorable
little baby faced challenges and must expect to be sleep deprived
for a while, but nothing could spoil his happiness.

He was the luckiest man in the whole
world.

If you enjoyed
Snowy Christmas
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NEWSLETTER
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Two wounded hearts are brought together at
Christmas by a trusty golden Labrador and an adorable golden
retriever puppy.

Every Christmas Vicky hides so she doesn't
have to celebrate the date she lost her husband and son. She
doesn't want to see anyone, but when she finds a dog's lost ball
she meets Jon, a wounded ex-soldier who's struggling with his own
problems. This brave man touches Vicky's shattered heart and makes
her realize she can't hide forever. With his support, can she find
the strength to love again?

Praise for Golden Christmas

"I enjoyed this book so very much! It's hard
to go wrong with a hunky wounded warrior and not just one, but two
precious pups!!" Sandra D

"It's such a sweet book and will have you
reading it quickly, just like I did! I couldn't put it down! I
loved the epilogue!" Valri Western

"It is a really sweet story about second
chances and it will touch your heart as it touched mine." Winnie
Lim