Saints and Sinners (A Classic Romance) (23 page)

The scent of gardenias and carnations and roses filled the church, while Sally Henderson, who'd arranged the flowers as a way of making amends, played Pachelbel's Canon in D on the piano. Rev. Carlton Peters stood in front of the pulpit.

Dee, waiting at the back of the church with her father, saw that every pew was filled. She watched as Loren walked down the aisle, past friends and neighbors and family. Even the governor was there, sitting with men and women dressed in leather jackets. When it was time to follow Loren, Dee silently thanked each person as she passed them.

She thanked the governor for bringing in the FBI. She thanked the agent who had acted as substitute minister and had slipped into her house one day and filled it with bugs. Two weeks after she had wounded Nick in the foot and he and Vince had been taken away, witnesses had been found who would testify as to what had been done to Alexis's car and who the order had come from.

When Dee and her father reached the pulpit, she released his arm, remembering the tearful reunion with her parents. Matthew had given her that, an even better present than his finding Cristofori and bringing it to the parsonage.

Smiling, Matthew stole a glance at his best man, Jason, before extending his hand to his bride. He pressed his lips to her palm and knew the wonder of a promise fulfilled. A miracle. Well, actually several miracles, including his dad waving the white flag once he'd learned his wayward son had almost ended up at the Pearly Gates.

Thanks, Father, he prayed silently. As always, You came through.

A few minutes later Matthew was saying, "I do," then drawing back his bride's veil and kissing her. Once Dee had told him they had no future together, but now he knew they had plenty of tomorrows.

The reception was held in the church basement, and after a couple of hours it was time for Dee and Matthew to leave. Cheers of good wishes followed them as they headed outside, where they were showered with birdseed. Laughing, they ran to the church van, which sported a Just Married sign on the rear window and trailed fifty cans from the rear bumper.

"What's in this?" Dee asked. After she'd climbed in, she'd thrown her bag to the backseat and noticed a cooler sitting on the floor.

"Your wedding gift, what else? A ten-pound bag of ice for our honeymoon night."

"Rev. Peters, are you sure this doesn't qualify as a sin?"

"If it does, so be it, beloved." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the diamond-studded ring.

As he did, he thought he heard a benevolent chuckle from above and a voice blessing them with a whispered "Amen."

The End

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I Do

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Excerpt from

I Do

A Classic Romance

by

Mallory Rush

aka

Olivia Rupprecht

Bestselling, Award-winning Author

Sol fingered his black eye patch self-consciously. "When you said 'I do,' this wasn't part of the bargain."

Mariah wasn't aware of her action until she'd actually gripped his wrist. It put her hand close to his eye patch. The strip that held it in place slashed his dark, frowning brow and looped behind his white dress cap.

Sol was too still; she wanted to move from his pinpoint glare, but fought the urge. The moment was too crucial for her to back down.

"I think that patch bothers you, Sol, a lot more than it does me."

"I don't doubt it, because it bothers me a helluva lot." He gazed hatefully at his crutches. "They say I'll never walk without these."

"Do you believe it?"

"I don't want to."

"But do you believe it?"

"No."

"Then neither do I." Somehow, she found the courage to find out exactly where she stood with him. "If you want out because you married me with the idea we'd never meet, or if I'm less than what you'd hoped for—"

"I didn't say that!"

"No, but that doesn't mean you didn't think it. If that's the reason you're trying to run me off, why you'd rather spend your time glaring at me instead of... of kissing me, then fine. We both know you bought into this marriage without either of us certain what we were going to end up with, and, and—" Her voice caught on a sharp emotional chord, her doubts rolling out before she could stop them.

"Mariah, please, don't do this."

"No,
you
please be quiet and just listen to me." She couldn't believe her own words, but she was glad to have them said and done with. "If you want out, consider yourself out. But if you expect me to jump ship because your body's taken some abuse, then you've got a lot to learn about the woman you took as wife, Mr. Standish."

I Do

A Classic Romance

by

Mallory Rush

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