Authors: Maya Stirling
Tags: #Romance, #Western, #Christian Fiction, #Cowboy, #Clean Romance
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Everyone's waiting, my dear," Lucinda said. Victoria looked in the mirror and saw her mother glancing over her shoulder, genuine happiness written all over her face. "Let me help you with that veil," her mother said starting to fuss with the delicate, white fabric of the veil.
Victoria took one more look at herself in the mirror. The wedding dress still didn't look right. She couldn't figure out what was missing, but there was something else needed.
"How do I look, mama?" Victoria asked nervously.
Lucinda smiled and ran the back of her hand down the side of Victoria's face. "You look absolutely beautiful Victoria. I'm so proud of you."
Victoria felt her eyes moisten. "I'm glad you're proud of me, mama," she said.
"And Cole's eyes are going to pop out when he sees you for the first time like this," Lucinda said.
Victoria frowned and glanced around the room. They were upstairs in the ranch, in one of the rooms Cole had provided for them to get ready. Victoria's personal belongings had been shipped form Helena and most of them had already been moved up to the ranch. After all, she would be moving into the ranch immediately after the wedding. Opened shipping boxes lay around the room, the contents spilling out and making the room look as untidy as Victoria's bedroom had done during the time she'd lived at her mother's home.
But that already seemed like such a long time ago.
Before she had left.
Before becoming Cole's wife. Which was about to happen in a few short minutes.
Lucinda went to the window and looked down into the yard. "Looks like everyone's here," she said.
They'd invited lots of guests from the town. A mixture of townsfolk and men from the ranch. Thirty people in all.
Lucy and Paul would be there. They'd already married in a beautiful ceremony at Lucius' home. Rose and her husband of course. And Lucius would be attending, now that he'd come round to the idea that his son in law was also the son of the banker who controlled the various bank loans upon which Lucius relied for his business to keep on running. That had had nothing to do with Lucy and Paul getting married. Nothing at all. But it had helped focus everyone's mind. And in any case Lucy had always been sweet on Paul, so it all had turned out right for everyone in the end.
And it had certainly turned out right for Cole and Victoria. Glancing at herself in the mirror Victoria sighed and tried to convince herself that she was actually about to marry Cole.
At last.
After all she had been through. After taking a path in life that had seemed so right at the time, but that had just ended up bringing her back to Cole.
Where she belonged.
There was another flurry of activity, with her mother fussing and being busy, making sure that the flowing white wedding dress looked just right. When her mother finally handed Victoria the petite floral bouquet, Victoria clutched it tight in her hands and knew that the final piece was in place.
Lucinda looked at Victoria, her eyes filled with tears. "Your father would have been so proud if he could have been here," Lucinda said.
Victoria hugged her mother. "I know, mama. I'm sure he's looking down on us with a big smile on his face."
Victoria felt movement against her shoulder as her mother nodded. Then Lucinda went to the door and opened it. "You ready?" she asked Victoria.
"I am," Victoria said firmly.
Lucinda followed Victoria downstairs. At the foot of the stairs Victoria could hear the voices of everyone crowded into the sitting room.
She glanced at her mother who smiled.
Victoria took a deep breath, went along the hallway and stood at the entrance to the sitting room. The room was decorated with every variety of flower from this part of Montana. The colors were vibrant and made the small sitting room feel alive. Victoria took a deep, calming breath and inhaled the scent.
All the guests was squeezed shoulder to shoulder into the room, but they'd left a narrow passage down to the front of the room to where Cole stood next to the minister.
Cole.
His eyes were fixed on Victoria. She saw his jaw drop at the sight of her and she felt immediately calm. Guests turned, glancing at the bride. Victoria saw smiles and nods of approval. Her heart was beating fast and her breath felt short and tight. But then she looked again at Cole and the expression on his face made her take the first step into the room.
She saw Cole turn and face the minister who gave her soon to be husband a gentle pat on the shoulder. Victoria felt like she was walking on air. She clutched the bouquet tight. She tried to swallow but her throat was suddenly dry. By the time she took her place by Cole's side she realized she was beginning to shake.
Then an amazing thing happened. She glanced over at Cole and he smiled at her. That was all. The simplest thing in the world. A smile. But it was all she needed for the nerves and the worry to evaporate in an instant. The warmth of his smile filled her soul. The glint in his eye captivated her as it always had done. As it always would.
As long as she was by Cole's side everything would be fine. She knew that now.
Calmness filled her like a wave, and she turned and looked at the minister. He raised a querying brow and Victoria nodded to him.
The words of the ceremony flowed over Victoria, covering her in a warm glow, the bright radiance of love shining on her, and on the wonderful man standing next to her. Every word the minister uttered became a part of her; every word she said in response was spoken with absolute sincerity and joy.
And when she heard Cole say his vows to her, heard his sweet, strong voice promise to cherish her forever, it was all she could do to contain the bliss and gladness in her heart.
Finally the minister pronounced them man and wife. At the minister's bidding her new husband moved toward Victoria. She saw the love in his gaze and made absolutely sure that her own eyes were filled with as much love as she could see in his.
She saw the smile on his face that told her she'd succeeded.
And, when Cole's lips met hers, the applause of the guests and their sighs of approval sounded as if they were coming from a long way away.
Victoria knew she was where she belonged.
In Cole's arms.
Forever.
Thank you!
Thank you for reading Cole's Montana Bride. I hope you enjoyed it.
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The Montana Ranchers and Brides series
Montana ranchers and their search for brides in the 1880's
An Amazon Bestselling series in Historical Romance
These books are all clean romances that are also standalone stories which have some characters who appear in more than one volume. They can each be enjoyed without having read previous volumes in the series.
Cole's Montana Bride
The Brides of Sweetheart Falls
Three sisters and their struggles finding husbands and new lives in 1870's Wyoming
An Amazon Bestselling series in Historical Romance in 2014
Book 1
Mail Order Vows
(Cassie's story)
Book 2
Mail Order Beau
(Martha's story)
Book 3
Mail Order Blessing
(Rachel's story)
Book 1
Mail Order Vows
(Cassie's story)
Brides of Sweetheart Falls series: Book One. A sweet, clean full length, complete mail order bride romance novel with a happy ending.
Wyoming 1878
On the verge of giving up on a future in the growing Wyoming town of Sweetheart Falls, and heading back to an uncertain life back East, recently widowed mail order bride Cassie Miller is given a final chance at happiness.
Soon Cassie finds out she has no choice but to marry handsome ex lawman Ethan Macleod. However, can she make a new life while trying to come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband Joshua?
Can she really trust Ethan, the man the entire town agrees would make a perfect husband? How come he already knows so much about Cassie?
And just how far will he go to prove to her that he is worthy of being her new husband?
Book 2
Mail Order Beau
(Martha's story)
Brides of Sweetheart Falls series: Book Two. A sweet, clean full length, complete mail order bride romance novel with a happy ever after.
Wyoming 1878
Martha's story.
After waiting months for the Sweetheart Falls Matrimonial Society to find a husband for herself and her sister, Cassie Macleod's sister, Martha is beginning to wonder if she and Rachel will ever get married. Meanwhile, there's a baby on the way at the Macleod farmstead, and Martha and Rachel need to move out so that their sister and her wonderful husband, Ethan can start their new life as a family, without relatives getting in the way.
However, when town matchmaker Hettie finally provides a selection of suitable husbands, only one of them holds any promise.
Who is the mysterious ranch owner who wants to wed one of the unmarried sisters? Why is he going to such lengths to keep his identity secret? And just what will Martha have to do to secure a future for herself and Rachel?
Book 3
Mail Order Blessing
(Rachel's story)
Mail Order Blessing. A sweet, clean full length, complete mail order bride romance novel with a happy ever after.
Wyoming 1878
Rachel's story.
Sweetheart Falls' town matchmaker Hettie Longfellow has finally found a husband for young, eager to marry, Rachel. Or so Rachel thinks. But there's one obstacle. Aaron Caldigate doesn't want to settle down in town. Then there's the problem of Aaron's past and how it stands in the way of Rachel's chances of married bliss.
Aaron Caldigate is a man who keeps his word. He's returning to Sweetheart Falls because he promised he'd come back after completing his training as a lawyer. But he's not planning on staying, especially since his mother has taken it upon herself to find him a bride!
However he hasn't counted on a very determined and beautiful young bride-to-be who is going to do everything she can to persuade him that Sweetheart Falls is the only place to settle down, and that she is the only woman for him.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cole's Montana Bride © 2015 Maya Stirling