I, Gracie - Sharon Sala Page 0,106
my heart. I need you in my life. Will you marry me?"
Gracie gasped at the size of the diamond solitaire, and then saw so much love and promise on his face. All she could do was nod.
"Is that a 'yes'?" John asked.
"Yes! That's a yes! A great big yes!" Gracie said.
"Thank God," John said, and slid the ring up her finger.
Gracie laughed from the sheer joy of it, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him. Then she spun out of his arms with her hands in the air, shouting.
"I, Gracie Dunham, am engaged to John Gatlin,"
He laughed, then slipped an arm around her waist and started dancing her across the deck while the snow fell down around them.
"We have confetti, but no music," John said.
Gracie threw back her head and closed her eyes.
"I hear music. It must be Daddy. He's playing 'Johnny Be Good.'"
Epilogue
In the floral business, when you are planning your own wedding, you plan it between holidays, with a nod to the season for certain flowers.
Valentine's Day was out. That was nonstop flowers for a solid week running.
Easter was out. Tulips, Easter Lilies, and baskets galore.
After that, it was one holiday after the other.
Mother's Day.
Father's Day and June weddings.
Fourth of July—with all the others too far away to consider.
Gracie was between a rock and a hard place, and so she chose the valley between: March 13.
It was a Saturday when that day arrived.
The weather was beautiful.
The Ozarks were wearing their best spring greens as the guests began arriving at The Dogwood Chapel outside of Branson.
Gracie sat in the dressing room, staring at herself in the mirror. She'd spent forever picking out the dress.
It had a high neckline and long sleeves, but without the lace. It hid the scars, but not her shape. She'd had a childhood dream of being married in her Mama's wedding dress. This was the closest she could get.
She sighed.
"God, Mama, I wish you were here. Healthy and happy, and lining everybody out as to how to behave, and what to do, and how to do it. You would so be taking care of business."
She took a deep breath and then blinked away tears.
Today was not for crying.
And Mama was with her. She knew it.
So here she was, waiting for someone to come get her and take her to the preacher.
She wanted to be Gracie Gatlin.
She wanted to be John's wife.
She felt like she'd been practicing for this moment for most of her life.
And then the door opened, and she turned around.
Donna beckoned, then put the wedding bouquet in Gracie's hands as she walked out into the hall.
"You look so beautiful," Donna said.
"I am so happy, and the flowers are perfect," Gracie said.
The bouquet was magnificent in the fragility—magnolias in full bloom framed by their own thick, waxy leaves, like lilies on lily pads, gathered together with satin ribbon.
Gracie clutched it with both hands as a lady approached, then led her through the winding halls, all the way to the entrance to the chapel.
Her heart thumped. The seats were full. Recognizing people from looking at the back of their heads wasn't easy, but some were impossible to mistake.
Darlene and her fiery red hair. She'd driven all the way from Houston with Caleb and Joanie.
Lucy, with her white hair all fluffed out in every direction, was wearing a turquoise feather in lieu of a hat.
And down in front, John's whole family had filled up a row.
Those were the guests who mattered most to her, but she was looking for John.
And then she saw him at the altar, silhouetted against the windows behind the pulpit, and thought, Thank you, God, for this man.
A chord of music was struck.
The pastor lifted his arms.
The congregation stood, turned, and then a hush fell.
The music began, and Gracie started down the aisle.
John's heart was pounding.
Thirty-five years he'd waited for this day. For her.
He hadn't known who she would be for the longest of times, then once he'd seen her, he had held onto the memory of her face.
But for a tiny angel charm and the grace of God, he might never have seen her again, and yet here she was, and so was he, and nothing was going to stop them now. They belonged, and in a very few minutes, the rest of the world would know it, too.
Now she stood beside him, her shoulder almost touching his, both of them facing the preacher. The man kept talking and talking...and then he turned to face her.
Gracie saw her reflection in John's tear-filled eyes and tightened her grip on his hands.
She was on lock and load.
She knew the words by heart.
Her whole life had been in preparation for this day, for this man, for this moment in time.
Repeat after me, the preacher said, and so she did.
"I, Gracie, take thee, John…"
The End
About the Author
Sharon Sala is a New York Times and USA Today, best-selling author. First published in 1991, she has 127 books published in six different genres – Romance, Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women's Fiction and Non-Fiction. Her industry awards include: eight-time RITA finalist, (romance industry award), the Janet Dailey Award, five-time Career Achievement winner from Romantic Times Magazine, five-time winner of the National Reader's Choice Award, five-time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer's Award of Excellence, Heart of Excellence Award, Booksellers Best Award, Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Romance Writers of America, and the Centennial Award from Romance Writers of America for recognition of her 100th published novel. Sharon lives in Oklahoma.