Shelby squeezed his frail hand. “Thank you for doing this.”
His smile warmed the nervous chill rushing through her body. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He offered her his steadfast arm. “Are you ready?”
She clutched her bouquet of tea roses and pale blue hydrangeas and took a deep breath to still her racing heart. The sweet notes of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” from the string quartet signaled her entrance. Another dream in Shelby’s life was coming true. “Even rocky roads can lead to rainbows,” Mrs. Warren had said, and she was right.
They stepped out onto the rose-petal-lined steps leading to the private dock overlooking the lake. Water and sky were a perfect cornflower blue and early summer sunrays filtered through the ancient oak trees that shaded the chairs filled with guests. A sliver of moon lingered in the sky, a sign of new beginnings.
So many smiling faces watched as she glided by in a twinkling blush and white lace gown. Around her neck, her “something old” was a cherished pearl necklace from her grandmother. As Shelby approached the front row of seats, her blissfully smiling grandmother blew a kiss, and her mother wiped a happy tear from her cheek. Three generations of women celebrating this day together. That was more than a dream come true; it was a miracle.
Once Shelby reached the raised platform, her escort took his seat in the front row next to Alice. On the stage, under the floral altar, the groom’s eyes met hers. Everything else faded away as she took the final steps to meet him. Shelby handed her bouquet to her maid of honor. Now face to face with her fiancé in his gray suit and pale blue tie, without a doubt in her heart or mind, she was ready to commit to this man forever.
From the platform, a familiar dog bark punctuated the air with approval. Shelby glanced over at Scarlett, her grandmother’s adorable doxie-poodle, in the arms of the best man. Around the dog’s neck was a floral collar similar to Shelby’s bouquet with silk bows. Their wedding rings rested on a satin pillow on Scarlett’s back. The dog’s auburn curls had faded, her face now threaded with white. Yet if it hadn’t been for sweet Scarlett when Shelby had reluctantly come to Moonwater Lake those ten years ago, she may not be standing here as a bride at all.
Chapter 1
Ten Years Ago
Shelby stared at the computer screen. She’d read the same line three times and was no closer to prepping for her high school English final than when she’d first sat down. Keeping her A average was crucial. It would make all the difference as to whether she would receive a college scholarship. She lifted her thick hair off her neck, allowing the slight whisper of A/C to cool her. The Las Vegas climate was brutal, and it didn’t help that the only place to study was the tiny kitchen table.
Her mother, Dana, oblivious to Shelby’s attempts at concentration in their cramped apartment, washed and clanked dishes in the sink. And she was humming. It was unlike her mother to hum, much less have a smile on her face, unless there was a new man in her life. It was probably that guy who had taken Dana to dinner a few times and had been nonstop calling ever since.
The man, she thought his name was Gus, had brought flowers and candy when he’d picked her mother up the other night. After he’d driven Dana home, Shelby had heard them through her bedroom wall and had to pull the pillow over her head to get any sleep. Some nights her mother wouldn't come home at all. And even though Shelby would be worried and a little uneasy, at least it was quiet in the house. Gus had tried to start a conversation with Shelby that morning. Asked her what she was doing in school, pretended to be interested, but she thought he was just making talk, trying to impress her mother.
Dana, finished with her task, stood hovering at Shelby’s side, her too strong perfume filling the air. "When's the semester over again?" she asked.
Shelby’s stomach clenched. Dana always had an ulterior motive. She tried on a few possibilities, feeling worse by the minute. Maybe the rent was due again and Dana didn’t have the money to pay it? Or, worst case scenario, they were moving again. Shelby hoped not. She’d finally gotten used to this school, and she had