Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) (32 page)

Max woofed from his blanket and lumbered to his feet.

The candles that Todd had lit were shaped like flowers. They glowed prettily against the sparkly collar on the fondant dog.

She looked up at Todd. “This is amazing. If it tastes as good as it looks you’ve got a winner.”

Todd sat beside her. “What do you think about the dog?”

Sally looked at the cake’s centerpiece. “He’s cute. Just like Max.” She patted the real Max’s head and got a happy doggy smile in return.

Todd sighed. “Did you notice anything else?”

“The flowers are pretty, but if we don’t blow the candles out soon they’re going to disappear.” She looked at the fondant dog again. “I like the pretty ring on the dog’s collar. It makes Max’s twin look like a movie star.” Sally had never seen a plastic ring sparkle so much. It was almost as if…

She looked more closely at the collar and then across at Todd. “Where did you…”

“Blow the candles out Sally.”

The gentleness in Todd’s voice made Sally’s heart race. She leaned forward, blew the candles out, and made a wish. When she opened her eyes, Todd was looking at her with a softness that made her breath catch.

He reached forward and undid the ribbon collar around the fondant doggy’s neck. He slipped the ring off the satin and held it in the palm of his hand. “I love you, Sally. I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you.”

Sally blinked. Her brain was still at the impressed cake stage. Her heart had jumped when Todd said he loved her.

He swallowed hard, holding her hand in one of his. “After Emma and Josh died I never thought I’d love anyone again. And then you came along with Max and I didn’t know what to do. You made me feel alive. I’d been living in a dark place and you were the sunshine that made me happy. I don’t have to change the world anymore. It’s enough to be the man who will love you for the rest of our lives.”

Tears gathered in Sally’s eyes. She’d waited so long for Todd to tell her he loved her, that it was almost too much. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

Todd pushed his chair away and kneeled on one knee. He held the ring in his fingers and looked into her eyes. “Sally Gray, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

She stared at Todd, then down at the beautiful solitaire diamond ring. She couldn’t believe that she’d thought it was anything but real.

“Sally?”

She looked into Todd’s blue eyes and knew this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She smiled and saw some of the worry disappear off his face. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Todd slipped the ring on her finger and hugged her close.

Sally buried her face in his neck and tears ran down her face. This was the beginning of something wonderful for both of them. A new beginning that Sally had only dreamed about.

Max gave a bark from beside her and licked the side of her face.

She jumped back and laughed. “I think Max wants to be part of our wedding, too.”

Todd smiled and patted Max. “As long as he doesn’t come dressed as a donkey.”

“Are you sure about that?” Sally thought Max had made a pretty good Eeyore.

Todd laughed. “Are we negotiating again?”

She shook her head. “We don’t need to. But we might need to think about what we’re going to tell my family.”

“We’re bringing two cakes. Matthew and Sean will be happy and I’ve already talked to your parents.”

“You have? How did that go?”

Todd smiled. “Better than I thought. Your mom started crying and your dad spent most of the time worrying about her.”

“That’s mom for you.” She looked at Todd. “Are you sure you want to get married?”

“I want to marry you more than anything in the world.”

“That makes two of us.” Max nudged her arm and Sally smiled. “Make that three.”

Todd laughed. “I’ve got a feeling that number might be a whole lot more before we get married.”

“At least four kittens more,” Sally said as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Plus my three cats, two turtles, and six goldfish.”

“The ranch is going to turn into a zoo,” Todd moaned.

“It’s just as well you love me, then.” Sally gently kissed him. “I love you, more than anything or anyone else. Can I ask you an important question?”

Todd looked worried. “Go ahead, but I was only joking about a zoo.”

“Did you really make the cake in front of us by yourself?”

“I might have had a little help from Tess. But the green frosting is all mine.”

Sally laughed as his lips nibbled the sensitive skin under her ear. “I’m marrying a man with many talents.”

“And a ranch full of shelter animals,” Todd said with a smile.

THE END

Thank you for reading
Head Over Heels
.
I hope you enjoyed it! If you did…

1. Help other people find this book by writing a review.
   
2. Sign up for m
   y
   new releases e-mail
   s
   o you can find out about the next book as soon as it’s available.
   
3. Come like my
   Facebook
   p
   age.
   
4. Visit my website:
   leeannamorgan.com
   

Keep reading for a preview of
Sweet on You
,
Molly and Jacob’s story.

SWEET ON YOU

Book Four in The Bridesmaids Club

A picture may be worth a thousand words,

but sometimes three little words are all you need...

Molly stood on the edge of the dance floor with her camera close to her eye. She waited, poised to catch the moment when the young bride and groom spun in front of her.

They moved closer. Jarrod took a step to the right, lifting Abbey off her feet.

Abbey leaned back and laughed. The play of light on her face, her veil soft and full, the love and excitement of what was ahead - it was all there. A perfect moment in time; a moment where magic and reality collided to create perfection.

Molly sighed and quickly took the shot, then another, and then a third. The light changed, the magic faded, and the world settled into an easy rhythm again.

“Do you want to stop for a drink now?” Rachel asked.

Molly took a quick photo of the woman standing beside her. She’d met Rachel a few months ago and ever since then, they’d been good friends.

“I’ll only be a few more minutes.” Molly walked along the edge of the dance floor, following Abbey’s sisters as they danced with their partners.

“You said that half an hour ago. The wedding won’t stop if the photographer sits down for ten minutes.”

Molly checked her watch. The bridal dance was over, the cake had been cut, and all of the guests had been photographed at least once. She’d done her job, but there was so much more she wanted to do.

She would give Abbey and Jarrod memories they could treasure, memories that would help when times were tough. Molly believed in the power of love, maybe a little too much. But she knew there would be times when the only thing binding them together were the vows they’d made on this day.

“I want to get another photo of the flower girls. I promise I’ll only be five minutes.”

Rachel pretended to frown. “I’ll get you a glass of wine. If you’re not back at our table in five minutes, I’m going to pull you away from whatever you’re doing.”

Molly grinned at Rachel. She’d have to find her first. The flower girls had disappeared half an hour ago, slipping away from the speeches before Molly knew they’d gone. Knowing the two six-year-olds, they were probably tucked under someone’s table, playing with their dolls.

As Molly wove through the wedding guests, she smiled at the people she knew. Bozeman wasn’t so different from the small Irish village she’d grown up in. The people were warm and friendly, ready to lend a helping hand or a quiet word when the need arose.

She looked around the hotel’s ballroom, trying to find places where two giggly flower girls could play hide-and-seek. Molly had no trouble seeing over the top of most people’s heads. At six-foot tall, she didn’t often have trouble finding anyone. But her extra height didn’t come in handy when she was looking for two small girls.

She stopped at a table at the back of the room. Doris and her husband, Jake, were enjoying a lovely plate of dessert. “That looks like a fine way to end the evening.”

“Hello, Molly,” Doris said with a kind smile. “Would you like to join us?”

Molly shook her head. “I’m looking for Abbey’s two flower girls. Have you seen them?”

Jake nodded. “They went to the bathroom with their mom. I think little Alison might have had an accident.”

Doris scowled at her husband. “It was nothing of the sort. Her sister got chocolate sauce all over her dress. Her poor mother is trying to get the worst of it out before it stains.”

Jake didn’t look the least put out by his wife’s chatter. He simply nodded and pointed to the doors behind them. “They went that way, Molly.”

“Thanks. Have a fine evening.” She left Jake and Doris to their dessert and headed toward the big wooden doors. Molly thought about the photos ahead of her; the toss of Abbey’s bouquet, the moment the bride and groom said goodbye, the tears, the joy, and the laughter.

The doors opened and a man walked into the room. A man she knew all too well. She’d seen Jacob earlier, talking to the groom and watching the wedding with eyes that were far too serious.

He stopped and turned back to the door, opening it in anticipation of her exit. “Are you going this way, Molly?”

She nodded. He was taller than she was, as handsome a man as she’d ever seen. But there was something about him that irritated her beyond what was normal. Something she paid close attention to. “Did you see two little flower girls on your travels?”

He shook his head and smiled. “I like what you’re wearing.”

Heat warmed Molly’s face. To hide her reaction to his softly spoken words, she looked at her dark blue dress. It was part of her working wardrobe; smart and dressy, with room to move for any awkward photographs. She’d always felt comfortable in the fine merino dress. Until now.

She glanced at Jacob. He might be irritating, but she wasn’t immune to the charm rolling off him in waves. She’d bet on her granny’s grave that Jacob Green would be trouble for a woman’s heart. Especially a woman who’d sworn off charming men for life.

He opened the door wider, leaving room for her to walk past him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

“I’m grand.” She stepped through the open doorway, ignoring, as best she could, the gleam in his eyes. She could have told him that half the reason he hadn’t seen her was because she deliberately kept away from him. The other half had more to do with his schedule than hers.

“I’m staying in Bozeman for a few more weeks.” Jacob said his words as a statement, an opening to things she wouldn’t be a part of.

Molly decided to smile and walk away - leave him to enjoy the company of the other wedding guests. “It was nice seeing you, but if you’ll excuse me, I have two little girls to find.”

A frown replaced the curiosity in his gaze. “I could help?”

Molly wasn’t prepared for his offer. Her grip on her camera tightened. “It won’t take long to find them, but thank you.” She walked past him, breathed in the scent of a man with expensive taste, and left him standing at the doors.

“We could have a drink together after you finish work?”

Molly heard a child’s voice coming from somewhere on the first floor. “I don’t think so.”

Two little girls erupted out of a room on the far side of the landing. Their giggles echoed against the wooden floor. Molly lifted her camera and snapped a series of photos. The pictures would capture the bubble of excitement surrounding them, the joy of being six-years-old.

As they ran past her, she said goodbye to Jacob and followed them into the ballroom. She felt like a coward, a woman afraid of her own heart. But Jacob Green was a mystery she didn’t want to solve.