Sweet Serenade (Riverbend Romance 3) (11 page)

“Sure, so long as we don’t get much closer than we are now. My lens can handle the distance.”

Carly nodded and plied her paddle, not looking at Reed.

“We need to talk. Carly, I love you.”

Had she really heard those quiet words? Did they matter?

Her heart cried, “Yes.”

~*~

Reed sat in his truck across from Base Camp Outfitters. He wasn’t taking his eyes off Carly’s car until she returned to the parking lot to claim it.

Neil glowered at him through the front window.

Whatever. Even the town bylaw officer couldn’t make him move.

Half an hour later, the canoe-laden SUV turned into the lot and parked. Reed slid out of his truck, stuck his hands in his pockets, and crossed the street.

The photographer waved at him. “I got some terrific shots! My editor will be very pleased.”

“That’s great! I hope you’ll let Carly know when the magazine is for sale so we can have a look.”

The woman glanced at Carly as she came up beside her. “I definitely will. This was the experience of a lifetime. Thanks so much.”

“My pleasure.” Carly wiped her hands down her shorts.

Reed filled his vision with her petite figure in the blue tank top and khaki shorts. Her lithe, tanned limbs. Her loosely braided red-gold hair swung below her shoulders. Her sweet face that made him want to forget everything he’d ever said about kissing.

What had he said, anyway? He raked his memory. That he wouldn’t kiss her again unless he knew she was the woman for him. He was definitely free to make a move.

Reed couldn’t help the grin that erupted over his face as relief flowed through him. It was time. He had his answer.

He reached for Carly’s hands as the photographer retrieved her equipment.

“Carly.” He searched her face. Would she think he was crazy for the big smile he wore? He couldn’t help it.

She met his gaze, but then her eyes slipped downward slightly. She disengaged one hand. Her fingers reached up and traced his dimple.

Reed swallowed hard at her tantalizing touch. This was the Carly he’d grown to love over the past two months. He captured her fingers and pressed them against his lips.

Her breathing hitched.

Reed gathered her in both arms and cradled her close. After a few seconds, she relaxed against him, and he could breathe again. Her hands slid around his back until she held him as securely as he held her.

Thank You, Jesus.

“Carly?”

She angled her head back and met his gaze.

Reed dipped his head just the slightest until his lips brushed hers with an electrifying touch. “Carly,” he murmured then deepened the kiss.

They broke apart a long moment later, staring into each other’s eyes.

“I thought you didn’t want to kiss a girl until you married her.”

He shook his head, never letting her gaze slip. “That’s not what I said. I needed to wait until I knew she was the one for me.” His fingers traced the side of her face. “I love you.”

Chapter 13

The sunset shot fiery shafts across Sandon Lake, the still water casting a near perfect reflection.

Reed packed the empty picnic basket from Loco-To-Go back to the truck and gathered a few more cut logs for the small fire he’d built on the beach.

Neither he nor Carly had said much since he’d picked her up after work, nor had he kissed her again. She waited. He waited. The evening sky seemed to wait, too. Several bats zoomed from nearby trees, hunting mosquitoes. They were welcome to them.

In the distance, a loon called out. The north end of the lake was too far away to tell if the moose and bear were still at it.

By silent accord they held hands and strolled down the beach, stopping on a rocky knoll. Reed stepped behind her and wrapped both arms around her, nuzzling his face into the hair that swept her shoulders. She relaxed against him. It felt like coming home.

“It’s beautiful here. So peaceful,” she said quietly.

“I know how you feel.”

“Brittany called me this afternoon.”

“She did? What did she have to say for herself?”

“That she was sorry. That Joseph broke up with her because she was selfish and vindictive.”

Hard to argue with that.

Carly looked up at him. “She’s worried she might be pregnant.”

“Oh, no.”
Play with fire, and you might get burned.

“I don’t know what to do, Reed.”

He pressed his cheek against hers. “About what?”

“I didn’t give my notice today. Neil was in a bad enough mood as it was.”

Reed’s heart soared. “I’m glad you didn’t. Sorry about Neil.” He’d hold his bit of news tight a little longer.

“Brittany wants me to move back in.”

“Will you?”

“I don’t know, Reed.” She hesitated. “I don’t know where we are going.”

He turned her in his arms. “The we that is you and I?”

She nodded, those blue-green eyes fixed on his.

Reed lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers.

She quivered in his arms, and he deepened the kiss, reveling in the taste of her mouth under his. Finally he pulled away just far enough to whisper, “Does this answer your question?”

Carly’s fingertips on his dimple made his knees weak. “Kind of?”

He’d already forgotten what she’d asked. He kissed her again, more thoroughly this time, as their lips and hearts melded together.

Are You good with this, God?

The setting sun caused Carly’s face and red-gold hair to glow like a blessing. His probably did, too.

“I brought my guitar,” he said when he was finally able to stand the thought of releasing her for even a moment.

She blinked. “Your guitar?”

He nodded. “I know you’ve mostly heard my harmonica except at church, but at home, I pick up the guitar a lot. I’ve been working on a song.”

Her eyebrows rose, and he kissed them.

“May I sing for you?”

“Okay.” Her voice sounded uncertain, but she allowed him to lead her back to the fire and seat her on a nearby rock.

Reed braced his hands on the truck door before reaching for the guitar.
This is it, Lord. We’re in Your hands.
He brought the guitar and perched on a stump where he could see Carly’s face as he tuned up.

Her head tilted in concentration. “You played this the other night.”

He grinned and nodded, thrilled she recognized the finger-picked tune. After a few more measures, he cleared his throat and started into the lyrics he’d written.

Love is like a rushing river. Love is like a churning sea. It’s like jumping in an eddy. It is the epitome.

Carly sat on both her hands. Her gaze never wavered from his as she listened to all the ways he’d been able to think of to describe his love for her. Not all five verses rhymed that well. He’d planned to take longer and polish the words and chording until the whole thing was a perfect unit.

But he wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t perfect. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was their love, their devotion to each other and to God.

He focused for a moment on the bridging chords he’d arranged to segue the song into the final verse.

You are all my heart desires. You are more than life to me. You are everything that matters. You are the epitome.

The final strums faded into silence. Reed stilled the strings and stared out at the water. The sun was long gone, and a few stars shone their reflections on the lake’s surface. He held his breath. This was his heart. Open, vulnerable, on the line.

“Reed, you—I-I don’t know what to say. That’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever sung to me. Said to me.”

He laid the guitar off to one side in the sand. “I meant every word. I love you, Carly Thorbergsen.” He rose and pulled her to her feet. He held her close, feeling her heart beating against his chest. “Carly, I love you so much I can’t even describe it.”

She took a shaky breath. “I think you described it very well.”

“Will you marry me? I’d planned to wait a bit longer to ask. I don’t have everything figured out—”

Her lips silenced him. It was awfully hard to talk while kissing, and after a second, he gave up trying. Maybe with the song, maybe with the kiss, maybe there was some way to make her understand the depth of his love.

“Reed Daniels,” she whispered at last. “I love you.”

He kissed her again, his heart soaring.

“Do you really think you can put up with me and all my issues? I wish I could come to you pure.”

“Carly my love, God has more than covered that. I’m not perfect, either. I should be asking you the same thing. Can you put up with me and all
my
junk?”

“It would be my privilege. My honor.”

He kissed her nose. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, Reed, I’ll marry you. Tomorrow, if you like.”

Reed chuckled, and her fingertips found his dimple unerringly even in the dark. “I hear it takes a bit longer than that to plan a wedding. And I don’t even have a ring for your finger yet. Would you like to come with me Monday to pick it out?” He captured her fingers with his lips and lifted his hands to cradle her face.

“I’d love to.”

He was torn between kissing her and watching the firelight reflected in her eyes. Or was there more? Reed turned toward the north and caught his breath. “Carly, look.”

A long band of green flickered slightly just above the treetops. Several flares shot upward then retracted. The entire northern sky came alive with dancing lights.

“Oooh...” Carly nestled against him.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands,” Reed murmured into her hair.

“Do you think God sent the heavens dancing just for us?”

“I think He must have. Shall we join them?” With that he began to sway to the unheard music with the woman he loved in his arms.

THE END

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Thank you for reading
Sweet Serenade: A Riverbend Romance Novella 3
. I hope you enjoyed it!

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If you’re familiar with BC, Canada, you’ll know Riverbend, Castlebrook, and the other towns don’t exist. I took the liberty of redrawing this region of the province, pulling my favorite parts of towns I know and love into one community — with a healthy dose of imagination. I hope you adjusted to the new topography.

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Team Bride: An Autumn Riverbend Romance Novella (4)

Chapter 1

Wedding rehearsal was about to start without Sarah Jamieson.

Thankfully, it wasn’t her wedding, but that didn’t mean her best friend wasn’t going to kill her. As maid of honor, she had responsibilities. Sarah tapped her fingers on the car’s steering wheel and tried to see why traffic was stopped on the bridge across the Sandon River.

She’d counted on twelve minutes to get from her apartment to the River of Life Church. That’s all it ever took. The small town of Riverbend didn’t have rush hour and, besides, all but the last few blocks were on the highway through town. Two stoplights never added more than a minute apiece. So she should have allowed fourteen to be safe.

She opened the car door and crossed to the sidewalk on the other side of the bridge along with several other drivers. Oh, no. A semi had flipped on the bridge’s access, blocking both lanes. This could take a while.

Sarah slid back into her car and tapped the Bluetooth on her dashboard, selecting Lindsey’s cell. It went straight to voice mail. A bride too busy to answer her phone at two minutes to rehearsal? That would be Lindsey. Maybe the groom was carrying his. Worth a try. She scrolled through the list and found Nick’s number. It rang three times.

“Corbin Morrissey of Team Groom. How may I direct your call?”

She rolled her eyes as she craned to see if there was any action getting the semi moved yet. A few sirens wailed in the distance. “This is Sarah. I’m stranded in the middle of the bridge because a semi-truck flipped over, blocking both lanes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Sarah from Team Bride?”

She narrowed her gaze and stared at the Bluetooth display. “Lindsey’s maid of honor.”

“Team Bride affirmative. Expected time of arrival?” He chuckled. “Besides late.”

Where had Nick found this guy, anyway?

Sarah leaned out her open car window as sirens approached. “Sounds like the RCMP are here. Tow trucks. And a woman in a safety vest coming this way stopping at every car.”

“So you’ll know what’s up in a minute. We might as well keep talking until she gets there. Tell me about yourself, Sarah. Have you known Lindsey long?”

She shook her head as she settled back in her seat. Some guys had all the confidence. She preferred them quiet, herself. Not like... Corbin, he’d said his name was? “I’ve known her most of my life, really. We’ve been best friends since third grade then lost touch until she came back to Riverbend last year.”

“A true Riverbender then. Just like Nick.”

Yeah, she had memories of the groom in high school she’d rather forget. Good thing he’d changed. “How about you? Where did you meet Nick?”

“Bible school, actually. I’ve been in Riverbend for a couple of years now.”

The woman in the safety vest was still a few cars away. “What do you do?” There were other churches in town. Maybe he worked for one of them.

“I’m a farmer.”

Seriously? He said it with some kind of pride. “You went to Bible school to become a farmer?” Now there was a waste of four years of one’s life.

Corbin laughed. “Not exactly. But God had His reasons.”

The woman approached as Sarah glanced out the window. “They expect to open single-lane traffic in about twenty minutes.”