They were engaged by Easter.
‘What can I say?’ a rapturous Nina had said with a laugh when she told Claire the news of her second quickfire engagement. ‘I’ve never been a patient woman.’
Now Valda Chadwick stepped forward and began to speak.
‘Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining Nina and Alexander here on Bindallarah Beach on this lovely winter’s afternoon,’ the celebrant said.
Claire took a deep breath. This is it.
‘Before we get on with the official stuff, Nina and Alex have asked that we get one little matter out of the way early. We all know what happened last time, so does anyone present know of any impediment that should prevent this marriage today?’
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
It turned into a horrified hubbub when Nina opened her mouth and said, ‘I do.’
Claire saw Scotty’s jaw drop. Her own heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
‘Don’t worry, guys,’ Nina went on. She held up her hands, appealing for silence. The agitated chatter died down. ‘Nothing is going to prevent me and Alex tying the knot today, but there’s some business that needs taking care of first. I made a scene at this point in proceedings once before and caused my two best friends a whole lot of pain. So it seems only fair that I fix that today.’
Nina turned to Claire. She reached out her hand, her huge diamond engagement ring sparkling in the sunlight, and took Claire’s bouquet. ‘Over to you, Claire,’ she said with a warm smile. Next to her, Alex beamed.
Claire clasped her trembling hands together and stepped forward. Behind Alex, third in the line of groomsmen, Scotty stared at her, his beautiful face a picture of confusion and more than a hint of concern.
As the entire town watched, Claire went to him.
‘Claire, what’s —’
‘Scotty, nearly nine years ago, you asked me to marry you,’ Claire began, cutting him off. Her voice was resolute and she was surprised to find her nerves had vanished. ‘I ran away from you then because I was trying to run away from myself. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but somehow you kept loving me through all the years we were apart and you were willing to wait for me to realise that I will never love anybody but you.’
There was a murmured chorus of awww from the wedding guests.
‘At Christmas you promised you’d never propose to me again,’ she went on. ‘Do you remember?’
Scotty cocked an eyebrow. ‘Vaguely,’ he said with a wry smile, prompting laughter from the crowd.
‘Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided that I can’t accept that.’
Claire sank onto one knee.
She reached for Scotty’s hands. ‘Scotty Shannon, will you make me even happier than I am already and marry me?’
There wasn’t a sound bar the crashing of the waves on the sand. At nearly thirty, Scotty still had a terrible poker face. His thoughts splayed out in his expression, just as they had when he was sixteen. Claire watched as he made his decision.
He pulled her to her feet. ‘It’s about bloody time,’ he said. He kissed her fiercely as Gus squealed and all of Bindy clapped and cheered.
‘What do you think about a Christmas Eve wedding?’ Scotty whispered in Claire’s ear as he held her close.
‘No need to wait that long,’ she replied. ‘What are you doing thirty days from now?’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, thanks to my fabulous editor at Penguin, Kimberley Atkins, for uttering those immortal words: ‘Want to write a romance about vets?’ Why, yes. Yes, I do!
Thanks also to Amanda Martin and Alexandra Nahlous for your spot-on editorial insights and your patience as I clumsily juggled two books at once.
I am a dog person, but Claire inconveniently decided to be a horse person and that left me in a bit of a pickle. Thoroughbred-sized thanks to my old friend Dr Samuel Hurcombe, equine specialist extraordinaire, for giving me a crash-course in horse medicine and answering all my silly questions.
As ever, I could not have written this book without the support of my husband, Mark. Thanks, NP. The contribution of wine and procrastinaps to the writing of this book also cannot be overstated.
And finally, thanks to everyone who loves romance novels as much as I do and who reads them unapologetically. Love is a universal experience and a fundamental human need and we could all use a little more of it. #loveozromance
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Greaves is a award winning author, journalist, and editor and who announced her intention to be a writer at the age of seven, largely because of her dual obsessions with Anne of Green Cables and Murder, She wrote.
Two Weeks ’til Christmas is her third novel. She is also the author of Be My Baby and The Ex-Factor, as well as two non-fiction collections of dog stories, Dogs with Jobs and Incredible Dog Journeys.
Laura lives in NSW’s stunning Blue Mountains with her family and two incorrigible (but seriously adorable) dogs. Her enduring Anne of Green Gables fixation is matched only by her dog obsession, which is why you will always find at least one four-legged-friend in Laura’s books.
Connect with Laura:
lauragreaves.com
facebook.com/lauragreaveswritesbooks
instagram.com/lauragreavesauthor
twitter.com/Laura_Greaves
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