She exchanged vows, put a ring on Creed’s finger, and he put one on hers and then the preacher pronounced them man and wife. It was time for their first kiss as husband and wife. When his lips touched hers they promised her the moon, the stars, and everything in between.
“And now I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Creed Riley. They, along with their families and friends, invite all of you to a reception at the Canyon Rose. I hear Hilda made the cake and also the buffalo wings, so me and my wife will be the first in line.”
* * *
April insisted on a first dance, so Creed two-stepped his new bride around the floor to an old George Strait song, “I Cross My Heart.” Creed sang softly with the words, telling Sage that his love was unconditional. He promised to give all that he had to give to make all her dreams come true.
“I do, Sage Presley Riley.” He stopped singing and looked at her.
“And I do, Creed Riley. I promise to give all I have to give to make your dreams come true too.”
“I don’t want you to ever stop painting,” he said. “Come spring, I’m planning to hire one full-time cowboy and when summer comes, maybe a part-time teenager to help us on the ranch. You’ll always have time to paint.”
“I couldn’t stop painting if I wanted to, Creed. It’s part of me.”
“And I love every single thing that makes you who you are. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you, darlin’.”
Before the song ended, Creed’s dad tapped him on the shoulder and took his place with Sage, and Creed’s mother slipped into her son’s arms.
“Welcome to the Riley clan, Sage,” Adam said. “I’m glad to see the light back in Creed’s eyes and we all thank you for putting it there. We hate to see him live this far from the rest of us but we’re so happy for you both.”
“You’re invited to visit us anytime. The door is always open. We’ll be starting a new home soon and we’re making it big enough for lots of company.”
“We’ll take you up on that,” Adam said.
The song ended and Lawton tapped a knife against the side of a glass and welcomed everyone to Canyon Rose. “I’m kind of sorry to see Ada sell the Rockin’ C to this feller. I wanted to hire him as my new foreman but I’m glad to have him for a neighbor. Raise your drink in a toast to our new couple in the Palo Duro Canyon.”
“My turn.” Ace stepped up beside Lawton.
He sure didn’t look like he belonged in the Riley family. All of Creed’s other brothers had dark hair and shades of brown eyes, but Ace had blond hair and the prettiest blue eyes. Creed said he got it from Grandpa Riley. Sage thought it would be wonderful if her bit of Irish and Creed’s produced a little blond-haired boy with blue eyes.
“Welcome to our family, Sage. We’re glad to have you. I could tell you stories about my brother that would make you tear up that marriage license, but I’ll wait until you are married a year.”
Everyone laughed and had another sip of their drink.
Creed slipped his arm around his wife’s waist. “Darlin’, don’t pay no attention to him. He won’t tell a single thing because I know too much on him.”
“Oh?” Jasmine, Ace’s wife, asked. “Maybe you should be talking to me.”
“Not a chance.” Creed laughed.
“Hilda says we’re cutting the cake now,” Lawton said.
She pushed a three-tiered cake on a wooden cart from the kitchen. Mistletoe with streaming red ribbons rested on the top and around the base. “Y’all didn’t give me time to go rustle up a bride and groom for the top.”
Creed laid his hand on top of Sage’s as she cut the first piece of cake. “I like the mistletoe better anyway.”
“Fits us, doesn’t it?”
* * *
Later that night, Creed carried Sage over the threshold and stopped right inside the door.
Both of them noticed the credenza at the same time.
An envelope the size of a greeting card was propped up in front of the nativity scene.
He set her down and she tore into the envelope. “It’s from Grand. She says this piece of furniture is our wedding present from her and that when she comes back, it’s the only piece of furniture that had better be missing from this house.”
Creed chuckled and picked her up, carried her to her bedroom, and set her on the bed. “I love you, Mrs. Riley.”
“I love you. Kiss me again and let’s start a honeymoon that will last the rest of our lives.” She unpinned the mistletoe boutonniere from his lapel and laid it on the nightstand.
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Carolyn Brown’s
Honky Tonk Christmas
Chapter 1
The whirring of the helicopter blades cut through the hot Iraqi desert wind. It was late summer, and the shamal wind was throwing enough sand around to limit visibility. But she could make out the target in her crosshairs, and the sand kept the choppers from getting a direct bead on her and Jonah. They’d already made four passes. She had sand in her mouth, sand in her boots and in her ears. She’d been trained to ignore everything and take out the target, but that damned buzzing noise reminded her of a bunch of swarming bees—and she hated bees.
“Keep focused on the target,” she whispered so low that Jonah couldn’t hear the words.
She set the crosshairs on the terrorist behind the machine gun mounted on the hood of a military jeep. She’d never missed yet and didn’t want to spoil her record.
“Convoy is less than a mile from the ambush,” her commander’s voice said on the radio. “Fire when ready.”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “Adjustments, Jonah?”
Her spotter ran his finger down a column of numbers and called out the wind velocity. She
