Suddenly Katie heard Mr. O’Reilly’s whoop of glee from the next booth, then Mrs. Jeffers’ hushed admonishment about eavesdropping.
“What did they say?” Ginger demanded from clear across the diner.
“He said he loves her,” Mr. O’Reilly reported.
“Then they’re going to stay married?” Ginger asked.
“Sounds that way to me,” he confirmed.
Katie and Luke exchanged a look. “I had no idea they even knew what was going on,” she said, just as Henrietta Myers started singing a rousing rendition of “Oh Promise Me” at the top of her lungs.
“I guess she’s auditioning in case we decide to try another wedding,” Luke said. He caressed Katie’s cheek. “What do you say? Will you marry me again? A big, splashy wedding with all the trimmings, maybe even five or six bridesmaids?”
Katie could certainly think of five she would want right by her side in front of the altar at St. John’s Church—Abby, Hannah, Emma, Sophie and, of course, Lucy. Joy spread through Katie as she looked him straight in the eye.
“I will,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “I will.”
* * *
As it turned out, no bridesmaids were planned for the ceremony in which Caitlyn and Luke Cassidy were to repeat their wedding vows. Instead, a few days later when Abby, Hannah, Emma, Sophie and Lucy heard about Katie’s plans for an all-stops-out, traditional wedding, they promptly agreed with her that it was the perfect opportunity for each of them to renew their own wedding vows. All six couples sat around in the boarding house living room making wedding plans at an impromptu gathering that Lucy had pulled together.
“And we’ll throw a shower,” Sophie Maguire declared. “Katie never had one.”
“A lingerie shower,” Emma Flint agreed, shooting a heated look at her husband.
“Only if I can come,” Luke interjected.
“All right!” Max Ryder chimed in. “Me, too.”
“In your dreams,” Lucy said to her husband, effectively dashing his hopeful expression.
“You can forget it, too,” Katie told Luke, then leaned down to whisper in his ear.
“I’ll bet she’s promising a private showing just for him later,” Hannah guessed.
“Or maybe she’s just offering to take the edge off his disappointment tonight,” Ford Maguire suggested, drawing a teasing smack from Sophie, who declared that for a sheriff he had a worrisome one-track mind.
“Ever since I met you,” he agreed.
Sophie grinned. “Too bad the baby’s not big enough yet. She could be the flower girl.” She looked at Luke. “Will Robby be ring bearer?”
“If we can keep him away from the cake long enough,” Luke said. “He’s become obsessed with food now that he’s discovered the difference between homemade and store-bought.”
“I just want to know who’s going to sing?” Lucy asked. “Are we going to be stuck with Henrietta or can you get Tommy back here from Nashville?”
Katie froze as she waited for Luke’s reply. He’d said very little about his brother since the night Tommy came by to tell them he’d dropped the custody suit. The next afternoon they’d heard that Tommy had left for Nashville. She started to step in to cover the awkward silence that had fallen, but Luke gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
“I’m not sure if Tommy will be able to make it,” he said. “He’s just trying to get a new career launched. That takes a lot of time.”
“But it’s going well,” Lucy persisted. “You’ve talked to him?”
“Yes, we’ve talked,” he said, surprising Katie.
The impromptu party went on for another hour, but when it was over, Katie brought up the subject of Tommy again. “You hadn’t mentioned talking to him.”
“There was nothing to say,” Luke said tightly.
“Oh, Luke...”
“Drop it, Katie.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “We have more important things to think about.”
“The wedding.”
He grinned. “That’s too far in the future. I was thinking about right now. Upstairs. You and me.”
Katie sighed with pleasure. “Now that is definitely an intriguing notion, Luke Cassidy.”
“The best one I’ve had all day?”
“Certainly the best one you’ve had since the same time last night,” she agreed as she led the way up the stairs.
EPILOGUE
Katie’s wedding gown, which seemed to be endless yards of delicate French lace, was the envy of all the other brides as they waited at the back of St. John’s Church for the ceremony to begin.
“If you keep weeping on it, you’re going to wilt it,” Katie chided her aunt.
“It’s just that you look so beautiful,” Peg said with a sniff.
“I thought I looked beautiful last time,” Katie retorted.
“But this time you really look like a bride.” Peg squeezed her hand. “You’re happy, aren’t you?”
“Happier than I’ve ever been,” Katie said as the first faint sounds of music drifted outside.
Lucy walked over. “Show time, sweetie.”
Katie reached out and hugged her. “What would I do without you to feed me my cue at my weddings?”
“Hopefully this will be the very last time I ever have to do it.”
“It will be,” Katie said with certainty.
The six women lined up in order of their weddings—Abby, Hannah, Emma, Sophie, Lucy and finally Katie. As if she’d never gone through a wedding ceremony before, butterflies swam in Katie’s stomach as she watched each of them enter the church and begin the slow walk down the aisle to join their husbands.
At last it was her turn. Robby waited until Katie was at the door before stepping into the aisle, proudly holding the pillow bearing Katie’s and Luke’s rings.
“Now, Mommy?” he whispered loudly enough to be heard all the way to the front of the church.
Mommy! Katie’s heart flipped over. She swooped down and hugged him. “You bet. Let’s do it.”
Luke’s gaze locked on her and never wavered as she made the slow walk down the aisle. Katie thought she would burst with sheer joy as she looked into those dear, familiar blue eyes. She was about to marry the man she loved all over again. She had a son. Her aunt’s doubts about her marriage to Luke had finally been put to rest. If only Tommy could be there to share this with them, she
