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“Yes, ma’am.”

“When you call me ma’am it makes me feel old as dirt, but we’ll have to work on that some other time. Let’s walk.”

So we did.

And I remembered to smile. How could I not? I was about to ask an angel to marry me.

25

LUCI

The sleighs picked us up behind the lodge at two-thirty. At the top of the rise, we stepped out into the snow. A path had been cleared to the ceremony site, where two sections of white chairs created an aisle. Beyond them was an open canopy draped in pale fabric. Lights twinkled merrily. Lanterns glowed yellow from their spots in the snow. In the distance, the mountains stretched for miles, their snowy peaks catching the afternoon sun.

Holly clutched my arm. “This is spectacular.”

“It’s like a fairy tale,” I said. “Perfect for Ivy.”

As pretty as it was, I couldn’t quite muster the excitement I should have felt. I’d looked forward to it for so long but now that it was here all I could do was feel sad about Grant. It was pathetic.

And darn it all, he looked heartbrokenly handsome in that suit. He was at the back, with my mother’s hand in the crook of his arm. He had his head bent toward her, smiling at whatever it was my mother had said to him.

Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did every part of me want to wrap around him and never let him go?

Knox began to play, and everyone settled into their seats. Grant escorted my mom down the aisle. She beamed, glancing to one side and then the other, as if trying to memorize the moment. When they reached the front, he helped her into her chair. She held onto his hand a moment, smiling up at him as if they shared a secret.

Rhett and Madeleine came down the aisle together, looking like a power couple, even though I knew their hearts belonged to someone else. At least Madeleine and Knox were happy, I thought, as they took their places next to Jack.

The music changed and we all stood, then turned to see Ivy on her father’s arm. She was radiant. That’s the only way to say it. Ivy was always beautiful, with that glamour cowgirl vibe, but today she seemed of something out of the ordinary world, as if we were allowed to peek for a moment into a magical land.

I glanced at Jack, his cheeks already damp. Rhett passed him a tissue.

When they reached Jack, Gus placed Ivy’s hand in Jack’s. “I’ll be counting on you, son, to look after my baby girl.”

“Yes, sir,” Jack said.

Gus gave his daughter one last smile before joining his wife in the front row. He took June’s hand and they exchanged a look so full of love it made my chest ache with longing. I snuck a glance at Grant. He was watching me, I realized, the moment our gazes locked.

Did I see it there in his eyes? Had he made a decision to choose me? Dare I hope?

Jasper Moon was officiating the wedding, and he was perfect at it, with his deep, resonate voice and handsome face and the innate goodness that radiated from him. He welcomed us and then asked for our indulgence to speak about his own marriage to Stella. Smiling, somewhat misty-eyed, he told us the story of their courtship. How he’d moved to Blue Fern without any idea how much his life would change. They were an unlikely match—a banker in Italian loafers and the newly widowed mother of five little boys trying to keep her ranch from going under.

He went on to say that, when they agreed to marry, he welcomed the chance to be a father to the Moon brothers. He then told us about the philosophy of SLURFPIG.

The word made us all laugh until he told us what it stood for.

Support. Love. Understanding. Respect. Family. Protection. Inclusion. Growth.

Jasper continued. “No matter what happens, for better or worse, if you bring those eight words into your marriage and the family you’ll build together, you’ll always know the answer to any question or conflict that arises. These are words to hang on the wall of your home, preferably the kitchen because that’s where everyone always ends up, as a reminder of the promise you’re making today.”

He looked around the gathering as he told us how impressed he’d been all month by our friendship and the love we all shared. Then he asked us all to support Ivy and Jack in the manner of SLURFPIG. “If you agree, say it back to me now.”

Everyone shouted SLURFPIG.

“Luci’s going to read from another source of inspiration,” Jasper said. “Somewhat better known than SLURFPIG.”

A few people chuckled as I got up.

The reading wasn’t long, and I’d practiced in my cabin. However, now that I stood facing everyone, nerves had my hands shaking so much that my notecard fluttered like an aspen leaf in the fall. I had to grip the card between my fingers to steady it.