Behind the Altar: Behind the Love Trilogy (17 page)

“I hope you get that
log cabin built soon,” Reggie said as he struggled to pin a small yellow sunflower
on Dean’s white guayabera shirt. “I can’t even turn around in here without
bumping into you.”

“It’s a whole lot
more fun with Leah than you, buddy,” Dean said. He grabbed his white cotton
pants off the bed. “Glad you didn’t stab me with that thing.”

There was a knock on
the door. Reggie opened it to Jacob standing outside the motor home.

“How’s it going in
here?” he asked as he leaned his head inside.

“I’d invite you in,
but Reggie takes up a lot of space,” Dean said. “How we doing on time?”

“Leah and Susie are
on their way. You ready to go?” Jacob asked.

“Just as soon as I
tie these pants. Leah wanted casual, she got casual.”

Dean’s white linen
shirt fit tight across his torso but fell loosely down his stomach. The white cotton
gauze pants and white fedora with the gray band would fit right in at South
Beach, but Leah didn’t know that. She asked that he look casually debonair.
He’d do anything for that woman, even if it meant wearing pants that tied at
the waist.

Reggie stepped out of
the RV to let Jacob come in. The close quarters barely held two men, especially
two men as tall and burly as Reggie and Dean.

“I’ll be out here
keeping an eye out for the girls,” Reggie said as Jacob stepped inside.

“Thanks for doing
this, Jacob,” Dean said. “It’s more than Leah and I could ever have hoped for.”

“I’m glad you
understood why I wanted to marry you. Reggie is better as the best man anyway.
It may be his turn next.”

“I hope so. Are you
OK?”

“I’m fine and honored
to be able to join two people so much in love together in marriage. Two people
I love very much.”

“I’m a lucky man.”

“You are, and don’t
you ever forget it. If you do anything to hurt Leah, you’ll have to deal with
me.”

“Don’t you worry
about that, brother. I want to do everything I can to make her happy for the
rest of her life.”

“I hope one day, I’ll
feel about someone the way you do about her,” Jacob said. “How did you get over
it? Over what happened with Geraldine.”

“I didn’t, until I
met the right woman. I’ve had lots of women, but I used them. Like I was
getting back somehow. Then the day I first saw Leah in the church hall, I
couldn’t get her out of my head.”

“Let’s hope the same
will happen for me. Maybe in Vancouver.”

“Thanks for sticking
around until we could arrange the wedding. You’re our only family.”

“And the two of you
are my family as well.”

Reggie rapped on the
door. “They’re pulling up to the barn right about now.”

“Is everyone else in
place?”

“They’re all here.
Now come out here and meet your bride.”

Dean stepped out of
the RV just as Leah stepped out of Susie’s car. He caught his breath. He’d
never seen anything so beautiful in his life as Leah standing there with her
hair loosely pulled up at the back of her head. A crown of baby’s breath
encircled her head. The strapless white gown, with the gold embroidery on the
bodice, fit tightly across her breasts. The skirt of the dress billowed at the
waist. Simple, yet elegant, and exactly what Dean expected of the beautiful
woman who’d captured his heart. He laughed when he saw her feet. She wore white
flip-flops with silver glitter on the straps. As he walked toward her, his eyes
filled with tears. He put his shaking hands in his pockets.

“You are the
loveliest vision I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said as they came together.

Standing around the
front of the barn were all the Deer River folks, along with a few of Dean’s
friends from high school. Dean held out his elbow, and Leah put her hand
through his arm. They began walking toward the river while the others followed.
Bud strummed a tune on the guitar as they walked, and Dean knew the soft melody
was one Bud had written especially for this day.

Leah walked with Dean
with her head held high. The tension of the past few months floated away from
her as she marched to the river with the man she loved. The ceremony would be
over before the heat of September became too much, and the rest of the day
would be spent in the finished barn celebrating the love that surrounded the
two of them.

“Welcome all to the
banks of the Deer River,” Jacob said when they’d gathered close to the bride
and groom. “It is with great pride and pleasure that I join together two people
very special to me. Dean, my brother, and Leah, my dear friend, have declared
their love for one another and ask that all of you witness their vows and
support their marriage.”

The group cheered and
clapped as Dean and Leah stared into one another’s eyes oblivious to the joy of
those gathered with them. Finally, they quieted down, and with Susie next to
Leah and Reggie next to Dean, they exchanged their vows and became husband and
wife.

“You two are now
pronounced married and you may kiss your bride, Dean,” Jacob said. “Dear
sister, welcome to the family.”

Dean reached down,
grabbed Leah by the waist, and pulled her up to him. She put her arms around
his neck and their lips came together in one long and luxurious kiss. Their
guests stomped their feet and hooted encouragement for the kiss to continue.
When they pulled apart, Leah and Dean smiled at one another.

“We’re married,” Leah
said.

“We’re married. Now
let’s party.”

Susie grabbed Leah
and gave her a big hug.

“You’re next,” Leah
said.

“Come here, you beautiful
woman,” Reggie said as he grabbed Leah from Susie and gave her a bear hug. “You
don’t let this guy push you around, all right?”

“She’s the one who
pushes me all around,” Dean said as he came up to give Susie a hug. “Whatever
she says goes.”

“You say that now,
but wait a few months,” Reggie said. “It always changes.”

“Come on, Reg,” Susie
said. “Let them enjoy it for a few weeks before you start.”

Joshua and Carol came
up to hug the couple, and the others took their turns as well.

“Let’s go to the barn,”
Dean said. “Lots of food and drink for everyone. And music, too. Y’ll better be
ready to dance.”

As the others headed
for the barn, Dean held Leah’s hand and pulled her toward the river.

“Are you happy?” he
asked when they were far enough away from the others.

“This is the happiest
day of my life,” she said. “Everything is perfect.”

“We’ll have that log
cabin built in no time,” he said. “Jacob said we could live in the parsonage while
he’s away and before they find a replacement.”

“I’d rather stay right
here, but I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together.”

“You’re a remarkable
woman.”

“I don’t know about
that. But I’ve learned something very valuable over the past few months.”

She pulled back the
lace of her bodice to reveal a bright red tattoo, less than an inch in diameter
on the side of her left breast. She tapped the heart Dean carved on her after
she said she’d marry him.

“Home is right here.
A roof and walls are only temporary. Home is wherever we are, whether it’s a
mansion, a log cabin in the woods, an RV, a loft in an old barn, or a spot on
the earth next to the river. If you’re there with me, I’m home.”

Dean pulled her close
to his chest so she could hear his heart beating. The river flowed slowly down
the banks, the birds sang in the treetops, and the crickets chirped in unison.
They’d both finally found home.

Follow the Behind the
Love series in
Behind the Bar
as
Susie and Reggie struggle to discover if love deserves a second chance.

I am very appreciative that you took the time to
read
Behind the Altar
, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed
writing it. Click here for your copy of the second book in this series,
Behind the Bar
. The third book,
Behind
the Curtain
will be released in late 2015.

I’d love it if you could write a short review on
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Website:
P.C.
Zick
 

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P.C. Zick’s career as a writer began in 1998 with
the publication of her first column in a local paper. By day, she was a high
school English teacher, but at night and on vacations, she began writing novels
and working as a freelance journalist. By 2001, she left teaching and began
pursuing a full-time gig as a writer. She describes herself as a
"storyteller" no matter the genre.

Her blog and her novels contain the elements most
dear to her heart, ranging from love to the environment. She believes in living
lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion.

She resides in
Pennsylvania with her husband, Robert.

Ms. Zick welcomes honest
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Behind the Altar
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Books by
P.C. Zick:

Behind the Love Romance Series – click on cover
to purchase

Release date TBA
for Behind the Curtain

Florida Fiction Series

Other Works of Fiction

Nonfiction