During the three phone calls she’d had with her parents her father had hesitatingly suggested he might give her away. She did not want that either. They had a long way to go to fix their relationship, if they ever could. As it happened her parents hadn’t been able to get here for the wedding since her mother had fallen and broken her hip. They were all talking, and trying to move forward. It would be a long journey, but at least they’d started.
As she passed Antonija she saw her soon-to-be mother-in-law also crying, along with an enormous smile. Little Capeka watched solemnly from beside her adoptive grandmother. For a while Kristof and Alesha had considered bringing her to London for a new start in life, but she was struggling to find her feet and it had been decided the little girl should stay in Dubrovnik for now, at least, and, as no one had come forward to claim her, Antonija had taken her into her home permanently.
Glancing around, Alesha saw Harry’s wife blink and surreptitiously wipe her eyes. What was with all these tears? It was the happiest day of her life and everyone was crying. Suddenly a laugh rippled out of Alesha’s throat. Happy tears were afloat everywhere. ‘This is wonderful. I am so happy to be marrying the man of my heart.’ And she stepped up beside him. Kristof, he was all that really mattered. With him she’d found what she’d been looking for most of her life, and he was generous with his love. That was so special she had to keep pinching herself to make sure she hadn’t fallen asleep in the sun somewhere.
Then Kristof was taking her hand and kissing her cheek. Love shone out of those blue-grey eyes she adored. ‘I love you, darling.’
The celebrant chuckled. ‘You’re getting ahead of yourself, Mr Montfort. I think I’d better get this under way quick smart.’
Kristof’s words of devotion and love were a blur for Alesha, yet she felt them deep in her heart. And when it was her turn to pledge her love she saw him open up more than ever to accept her promises of love.
‘I pronounce you man and wife. Kristof, now you can kiss your bride.’
Amidst laughter and lots of sweet-scented petals, Alesha reached up and kissed her husband.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Sue MacKay
Baby Miracle in the ER
Her New Year Baby Surprise
Falling for Her Fake Fiancé
Pregnant with the Boss’s Baby
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from One Night with the Army Doc by Traci Douglass.
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One Night with the Army Doc
by Traci Douglass
CHAPTER ONE
“UNITS RESPOND TO trauma rollover. Motor vehicle accident. Hickel Parkway near Raspberry Road. SUV flipped several times, currently on roof. Three passengers involved—man, woman and young child. Man self-extricated, according to police. Woman and child trapped inside. Fire Rescue responding with Jaws of Life. Over.”
“Copy. Unit A18 en route.”
Dr. Jake Ryder replaced the receiver on the dashboard two-way radio, feeling the familiar buzz of adrenaline that always followed a call to arms pumping through his blood.
“Ready for action, Doc?” EMT Zac Taylor asked from the driver’s seat.
“Always.” Since taking over the Emergency Medicine Department at Anchorage Mercy Jake didn’t get to spend much time out in the field, so this was a special treat. “I’ll get things ready in the back.”
While Zac steered them toward the accident scene Jake unbuckled his seat belt and moved into the rear of the ambulance. He grabbed some extra rolls of gauze and shoved them in his bag, then double-checked the batteries in his flashlight. His chief of staff’s words from earlier that day were still echoing in his head.
“I know how you feel about the media, but this is Bobby’s best chance at recovery...”
His best friend Bobby had saved his life once. Now Jake would return the favor.
There were no other options.
Even if it meant the possibility of revisiting the dreaded invasion of his personal life that had followed his Distinguished Service Cross commendation. That debacle was one of the reasons why he kept to himself these days. Other than Bobby and Zac, and a few other staff at the hospital, he wasn’t really close to anyone. His ex and those reporters had really done a number on Jake back then, and now he had some reality TV doc ready to barge in and take over Bobby’s case.
Exactly what he didn’t need.
They swerved to a stop as Jake tried to picture this media darling doctor who would be waiting for him when he got back to the hospital. He’d never heard of this wunderkind guaranteed to be Bobby’s medical savior. All he knew was what his ER staff had mentioned—that this traveling physician was all about the new and experimental, mainly at the expense of old-fashioned caring and compassion.
Not good. Not good at all.
Zac parked the ambulance, then leaned around the partition separating the front cabin from the treatment area. “Looks like a real zoo at the crash scene, Doc. At least the cops have the perimeter blocked off.”
“Great. Let’s roll.”
Jake zipped up his pack, then pushed out of the rig with the heavy duffle slung over one shoulder. Sirens wailed and red and blue emergency lights blazed from all directions. One of the police officers gave them a rundown while they weaved their way toward the overturned vehicle.
“What happened?” Jake asked.
“From what the father told me, it was a moose,” the officer said. “Ran out into the road and the guy swerved. Those SUVs are top-heavy, so the whole thing rolled under the strain. I asked him how many times, but he couldn’t remember.”
“Wife and kid still inside the car?”
“Yep. Both awake and talking. We’ve got a couple of guys trying to keep them calm.”
“Awesome.”
Jake slipped around the end of a fire rescue truck parked diagonally near the wreck, seeing the snowcapped peaks of the Chugach Mountains rising like sentinels in the distance.
“Any loss of consciousness with the father or the other victims?”
“He says no, but it’s hard to tell.”
The cop kept pace with Jake’s longer strides.
“The kid keeps crying for his toy, poor guy. We’ve searched the area, but haven’t found any stuffed sheep.”
“Got it covered.”
Jake patted the side pocket of his duffle. The thing in his bag wasn’t a lamb, more like a cross between a giraffe and a dinosaur, but any port in a storm.
“Is