What better way to end a love story than a wedding? I recently realized Cory and Autumn needed a wedding to end their romance in The Cowboy Kiss. This was really fun to write–my husband and I got married on the river too.

If you haven’t read the story yet, you can get it on Kindle for free,with the wedding scene included.

The Cowboy Kiss…

She’s a cutting-edge travel blogger—he’s a fishing guide with strong ties to their small hometown.

She thought they were arch enemies—he always thought they’d end up together.

 

If you’ve already read The Cowboy Kiss, here’s the new wedding scene:

People sat in chairs and on blankets to fill the riverbank under the oak trees. The sun wasn’t yet over the hilltop so the river appeared a deep green in the soft light. All along the opposite river bank, leaves decorated the oak trees in shades of red, pink, burgundy, orange and brown. A few of the colorful leaves had fallen in the water and dotted the river, floating along in the slow current. It was a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding, and even this late into the fall, it was a warm morning.

Lily sat at a piano, playing, and she faded the song and began with a distinctly familiar wedding processional. Every head turned toward the resort behind them, with some people whispering while others fell into a hushed pause. They were waiting for Cory to appear, of course, since he wasn’t standing up front with Pastor Andy. But no one stepped out of the resort.

The murmurs grew but were overtaken by motor noise. Andy turned to look downriver.

“Look over there!” A little girl squealed and pointed.

A drift boat motored upstream toward the pastor with Cory standing in front with his hands clasped, looking long and trim in his tux. Most people probably wouldn’t notice or remember his tux—except for the pictures of course—because his smile was so radiant, proud and expecting. For once, his hair wasn’t imprinted from his cowboy hat.

A photographer, hidden down by the water, snapped pictures of the tall, handsome cowboy with all of nature’s glory as his backdrop. Ripples fanned out from the boat, giving the reflection of the trees, boat and Cory a nice artistic effect.

His boat slowed and Cory hopped up the stairs. He smiled at the crowd and turned back toward the river.

Now Lily began the wedding march.

A boat came around the bend upstream, gently floating toward them. The crowd gave a collective, “Awwww!”

The bride wore a long, simple white dress that made her look even more beautiful and elegant. A crown of delicate flowers, in fall colors, adorned her curled blond hair. With the river behind her, and such joy in her eyes, she could have easily been the cover for a bridal magazine.

Autumn beamed, her eyes on her fiancé, until the boat glided to the dock. Her father stood at the back, guiding the boat, and then helped her out. Randy took her arm and walked her up front, where she grabbed him in a long hug.

Teresa had walked to the front to hug Autumn too, and then Randy and Teresa sat down together in the front row.

Autumn turned to Cory. He stepped closer and took her hands. A tear plopped onto her cheek and ran down her face. His eyes were shiny too.

Silence fell except for a robin chirping somewhere and the breeze humming in the oak leaves. Many weddings begin with, “We are here today…”

Not this one.

“Many years ago,” Pastor Andy began, “Young Autumn was busy digging worms in the yard to take fishing. Cory snuck up to see what she was doing, assuming she must be making mud pies. Well, she wasn’t, but Cory ended up getting a mud pie to the face by the end of the day.” He waited through the laughter. “That marked the beginning of a long friendship that grew into much more. Cory?”

“I’ve loved you a long time, Autumn,” Cory said, looking into her eyes. “Ever since we started walking home from school together, sharing snacks and talking about all our big ideas. Ever since we built that old tree fort in your apple tree and spent stolen hours there. Ever since I chased you around at grade school, and later when I chased you around for a date. Even when you left for college, I loved you. I came to understand that we each needed to grow into our own person. I loved you when you came back, and we discovered that link and love was there and stronger than ever. I’ll always love you.”

She felt more tears roll down her face. “I’ll always love you,” she mouthed.

They weren’t to that part but Cory suddenly leaned over and stole a quick kiss on the mouth—a cowboy kiss!