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Winifred patted his arm and smiled at him. “She will be happy with you, Rooney. I know she will.”
With a grateful look, he moved off.
Reverend Pollock, his cherubic countenance beaming, made his way to the front of the room and tapped on the mantelpiece for attention. When the crowd quieted, Sarah Rose descended the staircase wearing a lovely lavender dimity afternoon dress and carrying a bouquet of dark purple clematis. Even from where she was standing, Winifred could see Sarah’s hands shake. The crowd parted for her and she heard Rooney suck in his breath.
Sarah looked up at him and when he stepped to her side, Winifred’s heart kicked. The woman’s happiness was luminous.
Sarah’s grandson, Mark, took his place beside her and Wash Halliday stepped up to stand with Rooney. Sarah handed her flowers to Mark and clasped Rooney’s offered hand.
“Dearly beloved...”
In the next instant Zane was beside her, breathing hard as if he’d been running. “Girl,” he murmured in her ear.
“...this man and this woman...”
He stood close enough that she could feel the heat from his body and catch a whiff of his spicy shaving lotion. Surreptitiously he took her hand, brushing their entwined fingers against his light flannel-covered thigh.
“...to have and to hold from this day forth...”
Zane moved his shoulder to touch hers and stood gazing straight ahead at the couple as they exchanged their vows.
Winifred’s breath grew ragged. She was going to cry. Was crying. Oh, dear God, this was so beautiful.
Zane pressed her fingers.
“You may kiss the bride.”
She couldn’t watch. It seemed so private, joining one’s life with another. Instead, she dropped her gaze to the floor and felt Zane’s hand squeeze hers again. He understood. Of course he did. He knew what it was to love someone, to pledge to honor and cherish her. He knew because he had loved Cissy.
Ever since her sister’s death she had felt envious of what Cissy had had with this man. Perhaps she, too, would have done what Cissy had; set aside everything to be with Zane. She had never really understood it before, but she did now, at this moment.
Zane offered his handkerchief. She snatched it, feeling more unstrung than she ever had in recitals or concerts, even when she was just starting out on her performing career. She mopped at her welling eyes and tried to control her breathing.
The room erupted in cheers and began moving into the dining room for refreshments. Zane steered her in the opposite direction, out onto the honeysuckle-draped front porch.
She couldn’t seem to stop crying. Zane settled her into the porch swing. “Gets to you, doesn’t it?”
“Y-yes, it does. I think I will never attend another wedding after this.”
He gave her a long, unsmiling look. “I’ll bring us some cake and lemonade.”
While he was gone, Winifred tried to calm herself down. Goodness, her nerves were disintegrating! She hoped someone would add some hard cider to the lemonade.
Zane stepped out the front door, one hand balancing two plates of wedding cake and the other clutching two tall glasses of lemonade. Two forks stuck out of his jacket pocket.
Winifred took one look at him and again burst into tears.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with me,” she sobbed.
“I do. You’ve kept yourself away from things like this, away from life.”
“No, I haven’t. My life is very full. I’m so busy with my music, with teaching and performing, I can scarcely keep up.”
He thrust a glass of lemonade into her hands. “Take a big swallow, Winifred. Now take a deep breath.”
A choked laugh escaped her. “That’s exactly what I told Rooney before the ceremony, for his nerves. I suppose wedding jitters are l-like stage fright.”
Zane set a white china plate of wedding cake in her lap and pulled a fork out of his pocket. “Want to hear about Ellie Johnson’s baby?”
She nodded and stabbed at her cake.
“Beautiful baby girl. Lots of dark hair. Big blue eyes. Matt has fallen in love all over again.”
She sniffled. “I felt just like that when I first saw Rosemarie.”
“Ellie and Matt’s wedding was a bit unusual,” he said after a moment of silence. “Matt got tired of waiting while the flower girl and all the bridesmaids sashayed down the aisle, so he charged down, picked Ellie up and carried her up to the altar himself. People talked about it for weeks.”
Winifred laughed. “No stage fright, I guess.”
