This excerpt is from the soon to be released sequel of Mine Alone. The Kincaid men where raised to believe no one, especially women told them no. A good Kincaid woman was trained to agree.

Brian, Charles' brother has met his match. Matt, Charles' son has found his true love.

Chapter 1 A Wedding

The quaint street lined with large majestic trees on both sides only had six houses on it. Houses that were home to the town's elite. On any given day secluded and peaceful, just not today.

On July 25^th, 1889, a mixture of thirty-seven horse-drawn carriages, surreys, and buggies clogged the small back street. Music and happy voices surrounded the house. The hired staff in crisp, clean black pressed uniforms busied themselves catering to the people dressed in their finest attire.

Ellen Trent was hosting a wedding. That fact alone meant perfection; nothing less was acceptable.

The ceremony was set to begin at ten A.M. sharp. Everyone knew it would begin on time, which was a good thing because at nine-thirty, the heat had already become unbearable. The icing on the three-tier stunning wedding cake began to melt. Two pink roses, casualties of the sun's rays, now puddled as the liquefied pink icing dripped coral colored stripes down the side of the one tier. By the time the bride and groom would be ready to cut into it, there would be no way it resembled its former beauty.

A hundred guests stood as the familiar notes of the wedding march filled the air. Heads with smiles turned to see the bride in all her splendor march down the aisle towards her waiting groom. Except there was no bride.

Instead, they saw and heard a man stood yelling from the doorway. A doorway covered in colorful white, pink and yellow roses in honor of this special day. He had to call out his message three times before the musicians stopped, and the man standing in front of the justice of the peace jumped down the steps and raced toward him.

"She's gone!" the man repeated for the fourth time, "Patsy's gone, I tell you."

The groom grabbed at the man. Disbelief contorted his face. Two white fists pulled the messenger toward him by the man's lapel.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"I went to fetch her. She didn't come out. I went in the house. It was empty. The back door open, and her horse, it's gone too." Sweat popped across his brow, cowering before the groom while he delivered his message.

In fifteen minutes the local sheriff chose a posse. In another fifteen minutes they were to meet in front his office split up and search for the bride. There were only two people who snickered about the bride having cold feet and leaving on her own accord.

"Matt, find my niece and please bring her home," begged Ellen Trent, the bride's aunt.

"I will, Aunt Ellen, I will."

He answered while he checked the Colt .45 making sure the gun in his hand returned to his holster with a full load. Checking the saddle and gear, he mounted and rode out of town.

Here's Patsy recipe to share with you all.

http://bettysbloggingplace.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html

And for your poetry lovers this weeks offering:

http://bettysbloggingplace.blogspot.com/p/new.html

Thanks for stopping by!

Read about Matt's dad, Charles and Uncle Brian's first wife in

Mine Alone