Almost Perfect

Epilogue

Maddy put the finishing touches on a new pastel, then grabbed a big sweater and stepped out onto the balcony for a breath of fresh air. Winter was in full swing, with snow covering the mountains. She wrapped her arms about herself to hold in the warmth and a glowing contentment.

On the hill near the front gate, she could see that the construction workers had made a lot of progress in putting up the framework for the new house. She and Joe had decided to build a two-story addition onto the owner's house. It would be twice as big as the original house and completely self-contained, but having it attached would allow them to be nearby for Mama in the coming years.

The sound of male voices ringing out like drill sergeants drew her attention to the center of camp, where Joe and Derrick were leading afternoon calisthenics. She still had trouble believing how many people would pay to be put through what looked to her like physical torture, but the list seemed endless. And Joe was like a big kid, having the time of his life.

A smile tugged at Maddy's lips as she remembered their discussion over breakfast. For the past several weeks, he'd been prodding her to set a date for the wedding. But with Sylvia running her ragged getting ready for the spring catalog, Maddy told him her mind couldn't handle making one more decision right now, much less the millions of decisions involved in planning a wedding.

Joe had looked right at her and announced she was fired as their wedding planner and he was taking over. Her jaw had dropped at the idea, but he'd reasoned that if a woman could propose, a man could plan the wedding. How he had the time with the boot camp taking off at surprising speed, she had no idea, but he assured her that he'd take care of everything.

"All right," she'd conceded with no small dose of amusement. "Just be sure and clear the date with Christine and Amy so they can be my bridesmaids."

"Not a problem," he'd insisted.

And with that, she'd gladly turned the whole thing over to him. Although she couldn't wait to share the news with her friends and see what they thought. If nothing else, a man's version of a wedding was bound to be interesting.

Thinking of Christine and Amy, she headed back inside to check her e-mail. The last few days had certainly held lots of developments for Christine. Maddy opened her laptop and found a new post from Christine who was currently in Colorado. Her eyes bulged as she read the latest installment in Christine's wild romance, then her fingers flew as she typed her response.

Subject: What?

Message: Details, woman. We want details!