Kyle's Modern Montana Bride (The New Montana Brides Book 6) by Susan Leigh Carlton Page A

breathed flying when he was that age. He played football and baseball, but flying and Ashley was where his heart lay.”
    Catherine saw the look on Susannah’s face. “I’m sorry honey. That was thoughtless of me. He never cared for Ashley the way he loves you.”
    “It’s all right Catherine. I was there. In those days, I wasn’t interested in boys younger than I was. It was the grade above me not below that got my attention. Whenever I think of Ashley, I think of a waste. She was chasing something. I don’t think she realized she had already caught the best. That’s the sad part.”
    “At least something good came of it. Zach’s a nice boy,” Catherine said.
    “Yes, he is. Kyle and I talked about him. After the wedding, I’m going to adopt him.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure Zach is too,” Catherine said.
    “We’re going to fly down next week, and start closing things out,” Susannah said. “We haven’t decided whether Zach will go or not. I haven’t said anything to him. School will be starting next month, and I want to get him enrolled here, so we’ll need to get his school records from there.
    “I need to make a list. There are so many things to take care of, and I don’t want to let anything slip.”
    “Speaking of letting things slip, have you and Kyle discussed where you will live?”
    “No, we haven’t. I’ll put that at the top of the list,” Susannah said.
    Later…
    “Your mother asked if we’ve talked about where we will live, whether we will build another house, or stay here with them.
    “For my part, I like it here. It would be fun having our own house and decorating it, but this is fine with me,” she said.
    “You know,” Kyle said, “we could do a makeover, combine these two bedrooms into one, maybe have a private entrance, something along those lines.”
    “I like that,” she said. “It would be a shame to let this beautiful house be unused.”
    “One other thing. I want a daughter. I want a little girl that looks just you. Then, I’ll be living with two of the most beautiful women in Montana.”
    “I’ll have your daughter, darling, and son. I would love to have a miniature version of you.”
    “We already have a son, remember?” he said.
    “But I want to have your son,” she said softly.
     

chapter twenty-one
    A Wedding
    Kyle paid the county clerk fifty-three dollars in exchange for a marriage license. Catherine had made the arrangements with Pastor Gregory to conduct the wedding ceremonies. An announcement appeared in the Helena Independent record:
    Miss Susannah Leigh Stewart, daughter of the late Kenneth and Marie Stewart will be married on Saturday, September 8, 2012. The ceremony will be held in the main sanctuary of St. John’s Lutheran Church. Pastor Karl Gregory will conduct the ceremony, to be followed by a reception at the Helena Country Club. Ms. Stewart is a graduate of Helena High School, and the University of Colorado.
    Mr. Thompson is the son of John and Catherine Thompson, of Helena. He graduated from Helena High School and the US Military Academy at West Point, New York.
    After a honeymoon in Paris, the couple will be at home at the TbarS ranch.
    Susannah and Catherine made a list of those to be invited. Kyle had been asked whom he would like to invite, and he said, “Susannah”.
    Out of town guests began arriving the day before the wedding. The first couple to arrive checked in to the hotel where Catherine had reserved rooms and drove to the ranch. When Kyle answered the door, he was wrapped in a crushing bear hug.
    “Rattler, how have you been, man?” The tall, lean, clean cut man said. He was a former pilot in Kyle’s unit during his second tour in Afghanistan and a fellow alumnus of West Point. Kyle’s resourceful mother scrounged their addresses from the West Point Association and invited the entire unit. Most were still in the Army and several were deployed, so only six were able to make it to the wedding. They had