Thank you for reading Sugar Cookie Country House. I hope you enjoy these bonus scenes of Jenny and Dylan’s wedding! Yes, Fish takes the show–are we surprised?
Sugar Cookie Country House: Bonus Scenes
by Jean Oram
© Jean Oram, 2023
All rights reserved
July 4
Wedding Day
Dylan waited under an archway in the backyard of Cassandra’s Peppermint Lodge. The arch smelled fragrant and sweet, decorated with red and white roses and woven with thick blue ribbon. Behind him and to the side was a pond, the late afternoon sun casting a lovely glow over their gathered family and friends and the majestic old hunting lodge in front of him.
Any moment the music would start and Jenny to come out, dressed in a gown from Blue Tumbleweed. The wedding had come together quickly, and he figured the guys from the team were probably taking bets on whether this was a real wedding, and if it was, how long the marriage would last. He could hear whispers, see heads lean close, remarking on the fact that Jenny and Dylan hadn’t chosen a wedding party. Too little time, too easy to spoil the surprise of it all.
Well, as far as he was concerned, everyone could talk all they wanted. He was going to marry Jenny, and that was all that mattered.
He focused on the red, white, and blue decorations in the yard, his attention drawn to a blur of shaggy black fur.
Fish.
His dog’s pink tongue lolled out in the late afternoon’s summer heat, and with her happy doggie grin, she began sprinting toward Dylan. She launched down the aisle made from the rows of white chairs set out on the lawn. Obviously, the barrier he and Paul had created in Cass’s living room had failed to keep the dog penned during the ceremony.
Someone said, “Aww! A doggy!” in a sweet voice and suddenly the 90-pound pooch veered left, disappearing into a row of occupied chairs.
Dylan called, “Fish! No! Leave it! Come! Fish, come!” He slapped his leg.
He muttered some choice Dutch words under his breath about her training and left his post to go retrieve her. Paul popped up from his own seat to help. Fish, fully into her socializing like she was the wedding’s hostess, wedged her way between chairs, dropping her chin on suited shoulders and leaving a glistening trail of slobber behind as she checked in with various members of the Dragons she’d met while crashing into his retirement party’s backyard post-party.
“Fish! Come!”
He couldn’t see her any longer, but could tell where she was based on the reactions of the seated guests, the shuffling and jostling as she forced her way between chairs and rows.
“Fish! Come. Come here, girl!”
A woman squeaked, her chair rocking backward as the dog pivoted in the tight space, bolting toward Dylan’s voice. She just about took out a row of players as she worked to scramble toward Dylan.
Finally free, she came up the aisle at full speed, tongue out, her giant, fringed tail swinging happily through the air, wildly slapping people as she went.
“This is why you never put an animal in a wedding,” his brother muttered out of the corner of his mouth from the front row.
“She’s not in the wedding.” He collared the dog and walked her up to his post under the arch, commanding her to sit beside him. Paul offered to take her, but Dylan knew she’d probably whine and be a pest, doing her best to escape Paul during the ceremony.
Plus, now that she knew how to escape the house, there was no penning her in again, and if they shut her in a room she’d just bark herself sick and disrupt the wedding anyway. May as well let her sit here like she belonged.
He was so focused on the dog he hadn’t noticed his bride’s entrance music had started and that Jenny was already halfway to him.
“Hey gorgeous,” he said, feeling the beginnings of a smile.
Fish stood, but Dylan hooked her collar, making her stay.
Jenny gave a little shoulder shimmy and hustled her pace, wrapping her arms around him. He released the dog as she gave him a long kiss. “Hey yourself, hottie.”
A few whoops and catcalls as well as laughter came from the audience and the dog barked in joy before wedging herself between Dylan and Jenny, tongue lolling out.
Soon they were saying their vows, the world narrowed down to this moment, this woman in front of him.
“Even though you like way too many sprinkles on a cookie and aren’t afraid to take on an armadillo, I knew you were the woman for me when you challenged me at Thanksgiving over everything that came out of my mouth. You assumed I was an entitled jerk, and I hope I have proven you wrong. In fact,” he looked down at their interlinked hands, the engagement ring twinkling on her finger—the first day she’d ever worn it. “I believe you have, because you have seen me and seem to understand more of me than anyone else I’ve known in my life. And I hope you feel the same way, because I love you and I can’t wait for my life to start with you as my wife, my partner, my friend.”
Jenny dipped her hand from his, quickly dabbing at her right eye and sniffing. “I can’t wait either.”
She said her vows, the words a blur, and then they were married, kissing in front of the cheering crowd. Dylan pronounced himself the happiest man on earth.
* * *
Jenny held Dylan’s hand, not wanting to let go. She was so happy, her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The dog was loving the excitement, checking in with her and Dylan so often that the bottom half of her white gown had turned black from her shed fur.
“I can’t believe you’re married.” Daisy-Mae was gaping at Jenny, head shaking. She was wearing a red sundress speckled with white stars, a blue belt around her trim waist. “I actually, honestly, didn’t see this coming.”
“You’ve been a bit busy,” Jenny said, relieved that life for her friend had calmed down a lot since January.
“I know, but…were y’all keeping this a secret? How did I not know? Mav kept insisting you two didn’t like each other.”
Jenny shrugged. “I may have let you think that. You know how small towns get with gossip and I honestly thought this would all fall apart within a few months.” She turned to Dylan, cupping his face, so happy that it hadn’t.
“We had no idea you two were as thick as thieves,” Cass added, a glass of champagne in hand. Rylnn and Cass’s son Dylan asked her something and when she nodded they ran off giggling. Cass narrowed her eyes at Jenny for a moment. “So when you told me in December that Dylan had called you and that he’d never call you again…?”
“I believed it.” Jenny smiled at Dylan who slipped his arm around her waist. “He hates trucks and tight jeans and country music!”
He shushed her like she’d shouted ‘bomb’ in an airport. “Could you say that any louder?”
The group laughed.
“We do have some things in common,” Dylan pointed out.
“We’ve both always wanted to go to Spain.”
Cass sighed, resting her cool champagne glass against her cheek. “Two weeks in Spain. You’ll have such an amazing honeymoon.”
“Well, since I’m the one who gave Dylan your phone number you should thank me,” Daisy-Mae said with a happy, smug smile. “I saw something there nobody else did.”
“And then ignored it like the rest of us,” Cass said, laughing as she gently nudged her friend.
“We’ve all been a bit busy falling in love, and keeping secrets, haven’t we?” Miranda Fairchild said, joining them and arching an eyebrow in Dylan’s direction. Behind her, Dak, her new husband, wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek.
“Speak for yourself,” Dylan muttered, gesturing to Dak, and the woman laughed. That had been a relationship intentionally cloaked in secrecy, unlike their own, which had been somewhat accidental.
“I hope the two of you will be very happy together.” Miranda gave Jenny a hug, then drew back, addressing Dylan.
“We’ll miss you on the team.”
“Thanks. It’s a good one.”
“We’re trying,” she said with a sigh, followed by a smile.
“Speaking of secrets and falling in love,” Athena said, joining them, her voice loaded with heavy meaning, placing her left hand into the center of the group with a flourish. A giant diamond shone in the July setting sun, blinding them all.
Jenny gasped, gave a little squeal and danced in place before throwing her arms around her friend. That had been a truly rocky start to a relationship. Athena and Mullens had hated each other and it was incredible to think they were now engaged.
Dylan and Mullens shook hands. “Congratulations, man.”
“Back at you.”
Athena whispered something to Cass, who replied, eyes round, “The Dragons are going to keep my lodge very, very busy.”
“Got to say, elopement is the way to go.” Miranda leaned against Dak’s shoulder, smiling like a woman in love. She straightened, clapping her hands. “So, who’s having babies first?
“I only ask because I’ve got a couple of players who’ll be aging out soon that I’ll need to be replaced.” She elbowed Maverick, who’d come to join Daisy-Mae.
Maverick moaned as though wounded, hamming it up.
Miranda, hands on her rounded hips, addressed the men. “I’m expecting a second generation to come up through the ranks and win me some cups. How about it, boys? What can you do for me?”
The group laughed, secret looks shared amongst the couples. There might be several little family hockey teams coming up through the ranks thanks to the present Dragons’ players and their wives from Sweetheart Creek.
* * *
The End
* * *
What do you think? Will there be a little hockey team coming up through the ranks? Who’s going to have kids first? Tell me in the comments below.
Have you read them all? There are seven books in the Hockey Sweethearts series as well as a bonus novella:
The Cupcake Cottage –Daisy-Mae and Maverick
Peach Blossom Hollow –Violet and Leo
Chocolate Cherry Cabin –Hannah and Louis
The Peppermint Lodge –Cassandra and Landon
The Huckleberry Bookshop –Athena and Mullens
The Sugar Cookie Country House –Jenny and Dylan
The Gingerbread Café –Miranda and Dak
A Tiny House Christmas –-Karlene and Joey. This is a bonus novella only available to newsletter subscribers. Find your exclusive download link in the back of your copy of Sugar Cookie Country House!