And she did, in fact, come home with him… in more ways than one.
Epilogue
The Cajun Cowboy takes a bride… again…
Raoul and Charmaine Lanier renewed their wedding vows on Christmas Eve. at the Triple L Ranch, just as Tante Lulu had planned all along.
The inside and outside of the ranch house were decorated to the gills with more lights than Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. In fact, a fuse had blown three times so far, throwing them into total darkness. The Christmas tree beside which they’d spoken their vows with the blessing of Father Girard, who’d come up from Our Lady of the Bayou Church, was so big it had taken three men to get it inside. There was enough food cooking back in the kitchen to feed three armies, including meat loaf and a peach wedding cake, of all things.
But Raoul could not care. Charmaine was back in his arms again, and he was never going to let her go.
Clarence acted as Raoul’s best man, and he looked so spiffy in his tuxedo with a string tie that a few old ladies in the audience were heard to comment, “What a hunk!” Luc, Remy, Tee-John, and Jimmy were groomsmen or ushers—equally hunkish, in everyone’s opinion. Linc sang the lyrics to a song he’d written just for them, “Love renewed,” accompanied by soulful accordion music provided by René.
Later they played the peach orchard song, which Linc’s ancestor, A.B. Lincoln, had sung at another wedding more than 150 years ago. Raoul was heard to say, “I can’t wait till you shake my tree, Charmaine.” And Charmaine responded, “Wait till you see the peaches I have for you, baby.”
They planned to spend their honeymoon at The Lucky Duck motel in the special “Webbing Suite.”
Charmaine’s maid-of-honor was Tante Lulu, who beamed through the entire event, as if she’d arranged it all. Which she had, of course, with the help of St. Jude, who stood next to the priest, beaming, as well. Her bridesmaids were Sylvie, Rachel and two of the hairdressers from her salon. Luc and Sylvie’s three little ones were flower girls, twirling their long dresses through the whole ceremony.
The bride wore red. Yes, red. A thigh-high sheath dress, which hugged her body, with a square neckline and cap sleeves. Demure, by Charmaine’s standards. On her feet were Raoul’s favorite red high heels.
Before the ceremony, she confided to Raoul, “I’m not wearing anything underneath.” To which he was said to smile and reply, “Me neither.”
The bride was given away by her mother Fleur who planned to open a stripper school in New Orleans, thanks to the expected publicity from her soon-to-be published nude photo shoot. Charmaine was heard to comment, “Whatever!”
The groom’s mother did not attend owing to previous commitments, but she did send her good wishes. Raoul was heard to comment, “Whatever!”
For a combination Christmas/wedding present, Charmaine gave Raoul a German shepherd puppy to replace the one he’d had years ago. Raoul gave her the architectural drawings for the dude ranch/health spa that would open here at the Triple L next fall. They would operate it together, with him running a veterinary clinic on the side. There would be more than enough money for all this with the civil suit settlement they expected to receive from the police department and Blue Heron Oil.
Everyone was at peace and happy at this special time of the year and at this most special event.
Except Tante Lulu.
She nabbed René as he was about to raise a toast to the newlyweds. “Have I given you a hope chest yet, boy?”
Everyone who overheard exclaimed, as one, “Uh-oh!”
Note to the Reader
Dear Reader:
I hope you liked Charmaine’s story in The Cajun Cowboy. I grew to love her outrageousness in the other books of this LeDeux family series, but I never intended to write a separate novel for her. A heroine with four husbands? Not very sympathetic, I thought… originally. But as the books, and her character, developed, I knew she deserved her own story. It was such fun telling this tale of a good-hearted “bimbo” and a sexy-as-sin cowboy. And what’s not to like about Raoul Lanier?