Teresa rushed into the guest room, her hands filled with two bouquets, the bride's and her own.  "Are you about ready, Laura?  Scott's already downstairs with Johnny and the preacher.  Murdoch's on his way up." 

Laura MacNeill, soon to be Lancer, turned from the mirror where she was checking her hair and veil for the last time, and smoothed the white taffeta skirt of her wedding gown.  "Yes, Teresa, I think I'm ready."  She smiled broadly at the girl who had already become like a sister and reached out to take her bouquet.

"Are you nervous?  I would be.  You seem so calm."  Teresa was practically breathless with excitement.  She wondered how it would feel to be getting married.  Not having had a serious beau, she hoped she wouldn't end up an 'old maid'.

"No, I'm not nervous," Laura replied, the tremor in her voice betraying her emotions.  "Not nervous, just a little afraid."

"Afraid?  I didn't think you were afraid of anything!"  Teresa secretly didn't think there was much that would shake her friend.  Laura seemed to take everything in stride.  She was so much like Scott – calm, thoughtful, and resilient.

"Afraid I'm going to wake up and this will all have been a dream….a wonderful, exciting dream…but a dream nonetheless."

Teresa moved to give Laura a hug.  "Oh, Laura, it's really not a dream.  It seems like a fairy tale, but it's not a dream."

"From the sound of that music, I think it's about time."  Murdoch strode in, filling the room with his presence.  Folding Laura in his arms, he kissed her on the cheek.  "And I am honored to be the one to give the bride away.  I can't tell you how happy you've made Scott,  Laura.  You've made us all happy.  I only wish your father had chosen to share this day with you."

"I tried, Murdoch."  Laura sighed.  "I did write to him.  Scott insisted."

"I knew you wrote to him."  Teresa looked at Murdoch as she spoke, ignoring the caution in his eyes.  "But you never told me if he wrote back."

"Yes….he wrote back."  Laura couldn't disguise the bitterness in her voice.  "He wrote back that he would not be coming for my 'disastrous marriage'….he 'would not stand to see his only child make the biggest mistake of her life.'"

"Mistake?  Marrying Scott?"  Teresa was incredulous.

"Yes, marrying the love of my life.  My own father would have denied me that, Teresa.  I don't expect you to understand.  From what you've told me of your father, he was a very different sort of man.  My father hates Harlan Garrett so intensely that he would never have willingly allowed me to marry his grandson."

"But…" Teresa started, the distress evident in her eyes.

"Hey, are you comin' or not?  Scott's startin' to get worried!"  Johnny stuck his head through the door.

"Tell Scott I'll be right there!"  Laura laughed at the look of concern on Johnny's face.  "And, Teresa, some day soon I'll tell you the whole story, but for now….let's not keep my groom waiting any longer!"