A Halloween to remember

After Kerry’s longtime boyfriend admits he’s not ready to settle down, she realizes it may be time to move on…but true love has other plans

The old phrase “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” could have been written about Kerry Dawson. Or at least she felt that way these days. In the past eight years, Kerry had been a bridesmaid 12 times and a maid of honor three—twice for her two best friends and once for her younger sister.

But last week, on Kerry’s 30th birthday, Hunter, her boyfriend of over two years, had taken her out to dinner at her favorite Italian restaurant. She was so sure that he would propose that she’d even delighted in her mother’s and sister’s excited anticipation of her engagement when they called to wish her a happy birthday.

But by the time Kerry had eaten the last crumb of dessert, sipped the final drop of her cappuccino and even ordered another to give Hunter more time, there had been no marriage proposal.

He had given her a birthday bag full of thoughtful gifts: a book she’d been wanting to read. A knitting kit for beginners. A gift certificate for a mani-pedi.

But she’d done what she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do. She’d told Hunter she needed to know, right then and there, that they had a future and that he saw them getting married, having children, sharing a life. If he couldn’t, then…she hadn’t even been able to say the rest. But they both knew it was an ultimatum.

His green eyes had grown misty, and he’d said he was sorry but that he wasn’t ready for marriage or children. Her heart had broken into a million pieces.

That Hunter was “the one” for her was never a doubt. A cowboy at the guest ranch where she worked in the petting zoo, Hunter lived by the code of the west: honesty and integrity were everything. He was kind. He made her laugh. She could tell him anything. Her family adored him. Their chemistry was on fire on every level. They were meant for each other.

But if he loved her, if she was “the one” for him, how could he not know after two and a half years? The question hung on her heart for the next couple of weeks with no contact from Hunter, and so by the time Halloween

“The sun shone through his thick, wavy dark hair, his green eyes unreadable”