This Matter Of Marriage. Debbie Macomber

      Praise for the novels of New York Times bestselling author DEBBIE MACOMBER

      “Debbie Macomber’s gift for understanding the souls of women—their relationships, their values, their lives—is at its peak.”

      —BookPage on Between Friends

      “Macomber offers a very human look at three women who uproot their lives to follow their true destiny.”

      —Booklist on Changing Habits

      “Macomber is known for her honest portrayals of ordinary women in small-town America, and this tale cements her position as an icon of the genre.”

      —Publishers Weekly on 16 Lighthouse Road

      “Debbie Macomber is one of the most reliable, versatile romance authors around. Whether she’s writing light-hearted romps or more serious relationship books, her novels are always engaging stories that accurately capture the foibles of real-life men and women with warmth and humor.”

      —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

      “Macomber’s women serve as bedrock for one another in this sometimes tearful, always uplifting tale that will make readers wish they could join this charming breakfast club.”

      —Booklist on Thursdays at Eight

      “Debbie Macomber is one of the few true originals in women’s fiction…. Her books are touching and marvelous and not to be missed!”

      —Anne Stuart

      “As always, Macomber draws rich, engaging characters.”

      —Publishers Weekly on Thursdays at Eight

      “Debbie Macomber shows why she is one of the most powerful, highly regarded authors on the stage today.”

      —Midwest Book Review

      This Matter of Marriage

      Debbie Macomber

      For Paula and Dianne.

       You know why.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I remember watching the Academy Awards and wondering just how long it would take for the awards winner to spout off all the names of those who’d helped along the way. The list seemed endless. While I’m not an Academy Award winner—at least, not yet—I have my own list of people to thank, so please bear with me.

      

      Thanks, first and foremost, to my husband, Wayne, who loved and believed in me enough to allow me to follow my dream. To my agent, Irene Goodman, who held my hand all through contract negotiations. To my best friend, Linda Lael Miller, who taught me everything I needed to know about power-shopping. And thanks to Susan Wiggs for our twice-a-month neurotic lunches.

      

      No writer has been blessed with a better support team. Thank you, one and all.

      

      Working with MIRA has been a writer’s dream. Everything in life should be this much fun. Thank you, Paula, Dianne, Randall, Candy, KO, Stuart and Brian. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

      Contents

       One: Starting Now

       Two: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

       Three: Seven Down, Three To Go

       Four: First There Was Paul, Then George…

       Five: Bachelor #1

       Six: The Loan Ranger

       Seven: Make Mine A Double

       Eight: Bachelor #2

       Nine: Bingo!

       Ten: The Lady With The Curve Ball

       Eleven: Disappointments

       Twelve: Bachelor #3

       Thirteen: Bring On The Ice Cream

       Fourteen: Does He Wear Panty Hose?

       Fifteen: What Friends Are For

       Sixteen: Not My Type

       Seventeen: She Bakes

       Eighteen: Aunt Hallie

       Nineteen: Take It Like A Man

       Twenty: Chicken Soup For The Heart

       Twenty-One: Back In The Saddle Again

       Twenty-Two: The Girl Next Door

       Twenty-Three: Back In The Game

       Twenty-Four: Four Blind Mice

       Twenty-Five: When Todd Met Donnalee

       Twenty-Six: Second Chance At Love

       Twenty-Seven: Large Women Wearing Helmets With Horns

       Twenty-Eight: The Movies

       Twenty-Nine: Love Is Better Than Chocolate

       Thirty: Mr. Nice Guy

       Thirty-One: Goodbye, My Heart

       Thirty-Two: Wide Awake And Dreaming

       Thirty-Three: The Wedding

       Thirty-Four: The Wedding Bouquet

       Epilogue

      One

      Starting Now

      January 1

      A new year generally starts out with me writing a few inspiring lines about how I’m going to lose five pounds—let’s be honest, it’s ten—and pay off all my credit cards and other high expectations like that. It’s the same every January. But this year’s going to be different. Oh, I still want to lose those extra pounds, more than ever, but for a different reason.

      I want a husband. And eventually a family.

      And that means I need a plan. Being a goal-oriented person, I usually begin by identifying what I’m after (MARRIAGE!!) and then I work out a logical procedure for getting it. Which, in this case, includes looking good. (Not that I look bad now, if I do say so myself. But I’m talking really good. Are you listening, thighs?) Because, as I’ve learned in advertising, packaging counts.

      Putting all this into words is something of an eye-opener for me. I’ve come a long way from those college days when I refused to give in to what I called the “female escape route,” like some of my friends. Cassie, Jamie, Rita and Jane all got married within six months of graduation, and as far as I could see, the only reason they did was because they found the real world more of a challenge than they’d anticipated, and used marriage as a cop-out.

      Not me. Oh, no, marriage was much too conventional for me. I wanted to kick some butt in the business world first. Make a name for myself with my very own graphic arts firm. And I’ve done it! Now I feel like I’ve come full circle. I’ve accomplished a lot , and I won’t minimize my achievements, but this Christmas I realized there’s more to life than getting the Woman of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce.

      So, last week I made the decision: Marriage!

      It’s time to let a man into my life. Until now I’ve viewed relationships like…dessert. Nice occasionally, but not with every meal. My friends have been tossing potential husbands in my direction for years, and I’ve frustrated them again and again.

      I’m too picky, that’s what Rita says. Not true. I have my standards; every woman does. But my work’s the reason I haven’t married. I’ve poured my heart into making a success of Artistic License. For the past six years my focus,