Chapter One
Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
The sun was rising and she could already see the farm hand hard at work in the field. Creating neat rows of hay in the distance, the sound of his tractor, two dogs chasing behind, and the Montana mountains in the background. Audrey watched this from her porch every morning, cup of coffee in hand, the Helena News spread out before her. This was life in Montana. “The last best place” her husband had read from the travel brochure. “The last best place for what?” she had wondered. “The last best place for dreams and our future!” he had replied. Jamie was a dreamer, he saw the potential in this property...a bakery, gift shop, museum, a thriving tourist attraction in the oldest big barn west of the Mississippi. Or was that the biggest old barn? When his father came to look his purchase over, the elder Sinclair said his son was a fool to buy ten acres of broken down buildings and a big old barn. Four years later the buildings were still in need of repair but the barn had indeed began to attract tours and events. Jamie had worked hard at refurbishing it and drumming up interest. They had held county fairs and car shows and eventually created a chapel for weddings. The buildings would be repaired one at a time and he worked tirelessly towards that goal. It was indeed the last best place for Jamie and Audrey to grow old together.
What Audrey saw was a place to hide, to start over. Run away from the small town gossips, the disapproval of both of their families. “Gold digger” had been the Sinclair family's assessment of her. “Adulterer” had been Audrey's parents' judgment on Jamie. The first year in Helena had been hard for her and she often thought of running back to Arizona but she had made it through the dark days living on Jamie's dreams. Now she was his business partner and recently had taken over the duties as Wedding Planner. She called the venture
The Last Best Place For Your Wedding.
There's no place like Big Sky Country to get married. Montana's beautiful locations and romance of the Old West provide the perfect setting for weddings, vow renewals and honeymoons. After the ceremony send the in-laws whitewater rafting and honeymoon in the mountains at an elegant resort or a rustic cabin.
Little by little she had recruited friends and acquaintances to help her with the business. They met each month to discuss the upcoming events and to plan. Each meeting began with a salad potluck and ended with an update on their successes and prayer requests. Her best friend Jill was her “right hand man”. She was talented with a glue gun and had an eye for floral arrangements and decorating. Audrey relied on Jill to keep an eye out for the latest trends in wedding receptions and ceremonies. At the Tuesday morning women's bible study she had met Nina and discovered that she baked cakes at home for birthdays and special events. Audrey had placed so many orders for wedding cakes from Nina that she was able to open a little shop in downtown Helena. She named the company The Sweetest Things and began to bake cookies and danish each morning to serve friends and locals who needed a place to stop and have a cup of coffee. Audrey and Jill came often when they were in town and needing a place to discuss their plans for the next wedding. They still needed a photographer and a caterer that would be available solely for The Last Best Place's clients. A florist would be good too, for now silk arrangements were used for the receptions. The bride would have to order from a flower shop in near by Missoula, an hours drive away. Things were falling into place for Audrey's business and she was finally feeling connected to her community in Montana. It was indeed the best place for her.
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