Epilogue 1
EPILOGUE 1
G race stood with Sampson at her side, little Ruby cradled in his good arm. Most of the Coulter family gathered around them. Waiting for the ceremony.
In the distance, the winter sun glinted off snow-capped peaks. She still hadn’t gotten used to the beauty of this place, often catching her breath with fresh wonder.
She never would have guessed this ranch could feel like home so quickly.
She slid a sideways glance at Sampson—her husband. That broad chest, his incredibly handsome face. when he looked at her the way he did now, with such intensity, he made her insides tingle.
And holding Ruby’s tiny form, snuggling her so close, so comfortably. Lord, how could You have blessed me so much?
Now that Sampson had regained so much strength, he was usually the one holding or carrying the babe. Like he couldn’t get enough of her. Like the little pumpkin had him wrapped around her finger.
Which was entirely true.
“I think they’re coming.” Sean’s excited words brought the murmuring of the others to a halt.
They all turned as the cabin’s front door opened and Lillian stepped out. The brides must be ready.
Jess and Patsy would both be married today. A shiver of excitement slipped through Grace.
Grace had been inside helping with preparations much of the morning, and both brides had looked angelic. Patsy with her rich auburn curls and Jess with that dark hair and her wide blue eyes. The cabin had been full of so much joy, so much laughter as they’d all bantered and prepared for today’s festivities. After the wedding there’d be a feast, and Grace had had a hand in helping to prepare it.
Now, Lillian’s sweet face held a shy smile as she descended the single step to the snow-covered ground and moved to the side to hold the door.
A moment later, Jess emerged looking absolutely radiant. The lovely blue gown she wore perfectly accentuated her features, but her smile outshone everything else.
Grace slid a glance at Gil, who waited with Jonah and the deputy who would perform the ceremony. Gil stared at his bride with so much wonder, she almost chuckled. Were his eyes glistening? So much admiration there.
As Jess walked through the open path between the family members, her gaze left Gil for the first time, sliding to look at Grace. Her smile, the warmth in it, felt special.
The two of them had talked a great deal this past week, and she’d learned more about Jess’s life in the caves. She was a remarkable woman, strong in ways Grace might never be. Yet so kind and gentle.
All the women on the Coulter ranch could fit that description, and they’d all become friends. Good friends. She’d never had such abundance. Being around so many people wasn’t nearly so overwhelming now. The way they included her as if she’d always been part of their family… She never ever wanted to leave this place.
As Jess neared Gil, he stepped forward to close the distance between them, eagerness joining the other emotions in his expression. He took both her hands and lifted them to his mouth. The gentleness, the reverent way he kissed them as he held Jess’s gaze… It was a wonder Jess didn’t swoon right there in the snow.
Grace might swoon herself. But a glance over at her own husband settled her. He’d been watching the couple with a little smile on his face, but when he met Grace’s gaze, the richness of the love in his eyes made her heart swell. This man… Thank You, Lord . I can never say it enough.
The way he’d courted her over the past week had felt too wonderful. The gifts he continued to surprise her with, the way he remembered the little things she’d said. And his kisses. They stirred her blood.
But what she’d loved the very most were their long conversations, sometimes sitting by the fire as she fed Ruby, sometimes while he held the sleeping babe. Sometimes, they snuggled in his little bed before they went to sleep each night. She loved his stories, his dreams for the future. She especially loved when he shared his worries or regrets. Everything about this man drew her.
Now that Gil and Jess were settled before the deputy, the group turned back toward the cabin to watch for Patsy. A moment later, Lillian pulled open the door again, and Patsy emerged.
Patsy shone every bit as much as Jess had as she stepped down to the snow and walked toward the group. A sound from behind made Grace glance back. Jonah’s grin stretched wide across his face, not holding back a bit of his pleasure.
Patsy approached, her own smile beaming. No shyness, no hesitation. Just pure joy.
At last, both couples stood before Deputy Hansen, the same man who’d married her and Sampson.
She couldn’t help another look at her husband. Was he remembering that day the two of them stood in the hotel’s parlor for their ceremony? Sampson had brought her a holly branch since there weren’t flowers blooming. She should have realized then what a good man he was.
In truth, she had known. That was why she’d braved marrying him, even though she’d only met him the day before. His integrity had come out from their very first meeting, when he found her trying to clean a very upset Ruby out there in the cold.
He’d come to help then and had never stopped helping.
He smiled his tender, intimate smile, the one he reserved just for her. “That was us two weeks ago.”
Had it only been two weeks? A very life-changing fortnight. She was nearly a different person now.
One who was treasured. Loved beyond what she’d ever allowed herself to imagine. By Sampson. By his family—her new family. And by God, the Father she’d been coming to know more every day.
She slipped her arm around Sampson’s waist and leaned as close as she dared with his broken arm.
The deputy began the ceremony with the traditional opening, speaking about the sanctity and blessings of marriage. Blessings, indeed.
And she hadn’t even experienced them all. Sampson had been so patient, waiting for her to be ready for the final step that would join them.
Gil was the first to speak his vows, as he held both of Jess’s hands in his. Grace had never seen a man cry, but his voice broke as he promised to love and cherish her. She could only see Jess’s face in profile, but her smile shone with the radiance of a woman fully loved.
Grace knew how that smile felt.
When it was Jonah’s and Patsy’s turn to speak their vows, Jonah sent his bride a wink as he started into his part. “I, Jonah Coulter, take thee, Patience Whitman, to be my lawfully wedded wife.” Something in the way he spoke her name made it sound like there might be a story there.
Patsy’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink.
He turned serious as he spoke the rest of the vows, but the joy never left his face. And when Patsy returned them, her voice rang rich and strong. These two had been waiting a while for this day.
The deputy concluded the ceremony giving the couples a moment to kiss.
Sampson turned to her with a twinkle in his eye. She didn’t have to guess what he intended, and though their family stood all around, his idea was still a good one.
She rose up to meet his kiss. Somehow, Sampson could make the simple brushing of his lips over hers feel like fire that tingled all the way through her body.
When he pulled away, she opened her eyes to see he watched her with a smile. “We didn’t get to do that on our wedding day. I have to make up for lost time.” His eyes still held that twinkle, the one that made her belly flip.
Did she dare say what she really wanted to? Yes. This was the time.
She rose up on her toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s something else we didn’t get to do on our wedding day. I think it’s time for that too.”
When she lowered to the ground, his eyes stayed locked on hers. The twinkle had shifted to a question.
She met his gaze, letting her eyes say yes .
His rich brown orbs darkened to almost black. Then he swept in for another kiss. This one was even quicker than the first, but his intensity nearly made her knees buckle.
He shifted to murmur in her ear. “I love you, Grace Coulter.”
Those five words filled her heart to overflowing. Every time.
She reached up to cup his warm cheek, her voice a whisper. "I love you, too, Sampson. More than I ever thought possible."
His eyes glistened with emotion as he pressed a tender kiss to her palm. The promise in that look, the depth of his commitment to her—it stole her breath.
The rest of the family started to disburse, heading back to the house for the meal.
She and Sampson turned to join them, and she let herself take in the scene.
Family. Love. Home. Every blessing she’d ever longed for, right here.
And she’d never stop being grateful.