Epilogue
Three months later
Bear leaned forward on the back porch railing of the small white church, gazing into the distance. The late evening sun shimmered over the jagged skyline, making the mountaintops look as if they were ablaze. It was only a trick of the light, but it was a trick he never got tired of looking at.
Night after night, he watched the mountains catch fire before sunset. This evening, the mountains were catching fire before his wedding.
The door behind him opened and closed. He heard light footsteps approach and knew who it was without turning around.
April’s right hand curled around his left biceps and fluttered to rest on his forearm. She tipped her cheek companionably against his shoulder, soaking in the view.
“Don’t look at me,” she warned in a soft, laughing voice. “Kaya insists it’s bad luck for you to see me before the wedding.”
He snorted and deliberately glanced her way, drinking in her lovely smile and the adoring sparkle in her eyes. “I don’t believe in luck, and neither does the beautiful, brilliant doctor at my side.”
“You’re right.” She chuckled happily. “I’m way too scientific to be superstitious. That’s why I’m here with my favorite guy.”
He loved being her favorite guy. It would be his greatest honor to fill that role for the rest of his life. He also enjoyed trading tidbits of relatively useless trivia with her. They both enjoyed it. It kept them sharp.
“You might already know this, but in case you don’t.
...” He launched into the history of how the superstition surrounding a groom seeing his bride before their wedding got started.
“Blame it on those pesky arranged marriages. It was to prevent the groom from calling off the wedding to a bride he found unattractive before the bargain between their families was signed, sealed, and delivered.”
She tipped her face impishly up to him. “Do you find me unattractive, Mr. Dakota?”
“No.” He leaned toward her to touch his lips hungrily to hers.
“Not even a little.” Everything about her attracted him.
Her intelligence. Her loveliness. Her offbeat sense of humor.
Her emotional maturity. Her long ivory dress with its delicate seed pearl beadwork wasn’t hard on the eyes, either.
The two of them were so compatible. She was his perfect match.
“I love you,” she sighed, kissing him tenderly in return.
“I love you, too.” He sensed she wanted to say more, and she eventually did.
“Did Chief Lighthorse get in touch with you?”
“Yep.” The monogrammed letter from his tribal chief was resting in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
It was intended as a wedding gift, informing him that the Whitaker family had renamed their family rodeo company to the Dakota Stampede.
They were doing it to honor the steadfast loyalty of the Dakota family to the Comanche tribe.
For everyone who knew Tiana Dakota’s story, it was also a tribute to family ties, the love of siblings, and the unbreakable spirit of their people.
Our people.
April had chosen him as her husband, his people as her people, and his God as her God.
It was a far greater gift than having a rodeo named after his family, though he appreciated what the Whitakers were doing.
He would wholeheartedly thank Wayne the next time he saw his chief, probably after the wedding ceremony.
The coolest thing about the new rodeo name was that it would be officially unveiled at the rodeo’s grand reopening.
It was moving from the reservation to a hundred acres of prime Heart Lake land that had been restored to the Whitakers after Callie Haywood’s arrest. The Whitakers had launched their lawsuit to reclaim the deed months ago, putting them at the front of the line.
It might take years to sort out the rest of the forged deeds and return them to their rightful owners.
“I think it’s the most amazing wedding gift!
” She kissed him again and drew back a little to deliver the other message she’d stepped outside to give him.
“So is the wedding reception I just found out Gil and Bliss are hosting for us at their lake house.” She gave his tan suit and brown vest a warm look that told him she liked its rustic, old-western elegance.
He’d considered and quickly discarded the idea of wearing his Comanche councilman getup.
It had a little too many feathers and beads for his taste — more the old Running Bear’s style than the new Bear’s style.
He raised his eyebrows at her. “You just found out, eh?” He wondered what had happened to the cake, tea, and coffee reception they’d planned in the church parking lot.
“I’m as surprised as you are.” She gave him a look that could almost pass for innocent. “I truly had nothing to do with it.”
His gut told him she must have at least suspected something, though. He swallowed a groan at the realization it was going to be a few more hours before he would have his bride all to himself. “Let me guess,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “They’ve invited half the town.”
Gil and Bliss owned a decent-sized lot on the waterfront. It was ideal for entertaining, something Bear did as infrequently as possible. Before he and April had started dating, he’d been a lone ranger. Not so much anymore.
She glanced away, wrinkling her nose in a way that made him want to kiss her again. “It might be more than half the town,” she informed him in a mildly flustered voice, as if uncertain how he would react, “and some people from the rez. Your family, the tribal council, you know…”
He abruptly straightened. “Exactly how many people are we talking about at our impromptu wedding reception on the shores of Heart Lake?”
She had trouble meeting his gaze as she answered. “I’m not sure. Maybe a few hundred?”
“April!” He wrapped his arms around her middle, hitching her closer and making it impossible for her to continue not looking at him.
“What’s this really about?” There was no way anyone on the planet had simply snapped their fingers and thrown together a last-minute shindig for a few hundred people.
An event like that took some serious planning. And time. And effort. And money.
She gave him a smile he felt all the way to his soul.
“Honestly? I think it’s their way of saying thank you for laying one of the darkest, ugliest secrets in town to rest. The Haywood rot affected a lot of people, Bear.
People who are grateful to the Dakotas for bringing it to light and setting the record straight.
You. Kaya. Tiana.” They’d never given up.
They’d clung to their faith in God and each other.
“And you. The town is grateful to you, too, April.” He cuddled her closer. “You played a very big role in getting justice for my family.”
She reached up to trace a finger along his jawline. “They’re my family, too, since I’m about to become a Dakota.”
He leaned his face into her touch. “Is this your way of softening me up for the town-wide party?” If it was, it was working.
“It feels more like a homecoming than a party to me.” She sounded dreamy. “Whatever they’re planning, it sounds like my parents are in on it.”
She looked so happy about it that the thought of mingling with such a large crowd following their wedding no longer felt like a burden. He would gladly do it for her.
“I have a question.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Speak, my queen,” he teased.
His words made her glow. “Did I hear right when someone told me you agreed to host some joint search-and-rescue training sessions between the Heart Lake Police Department, the rez police, and Lonestar Security?”
“Yep.” He was deeply honored that they’d asked him to do it, and he was already building an itinerary for the upcoming multi-specialty training program.
He would be teaching them how to read the environment — interpreting animal and human footprints, scat, scents, and environmental disturbances like broken twigs and flattened grass.
She looked pleased with his answer. “If you need a forensic pathologist to assist in any way, I’m all yours.”
He swooped in to accept her offer with a kiss. “Consider yourself hired.” She could attend as many of his wilderness retreats and team-building sessions as her heart desired.
They returned inside the church, hand-in-hand, which earned them an eye-roll from Kaya.
The newest intern at Lonestar Security was waiting for them at the altar with Ben.
Their arrival drew a few snickers and wolf whistles from the Heart Lake and rez deputies scattered throughout the church.
Tribal council members and friends from on and off the rez were quickly filling the remaining space in the pews.
At the rate people were pouring into the building, there would soon be standing room only.
The front two rows were completely taken up by Hawk, Annalee, Hawk Junior, Miley, Tiana, Benjie, April’s parents, and an assortment of extended family members from both April’s mom’s side and dad’s side.
The aunts, uncles, and cousins on her dad’s side had names Bear couldn’t pronounce, but no one would be handing out a quiz afterward.
The important thing was that they were there for his bride.
He bent his head to nuzzle April’s earlobe, not caring who saw him do it. “Was this your idea or Kaya’s idea of a small church wedding?”
She smiled instead of answering. He was so outmaneuvered these days by the women in his life, but he wasn’t complaining. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to be so loved.
I am blessed beyond belief. He briefly looked upward as he sent a heartfelt prayer of thanks to his Maker.