Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Rachel
Three Months Later
The wind tugged at Rachel’s pale blue cotton dress. She stood at the crest of a hill, staring down at the valley where at least a hundred wild horses grazed. It was getting cooler, and the days were getting longer. The summer was coming to a close, which meant that there would soon be snow on the ground—something she found herself looking forward to.
At her back, she could hear the faint music drifting toward her from the wedding reception taking place in the newly built barn. It was bigger and grander than she’d wanted, but Hudson had insisted that they would need something large just in case they wanted to expand.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and sighed contentedly.
The brains behind the vandalism and crime that had gone down a couple months ago, the man in the suit and Mr. Grant, were under investigation. Law enforcement was gathering evidence from other situations like Rachel’s and building a case against them. The sheriff had wrangled all the men who had participated in the actual crimes on her property and charged them, so they wouldn’t be bothering her again.
Thankfully, the developers seemed to have changed course and weren’t as interested in her property. She didn’t know where they were going to try to buy next, but so far, there were no whispers of a resort opening anywhere near Copper Creek.
Cookie stood at her side, tail wagging and tongue lolling. Hudson had continued to stay on site just in case someone did decide to come after her again. Now that Athena had finally said her vows and was officially a Keagan, it felt like everything had finally been wrapped up the way it was supposed to be.
Except one thing.
Rachel found herself longing for the same thing her sister had.
It was ridiculous, of course. She didn’t need to be married, at least not right away. She had wild horses to look after and a sanctuary to keep track of. The paperwork alone was more than most of the charities she’d worked on.
And yet, here she stood, wondering when Hudson planned on popping the question—or if he was going to pop the question. She wasn’t about to bring it up, either. If he wasn’t ready to settle down, she didn’t want him to feel pressured.
Closing her eyes, she let herself just be in this moment. After so many years of wondering if she’d ever find her place in the world, she’d finally done it. She was exactly where she was meant to be.
Her hair got tugged free from the loose bun at the nape of her neck and tickled her face. Boots crunched on the gravel path she’d had laid leading up to this outlook. A smile tugged at her lips as a pair of hands came around her waist. Rachel leaned into Hudson’s body and hummed a soft sound. “I was wondering if you’d find me.”
“It’s not hard when this is the one place you like to come to escape.” His voice was like warm honey, spreading without effort along all the rough edges of her soul. He rested his chin on her head. “But you’re probably not going to be able to stay out here long.”
“Why’s that?” she crooned.
“Because you have certain duties to perform—certain Maid of Honor duties.” Hudson turned her around in his arms and grinned at her. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You mean like keeping Liam away from the getaway car? I thought I had you for that.”
Hudson grimaced.
Rachel gasped. “Hudson! I told you to keep an eye on him. Athena was very explicit they didn’t want anyone messing with it.”
He chuckled as he pulled her from her outlook area toward the party. “You couldn’t have thought you were going to stop him. He lives for this sort of stuff. He even got a bunch of the girls from town to help out.”
“Of course he did,” she muttered. “He could charm the horns off a bull if he wanted to.”
Hudson laughed again. “What makes you say that?”
“You’ve seen the number of girls he parades through town. It’s beyond me how he hasn’t made any enemies. From what I heard, Lucas was similar.”
“Oh, no, they weren’t. Lucas was a ladies’ man. There wasn’t a single woman in town who didn’t despise him after he’d flirted and left them high and dry. He’s lucky he found someone who could see past his flaws. Liam is different.”
She gave Hudson a disbelieving look as she dug in her heels and placed her hands on her hips. “How so? I can’t remember seeing the same girl twice. Sounds like a ladies’ man to me.”
Hudson tilted his head and looked up at the sky. He rubbed his jaw for a moment, then brought his gaze down to meet Rachel’s. “Liam was the kind of kid who treated everyone with respect. He was always upfront that he wasn’t interested in anything serious, but he also didn’t chase after the girls. It was always them who chased after him. He was friends with everyone. No one hated him… and I don’t think anyone knew if he really had feelings for anyone.”
“So, he’s not going on dates?” Confusion wrestled with the very small amount of information she’d gleaned about Liam. He didn’t work on the Keagans’ ranch. Instead, he had a job with the Callahans—something that had seemed strange in the beginning. While chaos had taken over her own property, she’d gotten to know him only well enough to see that Liam was a good guy.
He was respectful to a fault. He worked hard, and he smiled often. He was quiet when he needed to be and spoke his mind when the situation called for it. The only thing that had rubbed her the wrong way was how many girls he dated. He was in his mid-twenties. He should be more focused on settling down.
“Liam is definitely dating,” Hudson said, though there was a little confusion in his voice as well. “He’s always gone on dates, but they are more like dates that friends would do together. I think most of the girls who flock to him wish he was interested, but he’s just… not.”
“I’d hate that.”
“What?” Hudson smiled. “Being surrounded by guys who want to be with you, and you can’t choose?”
She gave him a flat look. “No, I’d hate to be the girl who chases after a guy who isn’t interested in the hopes that he might change his mind. There’s nothing worse than wondering if something is ever going to come from the effort you put in.”
Hudson sobered. He didn’t look upset, more thoughtful than anything. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Liam’s lucky he’s so likable. I would hate to see him have to deal with a girl who feels scorned,” Rachel said.
“You don’t know the half of it.” Hudson moved close to her again and slipped his arms around her waist, prompting her to drape her arms around his shoulders. “Out of everyone in our family, Liam has this town wrapped around his finger. There’s not a single girl who doesn’t wish he’d pick her. There’s not a single father who wouldn’t be relieved to have his daughter bring him home. He’s got his pick of the town if he wants it. I just don’t know if he does.”
She studied him for a moment, recalling his aversion to relationships when they’d met. Part of her wondered if, after all this time, he still didn’t want to have anything serious, and she’d be stuck at some point in her life where she wasn’t moving forward. She hated that.
It wasn’t really a surprise that the two of them were so similar. Actually, it appeared that most of the Keagan men had strong opinions about getting married or settling down after being abandoned by their parents. Not even Liam had escaped that mentality.
Rachel sighed. “I don’t know why that makes me so sad. I guess I’ve always searched for a place where I belong.”
“He’s got a place where he belongs. It’s with his family.”
She reached up to feather her fingertips through the hair at his temple. “You and I both know it’s life-changing for someone to find the person who makes life feel more complete.”
“I guess that’s a good point.”
“And Liam has been such a big help lately with everything. I just wish he could find someone who makes him as happy as you make me.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Hudson said. “What you and I have is special.”
Her heart fluttered at his words. It was nice to hear him admit that what they had was worth something. Little statements like that could get her through anything. “I love you,” she whispered, rising up on her toes. “I love you more than anything.” Rachel brushed her lips across his, then pulled back just enough to get a good look at his eyes. “I hope you know that.”
“I know,” he whispered. “That’s why I’m going to ask you to marry me.”
Rachel’s eyes widened, and she blinked several times. She had to be imagining things, right? “I… what… Hudson?”
He smirked at her. “I haven’t figured out the logistics of it, but I wanted you to know that I’m going to make you my wife, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
She released a sharp laugh.
“Of course, there’s a lot to figure out. Like the ring… where I’m going to do it… stuff like that. It’s got to be perfect.”
Rachel framed his face with her hands and shook her head. “You already have made things perfect.” She pressed a firm kiss to his lips. “All I need is you.”
“Well, get ready. Because it’s gonna happen, and it’s gonna be big.”
She rolled her eyes, but before she had a chance to make an off-hand comment, he captured her in an embrace that stole the breath out of her lungs and made her weak in the knees. Throughout the last several months, they’d both realized they couldn’t make it on their own. They were each missing something very important.
Each other.
Rachel buried her head in Hudson's chest, feeling overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of spending the rest of her life with him. She couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be besides in his arms.
Hello readers! I hope you loved Hudson and Rachel’s love story! Did you guess which brother is up next? That’s right… Liam.