Epilogue
Six years later . . .
“Daddy!” A pair of short legs and a chubby body slammed into Rafe’s leg the second he walked through the door.
“Daniel, give your father a second to close the door,” Hannah said as she wiped her hands on a towel.
The little boy paid her no mind as he clung to Rafe’s leg and stared up at him. He and his older brother, Seth, looked exactly like their father with their dark hair and dark eyes. Hannah counted herself lucky that at least their daughter took after her, or she might have started feeling left out.
“Tally’s asleep,” Hannah said, nodding at their baby’s bassinet near the bed. “Seth is off playing with Flynn again.” Their oldest son followed Will and Mercy’s eldest boy around like a puppy.
Rafe finally managed to close the door, and a few snow flurries blew their way in from the force of it. “That means I have to go back out to fetch him later.” He cast a dejected look at the door.
Hannah laughed. “I’m happy to collect him.” She crossed to the window as Rafe picked up Daniel and danced him up into the air. The little boy squealed with joy.
“Again!” he demanded.
Hannah watched them a moment, her heart almost bursting with the sweet image they made together. When Rafe finally set Daniel down to take off his coat, she looked out the window at the frosty afternoon. Her breath fogged the glass, and she used her sleeve to wipe it clean.
The entire world was white outside, looking even more incredible than she could have imagined it in the summer, six years ago, when she’d first arrived in Perseverance. She sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the snowflakes swirl around.
A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her middle, and she leaned happily back against Rafe’s chest.
“Admiring the dull and frozen landscape again?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.
“It may be frozen, but it’s far from dull. Look, isn’t it pretty how the snow dances in the sunlight like that?”
“There will only be sunlight for one more hour,” Rafe said sullenly.
“And when you step into town, it looks so clean and perfect. It hides all the mud and filth and dirt.”
“Until it melts and mixes with the mud, filth, and dirt to make more mud, filth, and dirt,” he said.
Hannah turned around to look up at him. “You, sir, are no fun in the winter.” She pointed a finger at his chest.
He laughed and kissed her forehead. “I promise to be fun when I take the boys sledding at Prospect Mound. For a little while, anyhow.”
“I know you keep your promises, so I’m looking forward to seeing that.
” She reached up and ran a thumb over a wet lock of his hair that had been unprotected from the snow.
She couldn’t wait to see Rafe tumbling into the snow with Seth and Daniel, over and over and over.
While she and baby Tally snuggled together in a warm coat watching it all happen.
“Daddy!”
Hannah glanced down to find Daniel handing something up to Rafe.
“What’s that?” Rafe asked, dropping his hands from where they’d rested around Hannah.
Hannah threw a hand over her face. Daniel held the new pocketwatch she’d ordered specially at the general store to replace the one Rafe had lost on a trek up into the mountains three months ago.
“Danny, honey, that’s Daddy’s Christmas gift. We’re supposed to give that to him on Christmas morning,” she said.
“It’s for Daddy. Time.” Daniel shook the watch, almost dropping it in the process.
“That’s right,” Rafe said as he reached down to take the watch before his son broke it. “It tells time. Thank you, Danny. I love it.” He squatted down to hug the little boy, who looked entirely pleased with himself.
As Daniel scampered off to play, Rafe stood up and handed the pocketwatch back to Hannah. “Here. Wrap it up and give it to me on Christmas so Seth can be there for it too.”
Hannah took the watch from him. “I’m sorry your surprise was ruined.”
“It wasn’t ruined. It’s never ruined when it comes from any of you.” He tucked an escaping length of hair behind her ear. “And I love it. It’s much nicer than my old one.”
Hannah smiled, happy to have chosen something he liked.
“I suppose I should let you in on a secret too,” he said.
“A secret?”
“I meant to keep it for Christmas, but since I know what I’m getting, it’s only fair you know what you’re getting.
” He grinned at her, clearly unable to hold it in.
Hannah couldn’t imagine what it was. She wouldn’t mind having a new sewing basket, or maybe a pretty looking glass to hang on the wall.
“How do you feel about a larger kitchen?” he asked.
“A larger . . . but how?” Hannah glanced at their kitchen, tucked into the corner of the room.
“I talked to a few men in town. Come this spring, we’re going to add on two rooms in the rear of the house. One will be a kitchen, and the other will be a bedroom.”
Hannah’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t imagine how much that might cost. And the space! What would they do with all that room?
“Hannah?” Rafe’s brow furrowed. “Are you unhappy with that idea? We don’t have to do it, if you don’t think you’d like it.”
“No. No, of course not.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Rafe, I never . . . it’s so much room! I can’t imagine it.”
He smiled, and she threw herself at him.
“Thank you,” she said. “You don’t have to spend so much money. I love you even if we have ten children in this house just the way it is.”
“Ten children?” His eyes were wide.
Hannah gave him a sneaky grin. “All right. Nine, then.”
He laughed. “You’re teasing me.”
“Am I?” She cocked her head to the side.
Rafe shook his head. And instead of suggesting eight children, Hannah stood on her toes and kissed him. When he pulled away to catch his breath, she reached for her coat on the peg near the door.
“Now the next one,” she said, “ we should name Cassandra. Unless it’s a boy, then he should be Julius. The one after that will be . . . hmmm . . .”
Rafe raised an eyebrow and handed her a pair of gloves from the table nearby. “Why don’t you concentrate on bringing home our oldest first? Then we can talk about the next sixteen kids.”
Hannah laughed as she took the gloves.
Whatever the future brought them, she decided she would be happy with it. As long as she had Rafe and her children, and her friends in Perseverance, that was all she needed.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Hannah and Rafe's story.