Epilogue—Noah
The late afternoon sun gilded the pastures of Happy Trails, the kind of light that made everything look as if it had been dipped in gold.
Danny led a horse around the therapy ring, the young boy in the saddle—a burn victim just like Danny—grinning proudly while his mother watched with tears in her eyes.
Noah leaned against the fence, arms folded, breathing it all in. For years, he’d been searching for a purpose. Now, he’d found his place, helping veterans and children heal in ways that mirrored his own, with the love of his life by his side.
Teagan was his croie, according to the Callaghans.
After learning what that was, Noah had to agree. Teagan was his heart. His soul mate. His everything.
The Irish clan was a lot like his family—bigger than life, as fierce as they were loyal.
They’d accepted Teagan as one of their own without hesitation, and she was thriving.
A Callaghan by blood through her father’s Irish kin, Teagan had carried the ancient family crest without even knowing it.
She now had more family than she’d ever dreamed of.
Speaking of, Donal spent more time stateside now.
The Pine Ridge Callaghans and their Irish cousins were getting to know each other as well, enriching their ancestral tapestry, filling in blanks created by more than a century of distance across the ocean.
Watching Teagan and her father get to know each other, surrounded by an entire clan that spanned oceans, left Noah humbled.
It made him eager to reach out to his own cousins in Shadow Ridge.
Perhaps he and Teagan would take a weekend trip down there so he could introduce her. Maybe in the fall, when they went all out.
Life wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Sometimes it tossed them the occasional lemon.
Josh’s trial, for instance. It should have taken place months ago, but Josh never made it.
He’d taken his own life in his cell two days before it was to begin, leaving the media to circle around Teagan like vultures.
The frenzy could have torn everything open again, but Tori knew something about dodging a spotlight.
With help from Pine Ridge, Teagan was insulated from the worst of it.
Noah glanced toward the farmhouse. Teagan stood on the porch, one hand absently smoothing her braid while she laughed with Brian’s wife. The two had become fast friends, bonded not only by their love of horses but by shared trauma he couldn’t hope to understand.
His hand brushed over the gold band on his finger. Thanks to Teagan, he—they—had found their way back home. And he’d never been happier.