Epilogue
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
“Ican’t believe it’s been a year since we got married,” Sully said on Valentine’s Day as Charley lit the tall red candles on either side of the long-stemmed red roses in the center of their dining room table.
“It’s flown by.” Charley smiled. She looked from the table, about to be lavishly laden with a catered dinner for family and friends coming to celebrate their anniversary, to her handsome husband. “Because we’re so happy.”
The previous year, they had been tempted to run over to the county courthouse and let a judge marry them. But knowing Owen Custis, the Coopers, and the Brevards would be disappointed to miss the nuptials, they restrained themselves from taking the early opportunity to become husband and wife.
A year ago in January, Chloe, Jade, and Tracy had helped Charley pick out the perfect white wedding gown and veil in their favorite boutique near Denver.
Airline tickets and hotel reservations had been made by the family.
During the first part of February, the ladies had celebrated with a bachelorette party.
Cash had thrown Sully a bachelor party with the other Cooper men and Custis men in attendance.
Though Valentine’s Day was a big event for florists, her wedding day far outweighed that, and Pretty Petals closed for two weeks.
Roy and Randy had volunteered to keep Sully’s gun store open and take care of the horses.
Pets had been boarded or were being watched by staff on the ranches.
Charley had asked Chloe to be her matron of honor, and Sully’s dad had agreed to be his best man.
Owen was thrilled to have Henrietta Culpepper fly with them to Hawaii.
After landing on the big island of Oahu on February tenth, sightseeing, boat rides, swimming, sunbathing, and hiking were on the agenda, with families enjoying activities together and separately.
When the late afternoon wedding rolled around on Valentine’s Day, a sunset of yellow, purple, and red painted the tropical sky, melting into the blue waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean.
A wooden archway laced with white tulle and red roses had decorated a private, sandy shore owned by the hotel on Waikiki Beach.
Cooper and Colton had served as ushers, escorting folks to white folding chairs divided by a white runner.
Austin was the ring bearer, while Abilene, Courtney, and Carly had been flower girls.
Thus, with everyone barefoot and wearing leis, the bride carried a bouquet of Rocky Mountain Columbines as Coop walked her down the aisle to the groom, clad in black slacks and a white shirt adorned with a lavender columbine pinned over his heart.
Amid smiles and sniffles, Sully and Charley became husband and wife.
At the beginning of a fabulous luau, Coop made the congratulatory toast. There wasn’t a dry eye to be seen after Coop had spoken of the Triple C Ranches legacy dating from the 1800s to the present moment and how blessed he was as the patriarch to officially welcome Sully and Charley Custis into the Cooper fold.
A party of Polynesian food, drinks, and entertainment ensued.
With tiki torches blazing and live music filling the air, Sully and Charley were the first to dance.
During the second dance, when Owen asked to cut in on Sully and Charley, Sully danced with Henri.
Then everyone joined them. The children took turns dancing with each other and the adults.
Even Dalton was on the sandy dance floor as Tracy held him while dancing with Cash.
Those memories would forever be lodged in grateful hearts.
Since returning from Hawaii, Sully and Charley had combined his thirty-thousand-acre ranch with her ten, putting their combined ranch at forty thousand acres, the same size as Triple C Ranches-East, Central, and West. With the last name of Custis fitting right into the mix, they’d kept the name Triple C Ranch-South.
Sully’s gun club continued to prosper. Perhaps even more so as countless customers from far and wide visited, wanting to hear about his part in stopping the infamous mass murderer known as the Cave Killer.
Not only the local, but national news had reported on and praised Sully, along with Burt Groves, for saving a courageous Charley and stopping Dorian Fester.
Charley’s flower shop had flourished. Packed with flowers and plants, she’d hired Henri, who was now happily married to Owen, to help her.
She’d also hired Mindy, the wife of Sully’s cousin, Roy, to make deliveries.
Together, the three of them managed to keep up with the customers flowing into Pretty Petals and the orders pouring out of the shop’s front door.
For their first anniversary, on the front doors of Sully and Charley’s house, huge wreaths of ponderosa pine branches worked into the shape of two hearts were made festive with columbines, red ribbon, bows, and LED lights.
Inside, in addition to more columbines and roses, their house was decorated with tulips, peace lilies, and orchids.
It was all Charley’s doing, and Sully had said he couldn’t imagine his life or home without her.
Charley had echoed the sentiment back to him.
Owen and Henri were already present for the anniversary celebration. While Sully was bringing in firewood for the hearth in the den, Owen stood behind the wet bar ready to play bartender. Henri had helped Charley set the table and prepare appetizers.
Leaving the den, Sully found Charley in the dining room.
He’d made her blush with a compliment about her hourglass figure and how he couldn’t wait to strip off the red velvet dress she was wearing.
Sully’s eyes dipped to the hint of her ivory cleavage exposed in the scooped neckline, and Charley gave him the onceover.
Clad in a black, Western-style jacket, and a white button-down shirt, along with dark jeans and black boots, he was magnificent.
“I couldn’t be happier, Mrs. Custis,” Sully said with a grin and pulled her into his arms.
Charley tilted her head, and the light from the chandelier over the dining room table danced in his eyes. “Are you sure about that, Mr. Custis?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because I have a secret I’ve saved to tell you on our first anniversary.”
“I may have already seen the new black cowboy hat hidden in the closet.”
“Sully!” she gasped. “You’re so ornery. You peeked?”
“I didn’t mean to,” he said and splayed a hand over his heart. “I was getting something out of the hall closet when a box fell off the shelf and the lid opened.” With a chuckle, he said, “But for what it’s worth, it fits perfectly.”
“Sully.” Charley laughed. “You’re forgiven. I may have accidentally seen a bracelet box from the jewelry store where we bought our rings.”
“Charley, you bad girl!” Sully said, sweeping the sides of his jacket back and placing his hands on his hips.
“I’m sorry! I was looking for a pen in the kitchen and the jewelry box was in that drawer. I promise I didn’t peek.”
Sully cocked a brow and then chuckled. “You came into the kitchen right after I got home from the jewelry store, and I slipped the box into a drawer. I forgot about it until an hour or so later.” He pulled the box from his jacket pocket and offered it to her. “Wanna peek now?”
“You know I do.” Charley took the box and carefully opened it to see a diamond and ruby bracelet sparkling on red velvet. “Oh, Sully, it’s beautiful,” she said, smiling up at him. “I love it.” She took the bracelet out of the box, and he fastened it around her wrist. “Thank you.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day and anniversary, wife. Now tell me your secret.”
“I’m pregnant, husband.”
“Charley.” Sully whispered. Ever so tenderly, he placed his left hand on Charley’s flat stomach. “You’re right. That makes me even happier than ever.”
“Me too,” she said, her left hand flattening over his.
“I feel so lucky to be married to my best friend and my protector. I love you with my whole heart, and I will take care of you for the rest of my life,” she whispered and swallowed the lump in her throat as he pulled her into his arms again.
“Happy Valentine’s Day and first anniversary, Mr. Custis. ”
“Thank you, Mrs. Custis. I love you, and I will take care of both of you for the rest of my life.” Holding her and their unborn child to his heart, he asked, “When is our baby due?”
“I haven’t been to the doctor yet,” Charley said, looking up at him. “But by my calculations, September seventeenth.”
No sooner had Sully kissed her than they heard a vehicle arriving.
With an ear-to-ear smile, he grabbed Charley’s hand, and they made their way out of the dining room.
Owen and Henri caught up with them in the foyer as a knock sounded on the front.
The caterers bustled into the house and were steered toward the dining room and kitchen as appropriate.
Stainless serving trays lit with candles kept filet mignons, sauteed vegetables, and loaded baked potatoes warm.
Another tray offered chicken parmesan and noodles covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella.
For any of the children who wanted a less grown-up meal, there were trays filled with macaroni and cheese, burgers, hotdogs, and fries.
More vehicles arrived as the caterers departed.
Right on cue, members of the Custis crew, along with Coopers and Brevards, arrived for the Valentine’s Day anniversary party with salads and desserts.
Coats and wraps were collected, and hugs distributed.
The den was lively as Owen tended bar. The kitchen was bustling as last-minute items were taken to the dining room.
Sitting at the head of the long table, with Charley on his right and his father at the other end of the table, Sully smiled at her.
How close had she come to losing this one-of-a-kind man?
Too perilously close. She pushed that thought out of her mind and smiled back, loving him so much she felt her heart might burst.
“Sully!” Owen called from the opposite end of the room. “You’ve been grinning all through dinner. Want to let the rest of us in on your secret?”
Sully looked at Charley who nodded. “It’s our secret,” he said and picked up his wineglass. As Charley picked up a glass of sparkling water, he said, “You tell ’em.”
“Come September, Sully and I are going to add to the Triple C Ranches and Cooper-Custis clan.”
Whoops and hollers, clinking glasses, and clapping erupted around the room as people left their seats and came to congratulate them.
Charley glanced around the room filled with Chase, Jade, Colton, and Courtney Cooper, all smiles and offering congratulations.
Derek and Chloe Brevard with Cooper, Austin, and Abilene were grinning and toasting the good news.
Cash, probably the Cooper to whom Sully was closest, gave him a bear hug as Tracy embraced Charley.
Their children, Carly and Dalton Cooper, would be nearest in age to the new baby.
How blessed she was to have had the opportunity to add the Cooper, Brevard, and Custis clans to her life.
The Custis crew also congratulated them, mingling with the Coopers and Brevards as they celebrated the baby that would tie their families together.
Then Sully and Charley made their way to Coop, the beloved patriarch of the Coopers who had cheered as loudly as anyone, and to Tammy as she sat beside him, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.
Amid the celebration, Sully tugged Charley aside and said, “Charley Cooper Custis, you’re the one who brought our families together.”
“You were all friends years before I came along,” Charley said modestly.
“We were friends. But my dad and I were two bachelors living alone on separate ranches,” Sully pointed out.
“Because of you, I’m no longer alone. Because of your shop, Dad reconnected with Henri.
Because you hired Mindy, Randy met Mindy’s best friend at Pretty Petals.
Now, he’s engaged and happier than I’ve ever seen him.
The people in this house tonight are here because of you. ”
“And Wyatt?” Charley smiled as the big black Labrador padded up to them.
“And Wyatt.” Sully chuckled.
“It’s you, Sully. Wyatt, the baby, and I are here because of you.”
“Yeehaw, city slicker.”
“Yeehaw, country boy.”