Epilogue
The world around June felt distant, like she was in a dream. Her entire body throbbed with sharp, stinging pains. Somewhere nearby, Henry and Jack were cleaning up the camp, removing the bodies of the dead. Any men who had survived had long turned tail and run.
But none of it mattered anymore. Everything else was drowned out by the relief that had crashed into her when Seth’s arms enveloped her tightly.
He had held her so close that she could feel the beat of his heart drum against her chest.
She felt safe. Secure. More secure than she had ever felt in her entire life.
Seth’s voice was rough when he finally spoke, filled with an edge of regret. “I’m so sorry,” he said against her bruised cheek.
“It’s not your fault,” she said, nuzzling closer. The truth was, it was her fault. She had lied and told him she didn’t love him, and she could only hope and pray that he knew better now. That somehow he could believe that she really did care.
“I shouldn’t have lied…” she whispered.
She hadn’t looked at Trey on the ground yet. She wanted to—wanted to make sure he was actually dead—but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, not even after all he’d done to her.
“I shouldn’t have—” Before she could finish, Seth’s hands framed her face, his green eyes glowing. There was an intensity in them that left her breathless. Then, without warning, he leaned down and kissed her. His lips were warm and immediate.
The rest of the world faded away, leaving only the two of them. She gasped against his mouth, the kiss deepening.
She let herself melt into him, surrender to him—finally.
He was no longer just a man, like any other man. He wasn’t just anyone.
He was her husband. Her savior. Her everything.
When they finally pulled apart, his hands stayed on her face, and his thumb brushed away a tear she hadn’t realized had fallen.
“How did you know?” she whispered. “How did you know I was lying?”
“I didn’t at first,” he admitted, his eyes glistening.
“But after I thought about it all, I knew it couldn’t be true.
” He took a deep, steady breath. “I know you, June. I see who you really are. Not the walls. Not the fa?ade. Not the ‘Annabelle’ version of you, or whoever Trey Bishop taught you to be, but you. June Whitman. The woman you were born to be. The woman who deserves everything.”
His words struck home—deeper than anything Trey had ever done or said in June’s entire life.
No one had ever seen her besides Ada and Etta, and they had become her world. Seth Whitman was well on his way to becoming her everything.
She had spent her entire life running, hiding, and sacrificing herself for others, thinking that that was what she was supposed to do. But this man had protected her. He and his two friends had taken on a mob of men and the most dangerous outlaw in the west.
“If I deserve everything, then I guess it’s a good thing I see you as everything…” she managed.
“You don’t have to hide anymore,” Seth murmured, his hand still cupping her cheek. “Not with me. You never have to hide again.”
June felt a sob rise up in her throat, but she swallowed it down. This was a happy moment. Even after all she’d endured.
Something inside of her shifted. Maybe she could want this life. Maybe she could do more than just survive. Maybe she could live.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she deserved to.
And if Seth thought she deserved it, maybe she really did.
***
They all went back to town—Seth and June, riding side by side on Skip and Suzanna, followed by Henry and Jack on their horses. Jack and Henry were leading all the horses taken by Trey and his men horses, hoping they could find them good homes.
When June rode onto main street with Seth by her side, she felt like she’d been baptized all over again. Like she had just gotten the opportunity to start over. Not only in the eyes of God, but in her own eyes, in the way she saw herself.
She felt lighter. The shame and the fear that she had carried with her for so long was falling at her feet, a little more with every step Suzanna took.
June felt free.
She ran a hand across Suzanna’s neck. “Thanks for being there for me, girl,” she whispered to her.
They passed the saloon, then the blacksmith’s shop. “We can to my house for now,” Jack suggested. “It’s the closest.” He was right. No one felt like riding back to the ranch.
“I’m going to head back home and tell Etta we got June back,” Henry said. “We’ll deal with everything tomorrow.” He nodded to Seth, who returned the nod, and then he urged his horse forward, heading for his own house.
The others went on until they reached Jack’s house. They’d barely finished tying all the horses outside when Ada ran out. “June!” she yelled, jumping off the porch steps. She ran toward her and flung her body against June’s in a tight hug.
June gasped, her body still aching.
“Sorry…” Ada said, realizing June had been hurt. She pulled back, scanning June anxiously. “He did this?”
June nodded.
“That bas—”
“Ada…” June warned, smiling as she put her hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get inside. I need to sit down.”
She glanced over her shoulder and exchanged a look with Seth. He seemed to understand her meaning, and he remained outside with Jack as she and Ada turned back to the house.
“June,” Ada said behind her as they walked up the steps. “You understand now that you don’t have to do this anymore, right? You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for us. You never did. We would have been with you every step of the way.”
June felt herself choking up. She nodded as tears sprang to her eyes again. She felt like all she’d been doing for two days was crying. Stifling the tears that were thick with emotion, she pulled Ada into another hug and hugged her tightly, not caring how much it hurt.
***
The rest of the night felt like a celebration, and for someone who hadn’t been keen on them, June sure appreciated them now.
Henry and Etta showed up that evening at Jack and Ada’s.
Etta had needed to see June, too. June was grateful to Henry.
Most men wouldn’t have done that—turned right around from home after a day of dangers and spent it with friends instead.
But these three men weren’t most men. They were special.
And it seemed God had looked down on them with favor when he led them to Fort Davis.
They stayed up late into the night—all six of them, talking, sharing stories, grateful together—until they’d fallen asleep in the sitting room.
***
The next morning, Seth and June were the first to wake. They bid quiet goodbyes to the others and then headed back to the ranch.
For June, the ride back home felt like a dream.
Home.
For the first time—that was what it was. It was home.
It wasn’t Seth’s ranch. It wasn’t the ranch. It was just home.
A home in need of a barn. “When are we going to rebuild that thing?” June asked as they rode up to the corral. She gestured to the bare ground where the fire had worked its ruin.
“Got a supply coming in in two days. We’ll get it,” Seth said as he dismounted.
June took a deep breath, dismounting after him. It was the first time the two of them had been alone since everything had happened. Together, they untacked their horses and led them into the corral.
As they returned to the porch, tack in hand, June found she couldn’t take her eyes off Seth—nor he her. They were silent for a moment, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. She watched as he swallowed hard.
“You know,” he said quietly, “when I saw you with that gun to your head, I thought I’d lose you. I can’t… I can’t go through that again.” His voice broke with fear. “You mean too much to me.”
And there they were. The walls that each of them had built—rubble on the ground.
“You’ll never lose me,” June whispered, stepping toward him, despite the saddle in her arms. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He slid his saddle onto one arm and reached for her with the other, his free hand finding her waist and pulling her into him. For a moment, they just stood there, holding each other.
And they kissed. Slow and deliberately.
“I love you, Seth Whitman,” June said, as she pulled away for a breath.
“I love you, too, June Whitman.”
For the first time in her life, she wasn’t running. She wasn’t hiding. She was happy. And she knew, deep down, that this was just the beginning of everything that she had ever dreamed of.
THE END?
(turn the page)