Epilogue
ZACH
Matt propped his arms on the sides of the podium and looked out at the men in the chapel. “Any questions about King David?”
“So many!” Anthony said from where he sat beside Zach.
Travis rested his arm on the back of the empty seat beside him. “No one in the Bible is perfect, except Jesus. King David was a man after God’s own heart, but he sinned like the rest of us.”
Matt nodded in agreement. “King David also had a remorseful heart. He knew when he’d done wrong, and he humbled himself to the Lord.”
“Tell me about it,” Zach said as he closed the Bible in his lap. “It would be cool to be known as a man after God’s own heart, but it’s hard to forget the terrible things you’ve done.”
“It feels like a weight hanging around your neck,” Anthony added.
Matt lowered his head. “I know the feeling. I think everyone does.”
“Except Dawson,” Gage said. “That guy walks the straight and narrow like no one I’ve ever met in my life.”
All the men in the room chuckled. It was one thing to carry around your mistakes, but managing the guilt wasn’t so bad when he had people beside him to help when the past got heavy.
Friends. It was easier when he had friends. Not just any friends, but ones who reminded him day after day to focus on the Lord instead of the devil whispering in his ear.
Matt’s phone buzzed. A gentle smile graced his face before he cleared his throat. “Tammy says the food is almost ready.”
Zach stood and stretched his arms over his head. “I need a shower.”
Gage scrunched his nose. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but—”
Zach swatted Gage’s chest with his Bible. “Then don’t.”
A cold, whispering wind stung Zach’s skin when they stepped outside. The boards on the chapel porch didn’t creak anymore, and the railing held strong as Anthony leaned against it.
Zach hung back as everyone else walked to their trucks. “Everything okay?”
Anthony crossed his arms and looked at the leaf-covered ground. “I think this will be my first Thanksgiving with my family.”
Zach leaned against the railing beside Anthony. The tightness in his shoulder didn’t bother him at all anymore. In fact, it reminded him of everything he’d survived over the last year. “Mine too.”
Zach didn’t have any blood kin, but the people here were closer than family. The quiet life he’d found in Blackwater and Silver Falls was the complete opposite of how he grew up, but it was everything he never knew he needed.
“Zoe is excited. She loves to cook,” Anthony said.
“Trust me, I know. I’ve put on weight since she started cooking all the meals around here.”
Anthony’s smile grew. “She’s happy. Lauren is too. And they’re safe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
A light blue sky peeked through the bare canopy above them, and Ariana’s laughter floated from Travis and Bella’s house. The woods of Silver Falls Ranch held a serenity unlike anywhere else.
Zach’s phone dinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Lauren’s almost here. I need to get to the house.”
“Same. See you in a few.”
A minute later, Zach parked in front of his cabin. Once all the renovations were made on Lauren’s rental house, Matt had offered him a place to stay at the ranch. It hadn’t taken much to fix up the old wrangler’s cabin, and Zach saved a fortune on gas.
Jogging inside, he toed off his boots and hung his coat on the hook by the door. He had maybe fifteen minutes to get ready before Lauren barged in and stole all of his attention.
He showered and shaved in record time, and he’d just pulled on a thermal shirt when the front door swung open.
Lauren was a vision of light in a beige sweater and brown pants. Her eyes were wide, and a gorgeous smile stretched across her face as she screamed, “We got a tenant!”
Zach wrapped his arms around her, sweeping her off her feet to press a scorching kiss to her lips. “That’s great.”
“I can’t believe it. It’s a woman and her little boy. They’re new in town, and she was so excited. We’re already friends, but I’m not sure she knows it yet. You think she’ll like me? Oh, I almost forgot. Happy Thanksgiving!”
Zach answered all of her questions with another kiss. The light was back in her eyes, and somehow, that made him happier than ever. His entire life had changed when he hit his knees and gave his trust to the Lord. He saw things the way Lauren saw them now, and it made all the difference.
Still holding her, he whispered softly, “Happy Thanksgiving, angel.”
She pulled out of the embrace and grabbed his hand. “We’re going to be late. There are already a ton of vehicles at the mess hall.”
He followed her to the passenger side of the truck and kissed her sweetly once she was settled in. On his way to the other side of the truck, he shook out his tingling palms. There wasn’t anything to be nervous about, but his body hadn’t gotten the memo.
The new mess hall at Silver Falls Ranch was packed when they arrived.
Many of their friends stood talking while kids chased each other around the big room.
Travis was perched on his usual stool on the small stage with Ariana and a guitar on his lap.
He strummed a few chords before spotting Zach and Lauren.
“They’re here. Does that mean we can eat now?” Travis said into the mic.
Tammy wiped her hands on her apron and whistled loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. “Matt is going to bless the food!”
Every head bowed and every eye closed as Matt began.
“Lord, we praise You every day, but we’ve set aside today to remember our blessings.
You have provided everything we need, and we humble ourselves before Your glory.
Thank You for saving us from sin and giving us eternal life with You.
Please bless this food to our bodies and the hands that prepared it.
Help us to go into the world and spread the word about Your kingdom.
All of these things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ”
Zoe stood smiling at the end of the serving bar, wearing her usual light purple apron. She’d truly found her home at the ranch, and the same happiness that radiated from Lauren cast a glow around Zoe too.
Anthony gave Zoe’s shoulder a gentle shove as he grabbed a plate from the stack. “It smells amazing.”
Zoe clasped her hands at her chest. “I hope everyone loves it. Tammy showed me so many cool things.”
Zach followed Anthony, Zoe, and Lauren through the line.
Travis was behind him, carefully heaping food onto a plate with Ariana on his hip.
Dawson and Olivia’s little dog, Betsy, sat obediently at the end of the serving line.
They’d all been given strict orders not to feed her from the table, but it was tough to deny the sad puppy eyes.
Once everyone’s plates were scraped clean, Travis stepped onto the stage and slung his guitar strap over his head. “Let’s kick things off with a classic slow song.”
Zach wiped his hands on his jeans before reaching for Lauren’s. “Want to dance with me?”
Lauren’s brows lifted. “You want to dance?”
That was fair. He usually liked to hang around on the sidelines, but tonight, she was the star of the show. “Just one slow dance.”
She sprang up from her chair and tucked her body close to his side. “I thought you’d never ask.”
In the open space near the stage, Zach slid his arms around Lauren’s waist and pulled her close. His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly swayed to Travis’s rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Lauren’s hands slid up the sides of his neck to frame his face. “Are you okay? You seem tense.”
“I’m fine. Just…”
“Just what?”
So much for being subtle. He was going to pass out before he even started.
Clasping her left hand in his, he lowered it and pulled the ring from his pocket.
The simple golden band with three small diamonds was all he could afford, but it was anything but plain.
Every time he looked at it, he saw a future with Lauren.
Lauren gasped and covered her mouth with a hand.
Zach lowered one shaky knee to the ground and held the ring between them. “Lauren, my life is so much better with you in it. I spend every day loving you. I want to build a home and raise a family with you by my side. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”
Lauren’s hand slowly lowered from her mouth. She finished the verses from the book of Ruth with a shaky voice. “Wherever you stay, I’ll stay.”
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes! Of course!”
Zach rose to his feet and sealed his lips to hers. He was floating on air. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but the friends around them were already cheering.
“She said yes!” Travis announced.
Zach slid the band onto her finger, and the room broke into renewed applause. Friends wrapped them in hugs and patted their backs in congratulations, but Lauren held onto Zach’s hand with a force that said she wasn’t letting go.
Anthony gave Zach’s free hand a firm shake. “Looks like we’re family now.”
“I told you I had family here.”
Dawson pushed Anthony out of the way and wrapped Lauren in a bear hug. “Congrats.” He turned to Zach. “Is it my turn now?”
Zach chuckled. “Go ahead.”
Dawson grabbed Olivia’s hand and turned to face everyone in the room. “We’re having a baby!”
Lauren grabbed Olivia’s arm. “What? Really?”
Olivia nodded wildly as their friends’ excitement roared through the mess hall. “Yes!”
The two women embraced as everyone gathered around them. Their shoulders shook as they cried tears of joy together.
Because she struggled with endometriosis, Olivia’s chances of having children of her own had always been slim. When Dawson wanted to make this Thanksgiving a double celebration, there’d been no question.
When Lauren stepped back to let the next person congratulate the parents-to-be, Zach gripped her hand. Tears raced down her cheeks, and she buried her face against his chest.
His arms wound around her, tucking her as close to him as possible. “I love you, angel,” he whispered just loud enough to be heard above the celebration of their friends.
“I love you too.”
He rested his cheek against her hair and held her tight. Lauren had rescued him from a dark life and showed him how to live in the light. Now, he wanted to spend forever right by her side.