Epilogue
At fourteen weeks, Copper had become the main focus of life in Bramble House.
They all loved him to bits. Chet took him out for long rambles every morning and in the afternoon tossed balls for him to retrieve in the backyard.
All that exercise helped calm his behavior in the house, where Amy focused on teaching him basic commands like come and sit and stay.
As for Robin, he loved tussling with Copper, who was very patient and gentle for a puppy. Sometimes in the afternoon the two of them would fall asleep together curled up on the rug by the fire. Amy swore she had never seen anything cuter.
Reviews had come in from their most recent Christmas guests. Amy had been relieved by the five-star ratings, but Gibson’s review had been her favorite.
If you’re looking for owners who really care, Bramble House Bed and Breakfast should be on your travel list. For more details about what makes this B & B, and the town it’s situated in, so special, watch for my upcoming podcast. After that, he’d posted a link to his YouTube channel, to which Amy had already subscribed.
“I’m not sure why you’re so excited about this,” Chet said when she shared the review. “We’re already turning down more guests than we have room for.”
“This past Christmas really had me doubting myself,” she admitted. “I guess I needed the validation.”
But even as she said the words, she saw the fallacy in them. External validation meant little without self-esteem and the love and support of family and friends. And she had that in spades with Chet and Robin, her family at Whispering Pines, and all her friends in Marietta.
“What do you want to bet Larkin and Carson announce their engagement at the New Year’s Eve party tonight?” she asked.
She and Chet had already packed their suitcases for a two-night stay. Fortunately Mary-Beth and D.W. were cool about having Copper accompany them.
“I’d say the odds were in their favor.”
“Me too.” Her initial fears about the couple’s viability were all gone now. It was clear that Carson had found his kindred spirit in Larkin and that their love was the deep and forever kind.
“You’ve had a good string of success with that mistletoe,” Chet teased. “Maybe it’s time we put it to rest.”
“No way. I’ve got two more unmarried brothers,” Amy reminded him.
“Oh boy. I wonder what Luke and River would say if they could hear you now.”
“They’d probably run screaming. But that’s only because they haven’t met the right women. I know they’re out there. When the time is right, they’ll get an urge to visit Marietta, and Bramble House will work its magic.”
“Is it the house? Or is it you?”
“Oh, it’s definitely the house. Nothing like this ever happened when I worked on Wall Street.
” Amy held her bracelet up to the light, making the Montana sapphires sparkle.
She thought about how her mother had worn this bracelet all her life, saving the box it had come in, so Amy could find her way home to Marietta.
Even though her mother was gone, she was still looking after Amy. Maybe that was part of the magic too.
The End