Epilogue
One week later
“I ’m totally wearing a non-traditional wedding dress when I get married someday,” Miley gushed as she walked in a full circle around her mother. “Just like you.”
Not only hadn’t there been time to shop for an all-white wedding dress, Annalee didn’t think it would’ve “fit” the tiny rustic church building she was about to get married in. So, she’d paid a visit to Modello’s in downtown Heart Lake and splurged on a floor-length gown that felt perfect the moment she’d laid eyes on it. It had embroidered wildflowers on a backdrop of the palest lavender chenille. Instead of a veil, Miley had helped her weave real wildflowers down one side of her hair — and one tiny red rose to commemorate the first flower Hawk had given her.
“You’re only eighteen,” she reminded gently. “You have your whole life ahead of you, hon. There’s no need to rush into anything.”
“Except college.” Miley rolled her eyes. “You would be more than happy if I rushed into college.”
“We-e-ell, now that you mention it…” Annalee reached out to enclose her in a hug. “I only want what’s best for you. Please tell me you know that.”
“I do,” Miley murmured against her shoulder. “That’s why my wedding gift to you was enrolling in my first online class at the junior college.”
Annalee gasped. “You did what?” She shoved her back to arm’s length to get a better look at her.
“You heard me, Bridezilla.” Her daughter danced out of the way, laughing, to avoid the playful swat her mouthing off had earned her.
“I am not a bridezilla,” Annalee protested. Sure, she’d been under the burden of planning a wedding with only a week to spare, but she thought she’d done a pretty good job of it.
Miley pointed at herself, still laughing. “You made me buy a dress, and I’m not even getting married.”
“But you look so beautiful in it.” It was only a sundress, for crying out loud, in a cozy shade of dusty blue that brought out the blue in her eyes.
“And you wouldn’t let me wear my Converses,” her daughter pouted, sticking out a foot so that Annalee could see what she was actually wearing beneath the long hem of her sundress.
She nearly choked at the sight of Miley’s new white sneakers with wedge heels. “When I said heels, I meant sandals.”
“But you said heels, mother dearest.” Miley swung her leg playfully back and forth, showing off the satin white bow tied behind her ankles. “And there’s no denying these are heels.”
“You’re a brat,” Annalee sighed. Somehow, her daughter had managed to make a pair of sneakers pretty stinking cute. They were so her , too. Before the end of the week, half the girls on the rez would be wearing high-heeled sneakers with bows.
“Yep. Your brat,” Miley reminded. “A brat who loves you more than anyone else in the world, though Hawk has been giving me a run for my money lately.”
Hawk. Annalee pressed her hands to her heart at the reminder that her groom-to-be was waiting for her outside the tiny nursery in the back of the church that they were using as a bridal dressing area. Actually, he was probably down at the altar by now. Running Bear was the one who was waiting for her just outside the door of the nursery.
A triple knock sounded on the door, making her heart race even faster.
“It’s time!” Miley rubbed her hands together excitedly. “We’re ready,” she called.
The door cracked open, and Tucker Pratt’s head appeared on the other side. “Whoa! You have on a dress. Didn’t know you even owned one.”
“I didn’t until Bridezilla over there dragged me to the store by my hair.” Miley stuck out her tongue at him. “Who tied your tie? It looks like it’s choking you.”
“Miley,” Annalee moaned faintly.
Tucker clutched his neck and pretended to gasp for air until Miley shoved his hands aside and loosened his tie for him.
“There. Now smile and look pretty, so you don’t embarrass my parents. Still can’t believe they thought you were best man material.”
“Miley,” Annalee bleated again, not sure why she bothered scolding. Her daughter enjoyed saying stuff to get a rise out of others, and that was probably never going to change.
“I’m not,” Tucker retorted cheerfully. “Told him that catching a murderess together didn’t make us friends, either, yet here I am.” He extended his arm to her with a long-suffering sigh. “Come here, you.”
Annalee shooed them out the door. “You’re both brats.” After all Tucker had done for her family, he felt more like a brother than anything else. Beneath his many rough edges was a heart of gold that he didn’t let others see very often. She felt blessed, indeed, that he’d chosen to give her, Hawk, and Miley a glimpse of it.
With a wink and a mock salute, Tucker disappeared around the corner with her maid of honor on his arm.
Running Bear stepped into the room. “My turn.” He held out his arms to Annalee. “You’re the most beautiful bride.” His voice trembled with emotion as she stepped closer to embrace him.
“Thank you for walking me down the aisle,” she murmured against his feathers and one of his braids.
“The honor is all mine.” He stepped back. “You’ve made our newest councilman and our most recently retired councilman the happiest men on the rez.”
Her heart was too full to say anything, so she leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek as he led her from the room.
They stood at the back of the church and waited until the lone guitar player strummed the opening notes to the Wedding March. Then they made their way toward the altar where Hawk was standing.
The tiny church was crammed so full of people that it was a miracle there was any air left in the room to breathe. Children peeked out from behind their parents’ knees, pointing and craning to get a better look at what one chubby toddler called “the flower lady.”
She smiled and blew a kiss to the little boy. He buried his face bashfully against his mother’s skirt.
“Ohhh!” A breathy sigh left her as she caught sight of the leather vest Hawk was wearing over his white dress shirt. She would’ve recognized those hand-carved roses anywhere. It was such detailed and intricate work that Miley must have put in some very long hours over the past week to finish it.
His dark gaze glowed into hers as they approached him. It was the first time he was seeing her in her wedding gown, and he looked like he very much approved of her non-traditional approach. As they drew closer, she saw a sheen of wonder misting his eyes.
Running Bear stopped in front of Hawk and transferred her hand to his arm. “I love you both more than my own life,” he choked. “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” He backed away from them with a damp sniffle.
Pastor Josh Chavez officiated over the ceremony in what had to be his first experience doing anything like that. He was glowing nearly as much as Annalee and Hawk. It seemed to her that his gaze rested a little longer than necessary a few times during the ceremony on Miley, but it could’ve simply been her mama bear instincts going into overdrive.
She and Hawk exchanged their I Do’s and slid wedding bands on each other’s fingers. After the final blessing was spoken over them, he tipped her chin up for a tender kiss. “I love you, Mrs. Chesney.”
The room erupted into clapping and cheers. They strolled up the aisle, waving their love and appreciation to their family, friends, neighbors, and tribal council members.
Their wedding festivities poured into the parking lot where a long white tent had been erected for the reception. There was music, singing, toasting, and dancing, during which Edward gave Mirabelle a rather masterful spin in his lap on his wheelchair. There was no denying to anyone who was watching that the two of them were very much in love. Annalee was fully expecting another engagement announcement soon.
* * *
Tucker stood on the sidelines, wishing he was somewhere else. Yeah, he thought the world of Hawk, Annalee, and Miley, but a wedding was no place for a rogue like him. His hands had too much blood on them, his heart too many black spots. The only worthwhile skill set he possessed was catching criminals.
Glancing at his watch, he wondered what the protocol was for how long a best man was supposed to suffer in a tie and blazer before making his escape. He’d already loosened his tie three more times since leaving the church building.
Yanking on it a fourth time, he decided he’d waited long enough to make a run for it. He pivoted toward his truck on the far side of the parking lot and nearly plowed into a teenage boy.
“Sorry about that, kid!” He did a hasty sidestep, managing to yank his tie off at the same time.
“Kid?” An outraged female voice twanged around his ears.
He frowned and took a closer look and found himself staring at a petite, dark-haired woman who couldn’t have been more than a hundred pounds sopping wet. Her wind-tousled hair was in a pixie cut, and there was nothing feminine whatsoever about the beige plaid shirt she’d half tucked into her faded jeans.
“My bad.” He raised his eyebrows at the amount of dust on her knees. She looked like she’d just taken a tumble from her horse in the middle of a barrel race. “Are you the parking attendant?” He knew he was being rude, but there was something brewing in her coffee brown eyes that rankled. He’d already said he was sorry for nearly mowing her down. If his apology wasn’t good enough for her, she could go roll in another pile of dust.
“Wow!” She slapped her hands down on her skinny hips and surveyed him with a look of disgust. “You’re every bit as much of a jerk as they said you were!”
He snorted, not surprised that someone had been talking about him behind his back. Or several someones, from what she’d made it sound like. “If we’re done trading insults here, I’ve got somewhere to be.” He started to step around her, but she sidestepped to block him.
“Not so fast, Pratt. We need to talk.”
He didn’t know how she knew his name, since he’d never laid eyes on her in his life, nor did he particularly care. “Sorry, beautiful. Though I’m between girlfriends, you’re not my type.” He’d never had a serious girlfriend, but she didn’t need to know that.
She snickered and attempted to cover it with a cough, keeping her glare intact. “Oh, trust me. You’re nobody’s type, cowboy, and I’m nowhere near desperate enough to try to change your mind.” She gave him a withering once-over, intended to put him in his place.
However, the interest flickering in her gaze was at war with her words. She didn’t hate what she saw, a fact he found far more fascinating than he should have. He almost wished he wasn’t so good at reading body language, because he was truly done with peopling for the day. He’d closed his latest case and earned his forthcoming evening of solitude. Just him, his dog, a cold beverage, and a nap on his back porch. No TV. All he wanted was silence. Pure, uninterrupted silence.
“Now that I’ve got your attention,” her voice was way too smug for her own good, “I want to hire you.”
He barked out a laugh that made her face redden. “Sorry, but I’m off duty, ma’am.”
“Mallory,” she supplied. “Mallory Evans.”
He reached inside his blazer to fish out a business card for Lonestar Security. He extended it lazily to her. “Here you go, Miss Evans,” he drawled, since he didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger. “Call my office and tell whoever picks up to assign your case to anyone besides me.” He was kidding, of course, but she sort of had it coming.
A hissing sound escaped from between her clenched teeth. Ignoring his business card, she snapped, “Unfortunately for both of us, I happen to need your skill set.”
“Oh, really?” He lowered his arm, secretly disappointed that she didn’t seem interested in snagging his phone number. “And what might that be?” This should be interesting. He wished he had some popcorn to go with whatever delightful venom she would spew over him next.
She ticked the reasons off on her fingers. “Rude, opinionated, doesn’t give a flying rat’s tail what others think, doesn’t hesitate to bend the rules…” She glowered at him. “Does any of that sound familiar?”
He decided on the spot that he might not be done peopling for the day after all. Leaning her way, he raised a single eyebrow, a look he’d long since perfected. “Just to be clear, were you describing yourself or me?”
She didn’t take the bait. “I need help catching a cattle rustler. The police have struck out, and I’m at my wit’s end. Just name your price, and we can get to the spitballing part of our agreement.”
He was tempted to say yes, more tempted than he’d been in a long time. However, she’d already gotten farther under his skin than anyone else had managed to do in the past decade, which made her more dangerous than many of the criminals he’d helped collar. He kept people at a distance for a reason. If she had a lick of sense, she’d find somebody more respectable to hire.
“Sorry.” He swung away from her, taking a wide path around her. “Like I said, I’m off duty.” He waved at her without turning around, entirely forgetting he was still holding his business card until it was snatched out of his hand.
“We’ll see about that!”
Because the breeze was picking up, he caught a whiff of her flowery shampoo as she stomped in the opposite direction across the parking lot.
He shook his head in bemusement as he finished making his way to his ice-blue Chevy Colorado. It was new, a recent birthday gift to himself. No sooner had he climbed behind the wheel and rolled down his window than did his cell phone vibrate with an incoming call.
He considered ignoring it, but it wasn’t a luxury a P.I. could afford. Someone might be dying. Literally.
He dug it from his pocket and accepted the call without bothering to check the caller ID. “This better be good.”
“Looks like you’ve caught yourself a new case, Tuck.” It was his boss, Gage Hefner.
No surprise there. The services at Lonestar Security were in high demand. “Lay it on me.” Tucker started his motor and shifted into reverse, easing slowly from his parking spot. He didn’t want to almost-plow into anyone else today, certainly not with his truck.
In his usual efficient manner, Gage stuck to the raw details. “Mallory Evans. Local rancher. Bit of a hothead.”
“No.” Tucker almost laughed at how quickly she’d called the number on his business card. “I don’t two-step with wedding crashers.” She had some nerve pestering another wedding guest on the same day! There was no way she’d been invited to the event herself. She wasn’t even dressed for the occasion.
“She’s a solid customer, Tuck, and she’s requesting you. If it were me, I’d take it as a compliment.”
Yeah, well, I’m not you. “Tough. I already told her no.” He turned out of the parking lot and gunned his motor.
“Request overruled.” Gage gave a grunt of humor. “Nice try, though. I’ll text you the rest of the details. Rest up tonight, so you can get started tomorrow.”
“Or what?” Tucker grumbled.
“Or nothing,” Gage retorted cheerfully. “You’re one of the best P.I.s in the business. That’s why she wants you on the case. I think we can all agree it’s not your sunny personality.”
“Et tu, Brute?” Tucker disconnected the call, wondering if he’d missed some memo. It was starting to sound like National Pick On Tucker Pratt Day. It both annoyed and amused him that Mallory Evans was probably thinking she’d outmaneuvered him.
Boy, was she in for a rude awakening. Instead of mentally adding a point to her column, he added it to his.
Sometimes you get what you ask for, darling. Don’t blame me if you’re not happy with the outcome.
In his defense, he’d tried to warn her.
* * *
October
Annalee stepped onto the back porch of the cabin, loving the crisp bite of the evening wind and the scent of autumn bonfires. It was her most favorite time of the year. The neighborhood was strewn with leaf piles that the children had been jumping in all afternoon. Someone was strumming a guitar nearby, probably Josh Chavez in his never-ending quest to coax Miley on a date. The tune almost drowned out the faint howl of a wolf in the distance.
She leaned both hands on the porch railing, gazing up at the sky. A full moon was resting high overhead, and a wonderful secret was blossoming inside her. She couldn’t wait to tell Hawk when he got back from his latest tribal council meeting.
Another half hour or so passed before she heard his truck pull into the new carport he’d built a week ago — him and a few friends, including Tucker who still joked that they weren’t actually friends. He was a real character, someone she sensed was carrying a rough past on his shoulders. She and Hawk had briefly discussed him behind closed doors and had come to the mutual agreement that they would be there for him whenever he was ready. They owed that much to him after the way he’d stood by them through the recent danger that had plagued their family.
Our growing family.
She smiled and tipped her face up to the sky, closing her eyes.
Hawk found her there, coming up from behind to enclose her in his strong arms.
She leaned back against his chest, feeling like everything was right in her world again. “I missed you,” she whispered. She always missed him when he wasn’t there.
“I missed you more.” He tipped her chin up to give her an upside-down kiss.
“That’s not possible.” She spoke against his lips.
He deepened the kiss, making tears of happiness spring to her eyes. She would never, ever take moments like these for granted. They were too precious. He was too precious.
He finally settled his cheek next to hers. “Tell me about your day.”
Oh, boy! Her heart raced, hoping that what she had to tell him wouldn’t be unwelcome news. “I had a doctor’s appointment.” It was one she hadn’t told him about until now.
“Oh?” He straightened and spun her around to face him. “Is everything okay?”
She swallowed uncertainly. “I’m not sick, if that’s what you’re asking.”
He held her gaze for a moment. Then a knowing light crept into his eyes. “Are you serious?”
“So, um…” She glanced away from him. “I know we never really talked about this, but I hope you’re okay with having a kid in college and another one on the way.”
“Yeah, I’m okay with it.” He swept her up in his arms, twirling her around and around until she was dizzy. Then he set her on the porch railing, keeping her wrapped in his arms. “Just when I thought our lives couldn’t get any more perfect!”
He sounded so happy that she hated dampening the moment in any way. However, he deserved to know the whole truth. “I’ll be thirty-six by the time our baby arrives. The doctor is calling it a late maternal pregnancy.” She gulped. “That means there will be more risks.”
He ducked his head to bring them eye level. “God has brought us through so much already. There’s no way He’ll abandon us now.” The steady conviction in his voice soothed her fears and returned her breathing to normal.
“You’re right. He has.” She gripped his upper arms. “I’m so happy, Hawk, that I can barely stand it.” She blinked back tears. “This beautiful life He’s given us together. Our family. Our friends. Our community.” Her heart was overflowing.
“It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” he agreed, claiming her lips again to make their perfectly perfect evening even better.
* * *
Thank you for reading