Epilogue
Spring was setting in nicely. There were often colder mornings which made climbing out of bed to get to work that much harder. Athena had grown soft. That was what she told herself as she wrapped a wool blanket around her shoulders while she sat on the front porch and waited for her sister to show.
They’d been going out on morning rides for the last couple of weeks, and Athena couldn’t be happier about it. This was the kind of happiness she’d never thought was possible. From the time when she was a little girl to this very moment, she’d thought she’d be one of those people always chasing something she knew nothing about.
Well, now she knew what happiness was.
It was family.
It was the love of her life.
And it was Beast.
She’d been training the horse all winter long, and they were getting ever closer to signing up for the spring dressage events. She couldn’t wait to show the town of Copper Creek the kind of talent she had.
None of it would have been possible without Henry.
The door behind her swung open with a loud creaking sound and the heavy footfalls of a familiar pair of boots echoed across the fog-covered fields.
“You’re not going out in that, are you?” Henry dropped down to sit beside her as he held out her coffee cup. “What if you get lost? Then you’re gonna freeze.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been here long enough to know my way around. I doubt that anything will happen.”
“I don’t know,” Henry said as he lifted his mug to his lips. “I really don’t like that you want to go out there. Maybe you should let me come along.”
“Nope,” she shot back. “This is sister time. But we’ll be back in time for lunch.”
“Lunch!” Henry said louder. “You can’t take a ride that long in this weather.”
“It’s just fog.” Athena laughed. “By the time the sun is fully up, it will have burned off the fields. We’ll be fine. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that when you’re riding Beast,” he argued.
Athena gave him a pointed stare. “That horse is probably the most reliable one we have around here. I’m taking him, and I’m not going to hear another word about it.”
Henry’s side-eye would have been hilarious if it weren’t for something behind his gaze that caught her off guard. She took her mug from her lips and peered at him with a more concentrated fervor. “What’s wrong?”
He shifted, then shrugged. “No one said anything was wrong.”
“You didn’t have to. I can tell when something is up, and something is going to the moon right about now.”
The fidgeting continued, which drew her laughter.
“Come on, Henry. You can tell me. Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ve worked through harder.”
His jaw tightened. She could see the warring thoughts battling it out in his head. Whatever it was, it must have been important.
Slowly, Athena put her mug to the side. “What is it?” she said with more seriousness. “Is something wrong with the ranch? Is Beast—”
“I want to marry you,” Henry blurted, turning his dark brown eyes toward her. “I’m terrified because I don’t want you to… leave.” His whisper couldn’t have been more disheartening if he’d yelled it in anger. She’d done that to him. She’d made him believe that running would be a possibility.
Since she’d been back, she hadn’t done anything that would make him assume she wanted to leave, but she couldn’t deny how hard it must have been to tell her right now what he was worried about. His parents had left. She’d left. Those he cared about didn’t stick around.
Athena’s breath caught in her throat. No words would ever be enough to heal that scar completely. All she would be able to do was spend each day proving to him that she was here to stay. She placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m not going anywhere—not without you.”
He gave her a smile, but the happiness only masked his fears. “I know. And I trust you, I really do.” Henry stood up and shoved his hand into his pocket, while she watched on. When he withdrew his fist, he opened his fingers to reveal a simple rose gold band. There were no stones on it—not that she wanted any. Her life had always been simple, and that was how she wanted it to remain.
She gasped, staring at the ring that so perfectly embodied her personality. It was so unassuming and yet just as beautiful as a traditional wedding ring. Her eyes flicked up to meet Henry’s as he slowly lowered himself to her level.
“I meant what I said. I want to marry you.”
“You don’t have to marry me to make sure I stay—” It was the first thought that escaped her lips, and she immediately regretted the words. She was supposed to tell him yes. But before she could finish her thought, he stopped her.
“I don’t want to marry you because I think it will make you stay. Marriage is a piece of paper. The ring is just a way for everyone else to see that we’re promised to each other. I want to marry you because I want to call you mine. I want to be yours. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, making a promise to be true to one another before God and everybody. You’re all the family I could ever want.”
A happy tear slipped from her cheek. “That sounds too good to be true.”
He chuckled, pulling her left hand from her lap and poising the ring so it would easily slip onto her finger. “I started believing in the impossible the night we met.”
Athena laughed. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“Will you stop changing the subject? You can’t leave me hanging like that.” His expression sobered. “I meant everything I said, and there’s a lot I chose not to say—mostly so I didn’t embarrass myself.”
She shook her head with another laugh as she framed his face in both of her hands. “I love you, Henry Keagan. And I always will. I thought you’d never ask.”
A brief look of surprise flickered over his face. “You wanted me to ask?”
“Of course I did. You were the first family I claimed as my own.”
He pulled her left hand from his cheek, kissed her palm, then bestowed the ring on her. “You never cease to amaze me,” Henry murmured as he met her gaze again. “And I hope that never ends.”
His kiss was deeper, more exquisite than she’d experienced. Within it was a promise that no matter what happened to them, they’d overcome it together. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she gave him her whole heart. The kiss could have gone on for a millennium and she wouldn’t have noticed the time passing. Unfortunately, the sound of someone clearing their throat cut their kiss short.
Athena laughed as she pulled away from Henry and stared at her sister, who had her hands on her hips and was giving them that look. “Am I interrupting something?”
Henry exchanged a look with Athena, then pulled her left hand out to show it off.
Rachel gasped and rushed toward them. “It’s about time.” She released a sound that was more of a squeal than anything else. “And I get to be here when it happens!”
“You’ll have to renew your lease.”
Rachel grinned. “Or maybe find something more permanent.”
Henry looked between them. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
Athena looked toward her sister.
Rachel shrugged. “I thought I might look into getting a place and staying permanently in Copper Creek.”
This time, Athena squealed. “That’s amazing!” Athena gave Rachel a big hug before returning to Henry’s side.
“That’s terrific news!” Henry said.
Athena couldn’t believe how much her life had changed. She stood on the porch of her new home, holding her future husband’s hand and smiling at her sister.
This is what she called a true happily-ever-after.
However, there was one person who might not share their enthusiasm.
“What’s all the commotion about out here?” Hudson inquired, stepping outside onto the porch.
Rachel couldn”t contain her excitement and blurted out, “They”re getting married!”
Athena joined in, unable to contain her joy as well, “And... my sister is moving here permanently!”
Amidst the congratulations and well-wishes from Hudson, Athena couldn”t help but notice a brief scowl on her future brother-in-law’s face when she mentioned her sister”s permanent stay in Copper Creek.
Hopefully, Hudson would find his true love one day too. Then he wouldn’t be so moody.
For now, she wouldn”t let his opinions about her sister dampen her excitement and happiness. It was still the best happily-ever-after she could have dreamed of.
* * *
Hello readers! I hope you loved Henry and Athena’s love story! I’m sure you have a good guess who the next story will be about. Hudson and Rachel!
I thought it would be a lot of fun to have him date Athena’s sister. Plus they’re going to be working on an awesome conservation project together, which is a philanthropic topic I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. Wild mustangs… paired with a sibling-in-laws sister romance? This one is turning out to be good!