Kelvin bowed his head. “Thank you, Sir. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say ‘Good afternoon, Doctor Kearney’,” Doctor Kearney told him. “Say, ‘See you folks around, ‘cuz I’m taking my wife home now’.”
Kelvin’s head shot up, and his eyes sparkled. “Good afternoon, Doctor Kearney. See you folks around, ‘cuz I’m taking my wife home now.”
“Good man,” Doctor Kearney exclaimed.
Betsy burst out laughing and wiped tears off her cheeks. Cici rushed forward and threw her arms around the doctor. “Thank you so much, Doctor. I can’t thank you enough for this.”
Doctor Kearney cleared his throat. Tears stood on his eyelashes. “Heck, little lady. You don’t have to thank me. It’s the least you deserve after the way you broke that man of yours out of Merrill’s house. I told you not to try any heroics. I should have known you couldn’t help yourself.”
She stepped back, and Kelvin moved in to shake the doctor’s hand. “It’s an honor to work for you instead of that hound Merrill Fox. You can count on me to take care the place for you.”
“I know I can, son,” he replied. “I know I can. Now get out of here. I’ll be around the ranch sometime next week, and we’ll go over all the details and figure out if the ranch needs anything changed or if you can just keep on doing what you’ve been doing all these years.”
“The buggy’s waiting for you outside,” Jed told him.
“All right,” Kelvin breathed. “I can see we’re not welcome here anymore. Come on, Cici. I know a nice place where we can relax.”
He took her hand and led her outside where the buggy stood at the door. He handed her up and climbed into the driver’s seat. Betsy waved from the door and dabbed her eyes. “Jed will bring your trunk out for you. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Kelvin urged the horse to a gentle trot, and the buggy whirred out of town to the ranch. The dismal bunkhouse and barn flew by, and Kelvin stopped in front of the cottage.
Cici could hardly believe this was really happened. Kelvin really was handing her down to the ground. They really were walking up the path to the door. He really was opening the door and guiding her inside.
A box sat on the table containing a loaf of bread, a ball of butter, a side of bacon, and half a rabbit pie. Kelvin shook his head. “Nice to have a few neighbors around the place.”
Cici couldn’t stop staring at everything. A rocking chair rested in front of the fireplace. That wasn’t here last time she came. Kelvin crossed the room to stand in front of her, and his big frame and his face and eyes blocked her view of the cottage. He was the cottage. He was her future.
He wrapped his arms around her. Nothing could hold them apart here. Happiness swaddled her heart in comfortable sweetness. All her dreams came true. Laughter and shouting voices filled the silence. They called her down the years to come and join them in that glorious future full of love and light and joy.
Kelvin’s eyes glistened within inches of her face. The same picture looked out from those deep green pools. Did he hear the voices calling him? He kissed her, and the magical vision came true. They would fill this house with all those voices. They answered Cici’s prayer until all the sadness and fear of the past crumbled to so much dust around the doorstep.
The End
* * *
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The Forgotten Bride (Brides 0f Brimstone Book 2) Page 10
