This was not news to Zane or Honor. Mrs. Burns had called them earlier in the week to discuss Jubie’s progress. She had told them Jubie was a lovely and well-adjusted girl, especially given her recent loss. She would keep a close eye on her, but for now, they should rest easy. Continue to read to her every night, Mrs. Burns had added, but ask her to read to you as well.
Honor had immediately gotten online to order a half dozen books. Zane had teased her that the library was just down the street. “I can afford them, so I’m going to buy them for her. Plus, I like how they line up on the shelf in her bedroom.”
Zane had acquiesced, knowing it was a joy for her to buy gifts for the people she loved. He also hadn’t said a word when Honor redecorated the former guest room in pink and lace. “Every little girl should have a pink room if they want one,” Zane had agreed.
She couldn’t imagine a better man than Zane Shaw.
It was almost lunch time when they turned off the main highway and followed a curvy country road to a dirt driveway with a sign that read: Hubert Family Farm.
Jubie bounced in her car seat and clapped her hands. “It’s a real farm. I see a cow.”
Sure enough, several cows grazed in a pasture to the right of the driveway. A white-haired farmer dressed in overalls came out of the barn as the three of them got out of the car. The farmer introduced himself as Jim Hubert. Zane explained they were here about the kittens.
“You’re just in time. We only have three left.” Jim gestured for them to follow him into the barn. In a basket near stacked bales of hay, an orange mama cat and three babies were curled up together. Two of the kittens were orange and white striped like their mama. The third was gray and white striped.
“Are they sleeping?” Jubie whispered.
“Yes indeed,” Jim said. “Cats sleep all day and get into trouble at night.”
Jubie’s eyes widened. “They do?”
One of the orange and white kittens looked over at Jubie and yawned. Jubie let out a happy squeak. “She’s looking at me.”
“Are they all girls?” Honor asked.
“The two orange ones are girls. The gray one’s a little boy,” Jim said. “They’re about ten weeks old. They’ve been weened since week four and know how to use the litter box and eat cat food, so it’s time for them to find homes. I’d suggest you take two. They do better in pairs.”
Honor looked over at Zane. Was he thinking the same thing? They couldn’t leave one alone without their siblings. Three of them would have to come home.
Jubie inched closer. “Can I pet them?”
“Sure. Nice and gentle,” Jim said. “The more you hold them when they’re little, the more likely they’ll be lap cats.”
Zane reached into the basket and pulled the little gray one into his arms. He mewed but didn’t resist. The kitten seemed so tiny against Zane’s muscular chest.
“We can’t leave one behind. We’ll have to take all three,” Zane said.
Jim nodded with obvious approval. “You won’t regret it. They’re great mousers, too, if they’re anything like their mother.”
How are they with crows?
Out loud, Honor agreed that they had to take all three as she picked up one of the orange sisters. “They’re just like us. Two girls and one boy.”
Jubie looked as if she might explode with joy. “Can I name them?”
“Sure,” Zane said.
“Juice and Tree for the orange ones,” Jubie said.
Honor smiled but managed not to laugh.
“How about for this little gray guy?” Zane asked.
“I don’t know,” Jubie said.
“We could call him Fog,” Honor said. “Like the view from our window some mornings.”
“Fog. That’s good,” Jubie said. “Juice, Tree, and Fog.”
“Done,” Zane said. “How much do we owe you?”
“I said they were free to a good home, and I’m a man of my word,” Jim said. “However, you might like to make a donation to the Humane Society if you have a little money to throw around.”
“Will do,” Zane said.
Jim picked up the other orange kitten and set her in Jubie’s arms. “Hold on tight but not too tight,” he said.
“I’ll be careful,” Jubie whispered. “Hey there, little one.”
Mama cat stretched and got to her feet, then let out a long mew.
Jubie’s expression turned from blissful to tragic. “Will their mom miss them? What if they don’t want to be taken from her?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Jim said. “It’s natural for her to let them go. She wants them to go have their own lives now.”
“She won’t be sad?” Jubie’s eyes had filled with tears.
“Not really,” Jim said. “She’s proud she raised them up so good they can take care of themselves.”
“But won’t they miss their mom?”
“It’s natural for them too,” Jim said. “You’ll be their new mama. That’s why it’s important you give them lots of love and attention.”
“Oh, okay.” Jubie still looked skeptical, but she no longer seemed as wretched as the moment before. She kissed the kitten in her arms on the head. “You’ll be with us now. I’ll take care of you, just like King and Queen take care of me now. You’ll be just fine.”
Honor had to turn away and take deep breaths to keep from losing her composure. Zane stared at the kitten in his arms like he was studying an ancient script.
Jim cleared his throat. “Well now, folks. Let’s get you on your way. I’ve got chores to do.”
“Yes sir,” Jubie said.
They put the kittens in the carrier and closed the door. All three mewed and stuck their noses through the cracks.
“They might cry on the way home,” Jim said. “But once they’re out of the carrier and inside, they’ll be just fine.”
“Come on,” Zane said. “We need to get these beauties home.”
Jubie skipped ahead to the car with Zane right behind her.
Honor stroked the mama cat’s head. “You did well, Mama. We’ll take good care of your babies.” Her voice caught. “I’m sorry you had to let them go.”
Jim rocked back on his heels, observing her with a wrinkled brow. “You know, miss, I was telling your little girl the truth. She’ll be fine.”
“I feel guilty, taking them from her.”
He pulled on the straps of his overalls. “She’s happy, knowing they’re going to a loving home. All a mother wants is to know their babies will be loved like she loved them.”
“Cats, maybe.”
“Humans too.” He patted her shoulder. “You’re doing good. Wherever Jubie’s mama is, she’s resting easy. Now get along. There’s a little girl waiting in the car for you to take her home.”
“Yes sir.”
With one last caress of the mother cat’s head, Honor turned and headed out the barn doors to join her family.
Chapter Twenty-One
Zane
* * *
THE EARLY OCTOBER MORNING of Jackson and Maggie’s wedding began with a heavy layer of fog over Cliffside Bay. Zane stood on the patio with a cup of coffee and sighed. Nothing but white fog and gray skies. This would not do. Maggie’s day had to be perfect.
Dad, if you’re up there, could you put in a word with the big man?
He must have heard Zane’s plea because by noon the fog had burned off and blue skies appeared. At four that afternoon, Zane and the other Dogs stood with the bridesmaids, Lisa, Pepper, Kara, and Honor in the backyard of Jackson and Maggie’s house. They’d met Maggie’s best friends from her New York days, Lisa Perry and Pepper Griffin, at the rehearsal dinner the night before. From what Zane could see, they were opposites from each other in both personality and appearance. Lisa was quiet in temperament and looked like a doll with fair skin, light blond hair and eyes a color somewhere between blue ice and a mountain stream. Pepper wore her dark hair in messy waves that framed her small face. A wide mouth and a narr
ow nose in combination with unusually light green eyes gave her a mysterious persona. She was quick to laughter as well as quick-witted. He could hear his dad’s voice in his head. “She’s a handful, that one.”
Before the ceremony started, the Dogs all gathered in the basement for one last toast. For a wedding present, Maggie had asked her designer, Trey Mattson, to turn the space once used for storage into the ultimate man cave. A wraparound sofa in gray and a soft rug were arranged around a giant flat screen. Wood and bricks from parts of the original house had become the walls and flooring. A bar was tucked into the corner of the room and stocked with all the Dogs’ favorite liquor. Five stools with black leather cushions were lined up along the counter.
The Dogs were all dressed in gray suits with rose gold ties that matched the color of the bridesmaids’ sparkly dresses. Jackson wore a black suit with a silver vest and tie. Zane poured them all a shot of good tequila. They gathered in a circle near the bar.
Zane raised his glass and looked around at the faces of his best friends. Jackson looked a little pale and his blue eyes a bit glassy. Most men on their wedding day were nervous. Brody hadn’t been, but the guy was used to playing football in front of millions of people.
“We’ll have some toasts at the reception,” Zane said. “But I thought we needed a last-minute meeting of the Dogs before the madness starts.”
“Amen to that.” Kyle, lean and sinewy in his gray suit with those roguish facial features, looked like he belonged in a liquor advertisement for men of discerning taste.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” Zane said.
“Good times and some bad ones too,” Lance said. “But always together.”
Lance and Brody had their arms around each other. Lance, with features too pretty for a man and shiny brown hair that flopped over his forehead, was such a contrast to his brother. Nothing about Brody’s penetrating eyes or square jaw could be called pretty. Yet, they all knew what a generous and gentle man he was under the powerful muscles and athletic prowess.
And then there was Jackson. His brother. Sensitive and giving and ridiculously smart. Behind those glassy eyes was a man who had loved a girl all his life and today, he would finally make her his wife.
Zane looked at his feet, hoping the right words to express his deep feelings were written there on the tips of his black shoes. “These weddings keep happening and the women in our lives keep getting me into a suit.”
“It stops here,” Kyle said, laughing.
“Speak for yourself,” Lance said. “I want a wife.”
“You just doomed yourself, anyway, Kyle,” Brody said. “The more you protest, the more likely God is sending someone right now.”
“Dude, don’t ruin the mood,” Kyle said.
“Okay, we’re here for Jackson,” Zane said. “We’ll discuss Kyle’s debauchery at another time.”
“I’m so misunderstood,” Kyle said.
Zane raised his shot glass. “Jackson, I’ve known you all my life. You’ve been like a brother to me.”
“And you to me,” Jackson said.
“I’ve loved Maggie Keene almost as long as I’ve loved you,” Zane said. “I was thinking this morning that a year ago we would never have thought this day was possible. But a miracle happened and now here we are. I wish you and Maggie many, many years together, enough that the twelve you missed will be as if they never happened. To Jackson and Maggie.”
“To Jackson and Maggie,” the rest echoed.
They downed their shots just as the door opened and Doc came into the room. “They’re ready for us.” Doc grinned. “You ready, son?”
Jackson squeezed Zane’s shoulder. “I’ve been ready since I was six years old.”
The ceremony took place in the backyard. White chairs had been set up on the stone patio in neat rows. The newly restored swimming pool reflected the late afternoon blue sky. Bunches of pale pink and white ranunculus decorated the temporary arch. Jackson waited with the pastor as the music began. Dakota, in his miniature gray suit, carried the ring on a pillow with his eyes glued on his mother who sat in the front row gesturing encouragingly for the little boy to continue walking. Next, Jubie, wearing a dress with a puffy tulle skirt and bodice that matched the sparkly rose-gold bridesmaid dresses, scattered ranunculus heads down the aisle. When she reached the arches, she slipped next to Dakota and took his hand, as had been directed by the wedding coordinator Maren, who even Dakota obeyed without question. Jubie’s cheeks were flushed with excitement. He’d never seen a girl as excited about a dress as she had been that morning, and that was saying something given his fiancée’s love of dresses. Jubie waved at Zane and grinned. Her glossy hair bounced and shone in the sunlight. He blew her a kiss.
Zane, with Lisa on his arm, walked down the aisle. Behind him, Brody escorted Pepper, followed by Kyle and Honor, with Lance and Kara at the tail end. When they were all positioned by the alter, he stole a glance at Honor. The dresses were all the same sequined fabric, but the bodices were cut differently. He had no idea what they were called, but Honor’s had skinny straps and a low-cut neckline that showed off her hourglass figure perfectly. She’d look good in a sack, but this dress worked well too.
The processional music began, and Maggie appeared on Doc’s arm. The bride floated down the aisle, her gaze on Jackson, like an invisible thread pulled her to him. Her hair was up in one of those complicated piles that took hours to build. A long veil floated behind her. Diamond earrings sparkled in the golden light of the autumn afternoon. Zane skirted his gaze to Jackson. Tears streamed down his face. Zane felt him tremble next to him. “You got this, buddy,” Zane whispered.
Jackson squeezed his forearm. “Just don’t let me fall over,” he whispered back.
Their vows were as intimate as their relationship.
Jackson, afraid he’d forget the words, read from a notecard. His voice shook with emotion as he spoke to his bride. “Maggie, I’ve loved you all my life, but somehow I believe our love affair started before we were even born. I imagine our souls entered this world already entwined. We are soulmates, destined to be together, despite all the ways the devil wanted to keep us apart. Nothing could ruin what we are together—us—Maggie and Jackson. I love you with everything I am. I vow to be your partner, best friend, biggest fan and the father of your children. I will never forget what it was like to be apart from you. I see those years as a gift now because it taught me to cherish every moment with those I love. I plan on cherishing every single one with you.”
Maggie spoke her vows from memory. A former actress could do so without a glitch. “Jackson, all the years we were apart, my subconscious never let me forget you. I dreamt of you almost every night and when I woke in the morning I felt you there beside me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I believe now that was God’s way of telling me we were meant to be together. Without you, there was a chunk of my heart missing, a piece of my life unfinished. You are my soulmate, the love of my life. I’m so very blessed in many ways, but nothing will ever mean as much to me as our union. I promise to love you every day like it’s our last.”
The pastor took over from there. Rings were exchanged. Violet did a reading from a poem Zane didn’t recognize. He’d have to ask Kara or Brody later what it was from, since they were the two most likely to know. Then, Jackson and Maggie were pronounced man and wife. In the seconds after the ceremony ended and the bride and groom walked back down the aisle together, a sparrow landed on the arch above the pastor. The music from the string quartet was too loud to hear her song, but Zane knew she sang just the same. At that same moment, a warm breeze swept over the yard, carrying the scent of honeysuckle. An overwhelming sense came over him that Maggie’s mother and Lily Waller and his own father were there in the sparrow’s song and the scent of honeysuckle. He could not explain why, only that it was true.
He looked over at Honor. She met his gaze and as she placed her hand over the spot where the bullet had pierced her flesh, her diamond engagemen
t ring caught the light. The scar was a symbol for the hardship of her past, but it was no match for the sparkle of the ring he’d chosen just for her.
Soon, I’ll make you my wife, Honor Sullivan.
She must have heard his silent vow, for she mouthed the words, I can’t wait.
December couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
The end.
About the Author
Tess Thompson writes small-town romances and historical fiction. Her female protagonists are strong women who face challenges with courage and dignity. Her heroes are loyal, smart and funny, even if a bit misguided at times. While her stories are character driven, she weaves suspenseful plots that keep readers turning pages long into the night.
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Her desire is to inspire readers on their journey toward their best life, just as her characters are on the way to theirs. In her fiction, she celebrates friendships, community, motherhood, family, and how love can change the world. If you like happy endings that leave you with the glow of possibility, her books are for you.
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Like her characters in the River Valley Collection, Tess Thompson hails from a small town in southern Oregon, and will always feel like a small town girl, despite the fact she’s lived in Seattle for over twenty-five years. She loves music and dancing, books and bubble baths, cooking and wine, movies and snuggling. She cries at sappy commercials and thinks kissing in the rain should be done whenever possible. Although she tries to act like a lady, there may or may not have been a few times in the last several years when she’s gotten slightly carried away watching the Seattle Seahawks play, but that could also just be a nasty rumor.
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