by Etta Foster
“Stop that!” she shouted, but she laughed all the while. He tried to tickle her, making her squirm in his grasp. “Stop or I'm going to hit you!”
“You wouldn't hit your husband-to-be,” he said, letting out a squawk as she gave his chest another slap.
“What was that you were saying?” she smiled cheekily, grateful for him trying to distract her.
“Alright, I stand corrected. You would definitely hit your husband-to-be,” he said, squinting his eyes at her. “I'm not going to become a battered spouse, am I?”
That made the two of them laugh, the joyful sounds echoing across the front yard. They laughed until their sides hurt. Coralee even got the hiccups, which only made the two of them laugh even harder.
When they finally managed to get themselves back under control, Gavin cleared his throat. “I truly can't thank you enough, Coralee. For everything. Maybe not the lying part, but all the other stuff.”
“Thanks,” Coralee snorted with laughter, covering her mouth with embarrassment. “I hope that I didn't make too many mistakes while I was here.”
“No, you pretty much did it all right,” Gavin admitted. “I didn't think anyone would find it as easy to make me fall in love as you did.”
“I guess I just got lucky,” Coralee said, shrugging uncomfortably. She wasn't sure where he was going with this. Then she noticed that his hand was resting inside the pocket of his pants. “Are you hiding something from me?”
“Not hiding. Just waiting for the opportune moment to bring it up,” Gavin grinned, gripping her around her waist and effortlessly pulling her into his arms. “After all, it's something that has been overdue for two months now.”
Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that she couldn't hear what he was saying at first. Then her heart slowed to almost a stop when she saw him pull his hand from his pocket, which was clenched into a fist.
He took her hand in his and turned it so that it was palm up. His hand was so large that it easily cradled hers, his other hand briefly obscuring hers as it hovered above it. She felt something metallic and cool being set onto her palm, which she only just noticed was starting to sweat.
“Before I remove my hand, I have to ask you something,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes. “Even with how much of a fool I've shown myself to be, are you still willing to be my wife?”
“I don't know how many times I have to give you my answer before you'll finally believe me,” she said while laughing softly.
She watched as he slowly slid down onto one knee, her throat growing dry. “But yes, I do still want to be yours,” she added quietly.
“No matter what happens?” he asked seriously, his hand still closed over hers.
“No matter what,” she promised eagerly. “Now and forever, I'll be yours.”
“Then I suppose it’s time for you to get a ring,” Gavin said smoothly, finally lifting his hand to reveal the gold wedding band that now sat nestled in her palm. It was just a simple golden band that didn't weigh more than a nail, but it was the greatest thing in the world to her in that moment.
“I don't know what to say, Gavin,” she whispered as he gently picked up the ring and slid it onto her ring finger. She gasped at how good a fit it was, looking self-consciously at her hand. She had always thought her fingers were too thick, and she had trouble fitting into most jewelry.
“I took the liberty of measuring one of your fingers during our date and used it to get the ring sized,” he murmured, his thumb stroking over the gold band absently.
“You sly dog! I never even suspected a thing,” she whispered back, awestruck by his cunning. “When did you do it? I didn't see you with a tape measure or anything.”
“Years out here at the ranch have made me good at guessing things when I look at them long enough. I figured your fingers were just a little thicker than my mother's and her wedding band would have been just too small for you. So, I had a jeweler make a ring that was two sizes larger than one of hers,” Gavin replied proudly.
“Gavin Woodworth, you just keep finding ways to amaze me,” she said softly, her hand moving up to caress his cheek gently. “I don't know what I did to deserve a man who treats me as good as you do.”
“Doesn't matter what you did. What matters is that we are here now, together. We have a nice and long, happy life ahead of us, and we'll have years together to iron out our lives the way we want. That's what is important,” he said, his arm wrapping around her waist so he could pull her in for a kiss.
She didn't even try to resist this time. There wasn't a single part of her that even wanted to try. Instead, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and leaned up into him. She squealed gently into the kiss as she felt him briefly lift her feet off the ground.
“Sweeping me off my feet, huh?” she joked lovingly, sneaking another quick kiss to his lips.
“As is the proper thing for a man to do,” Gavin replied, grinning widely.
Epilogue
Coralee thought that she might be dreaming. Gavin had kept his word and then some. He'd written a letter to the Boston papers, telling them that they had run a smear article against his wife-to-be and that he was considering taking action against them.
He also had her write a letter that was sent to the sheriff's office in Boston, informing him of the hiding spot that Lucas used to use for all the things he had stolen or wanted to hide away. If they wanted to find the evidence to clear Coralee's name, they would find it in the alcove behind the main bookshelf in the family library.
Two weeks later, they received two letters. The first was the newspaper expressing furious apologies to him and his wife. They had just recently gotten word from the local sheriff that they had searched the Caldwell home and found the items Lucas had claimed she'd stolen. Her name was cleared.
Coralee had cried with relief as she finished reading the letter. Temporarily overwhelmed by her emotions, it had taken her a while to pull herself back together enough so that she could read the letter from the sheriff. It turned out that Agnes had gone into the station right when the article had first come out and had raised a ruckus.
They thanked her and Gavin for their letter, which had singlehandedly helped them solve a series of criminal complaints that they'd received over the last few months. If Coralee ever wished to return to Boston, she was free to do so. There was also a matter of some money that Jessica had left for her in a bank account, the funds of which they had sent in a separate parcel.
She had plenty of time to think about what she'd want to do with the money should she ever find herself with some extra cash. The answer came to her quite easily. Some might consider her underhanded for it, but she didn't care.
That was why she approached Jude and Claudia while they sat in their cabin one night. It was the three-month anniversary of when she'd first arrived, and there were three months left that Jude would have to remain for his share of the inheritance.
“Can I talk to the two of you for a moment?” Coralee had asked softly, speaking just loud enough to get their attention.
“Oh, Coralee. I didn't hear you come in,” Claudia said, setting down the sewing project she had been working on. “What's on your mind?”
“I don't want you both to take this the wrong way,” Coralee began, moving to sit on the sofa next to Claudia. “I definitely don't want you to think that I'm trying to get rid of you now that you and Gavin are finally back on good terms.”
“Now I'm worried,” Jude said jokingly, taking a seat in the armchair across from the sofa. “You aren't still thinking about leaving, are you?”
“No, I'm not leaving. I've made up my mind that I'm going to make things work with Gavin,” she said, smiling gently.
“Then what brings you to our neck of the woods? You've never really come to visit before,” Claudia said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at Coralee.
“I have a gift for the two of you,” she said quietly, pulling one of the envelopes from behind her back. She had removed th
e letter from Agnes and put some of her inheritance money into it, which she now presented to them both. She watched Jude and Claudia look questioningly at one another before Jude gently plucked the envelope from her hand.
“This isn't some kind of prank, is it?” Jude asked, opening the envelope and freezing when he looked inside. “What the? W-Where did all this come from?”
“My friend back in Boston left me some money in her will when she died. Turns out her father did the same thing. I don't need all of it, so I figured that I would help both you and Gavin out,” Coralee said cheerfully.
“What are you getting at, Coralee?” Jude asked, ignoring the look of confusion on Claudia's face.
“I want you to take this money and go start your new lives in Boston. It seems obvious in the time that I've known you that you aren't bad people. Gavin told me a little bit about what you went through these past few years, and that couldn't have been easy,” Coralee smiled.
“There would never be any way for us to repay this amount of money to you,” Claudia said suspiciously, having moved to stand beside Jude to peer into the envelope.
“I don't want you to repay me. I just want the two of you to finally be able to follow your dreams. I get the feeling that those dreams don't involve the two of you staying at the ranch. Didn't you always say that you wanted to go to Boston?” Coralee turned to Claudia as she spoke.
“Ever since I was a little girl,” Claudia whispered gently, looking conflicted as she shared another look with her husband. “What do you think the catch is?”
“The only catch is that I want you to forfeit your half of the ranch to Gavin. And no, it isn't because I don't think you deserve your part. I just think this would be the easiest way to give everyone what they want. We'll even keep this cabin ready for you if you ever decide you want to come back for a visit,” Coralee said, noting the look that had crossed Jude's face.
“I was already planning to give up my share of the inheritance,” Jude said quietly, his eyes still glancing down at the envelope. “Especially after I was the reason why Virgil sent all those cow rustlers here. I almost got my Pop killed for it.”
“That wasn't your fault, Jude. You couldn't have possibly known that Virgil would take things that far,” Coralee said soothingly. “I don't think any of us thought he would turn out to be such a bastard.”
“No one can ever know just how bad a person is until they become desperate,” Claudia added, reaching over to pat the top of Jude's hand gently.
“How can we ever thank you for this?” Jude asked, looking like he was trying his best not to cry.
“Just come to my wedding and try not to give your brother too hard of a time,” Coralee replied, giggling softly.
***
Coralee stood in front of Gavin and the town priest, the sunlight streaming down on them where they stood in a clearing near the forest. They'd erected a small gazebo for the two of them to stand under, having requested assistance from some of the men in town.
Gavin was popular enough that they found themselves swamped with volunteers. The ranch had been much livelier during that time, with the sound of hammers echoing for four days. When all was said and done, though, they'd created something wonderful.
The gazebo was crafted from sturdy wooden planks cut from oak trees, the lighter shade of wood helping to catch the sunlight when it shone directly on it. Viola would later tell her that it had made it look like the heavens themselves were blessing the event. She'd even loaned Coralee her wedding dress, which she was surprised to find fit her surprisingly well.
They had set their wedding date for the first day of December and were fortunate enough to find the blessed day bright and sunny. There wasn't a single hint of snow in the air, but Coralee wasn't about to complain. The cool breeze that was blowing was enough to make goosepimples rise on her skin.
She could barely hear the priest's words as he spoke, all her attention entirely focused on Gavin. He looked so handsome in that suit of his, standing under the gazebo with the priest watching as she slowly made her way toward it.
Gavin reached out a hand and gently helped her up the steps. Coralee blushed beneath her veil as she felt his strong grip gently cradling her hand. He looked her right in the eyes as he whispered the words “I love you.”
“I love you too, Gavin. I can't think of anywhere else I would rather be right now than exchanging these vows with you,” she said truthfully.
“I feel the same way, Coralee. I can't believe that we've been through so many hurdles together. When I look back on all the moments we argued, they seem so foolish now,” Gavin replied softly, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand.
“I don't ever want us to fight like that again,” she replied gently, speaking just loud enough so that only he could hear her.
“Works for me,” he muttered, his lips barely moving. The priest cleared his throat gently, bringing both of their attention back to him.
“Is there anything else that either of you would like to say before you are sealed together in holy matrimony?” the priest asked, his pale blue eyes glinting behind his halfmoon spectacles. Sunlight glinted off his bald head, though his chin was covered in a thick beard.
“I just want to say that I know our relationship hasn't been perfect, but I have a feeling that with a little work, it can become so. I am willing to spend every day of my life working to make our time together the happiest that it can be,” Gavin said, gazing deeply into Coralee's eyes.
“And I just want to be the best wife to you that I can be. There are still many things that I don't know, but I'm willing to learn. So long as I can be with you, I don't care where we are or what we need to do to survive,” Coralee said cheerfully.
“Then, without further ado, I declare the two of you man and wife,” the priest said, pulling his glasses down just enough so he could offer the two of them a wink. “You may kiss your bride, my boy.”
“With pleasure,” Gavin said, grinning widely as he pulled Coralee into his arms. He lifted her veil over her head to reveal her blushing face, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears as she watched him lean down to kiss her.
As he began to kiss her, she felt the first of her tears begin to flow down her cheeks. After all the suffering that she had gone through since the death of her mother, it finally felt like the universe was cutting her a break. And it was giving it to her in the form of a loving husband who had proved to her time and time again that he was willing to do whatever was necessary to make her happy.
She sincerely hoped that her mother was proud of her. Was she gazing down at Coralee from Heaven even now, watching the events going on and smiling in approval? A small part of her wished that her father could be here, but that was one mystery that would probably never be solved. Besides, he was the one missing out by not being a part of her life.
“So, what do you want to do now that you are officially my wife?” Gavin asked after finally breaking the kiss. It took Coralee a moment to get her breath back, her entire body desiring nothing more than to simply stand there kissing him for eternity.
“I think I would like for us to dance,” she said after a moment of consideration, giving him a cheeky grin.
“Follow my lead?” Gavin asked, taking both of her hands in his.
“I will always follow you, darling. No matter what happens,” Coralee promised, giving him one more deep kiss on the lips. Everything was going to be just fine now.
The Extended Epilogue
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Rising Loves and Setting Suns-Preview
Chapter 1
Silence reigned as the door closed behind Regina Maythorpe. She stopped short in her steps. Her eyes ran around the room, taking in the view.
Though the house was old, all the furnishings were brand new. So new, in fact, that she had never seen them before. The thrill of her return immediately dissipated into discomfort.
This was not the home she had once known so well.
Her nose twitched. Even the smell was different. Dropping the luggage in a rather unladylike fashion, she crossed her arms. Not only had her parents been dismayed at her preference of wearing her hair down, but they had the gall to change her entire home without any warning.
At last the door opened behind her and they joined her in the hall.
It was a majestic hall, a large one with a chandelier hanging above and a grand staircase up ahead. Old family portraits used to line the hall, but they appeared to be gone. Everything was gone.
