“Ladies and gentlemen! Let’s give a warm applause to Mr. Luke Grayson who performed the song, Love Everlasting, live, right here in Kentucky. And also a round for Miss Gordon and Othello.”
The roar in the stadium grew to a thunderous crescendo and Rebecca had to cover her ears. She made her way out of the arena, fellow competitors congratulating her for such an innovative performance. She’d been a little worried that she was being so well received because of Luke’s performance but as the crowd gathered around her, she realized it was because of her and Othello’s performance. She answered questions about Othello’s breeding schedule and if he was currently available for stud. She smiled and nodded absently, scanning the faces for Luke. She finally caught sight of him, pushing through the crowd to get to her. She jumped off Othello, patting his neck before throwing herself into Luke’s arms.
“Thank you so much for doing this for me. You have helped make my dreams come true.” She gushed.
Luke kissed her on the lips before squeezing her. “Maybe we should wait to hear what the judges say before you credit me for that.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ve been there when I needed you. I’m a winner regardless of the outcome of the show.” she laughed.
The announcer came on and started to read off the placing. Her name wasn’t called for the fourth or third place and everyone held their breath as second place was given to the big bay stallion. When Rebecca and Othello’s names were called for the world grand championships, the crowd went wild and Rebecca pulled Luke’s head down to hers, her lips eagerly touching his, blind to the onlookers. She jumped back on Othello and entered the ring to accept her trophy. Othello cantered around the ring gracefully, his mane and tail flowing like a shiny, black flag. They left the arena and Rebecca jumped off of Othello, allowing the reins to drop and ground tie him. She fell into Luke’s waiting embrace, tears of joy flowing down her cheeks. When they parted, new fans and reporters were waiting patiently for a statement.
“Miss Gordon, can you tell us the relationship between you and Mr. Grayson?”
She smiled at them, patting Othello’s neck. “Yes, you can. This is my partner for our ranch, Gray Mountain Ranch, where Othello is our stud, available for limited bookings.”
The young, male reporter turned to Luke and moved the mike in front of Luke’s face. “Is this true, Mr. Grayson?”
Luke pulled Rebecca in for a lingering kiss, taking his time to revel in the taste of her before he pulled away. “Yes, we’re partners, and engaged, if she’ll have me.”
Rebecca felt her jaw drop, stunned at the fact that Luke had just proposed to her in the presence of thousands of people. She reached down to pull the card from her boot and remembering the comfort and support his words had given her, knew she had the only answer she ever needed.
“Yes, I’ll have you, Mr. Luke Grayson. After all this is truly love everlasting.”
Love's Everlasting Song Page 15
