“Because it’s the truth.”
“Well, you sure are handsome,” she said. “My mother was very proud to see me with you.”
Grady nodded.
“Shame she couldn’t have lived to see our wedding,” he said.
Autumn smiled, thinking of the older waitress.
“Oh, she’ll be there, Grady,” she said.
CHAPTER 44
AUTUMN
When they got home to the cabin, Autumn knew it was the real beginning of a new life. She was with the man she loved, she was engaged, they had a home, and they had a child to look after and care for.
Every day was a joy. She woke up next to Grady and could rely on his strong, masculine presence. He was a comfort to her. He made her feel like she didn’t need to worry about the future, the world, and her place in it. Security, real security, was something she’d never really felt before.
She spent the day looking after the cabin, cooking, watching Destiny, and helping Grady with the various projects he dreamed up for the property. He built her a swing on long ropes that hung from a huge oak tree and swung right out over the stream. He also built a gazebo that gave a sweeping view of the valley and the town. Autumn planted flowers around it, hundreds of them, and she couldn’t wait for summer to come so she could see them in full bloom.
There was another reason she couldn’t wait for summer to come. Her wedding.
She planned every detail with all the excitement of a young bride. She ordered flowers, sampled caterers’ offerings, and tried on dresses. She insisted on doing everything herself and wanted it to be a surprise for Grady. Her heart fluttered when she thought about him. She couldn’t believe he was going to be her husband, lawful and wedded, until death did them part. It was a miracle, a dream, and she thanked God every day for giving her such a blessing.
She thought of her mother often as she planned the wedding. Her mother would have loved to see it all, to see her daughter end up in a good place with a good man, but she reminded herself that her mother was watching everything.
She also knew that Grady had a few tricks of his own up his sleeve. He’d been working quietly on a secret project and she still wasn’t sure what it was. She knew it was going to be a surprise for the wedding.
Every night she tried to find out what he was planning. At first she’d asked him outright, but when he stubbornly refused to give her even a single detail, she grew more crafty. She tried to trick him into revealing information, or get him to unwittingly give away clues that she could piece together to get an idea at least of what the surprise was going to be.
“You’re home early,” she said one spring evening as he kicked the mud off his boots on the porch.
“It’s not that early,” he said, grabbing her in his arms and lifting her into the air.
He brought his lips to hers and kissed her passionately.
“Every minute feels like an hour when I’m not with you.”
He winked at her and she hit him playfully on the arm.
“Aren’t you a real charmer,” she said.
He spun her in his arms and put her down by the porch rail. The view was spectacular and it was only getting more beautiful as winter gave way to spring. The evenings were growing longer and the views over the valley, the sky ablaze, brought a joy to Autumn’s heart that no view ever had before.
“So, where were you, the hardware store?” she asked, as innocently as she could.
She knew he’d rented some workspace down in the town but she still had no idea what he did in there. If he admitted going to the hardware store she’d have an idea that he was building something, although she couldn’t guess what it was he might be building.
“No,” he said, “why?”
“Oh, I just assumed that’s why you’re home so early. You usually don’t come back until six.”
Grady looked at his watch. It was five on the dot. Autumn wondered if he knew what she was trying to do and decided to change the subject.
She put her hand on the bulge in his pants and gave his cock a gentle squeeze.
“Oh, you naughty girl,” Grady said, grabbing her again and pulling her close.
“What?” she said innocently. “I’m your wife to be, aren’t I?”
“Are we alone?” Grady said, putting his hand inside her dress and grabbing her ass, giving it a squeeze.
“Destiny’s still down for her nap.”
“Oh is she?” Grady said.
He lifted her up and carried her into the cabin, kicking the door closed behind him. He brought her into the bedroom and threw her down on the bed.
She looked up at him and couldn’t believe how much love, how much fire, burned in her heart for the man in front of her. She would have died for him. She would have given anything for him. And most importantly, she knew he’d do the same for her.
They’d formed a bond the moment they first met and it proved to be stronger and more durable than she’d have dared to hope. She’d never been sure if she believed in love at first sight, or fate, or destiny, but when she thought back to the first moment she set eyes on Grady it was hard for her to imagine that anything else had been at play. She’d needed him right at that moment. She’d come to Montana trusting that things would work out for her and her family, but she had no idea how they would. Grady coming into her life was God’s answer to the trust she’d put in Him.
“I love you, Mister,” she said.
He pulled her down so that her legs hung over the edge of the bed and got down on his knees.
“Uh oh,” she said, knowing what was coming next.
He pulled up her dress and took off her panties, using his mouth to pull them down over her ankles. When his lips touched the lips of her pussy, when his tongue slid inside her, she clenched her legs around his neck and threw her head back. A minute later she was in complete ecstasy, with waves of orgasms rushing through her.
After making her cum with his mouth, Grady entered her with his cock and came forcefully inside her.
She never did find out what he’d been up to all day.
CHAPTER 45
GRADY
Grady was sure of many things on his wedding day. He was sure he was marrying his soulmate. He was sure he was madly, deeply in love with her, and he was sure he was grateful to God with every breath for giving him a woman as beautiful and kind as Autumn.
He was also sure it was the happiest day of his life.
He was standing at the altar of the only church in Destiny, a priest next to him, and everyone he loved in the pews, looking at him with smiles on their faces. Jackson was there with Faith. Grant was there holding Lacey’s hand. Forrester was there with Elle. Even Hunter and Kelly were there, and Deacon and Savannah. Everyone who was important to him was standing there, the men looking handsome in their tuxedos and the women looking beautiful in their fabulous gowns.
He felt as if he’d somehow entered heaven early.
There he was, waiting for his prize, his bride, the girl who stole his heart. Autumn Lane.
Her mother hadn’t been able to attend this happy occasion but her Aunt Shirley was there, along with a few cousins, and that was enough for Autumn to feel the support of her family.
Grady was thrilled that she’d taken to the wives of the other brothers so easily. They’d all met for the first time during the past few days and already, he knew that they’d all be great friends. They’d made plans for him and Autumn to go out to California for a few months so that she could get a taste of where he was from. The women were super excited to take her shopping, show her the vineyard, and give her an education in the fine art of drinking too much wine under the California stars.
He knew it would be good for her. Things were isolated at the cabin and could get lonely at times. It was their life, the life they’d built together, and they both loved it, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t go to California and enjoy some warm weather and civilization every once in a while.
He heard the music c
hange and that snapped him back to the present.
The church organ player started playing a beautiful Bach piece and the door at the back of the church opened. Sunlight poured in through the doors and then, as if she was descending from heaven, out of all that brilliant light, Autumn appeared.
She looked so startlingly beautiful that Grady barely dared to keep his eyes on her. She was draped in rich, white silk and lace, a small bouquet of flowers in her hands, and he felt his knees tremble as her beauty completely overwhelmed him.
“Good God,” he whispered, and the priest smiled when he heard him.
Each step that Autumn took down the aisle toward him was like a miracle. His heart grew with every step she took, his happiness expanding, his love burning like the fire in a furnace.
He was in a daze when she stepped up next to him. He went through the ceremony in a trance.
He wanted this woman more than anything he’d ever wanted in his entire life. With every ounce of his being he wanted to be her husband and he wanted her to be his wife.
When the priest finally pronounced them husband and wife, he grabbed her and lifted her into his arms, kissing her longer and more passionately than was appropriate for a house of God.
“You’re mine now, Autumn,” he whispered in her ear as the crowd cheered for them.
“I was yours the moment you set eyes on me,” she said.
The ceremony was followed with congratulations, and each of the brothers hugged Grady so heartily that he wondered how he had ever managed to feel alone during the dark period in his life. How had he felt overwhelmed when he had such strong support and love from so many good people?
He thanked them all and then went out to the steps of the church with Autumn. A photographer was waiting for them there and they took photo after photo, some serious and formal, some funny and ridiculous. In some it was just the two of them, in others they were joined by Destiny, and in others they had the brothers and their wives and babies, and Autumn’s aunt and cousins.
There weren’t many fancy restaurants in their little town to hold a grand reception but somehow, Autumn had gotten around that detail by organizing the most amazing feast imaginable right at the cabin.
She’d done all the planning herself and the result was just perfect. White flowers covered rows of tables in the field that sloped down from the cabin. An army of caterers served champagne to the guests, and placed real silverware on the white tablecloths. They lit candelabras and even had chandeliers hanging over the tables. Grady took one look at it all and kissed Autumn so hard she had to gasp for air.
“How did you arrange all this?” he said.
“You aren’t the only one who’s been planning a surprise,” she said.
The guests took their seats and they were served the most amazing meal Grady had ever tasted.
Through the entire feast, the speeches and the toasts, the champagne and the delicious food, he hardly took his eyes off his new bride. He was captivated by her. Infatuated. And he finally knew that he was free to gaze at her to his heart’s content for the rest of his life.
CHAPTER 46
AUTUMN
It wasn’t until close to the end of her perfect wedding that Autumn began to wonder about Grady’s surprise. All day she’d been certain it was coming. When they were in the church she was looking for a sign of something spectacular, maybe he’d surprise her by playing something on the organ, or he’d have a performance of some sort arranged, but the church service went off without incident. Then at the dinner celebration, she kept expecting something. A band maybe, or an extravagant gesture during the speeches, but again, everything passed completely normally.
She kept eyeing Grady, trying to tell if he was up to something or not, but every time she looked at him he was looking right back at her, smiling, his eyes filled with love.
When it got dark, a band prepared to play at the dance floor in front of the cabin. Grady and the brothers had spent the past few days building a stage for the dancing and setting up thousands of white light bulbs above it. They gave the whole area a magical glow.
Autumn was holding Destiny and she passed her to Lacey, who she’d been having a pleasant conversation with.
“I think it’s time for the first dance,” Lacey said.
Autumn nodded and gathered her courage. The thought of dancing in front of all those guests made her a little nervous, but when she thought of who she’d be dancing with her nerves melted away.
Grady came up to her and took her hand.
“You ready, my darling?” he said.
She nodded and he led her to the edge of the dance floor. She held his hand and looked around at the faces of all the guests who’d formed around the stage. Everyone was there, their entire world, and she was thankful for all of them. She knew she and Grady had a community around them that would support them through a long and happy marriage.
Grady made a sign to the bandleader to start playing, and immediately, the most beautiful music began. Autumn had no idea what it was, it sounded traditional and exotic at the same time, and as Grady led her onto the dance floor, she was transported to a different world.
She twirled and danced with him and the entire crowd disappeared from her mind. It was like she’d been taken into a fairy tale. The music played and the lights above them shone and twinkled, mingling with the millions of stars in the sky beyond.
“Grady, this is the most magical moment of my life,” she said to him.
“You’re the most magical thing that ever happened to me, Autumn, or should I say, Mrs. Cole?”
She laughed. Autumn Cole. The name had a nice sound to it.
“Are you ready for your surprise?” Grady said then.
Autumn looked at him. Just when she’d forgotten all about it, the time had come.
“What surprise?” she said, trying to sound as innocent as she could.
“Oh come on. I know you’ve been watching me like a hawk these past months. You’ve been doing your darnedest to find out what I’ve been up to.”
“I’ve been doing no such thing,” she protested.
“Oh really?” Grady said, looking at her knowingly. “Then you won’t want to watch that big man on the stage.”
Autumn looked up to the stage. The band was still playing, their mystical exotic music growing more and more impressive as they got more carried away by the rhythm. At the center of the stage stood a tall and very old man. He was Native American, and Autumn noticed then that all of the men on stage were Cheyenne, from the surrounding country. The music, with it’s mix of tradition and exoticism was Cheyenne too. The man in the center was wearing the traditional clothing of a chief, and he rose his hands into the air.
Grady held her tight and when the Chief’s hands stopped, he brought them down with a sudden flourish and at the very same moment, fireworks started exploding over the valley.
“Oh my goodness,” she cried, the sky erupting into a million different colors, the sound deafening, mixed with the ever more frantic music.
“Grady, you did this?”
“What did you think I was up to?”
“I had no idea.”
He smiled. “It’s not over yet, my love.”
As the fireworks continued, the music grew louder and faster, building to a climax. At its final crescendo, the chief leapt into the air and the very second he landed, the music and the fireworks stopped.
Autumn was breathless. Grady pulled her close against his chest and they stopped dancing. The crowd around them applauded, more at the theatrics of the musicians and the fireworks than at her and Grady’s dancing skills.
“Grady, that was amazing.”
“It’s not over,” Grady said, leading her to the edge of the dancing area where they could look out over the crowd.
The chief on the stage let out a low, guttural chant. It sounded somewhere between music and prayer and the haunting beauty of it gave Autumn goosebumps.
“What’s he doing?” she whispe
red.
The chief was looking out at the clearing and the crowd around the dance floor followed his gaze. Grady held Autumn as she looked out down the sloping meadow toward the town. At the end of the meadow was the forest and she thought she could see something move. The light of the moon was strong enough to make out something coming out of the trees, something white.
The chief’s chanting grew louder and two more white shapes appeared at the edge of the forest. As they grew closer, the crowd gasped, Autumn gasped, throwing her hand in front of her mouth.
Standing there, just a few dozen yards away, were three full grown wolves, white as snow.
“Grady,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes from the magnificent creatures.
The chief’s chanting stopped and in a high wail, he cried out, “Autumn and Grady, forever and ever.”
As one, the three wolves rose their heads to the moon and howled. Their howls were magical and mystical, filling the entire valley with their sound, and from the forest in every direction they were answered by the howls of other wolves.
“Grady,” Autumn said again, “how on earth did you do this?”
Grady squeezed her hand in his.
“Wolves are loyal,” he said. “They stick by one another. That’s what we do.”
“You’re amazing,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
They continued to watch the wolves for a few moments, every guest mesmerized by the sight before them.
“Come on,” he said, leading her back across the dance floor to the musicians stage.
“Thank you,” Autumn said when she came face to face with the man dressed as a chief.
He bowed to her and Grady moved her on, along the stage, across the front porch of the cabin and into his car. All the guests were still watching the wolves, captivated by the sight of them as the happy couple made their escape.
“Mister Cole,” Autumn said when she got into the car. “Where are you taking me?”
“It’s your wedding night,” he said to her with a wink. “Where do you think?”
Autumn had no idea but she didn’t have to wonder for long. Grady drove down from the cabin, onto the road into town, but before reaching the town turned off the road.
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