When he got close, a gust of wind carried the bloom away. He watched as Charlotte turned around and chased it further into the bushes. After plucking it from the grass, she stood up, pausing to gaze at the farmhouse.
With her back to him, Trevor took the opportunity to walk up from behind. Not wanting to startle her, he murmured, “So, what do you think of Wyoming in the spring?”
Charlotte stiffened for a moment and dropped the flower, but didn’t turn around. A subtle tilt of her head revealed she had a smile on her face. “Beautiful,” she whispered as her shoulders relaxed.
“I agree...especially from where I’m standing,” he said while slowly moving closer. “You came back early.”
“So did you.”
He smiled as he moved just inches from her—close enough to breathe in her sweet rose perfume. “I came to tell you that while you were gone, I thought of a reason for you to stay.”
She tilted her head toward his voice and her eyebrow lifted. “And what is that?”
“I love you,” he whispered into her ear while wrapping his arms around her slim waist.
“Good,” she responded and hugged his arms even closer to her while relaxing into his embrace. “Because I love you, too.”
Trevor let out a happy sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, savoring how she felt in his arms. “So does this mean what I think it does?”
She nodded and slowly rotated toward him until they were standing face to face. Her sapphire eyes gazed into his, filling with happy tears. “Yes, it does. Emma and I decided together that this is our home. This is where we want to stay…where I want to stay. Here in Wyoming. Here with you.”
He smiled and leaned in for a kiss, but this time when their lips met in a tender and passionate kiss, Trevor didn’t feel the guilt that used to plague him. Instead, he only felt unspeakable joy.
Epilogue
Two Months Later
After trying on about a dozen outfits, Charlotte finally decided on her favorite red dress and sheer black cover up, paired with some dangly ruby earrings that her father had given her for a birthday present several years ago. It only seemed fitting to wear them on a special day like today.
When she came down the steps, she was met with silly grins from both Laina and Emma.
“Well, well, don’t you look nice,” Laina said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were going on a date.”
Laina’s playful wink made Charlotte laugh as she looked down at her dress in mock dismay. “Oh no. I guess I better change. I wouldn’t want to give Trevor the wrong idea.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Trevor said, stepping forward with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. “You look perfect just the way you are.”
“Thank you,” Charlotte said, stepping forward to take the roses and blushing at the compliment. “I didn’t even know you were here, early bird.”
He grinned, took her hand in his and kissed it. “I wanted to surprise you.”
She shook her head with an amused chuckle. “Well, being early certainly isn’t a surprise. I’m used to that.”
He arched his eyebrow and shared an odd look with Laina and Emma. “That’s not the surprise.”
Charlotte gulped, her stomach tied in knots. “What are you all up to?”
“I just wanted to ask you a simple question,” Trevor said. Then, still holding onto her hand, he got down on one knee. She stared at the princess cut diamond ring in his hand, not believing her eyes. “When you came into my life I was scared to admit my feelings for you…afraid to love again. But now I know it was all in God’s plan. He’s used you to bring so much joy back into my life. Our relationship has been a whirlwind, but I know that I’ll love and cherish you for the rest of my life. Charlotte Lewis, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, barely able to breathe as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
Trevor kissed Charlotte, lifted her off her feet and spun her in a circle. They both laughed like children. Then after he put her down, he knelt next to her niece. “Emma is it all right with you if we become a family?”
“Of course, Uncle Trevor. We already are.” Emma answered with a bright smile and then they all joined in a hug as one family unit. Charlotte had never felt happier in her life.
After things calmed down in the house, Trevor led Charlotte outside to go on their date. She held onto his arm as they walked across the porch and down to the driveway. However, when she saw his truck, Charlotte stopped in her tracks and just stared for a few moments. The dents and rust were gone. It looked brand new, gleaming in the sun with a coat of fresh, light blue paint.
“Oh, Trevor,” she gasped, turning toward him. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said while wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. “I painted it blue to match your eyes.”
She couldn’t help getting choked up as she remembered her first impression of Trevor and his old rusty truck. So much had changed for the better since then. Now, as she leaned in to kiss her new fiancé, Charlotte knew that God had planned this moment from the very beginning.
Books by Rachel Skatvold
Whispers in Wyoming
Guardian of her Heart
A Forgetful Heart
Coming Soon!
Hart Ranch Series
Escaping Reality
Chasing Embers
Coming Soon!
Riley Family Legacy Novellas
Beauty Within
Beauty Unveiled
Beauty Restored
About the Author
Rachel Skatvold is a Christian author and stay-at-home mom from the Midwest. She enjoys writing inspirational romance and encouraging blogs. Rachel completed her first series, the Riley Family Legacy Novellas in 2014 and is now working on the second book in her new Hart Ranch Series. She is also a contributing author in the Whispers in Wyoming Series. Other than writing, some of her hobbies include singing, reading and camping in the great outdoors with her husband and two young sons. You can find more information about Rachel and her books on her website: www.rachelskatvold.com.
Guardian 0f Her Heart (Whispers In Wyoming Book 6) Page 11
