“You never could disappoint me, Felicity.”
“I see that now.”
“Do you want me to say them again?” he asked her.
“The words you memorized?” She smiled, squeezing his hand. “Yes.”
“I love you with all my heart—”
“I mean yes to your proposal. I love you, Gabe. I’ve loved you for so long, and I’ll love you forever. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
They walked back to his condo, hand in hand, enjoying the summer evening, talking about vegetable gardens and blueberry-picking and stacking cordwood for the winter...and their wedding. Felicity smiled as Gabe pulled her close.
“Another Knights Bridge wedding,” he said.
“This time it’ll be our wedding. It’ll be a fun one to plan.”
“I thought you don’t do weddings.”
She looked up at the city lights, imagined the stars at her house—their house—on the river. “I don’t do many weddings, but ours?” She slipped her arm around his waist. “I can’t wait.”
Twenty-Four
Gabe had tickets to Jackson Hole. A glamping tent reserved. Hiking routes mapped out. For now, though, he and Felicity sat in front of the fire on a cool evening on the river. She couldn’t have been happier. It was just them, beautiful scenery and enough cordwood to last as long as they wanted to stay out here.
They’d set a date for their wedding. They’d have it at Moss Hill, and they’d spend their honeymoon in Wyoming.
Finally.
“Wyoming will be great,” Gabe said. “But I love being here.”
“It’s perfect.”
For a small town, Knights Bridge was as filled with news as ever. Olivia and Dylan had announced they were having a girl. Jess’s morning sickness had eased. Justin and Samantha were hosting her cousin’s wedding on the day after Thanksgiving at Red Clover Inn. Heather and Brody would fly in from London and take Heather’s plucky grandmother back with them to see as much of England as she could manage at eighty-plus.
Christopher Sloan had flown out to LA to visit Ruby O’Dunn. No report yet on that visit, except that he’d gone for a drink at Marty Colton’s Hollywood bar. Nadia had been in a few times and was getting her head screwed on straight, talking to Marty about launching her own film production company.
Hammers and saws continued to fly in Knights Bridge, with all the new ventures and newcomers, but some things—the best things—didn’t change.
The real things, Felicity thought.
“Are we going to let our kids in on our swimming hole?” Gabe asked, stretched out next to her on the quilt.
“Not without supervision—especially as teenagers.”
“Ha. We’ll see how that goes.”
“We’ll have a lifetime of grand adventures, whether it’s at the swimming hole, picking blueberries or scooting off to Wyoming.”
He smiled. “Making ratatouille doesn’t count.”
She laughed. “But it was good ratatouille, wasn’t it? Don’t lie to me, Gabriel Flanagan.”
“It’s the eggplant. I’m with Shannon on that one. Make ratatouille without eggplant, and I’m in.”
“There’s yet time.”
“Or...we could do other things.”
“Yes, we could,” she said.
His mouth found hers as the fire crackled and the night turned dark, the river flowing gently down the steep bank through the woods.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading The River House. I hope you enjoyed your visit to little Knights Bridge. If it’s your first visit, you can find a list of all the books in the Swift River Valley series and their reading order on my website.
For me, diving into a Swift River Valley novel is like returning home. I grew up on the western edge of the Quabbin Reservoir and its protected wilderness. How to fire a budding writer’s imagination! Our family homestead is still there, and I visit often.
Summer in New England is a special time, and as kids, my six siblings and I had our favorite swimming holes. On my runs at home in Vermont, I often pass a popular swimming hole that reminds me of Felicity and Gabe’s more private swimming hole. I’ve posted a few photos on my blog if you’d like to take a look.
I continue to add Swift River Valley recipes to my website. Unlike Gabe and Shannon, I love eggplant in my ratatouille! And you just can’t go wrong with brownies...or oatmeal bread fresh out of the oven...or anything Maggie Sloan puts together. Blueberry cobbler is one of my favorites. Turn the page for a recipe!
Thanks again, and happy reading,
Carla
CarlaNeggers.com
A Recipe from Carla Neggers: Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
3 cups blueberries
(fresh or frozen, wild or cultivated)
12 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar (reduce for less sweet cobbler)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Spread 4 tablespoons of the butter, melted, in an 8-inch square pan. Top with the blueberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar over the berries.
Add milk and egg to remaining 8 tablespoons of butter, melted. Beat well. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 1/2 cup sugar together in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, butter and egg mixture. Pour or add by dollops to the top of the berries.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until dough is cooked through and berries are bubbling with the sugar melted. Serve plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
“Neggers captures readers’ attention with her usual flair and brilliance and gives us a romance, a mystery and a lesson in history.”
—RT Book Reviews, Top Pick, on Secrets of the Lost Summer
Looking for more from New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers?
Don’t miss a single moment in the Swift River Valley series:
Secrets of the Lost Summer
That Night on Thistle Lane
Cider Brook
Echo Lake
A Knight’s Bridge Christmas
The Spring at Moss Hill
Red Clover Inn
The River House
“No one does romantic suspense better!”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich
And don’t miss any of the fast-paced twists and turns in the Sharpe & Donovan series:
Rock Point (novella)
Saint’s Gate
Heron’s Cove
Declan’s Cross
Harbor Island
Keeper’s Reach
