He crooked his arm, and she took hold of it, tears stinging against her eyelids once more. She’d told herself she wouldn’t mind walking down the aisle alone because Emerson was at the end of it, but she was more grateful than she could say for the General’s steadying arm.
“Ready?” Cass asked, taking her place at the head of the line. Her sisters arrayed themselves after her.
“Ready,” Wye said clearly.
Chapter 12
‡
All the furniture in the front room had been removed, although the Christmas tree remained in one corner. Folding chairs had been placed in rows to seat their guests. An archway, decorated with pine boughs and ribbons, stood at the head of the room.
Reverend Halpern greeted Emerson as he took his place. Brian, Logan, Hunter and Jack came to stand up with him. Connor started the bridal march playing through his phone, which was connected to speakers placed throughout the room, and the music swelled. He took his place next to the other men.
Emerson nodded to Megan, who held Elise on her lap in the first row. She’d insisted on taking charge of the little girl during the ceremony.
A bustle in the doorway from the hall had him straightening, his breath catching when Cass stepped into the doorway in a spring-green bridesmaid gown that Alice had tailored to be accommodate her baby bump. She stepped slowly down the aisle between the chairs, followed by Alice, Lena, Sadie and Jo.
Then Wyoming stepped through the door in a wedding gown Emerson knew had once belonged to Amelia Reed. All five of her daughters had worn it.
With its newly beaded bodice and flowing skirts, it suited Wye perfectly as she stepped down the aisle on the General’s arm.
The General leaned on his cane as he walked, but he held his head high. When he reached the altar, he placed Wyoming’s hand in his.
“I’m happy for both of you,” he said and took his seat by his daughters.
Cass moved to the side, and she and Brian stood sentry while Emerson and Wyoming faced the reverend.
“Dearly Beloved,” Halpern began.
Emerson’s heart thumped loud in his chest as he listened to the familiar words, and when it was his turn to speak his vows, he said them clearly. Every word was true. He did pledge his life to Wye. He would stick with her no matter what happened. He did plan to spend forever and always with her.
Gladly.
This was the woman he’d always dreamed of finding. The life he’d always wanted to live.
He’d found love. He’d found a family.
He couldn’t ask for anything more.
Wyoming knew from the first swell of the music that every moment of her wedding would surpass her wildest dreams. She’d hoped to find a partner with whom to live her life.
She’d never thought she’d find a soul mate, a houseful of sisters and friends, a surrogate father—
She never thought she’d belong anywhere so completely.
Two Willows had pulled her in until she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Cass and her sisters had taught her what it was to have a family.
And Emerson—
Emerson would still sweep her off her feet fifty years from now, she was sure. He was a hero in the truest sense of the word. Someone to trust utterly. To depend on.
She loved him.
She spoke her wedding vows directly to Emerson, never looking away from his gaze, needing him to know she meant every word. He held her hands, lending her his strength, as always, telling her with his eyes that he’d always be there.
No matter what.
As he slid her wedding band on her fingers as proof of his eternal love for her, Elise let out a happy shriek from where she sat in Megan’s arms, and Wyoming laughed. Even Elise knew this was right.
“You may now kiss the bride,” Halpern declared, and Emerson stepped close, pulled her gently but firmly into his arms and kissed her until Wyoming’s toes curled. It was a promise of what was to come tonight and always, she thought.
A promise she couldn’t wait to hold him to.
“I love you,” he whispered into her ear. “Always will.”
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
‡
Seven months later, July Fourth
Brian stopped on the way from the barn to the white clapboard house and tilted his head to take in the progress on Hunter and Jo’s new home. They’d all been pitching in to get it built, and now its framework stood against the clear blue sky in the early morning sun. In no time they’d have it framed in and roofed, and then Jo and Hunter could take as long as they wanted to finish the interior. It was a funny thing; this time last year, he’d been a newlywed, still so insecure in his place here at Two Willows. Now it felt like the ranch had always been home.
His days here had a rhythm he appreciated more than he could put into words. He got up and worked with his hands, with men and women he trusted and with whom he shared his successes and failures. At the end of the day, he was proud of what he’d done and could sleep with a clean conscience.
He was glad he wasn’t some nine-to-fiver, heading off to an office and coming home too late to appreciate his family. He was lucky—so damn lucky—to be able to see Cass and their baby, Emily, throughout the day.
When he’d first arrived here, he hadn’t known if he was man enough to love one woman forever, but now he never questioned his relationship with Cass. She was his wife, and that word meant more than he’d ever guessed it could.
He turned and trudged on toward the house, his footsteps quickening when he caught a whiff of bacon emanating from the open back door. He hadn’t eaten yet, and he’d already put in several hours of physical labor.
As if sensing his proximity, Cass appeared on the porch in a pair of ragged jean shorts
