“Thanks for everything.” He kissed her wrinkled cheek. “For bringing me up when Mom and Dad weren’t around, for making me go to school, and do my chores . . .” He hesitated. “For helping make me the man I am.”
“It was all inside you, HW.” Ruth held his gaze. “You just had to realize it. Now get along with you, and take that new wife of yours to bed. She looks worn out.”
HW glanced back at Sam, who was looking a little weary, and remembered that her day had started at six in the morning, and that she’d ridden out twice. His conscience smote him. If she were tired out, he wouldn’t hold her to his dare.
He stood and went to find Avery. January had gone off to settle Chase William down to sleep, and his besotted older brother had gone with them. Everyone else, except Sam’s elderly grandparents and Dr. Tio’s grandmother, was still present.
“What’s up, HW?” Avery asked.
It was interesting to see her in her element, making the wedding function so effortlessly. She was often the quietest member of the Morgan bunch, but she had a strength all her own, and was regaining confidence every day thanks in part to his brother’s love.
“I think it’s time for Sam and me to head out. If that’s okay with you?”
“Sure.” Avery nodded. “I’ll get Ry.”
“Why do we need—?” HW spoke to the back of her head as she was already on the move. “We’re just going up to the ranch.”
HW made his way over to Sam, who was chatting to Nancy and Cam. She smiled when she saw him, and everything inside him became peaceful. She was the right woman for him. The way they chose to express their love and conduct their relationship was up to them. He had a sense that if either of them did end up being polite all the time that would be the end of their marriage.
“Ready to go?” HW asked.
“Yes,” Sam sighed. “It’s been an amazing day.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, admiring the solid wedding band on her finger, which was made of rare Morgan gold panned from the creek that ran through their property.
Avery cleared her throat. “The bride and groom are about to leave. Anyone who wishes to throw rice or confetti, please step outside.”
There was a stampede of people, leaving HW and Sam alone and staring at each other.
“Rice?” HW asked.
“Avery says it’s more organic than paper apparently, although the confetti is biodegradable,” Sam said.
“As long as it’s not been cooked or is still in the can, I suppose I can live with it,” HW muttered. “You ready for this?”
“Ready as you are.”
“I’d rather sneak out the back,” HW said. “But we can’t disappoint our guests, now can we?”
“Nope,” Sam agreed.
He offered her his arm, and they walked out into the lobby and then outside to a hail of rice and confetti and the cheers of their friends and family. HW kept his head down and kept going, Sam clinging to his arm and laughing her head off. When they reached the steps up to the porch of the house, he finally slowed down and grinned at Sam.
“We made it.”
Even as the words left his mouth a window opened on the second floor; Ry leaned out and dumped a bucketful of confetti and sparkly stuff all over them.
Sam spluttered and charged into the house leaving a trail behind her, and HW followed. Neither of them bothered to shed their boots in the mudroom as they hoofed it up the stairs and right into HW’s room where he locked the door.
HW took off his hat, and twenty million pieces of sparkly confetti cascaded onto the floor.
Sam was laughing so hard she could barely stand up. “We’re going to be washing glitter out of our crevices for weeks!”
“Yeah. When Ry finally decides to get married I’m going to think up something far worse to do to him on his wedding night,” HW promised her. “Maybe a trip to the pigsty, and an accidental falling in. That’ll teach him.”
Sam sat down on the side of the bed and tossed her hat onto the chair. “You do realize we’ll have to go out there again to use the bathroom?”
HW frowned at her. “It would serve them right if I peed out the window.”
“I can’t do that,” Sam pointed out. “And I have to take all this makeup off my face.”
“What makeup? You look fine to me,” HW said.
“Which is why I love you.” Sam went toward the door, her expression determined. “Wish me luck.”
“Don’t take off your dress yet, will you?” HW called out to her. “I want to do it.”
“Sure.”
“Or your boots.”
“Perv.” Sam shut the door behind herself.
HW started on his own clothing, hanging up his best jacket and removing his boots and belt. He was pleasantly tired, but not too tired to give his new wife everything she desired.
Sam came back in, and he went and washed up fast, keeping one wary eye out for the appearance of his twin. When he returned to the bedroom, Sam was sitting on the window seat that looked out over the pasture where the horses were grazing. She turned to look at him and he paused, his back to the door, to appreciate the sight of her in his room, and soon to be in his bed.
“You okay?” HW asked as he walked toward her.
“Definitely.” She smiled into his eyes. “This has been one heck of a day, but it turned out exactly how I wanted it to be.”
“How was that?” He took her hands in his and helped her stand up.
“Me, here with you?” She cupped his chin. “Right where I belong.”
“Yeah, you do, and I don’t want you ever to forget that.” He kissed her very slowly and thoroughly until she kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Are you tired?” HW murmured against her lips.
“Actually, I’m exhausted,” Sam confessed. “Who knew
