“Sure of what?” she asked, though it was clear as the blue Wyoming sky.
“That this is about the love I feel for you, about me wanting to spend the rest of my life with you.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a jeweler’s box, then held it out to her. When she made no move to take it, he flipped it open to reveal a diamond solitaire, elegant in its simplicity, stunning in its confirmation that the proposal was for real. That diamond, its facets sparkling radiantly, all but shouted forever.
“Now, there’s one more thing I want you to see before you decide yes or no,” he said.
He reached into his back pocket this time and handed her a thick packet. When she opened it, she found airline tickets inside, two of them, to London. The date for travel was open, but the date of purchase, once again, was last spring. Her gaze flew to his.
“I thought it might be a good place to start our married life—someplace neutral, someplace romantic, someplace where I can show you that you’re the only thing that matters to me,” he explained.
“London,” she breathed softly, tears stinging her eyes. “Oh, Grady, how did you know?”
He chuckled at the question. “That you wanted to go to London? The stack of travel brochures on the kitchen table way back when was my first clue, that and the fact that you’ve mentioned that dream a time or two. It wasn’t hard.”
“Not about London,” she said, as she moved into his embrace and lifted her mouth to his. “How did you know the way to my heart?”
“Even easier,” he said. “I looked into my own.”
His mouth settled over hers then, coaxing, persuading, until she pulled away. Her heart thrumming, she glanced toward the ring he was still holding.
“I’m ready,” she whispered. She had been for weeks, but she’d been too scared, too afraid that it might be too late.
His tanned fingers shook as he slid the ring onto her hand, then raised it to his lips. He gazed into her eyes, and only then did she see the hint of vulnerability fade, the quick rise of joy.
“For a while there, darlin’, I was beginning to wonder if you ever would be.”
“I’m sorry I took so long.”
“You were worth the wait,” he said, and then his mouth claimed hers once more.
Enemy, friend, lover…and now, one day soon, Grady would be her husband. Karen felt the familiar heat begin to build between them, felt the sharp tug of passion, and knew that this was right, that it was meant to be.
EPILOGUE
Karen gazed into the face of her son and felt an indescribable sense of joy steal over her. With his black hair and dark eyes, Thomas Grady Blackhawk was the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen.
His great-grandfather agreed with her. He’d been hovering over the two of them for days now, eager to take over feedings, even diaper changes. Watching the two of them together had been a revelation. Until then she had been just a tiny bit intimidated by Grady’s grandfather. Now she knew that beneath that quiet, solemn, wise demeanor he was a real softie.
She also knew what she had to do. In fact, she had already talked to a lawyer and today, now that the christening was over and the guests had left, she would tell Grady and Thomas what she had decided.
There was a soft knock on the door of the nursery and both men came in. The baby whimpered as if he knew that his great-grandfather was in the vicinity. Only when she had handed him over to the old man did baby Thomas quiet down. She rose and gave them her place in the rocker, then walked over to the dresser to pick up the papers she had left there.
“What are those?” Grady asked.
She grinned as she handed them to him. “Why not read them and see for yourself?”
Regarding her with a puzzled expression, he took them and began to scan the contents. He’d barely read a page, when his gaze shot to hers. “You want to do this?”
“It’s done.”
“What is it?” Thomas asked.
“She’s donated the ranch to the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” Grady said. “It’s to be a working ranch for Native American boys who need a second chance.”
“The Blackhawk Ranch,” she said quietly.
“But Caleb’s family,” Grady protested. “They’ll hate this.”
“I talked with them. I explained what I wanted to do and why. It was one of the most difficult conversations I’ve ever had in my life, but I told them I was prepared to go ahead with it whether they approved or not.”
She reached for Grady’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Do you know what his father said?”
Grady shook his head.
“He said it was the right thing to do, that if he hadn’t been so blinded by his own anger and hurt all these years, he might have thought of it himself, that maybe if he had, Caleb would have been free to pursue a different life, that maybe he’d still be alive.”
“And his mother?” Grady asked. “What did she say?”
“Not much that first time, but she called me the next day and told me it was okay. She said that loving your father might have been wrong, but that he had been a good man and this would be a fitting tribute to him. She also wanted me to ask if you could ever forgive her for blaming you for what happened the night your father died. She said it was a burden you never should have carried.” Her eyes filled with tears. “After all this time, I think she and I have finally made peace.”
“It’s a fine thing you’ve done,” Thomas said quietly. “But I think there’s one change needed.”
“What’s that?” Grady asked.
“I think it should be the Blackhawk-Hanson Ranch. That would make it the real tribute it ought to be.”
Karen
