by Debra Holt
Epilogue
“Well, we both lost our bets,” said Tori as she stood between her brothers, Trey and Thomas. They were waiting for the arrival of the bride. This was Truitt’s wedding day. Another Tremayne was taking the long matrimonial walk.
Thomas turned his attention on his sister. “Who is the ‘we’ in that sentence? I don’t recall any bet being made.”
“Trey and I placed bets at your wedding on who would be next in our little family to walk down the aisle. I said it was Trey. And he said it was me. We both lost.”
“We should have known it would be Truitt. He’s always been the sneaky, quiet one. He knew we made bets,” Trey replied, shaking his head.
“I can’t believe you two,” Thomas said. “Betting on matrimony. Well, now you’re the only Tremaynes left standing. Which one of you is going down the aisle next?”
The pair of siblings looked at each other. They both shook their heads. “That’s okay, you can go first,” Tori said, smiling at her brother, Trey.
“And I am always a gentleman and say that ladies go first. So dear sister, we’ll be tossing birdseed on your head next.”
“Shhhhh, you guys aren’t supposed to be talking. Mom said so.” Andy leaned over from his spot next to the trio and gave them the warning. They looked at Jamie, Thomas’s wife and she had her gaze locked on them.
“Sorry,” Tori mouthed in silence, and Trey gave one of his best smiles by way of apology.
Truitt and Annie had been of the same mind about their wedding. They saw no need to wait and plan for a few months. They wanted no big affair. They chose to stand before the altar in the little country church, the Church in the Wildwood. Fewer than thirty of their closest family and friends had been invited to join in their vow sharing. Afterward, they would host a reception at the ranch for another few dozen to join in. For the two of them, all that mattered was that not one more precious moment of their lives be lived apart.
Jessie looked like a princess in a light-blue long dress as she escorted her sister into the church and down the aisle.
Annie had chosen a tea-length white silk wedding dress with a belted waist and poufy chiffon sleeves that ended in satin cuffs at the wrist. Her hair was pulled back and a pearl comb that Aunt Sal had worn in her hair on her wedding day was fastened there along with a single white lily. The tiny gold cross that was now the Tremayne tradition to be worn by each bride shown around her neck. She carried a bouquet of white Casa Blanca lilies and pale pink rosebuds. Truitt’s gaze never left hers as she made her way to where he stood alongside Gray.
The usual vows were spoken and then Annie spoke her own vows to her groom in a soft voice underlined with emotion. “You’re the man I always dreamed of but never dared to hope to find. I thank God above for guiding me to a lonely dark road one stormy night because it had to be that we were meant to meet. You rescued me and Jessie. You gave us your quiet strength to lean on and your love to wrap us in warmth. You made us believe in family and home again. I will hold your hand and give you my heart all the days of my life and beyond. I love you, Truitt Andrew Tremayne, because you brought the sunshine after the storm.”
When Truitt spoke his vows next, it was in low, strong tones—his gaze unwavering on his bride. “I was lost until you found me. You brought life back to a heart that I had closed against all things that made life worth living. You looked into my soul and claimed it the moment we met and never let it go again. My heart recognized you in the darkness, and you brought me back into the sunshine with your love and courage and beauty of spirit. You said you wanted me to ask you someday to just stay a spell with me. That spell is not just for a lifetime here on this earth but into an eternity, because even that won’t be long enough for me to love you.”
They shared a long, heartfelt kiss to seal their vows. As they were pronounced husband and wife, there wasn’t an eye in the crowd that didn’t have moisture in them, some wiping away the signs with tissue, while others, notably males, were seen swatting at unseen irritants with quick hand movements. And when they turned to walk up the aisle, Truitt grasped Jessie’s hand in his as the newly minted family of three walked into the future together.
There was a cake for cutting, champagne for toasting, and even a dance for the bride and groom serenaded by J.D. Sterling on his guitar with a special song just for the two of them.
Andy and his new cousin Jessie had hit it off almost from the first. He helped teach her more about horses and riding. His dog Jasper and her dog Sheba were expecting a new litter of pups that the pair were anxiously awaiting the arrival of. It was Andy who was also teaching her how to properly tie the tin cans onto the bumper of his uncle’s truck. Along with the help of Uncle Trey.
“This will make a lot of noise when they leave. I saved up a lot of cans just for this.”
“Two weeks is a long time. I’m going to miss them. I wish I could go along.”
Andy shook his head. “I know all about that. I got left at home, too, when my dad married Jamie, my mom. But Uncle Trey explained that someday I would understand why a honeymoon was only for two people and not three. I don’t understand it yet, but I figure he knows what he’s talking about. Besides, they’ll probably bring you back a lot of souvenirs and stuff, and then they can take you to Disney.”
“That sounds even better than going to some cabin in the mountains. What is there to do in the mountains for two weeks?” Jessie asked to no one in particular. Trey caught the amused look in his sister’s gaze and looked away before he couldn’t contain the laughter that threatened.
After the final guest had departed and the couple was well on their way to a secluded cabin in the mountains of Colorado, Trey walked outside on the patio, his eyes looking at the brilliant display of stars overhead in the night sky. There was a movement and he saw his sister, Tori, sitting in the yard swing, a foot idly pushing it back and forth. He walked over to join her. She moved her skirts and he sat down.
“You’re usually the life of the party. But I see Gray left early tonight on a call, and here you sit in the dark. I think I might have two pennies in my pocket for your thoughts. Why so quiet?”
“Keep your money. I was just thinking about today. And how Truitt and Annie seemed to be so ‘in the moment’ with each other. There were always people around them, yet they just seemed to be in their own special world for two. Didn’t you notice?
“I guess you always wonder sometimes at a wedding what the bride and groom see in each other that others don’t. Truitt said he knew the first moment he looked into her eyes during the storm. And that was that. Does that happen to everyone?”
“You’re asking the wrong person, little one,” Trey responded. “I’ve not had cupid shoot his arrow at me. Or else I’ve been really good at ducking it so far.” Trey smiled, but he was also thoughtful.
“I think that Truitt and Annie found the perfect soul mate and they knew,” Tori said. “Anyway, I just have to think it’s pretty special to have someone look at you like you were the whole world without any doubt. I’m really happy for our Truitt. He deserves that kind of love and happily-ever-after. I wonder if you and I will ever be that lucky.”
“Well, since we’re the only remaining single Tremaynes, as our brother Thomas pointed out today, we are now on the endangered species list. The question is which one of us will be the next to sacrifice our single lives?” He looked over at his sister with a widening grin. “Sorry, sis, but I vote for you. And you are deaf, dumb, and blind if you say you haven’t seen those looks cast your way by a certain lawman.”
“I can’t think about things like that right now. I haven’t worked hard to get so close to the prize now to sideline it for romance…with anyone. But thanks for throwing me under the matrimonial bus. However, I have a feeling you might be the one headed for a fall before me. And it won’t be from the back of one of those broncs, either.”
“Care to make a bet?”
The End
Want more? Check out Thomas and Ja
mie’s story in Capturing the Texas Rancher’s Heart!
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If you enjoyed The Rancher Risks It All, you’ll love the next book in….
The Tremaynes of Texas series
Book 1: Capturing the Texas Rancher’s Heart
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Book 2: The Rancher Risks It All
View the series here!
Book 3: The Bronc Rider Takes a Fall
Coming September 2021!
More books by Debra Holt
The Blood Brothers series
Book 1: True Blue Cowboy
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Book 2: Homeward Bound, Cowboy
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Book 3: Her Secret Cowboy
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The Texas Lawmen series
Book 1: Beware the Ranger
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Book 2: The Lawman’s Apache Moon
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Book 3: Along Came a Ranger
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Book 4: The Sheriff’s Christmas Angels
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About the Author
Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers. Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most. She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and planning high-end weddings (ah, romance!).
Debra’s real pride and joys, however, are her son, an aspiring film actor, and a daughter with aspirations to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation (more story ideas!). When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure. She read her first romance, Janet Dailey’s Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary western romance is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles…and sighs…to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s.
Visit her website at www.debraholtbooks.com and join her newsletter. Follow her on Twitter @DebraHoltBooks and Facebook here!
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