Ah, so Old Man Michaels was here, too. Made sense, if the end was imminent. No doubt he’d be waiting to welcome Mrs. Michaels to the other side when the time came. The thought gave him comfort, but he wondered who had been there for Danny the night he crossed over. He hoped someone had been.
Mom handed Katie a wet washcloth, and Katie ran it over her mother’s forehead and cheeks. The furrows in the woman’s brow gradually smoothed out, and she seemed to be resting. Travis felt helpless, but knew that his role here was to support Katie, so he’d continue to find ways to do just that.
If that meant arranging a wedding before time ran out for Katie’s mom, then so be it. He didn’t care how they managed to tie the knot either, only that they did so. Katie didn’t seem to care about the celebration so much as the ceremony.
“Mom, can I have a word with you in the kitchen?”
She nodded, wiping away a tear, and he motioned for her to precede him. Chelsea pulled up her chair again on the opposite side of Katie at the bedside. When Chelsea’s little hand took her grandmother’s, he had to blink away the moisture in his own eyes. Katie sure had raised her right.
In the kitchen, first he hugged his mom and made sure she was okay. He’d rarely seen her cry in all the years growing up.
“Just hits close to home. I miss my mom so much.”
“I know.” After a moment, he let her go and told her what Katie wanted to do.
“Do whatever she wants. I don’t want her to have any regrets.” He wondered if his mom had been left with regrets, although he couldn’t imagine. She’d taken excellent care of his grandmother when she was in her final months.
“Can you call Dad, Clint, Shania, and Tanya and see if we can get them out here tomorrow or the day after? Katie’s got a friend who can perform the ceremony.”
Mom blinked rapidly and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so happy for you, Travis. I know how much you’ve wanted this, just wish it could be under happier circumstances.”
“Mom, when I hear her say, ‘I do,’ it will be the happiest day of my life. And if we can make it happen before her mom passes, that will give her some small sense of comfort, which is even better.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Tanya will be the toughest one. She works around the clock as it is. It’s all I can do to get her home for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year.”
He gave her a peck on the cheek. “We’ll videotape it for anyone who can’t make it.” He just wanted to have this wedding and to finally be able to call Katie his wife and partner in life.
* * *
Ben took in the touching scene with his daughter and granddaughter at Gail’s bedside. Everything had come together beautifully. He’d never imagined Gail’s final days being filled with so much love.
Gail opened her eyes and met his gaze over the top of Chelsea’s head and smiled at him. He returned one to her.
“Bet you didn’t expect that to happen in a million years,” Danny said.
“More like ten.”
“How much longer?”
“Obadiah won’t say, but my guess is only days.”
“Man, Katie didn’t find her a moment too soon.” Danny paused. “But what about those two lovebirds?”
Ben had overheard Kate’s conversation about having the wedding sooner than later. Gail had been excited about the possibility when Ben told her. “Yeah, maybe more good will come of all this than we thought. I want Kate to be happy, and if Travis makes her happy and takes good care of her and Chelsea, then I’m all for it.”
Danny laughed. “Never thought I’d hear those words from you.”
“Well, a person can change, can’t he?”
“Maybe, but not usually this late in life—much less in the afterlife.” Danny sobered, furrowing his brows. “Think they’ll tie the knot before Gail crosses over?”
Ben shrugged. “Heck, they’ve been hinting that Gail could be joining me since about June in earth time, and here it is August already. Either way, no doubt she and I will find a way to watch as they exchange their vows. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Yeah, but you know how people think on the physical plane. They forget that those who have passed over remain a part of their lives in spirit.”
“At least Kate seems to hear me now, and accepts that her mother and Chelsea do, too,” Ben said before turning to Danny. “What’s the status of your reassignment?”
“Obadiah says it could happen anytime. Just have to wait for someone to agree to make the switch. As I understand it, once I’m alerted, I’ll meet the other spirit to negotiate the terms. If we agree, then bam. I’m back.”
“You’re not going to screw it up this time.” It wasn’t a question.
“Damn right. I have no clue what kinds of issues I’ll face or what struggles the other person has, but I’ll deal with them as they come. I’m told I do have to make an effort to fit into his life, and that there might be a period where I don’t remember the person I was a Danny. Hopefully that won’t be permanent, but it’s not uncommon for a walk-in soul to show up and those around them know immediately they aren’t the same.”
Ben laughed. “Well, you’re one of a kind. I’m sure you’ll charm whoever you meet.” He sobered. “But I have to say I’m going to miss hanging out with you here, Danny.”
“Yeah, we’ve had some interesting times, haven’t we?”
Ben didn’t know what the chances would be of his ever seeing Danny again once he left, but had no plans to stray far from Gail’s side for a long while. He didn’t know how the laws of atonement and the universe worked, but he damned well needed to make amends.
Gail closed her eyes. Ben knew she was only sleeping, and decided to take this chance to round up some of her loved ones for when she’d breathed her last.
Over the next two days, Ben witnessed a lot of hustle and bustle. The Coopers had been arriving throughout the morning, all except the sister living in Chicago who was away in Japan and couldn’t return on such short notice. But still not a bad outpouring of love and support on such short notice for a wedding.
But Ben worried about Kate. The dark circles under her eyes spoke of her exhaustion. Gail slept more now that the nurses had increased the dosage of morphine, but Kate rarely left her mother’s side. She’d been that devoted to him in his last days, too. He couldn’t be prouder. At least she’d put off her riding students the past few days.
Travis came over to check on her. “You okay? When’s the last time you ate?”
“I’m fine. Let me run upstairs and change. Lidia should be here in the next half hour. We’ll start when Mom wakes up from her nap.”
He brushed his finger over her cheek. “I’m worried about you.”
She smiled. “I’m fine. Really.” Without waiting for him to respond, she took the stairs two at a time.
Ben drew closer to Gail. She didn’t seem to acknowledge his presence at first, then opened her eyes and smiled. When her disembodied arm reached out to him, he feared that they had waited too long for the wedding. But he didn’t hesitate to take her hand and lift her from her tired, diseased body as he pulled her closer to him.
Her eyes opened wider. “The pain’s gone. I can breathe. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Ben wrapped her in his arms. “No more pain, sweetheart.”
“But I didn’t tell Kate goodbye.”
“Sure you did. Lots of times in the past week.”
“I need to go to her. I’ll only be a minute.” Before he could stop her, Gail floated upstairs and into Kate’s bedroom with him following.
“Nooo!” Ben heard Kate’s cry of anguish followed by a loud thud. No doubt she’s seen her mother and knew it was too late.
He watched as Travis ran into the room a moment later to find Kate lying on the floor, dressed in a pretty white lace gown.
He picked her up and sat on the edge of the bed with her. Cradling her with one arm, he tapped her cheek with his free hand. “Katie. Wake up.” Toward the do
or he shouted, “Somebody call 9-1-1! Katie’s passed out.”
She blinked her eyes a few times before staring up at him. “I’m okay.” Ben saw the desolation in her eyes. “But it’s too late. Mom’s already gone.”
He cocked his head. “Your mom?” She nodded, tears flowing from her eyes. He held her tight against his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Gail moved closer to them and placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, chula.”
“But I wanted you at my wedding, Mom.” Kate could hear Gail? It had taken him forever to get her to hear him, but it must be true that a mother’s love knew no bounds.
Travis shushed her, apparently unaware of Gail’s presence.
“I’ll be there whenever it happens, but you need to go to the hospital and get checked out. You’ve run yourself ragged.”
“Don’t worry, Katie. She’ll be there in spirit.” Travis was a good man. Ben had no reservations about the two of them.
“He loves her so much,” Gail said to Ben. “Travis will take good care of her and I know I should be content with that, but do you think I’ll be able to stick around closer to earth for a while? I’ve missed out on so much already.”
Ben turned to the woman he’d fallen in love with at first sight all those decades ago. “But this won’t be the end. You’ll be able to look in on them anytime you’d like.”
She smiled, reminiscent of the one she’d bestowed on him that first day at the Kentucky Horse Park when he’d seen her petting one of his horses after a demonstration. “If I’d known how wonderful I would feel, I might have let go sooner. But I’m glad I stayed long enough to reunite with Kate and to meet my granddaughter and future son-in-law. I didn’t expect the end to come so quickly, though. I reached out to you, and suddenly it was all over.”
“No, not over. This is our new beginning. I have some mistakes to correct and lost time to make up for.”
Gail took his hand. “We have all the time in the world now, but in case I didn’t say it, I forgive you. And I hope you’ll forgive me, too, for not being honest with you about why I kept running back to California—and for leaving you to raise our precious daughter alone. I just didn’t see that what I needed and wanted most was right here on your beautiful little farm in Kentucky.”
She leaned forward to place an ethereal kiss on his cheek, warming his soul to the core. He knew Kate was going to have some difficulties in the days, weeks, and months to come as she dealt with losing her mother, but perhaps they’d be able to convey to her that they were together and all was well, starting with the funeral. Right now, though, he wanted to give Gail a quick tour of where she’d be for eternity with him.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Travis had never been so nervous in his life. Why? He was finally about to marry the only woman he’d ever loved. He drew a deep breath and blew it out forcefully as he stared at the wall of glassware in the tasting room, waiting for his cue.
The girls were getting ready in another part of the winery. Lidia would be performing the ceremony in the garden gazebo since it was unseasonably warm for Thanksgiving Day. They’d decided to wait a few months from their last attempt to marry, in order to allow for a mourning period and for Katie to deal with the added business she’d received since Melissa had done so well at the World Championship Horse Show. Chelsea had continued to compete on her level through the end of October and was the grand champion at the academy nationals in Murfreesboro earlier this month. By then, it was so close to the holidays, they decided to plan their wedding around Thanksgiving. The wedding had brought together his entire family, including Tanya who had ridden down with Daniel Morgan, the guy she used to date and still worked with. Luckily, he’d gone to visit his own family in some small town on the Ohio River near Owensboro, dropping Tanya off at Mom and Dad’s first.
Travis looked up at the clock again and started pacing.
“Calm down, man, before you have a stroke.” Jackson said.
He glared at his partner. Despite all the plans he and Katie had made over the last few months to make this day happen, he wouldn’t relax until he slipped that ring on her finger and she said, “I do.” They’d come so close before.
“Those girls love you to the ends of the world, you know,” his friend reminded him.
Travis nodded. In his gut, he had zero doubts Katie wanted to marry him, but then his brain engaged and he started worrying again. “What if—”
“Enough. You’ve got this. Just give it a chance to happen while you’re still alive to enjoy the honeymoon.” Jackson looked around. “This is some fancy place. You’d think you were in Napa—or even Tuscany.”
“Yeah. Good wines, too,” Travis said absently. He’d been feeling Danny’s presence all morning, but hadn’t heard a peep out of him. Not like Danny at all. Why did he get the feeling this was goodbye for some reason? Like he wanted Travis to know he was here, but not to get too attached.
“Maybe if you’d partaken of the wine that flowed here last night at the rehearsal dinner, you wouldn’t be so stressed out today.”
Jackson brought him back to the moment. “No, I don’t need to have my faculties impaired today. I want to experience and remember every single moment.”
Jackson shook his head and chuckled as he clapped Travis on the back. “Good thing you aren’t planning to tie the knot ever again—but as your friend and partner, know that I’ve got your six. This mission will end in victory.”
Travis grinned, understanding for the first time how ridiculous he was being. It wasn’t as if Katie had stood him up at the altar before. Yeah, she’d kicked him to the curb thirteen years ago for no good reason as far as he could tell, but that happened before he’d had the chance to propose. He’d been so sure of a “yes,” though, that it felt like she’d jilted him. The first time he’d actually proposed had been outside his parents’ house five months ago, but that was an act of desperation. She wasn’t ready yet.
But when they’d decided to marry in August so that her mom could be there, they’d been dressed for their imminent wedding when Mrs. Michaels had passed away. Then they’d had to rush Katie to the hospital with another dangerous drop in her sugar levels, despite his attempts to make sure she ate regularly during those chaotic days. He couldn’t do much to predict or alleviate her stress or to get her to sleep more.
But last night, she’d been all smiles. Nothing was going to interrupt their plans this time!
He needed a diversion before he puked. “I noticed you and Emmy talking pretty heatedly last night.”
Jackson’s eyes shuttered before his mouth was set in a straight line. “She just likes to rile me up. I challenged her right back, and she didn’t care for it, I guess.”
Travis snickered. “Her bark’s worse than her bite. She might be a little spoiled, but it’s always best to have her in your corner.”
“I thought triplets were supposed to all have similar personalities.”
“Hell, no. Emmy, Shania, and Tanya are as different as they come, not so much in looks as in personality and temperament.” Travis grinned.
“What?” Jackson asked.
“Just thinking that if anyone could handle Emmy, it would be you.”
“Not on your life. She’s beautiful and all, but as her big brother, you really should clue her in on the fact that she’d catch a guy a lot faster using honey than all that piss and vinegar.
“What makes you think she’s looking to catch a guy?”
“Well, now that you mention it, she didn’t make any moves on me or anything, but I try to send out a vibe to women so there’s no confusion. Just saying, if she ever decide to go after a guy, she’s going to have to quit being so bossy.”
Travis chuckled, but wouldn’t share what Emmy had said about him. Probably best that the two of them went their separate ways. With Emmy living in his house in Nolensville now, the chances of them meeting by chance were still pretty remote, given that they both lived about an hour fro
m Nashville in opposite directions.
“Perhaps she needs somebody like you to straighten her out, Jackson,” Dad said, coming up behind them.
“No disrespect, Joe—but hell, no. I have no intention of taking on her or any other woman. At forty-two, I’m a confirmed bachelor whose happy with that status and intends to keep it.”
“Famous last words?” Dad asked. Dad almost sounded anxious to marry off the first of his three daughters now that his two sons had tied the knot—or soon would.
“Don’t curse me. I’ve got no time for women now that I am a partner in a kickass contracting firm to run. But I’m thrilled your son fell so hard for his girl that he had to move up here and sold me a 50-percent stake in his company.”
“Well, I couldn’t very well move Kate’s horse farm to Nashville, now could I?” Travis asked.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. To be honest, I like being the boss of the entire Nashville operation.”
Perhaps that’s part of the problem with Emmy—two head-strong alphas who both want control in all aspects of life. But Travis wouldn’t have entrusted the Nashville branch of his company to anyone else, not even Danny. Jackson had good business sense. “You’ve always done a great job as my foreman, but you’ve blown me away with how you’re running things down there. I know the crew likes and respects you, too.”
“So when will you be opening up the second branch of Towers Contracting?”
“Any week now. We have our office set up and all the licenses we need. Should be in full swing by January.”
Clint, his best man, poked his head inside the door. “Ten minutes, brother! Are you ready?”
“Readier than I’ve ever been for anything in my life.” It wouldn’t be long now.
“Erik! Don’t untie Olivia’s bow again!” He turned back to Travis and Jackson. “I promise to settle him down before the ceremony starts.”
Travis laughed. Susan was pregnant with their third and feeling a little queasy, so his best man had been left to supervise the ring bearer and flower girl instead.
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