by Jaclyn Hardy
EPILOGUE
Carlie double checked her bag to make sure she had supplies for whatever was thrown at her. Braden had locked her out of her office for the day, telling her it was time to take a break.
The doorbell rang and Dee’s voice came from the other room. “Oh, hey, Braden. She’ll be out in a sec.”
Carlie hefted the duffel bag over her shoulder, glancing around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She walked out to the living room where Braden stood talking to her roommates. His eyes lit up when he saw her.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” Carlie handed him her luggage.
“That would ruin the surprise.” Braden grinned.
Dee threw her arms around Carlie’s neck. “You’d better keep in contact. No more running off to places where you have no reception.”
“I’ll do my best.” Carlie hugged Dani. “See you both . . . sometime.”
Carlie followed Braden out to his car and waited for him to put her bag in the trunk before climbing in. They headed north, away from the airport, confusing her even more. She glanced over at Braden, but he just smiled and whistled to the song on the radio.
They parked in a field where a helicopter sat waiting for them. Carlie shook her head and climbed out of the car. Leave it to Braden to keep her guessing. They climbed in and took off, heading farther north.
Carlie stared down at the landscape as it passed underneath them and her breath caught when she saw the Grand Canyon in the distance. She turned to look at Braden who had a grin on his face.
Tears stung her eyes as they touched down on the ground. He helped her down out of the helicopter as she stared out at the view. Out of all the places she’d traveled in her life, this was still her favorite. It was the last place she’d visited with her family.
Braden put an arm around her and squeezed. “Surprise.”
“You remembered.”
“Of course.”
Carlie laughed at the bag that sat in the car back in the parking lot. She’d been ready to leave on some huge adventure, and here she was at the Grand canyon—an hour away from her apartment. “Did Dee know you were bringing me here?”
“She did. I had to make sure I could get you away from your studies.”
Things made a lot more sense now. “Well, they can act. I’ll give them that.”
“Yes, they can. And I’m glad that’s true because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get you away from work to do this.” Braden pulled a small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. “Carlie, since the moment I had the nerve to talk to you, life has been one giant adventure. I’ve been shot at, run into, and broken a few dozen laws. Through it all, I knew I wanted to survive just so I could keep having adventures with you. The only thing that could make it all better would be if we could travel together as man and wife. Carlie Anderson, will you marry me?”
Carlie covered her face with her hands and nodded. “Yes.”
Braden took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger, then stood and bent down to kiss her. The wind rustled around them as they sat down on the cliff to watch the sunset together. It was as if the two of them were the only ones on earth. And that was exactly how Carlie liked it.
***
Carlie smoothed out her wedding dress and forced herself to breathe. The wedding would start at any minute, and she couldn’t wait to get it over with. So many preparations for what would be a short and simple ceremony. She should have just convinced him to elope.
“They’re ready for you.” Dee straightened Carlie’s veil. “You’ll be just fine. Oh, and do you think you could convince Braden to introduce me to his best man? Because wow.”
“Sure. Stuart’s a nice guy.” Carlie took her bouquet from Dee and forced herself to walk out of the room and into the small chapel. The wedding march played on the piano as Carlie counted the steps to herself.
Braden stood in the front looking amazing in his tux. He smiled when he saw her, giving Carlie more confidence to continue up to the front. She stood next to Braden, excitement bubbling over.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
“So do you.” Carlie did her best to listen to the pastor, but all she could think of was how much she wished her father could be there. Braden had to nudge to her to say “I do” at the right time. When the pastor told Braden to kiss the bride, he pulled the veil up and leaned to kiss her. It melted away the heartache she’d felt, and she knew her father was proud of her.
Cheers erupted in the church as Carlie and Braden walked back down the aisle and out to their car.
***
The reception hall Braden’s family had picked out was exquisite. Large bouquets of flowers stood in vases around the large ballroom. Carlie and Braden stood at one end of the room allowing people to come through the line. Trying to remember all the names was nearly impossible, so Carlie just stood and smiled while Braden introduced them.
“It’s now time for the first dance for the bride and groom,” Dani announced. The music started up, Braden led Carlie out onto the floor.
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Well, we did it.”
“We really did.” Carlie laid her head against his chest.
“I’m sorry your dad couldn’t be here.” Braden’s voice rumbled against her ear.
Carlie smiled. “I think he was. This is something he wouldn’t miss for anything.”
He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
The song ended and Braden twirled Carlie around before they walked back to stand in the reception line. Families who had shown up during the dance stood in line waiting to say hello. Carlie knew it would be a long night.
***
When there was a lull in the crowd, Carlie slipped out into the hallway to get a breath of fresh air.
“Excuse me, Carlie? I have a letter here for you.” An older man stood next to her holding a tray with an envelope sitting on it.
Carlie recognized her father’s handwriting immediately. “Where’d you get this from?”
“I work for the law firm that handled your father’s accounts. It was sent to our office with a note saying that it was not to be delivered until you had found the necklace. We tried to get it to New York, but we didn’t make it in time.”
Mystified, Carlie took the envelope from him and studied the handwriting. Her father had been gone for four years now. How had he known that she would be able to find it?
“Where’d that come from?” Braden asked. Carlie must have been gone from the reception longer than she’d thought.
“My father.” She turned it over and opened it, curiosity getting the best of her. She’d gone over his notes many times, but this was different. New. And if she hadn’t found the necklace, she would have missed out on a chance to hear from him again. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
My dearest Carlie,
If you’re reading this, you’ve found the necklace—something I was never able to do myself. I’m so proud of you. I do hope you made the right choice and gave it to a museum. Something this beautiful belongs in the open so that others can see it.
And that brings me to the reason for this letter. The necklace is part of a set. Now you must find the scepter and the crown. I believe one is in Budapest, and the other is in England somewhere. You’ll find my research in a locker at Grand Central Station. The key is inside the drawer in my desk.
Love you, my sweet girl,
Dad
Carlie stared at the letter, tears running down her face. She wiped her eyes and checked the envelope to make sure there wasn’t anything else, then read the letter through again. This explained the key she’d wondered about for so long. She’d wanted to throw it away several times but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“There’s more?” Braden asked, reading over her shoulder.
“Yep.”
“When do we leave?”
ALSO BY JACLYN HARDY
Silver Script Nove
ls (Contemporary Romance)
Ring of Truth
A Christmas Worth Billions
Fashioned for Love
Change in Harmony
Another Chance for Love
Love in Return
Waves of Hope
Cottonwood Ranch
Roping His Heart – Coming soon!
Adventure Romance
Never Say Necklace
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve, at BYU, and they have six happy, crazy children who encourage her to keep writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Her books include the Silver Script Novel—Ring of Truth, A Christmas Worth Billions, Fashioned for Love, Change in Harmony, and Another Chance for Love, Love in Return, and Waves of Hope, and the upcoming Roping His Heart and Never Say Necklace.
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