“Now that I think of it, I do recall. Something.” Joy crashed over her with the magnetic force of the Falls. Those majestic Falls that had brought them together and started them on their journey. One that now brought them to this place, this moment. “I recall loving a man so much that giving him my heart seemed as natural as taking in air. The man I love isn’t the one up at that altar. He’s here.” Her breath hitched as her hands found Drew’s shoulders. “Right here.”
Their gazes tangled for another instant, before he pulled her against him and kissed her. A kiss that bound them not just physically, but in every way that mattered. Heedless of the gazes of Buffalo society, his lips explored hers, filling every cell inside her with belonging. And the sweet realization that it didn’t matter whether Linley Park was the place she called home or an apartment on Canal Street. For home, her true home, wasn’t a physical location but with the one she loved. And she’d found that one in the form of a handsome tightrope walker who held her heart as close as he now held her.
Breathless, he drew away, just enough to look into her eyes. The relentless love filling his sent a wave of warmth straight down to the tips of her toes.
“You sure about this?” A hint of uncertainty laced his voice.
Surer than sure. There was a rightness to this moment, despite how wrong everyone around them might think it. A rightness in knowing the hand of God had brought them together and bound them with a love so strong that, even in their separation, neither of them had been able to forget.
“Are you?” she whispered.
A slow, almost daring grin angled his lips. She’d once despised the word daredevil. Now, putting her in front of it made all the difference. Her daredevil.
He held out his hand, the gesture a twofold invitation. For her to place hers within his and trust him with her all.
There was no hesitation when it came to doing either.
His strength surrounded her, a reassurance as he approached Mr. Conway. The man stood, eyes bulging, as if rendered speechless by all he’d just witnessed.
“The lady and I will be going now,” Drew said simply.
Before Mr. Conway could form a reply, Drew turned and, still holding hands, they proceeded down the aisle. Adele cast a quick glance behind her, found her mother’s gaze. She’d expected to see shock, censure, a fit of weeping or a faint. But the eyes of the woman who’d been so fragile of late seemed brighter, stronger, full of…could it be…pride? She sat straight and still, ever the lady, while the rest of the society guests whispered, or stared in outright astonishment.
Adele turned back to Drew, the firm pressure of his fingers twined with hers sweet as any bridal chorus. The steps that bore her inside had been weighted with sorrow and determination. Now, air seemed to bear them onward, the faces they passed a blur, Drew’s eyes on her alone.
He didn’t stop until they stood outside on the top step of the church. Her veil blew behind her in the breeze. The roses smelled sweet, delirious. Like happiness.
“You make a very lovely bride, Adele Linley. I do apologize for disrupting the proceedings.” His smile, slightly shy but very proud, declared he hadn’t minded one bit.
A few passersby stopped and gestured among themselves. What a pair they made. Her, in a wedding dress worth several hundred dollars. Him, in a suit that looked more than a little worse for wear.
“We’re quite something, aren’t we?”
“What did you say?” He looked down at her, one arm still resting on her waist.
“The two of us. You. Me.” She nestled into his side, leaning her head against his shoulder. Clouds had edged the sky when she’d entered the church. Now, the sun shone high overhead, as if the Lord smiled down upon them and declared what He saw to be good.
“Couldn’t agree more.” He leaned closer, turning her to face him. “What do you say to coming home with me for a little while? There’s a particular young lady who’s been missing you something dreadful. And though I can’t promise a wedding feast, we do have some mighty good sweet rolls.”
She smiled up at him, inches away from satisfying her longing for another kiss. “Yes, my dear Mr. Dawson. I say yes.”
Two Years Later
“You want to know something, little man? Your Papa met Mama on a boat just like this one.”
One-year-old James gurgled and clapped his hands together. Drew lifted his son higher as the Horseshoe Falls came into view in all their spectacle and grandeur. He turned to the woman at his side—the woman he had called wife for almost two years.
A breakfast of sweet rolls in the morning had led to a wedding in the afternoon, Adele in her fancy dress, him in the suit and tie he’d worn when they first met, Delany and Hope as witnesses.
Adele smiled at the pair of them, the wind playing with the curls framing her face and the ribbons on her bonnet. She’d changed some, since that long-ago meeting. When decked out in a ball gown, she still possessed enough regal grace to make heads turn and eyes widen. Yet the smile on her lips now was genuine, not forced, and her emerald eyes sparkled with laughter instead of glimmering with sorrow.
Not that these past years hadn’t held their share of hardships. After the wedding, they’d returned, along with Adele’s mother, to England. Battling Conway’s debt and the financial woes of Linley Park, the first months had been difficult. Until Drew discovered that Mrs. Linley’s so-called trusted steward, Bridges, had, in fact, been cheating the family of most of their assets since Mr. Linley’s death. With the man sacked and safely behind bars, Drew and Adele had finally been able to pay off both the debt to Conway and slowly, with Drew’s accounting and management skills, Linley Park once again became the profitable estate of Adele’s dreams.
The younger Dawson sibling had enjoyed her share of surprises over the past two years also. After a series of consultations, a doctor had recommended an operation, which Hope had undergone. It had been a partial success—she could walk but not without the aid of a cane. That hadn’t stopped Jim Delany from pursuing her across the ocean and putting a ring on her finger six months ago.
“Do you like the Falls, Jamie?” Adele brushed a droplet of water from her son’s cheek.
Drew bounced the little boy as they neared the immense waterfall. Crossing the Horseshoe had been an adventure, but it was nothing compared to that which he’d lived since he’d said “I do” to the woman he’d never cease to adore.
“Yes, you do. But you must tell Mama that you aren’t fond of the risk-takers who think the Falls is their circus.” He grinned, chucking their little son under the chin. “They’re a dangerous sort, you know.”
“Oh, stop!” Adele gave him a playful slap with her reticule. “I love my dangerous daredevil, and you know it.”
Heat filled him as his gaze collided with hers. Did he ever. Every day she showed him, in so many ways.
“I do indeed. And you want to know something else?” The spray of the Falls misted them as he took a step closer until they stood nose to nose. The fragrance of roses still had the power to make his head spin.
“Yes?” Against the roar in the background, her words emerged as a breathy whisper.
“I love you, darling wife.” He brushed his thumb against her cheek and then, heedless of the other sightseers on the Maid of the Mist, feathered her lips with a gentle kiss. They’d become rather expert at kissing in public places. The thought made him grin.
“I’m glad.” She wrapped her arm around his waist, snuggling close. “Because I love you too.” Together they gazed at the Falls as the boat turned back toward the shore, the sun slipping beneath the horizon in a breathtaking farewell of red and gold. The three of them—family. His.
Thank You, Lord.
God had a masterful way of making beauty, in both nature and humanity. He’d created the magical sight before them and blessed their union with a love as profound and long lasting as the Falls that first brought them together.
ECPA bestselling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writ
ing in grade school when she wrote her first story—a spinoff of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes inspirational historical romance, penning stories that transport readers to a variety of locales. These days, Amanda can be found reading way too many books, watching an eclectic mix of BBC dramas and romantic chick flicks, and trying to figure out a way to get on the first possible flight to England. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and through her website at amandabarratt.net.
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