by S A Monk
EPILOGUE
The wedding occurred a month later, in early December. Immediately after accepting Hawk’s proposal, Jenny began designing her first wedding gown and searching for the exact fabrics she wanted for it. Becky helped her find a local seamstress, who could also cut her own patterns. The woman, who eventually ended up working for them in their new boutique, made both the bridal and matron of honor gowns well under the hurried deadline.
By her wedding day, Jenny felt like the princess Hawk often affectionately called her. The bodice of her gown was made of stretchy Irish white lace, which hugged her torso and fell off her shoulders. The low, v-pointed waist was girdled at the hip by an intricately woven chain link belt. The long flowing skirt was heavy, silver-shot, white silk that swirled fluidly around her legs, ending in a short train at the back. Because Hawk loved her hair down, Jenny wore it loosely curled, covered by a sheer white veil and a jeweled silver circlet. The design was very medieval, inspired by one of her favorite movie projects.
In the same church Becky and Scott had been married in, Eli walked Jenny down the aisle toward Hawk, who stood waiting for her at the altar, dressed in a black tuxedo and boots, watching his bride with discernible pride and pleasure. Scott, acting as his best man, stood beside him, and Becky, Jenny’s only attendant, stood across from him.
Jenny met her bridegroom with a radiant adoring smile, but her joy was just a little dimmed by the absence of her father. She tried valiantly to hide it, but she couldn’t help feeling his loss at such an important moment in her life. As she stood before the waiting priest, she closed her eyes briefly and summoned an image of Tom, needing to feel his presence beside her.
Hawk took her hand and seemed to read her thoughts. “He’s here, honey. I can feel him.”
“I know.” Jenny smiled at him through a sheen of tears. “He’d be so happy about this.”
An hour later, they left the church as husband and wife to attend their wedding reception in the same hall where Scott and Becky had held theirs. When they returned home that evening, Hawk lifted Jenny out of her Corvette and carried her up the walkway, over the front door threshold, all the way upstairs, despite her giggling protests.
As soon as he set her down, she went about lighting all her scented candles, then put one of her favorite CD’s into her bookshelf stereo. It was a collection of romantic adagios by classical composers. To the haunting melody of the Adagio from Mozart’s twenty-first piano concerto, she held her arms out to her new husband.
“Dance with me one more time,” she invited him softly. “I love dancing with you.”
Hawk took her in his arms and held her close, his cheek resting atop her unveiled head, his arm hooked securely around her waist. Thoroughly intoxicated, Jenny tucked her head beneath his jaw, closed her eyes, and inhaled his deliciously spicy, masculine scent. He was so big and solid, and so wondrously in love with her that she felt like the most cherished woman in the whole world. It felt utterly miraculous.
“You look like a fairytale-princess in that dress,” Hawk murmured, nuzzling her ear. “I love you, Mrs. Fletcher-Larson.”
“I love the sound of that!” she beamed as she rose up onto her silk-slippered toes to wind her arms around his neck. After a thoroughly drugging kiss, she looked up at him through half-closed eyes. “Shall we undress or pack?”
Tomorrow Hawk was flying Eli, Hank, Scott, Becky and her to Las Vegas for their honeymoon, which included attendance for all six at the Pro Rodeo National Finals. Taking everyone to Vegas had been something they had both decided to do. It was, they felt, a celebration they wanted to share with their best and closest friends; friends who had helped them resolve their personal relationship problems, as well as their business ones.
Hawk winked at her mischievously. “Well, I’m already packed, so I vote for undressing.”
Jenny slipped his jacket off over his wide shoulders, then slowly unbuttoned his brocade vest, her long-nailed fingers toying with him. “Did you pack anything dressy?”
“Of course.”
“A suit?” Just as provocatively, she proceeded to unbutton his shirt.
“Slacks and a sport coat.” Before she pulled it free of his trousers, Hawk turned her around and began unbuttoning the back of her wedding gown.
Jenny looked over her shoulder at him and warned, “There are two dozen of those tiny pearl buttons, so be careful. Wonder what I should take?”
With quick efficiency, he had her completely unbuttoned. “How about that little black strapless dress you wore to our engagement party? I liked that on you.”
She laughed. “You liked that off me!”
Separating the lace material of her bodice, he slid it off her arms and let it drop to her waist. As he worked at the clasp of her strapless white satin bra free, he placed leisurely, open-mouthed kisses over all the bare skin he exposed.
“Half the fun of seeing you in all these great clothes is planning how I’m going to strip them off you, wife.”
Jenny turned to face him and stepped out of her gown, her forearms holding her unhooked bra over her breasts. While she stood before him in only a partially secured bra and white satin bikini-cut panties, Hawk stepped briefly away to finish undressing. When he was done, he scooped up her gown and his discarded clothes to put them all over the back of a nearby chair.
“See, you’ve taught me well,” he stated with a half-grin, pleased with his tidiness.
Jenny dropped her bra. Clad in only her panties and stockings, she gave him a teasingly seductive look. “Do you want to take the other garter belt off now?” He’d taken one off at the reception and done the traditional toss.
“Oh, yeah.” Without taking his eyes from her, he backed up to their new king-sized bed, sat down, and beckoned her to him. Jenny giggled as he took her hand and sat her on his naked lap. Then he took her white silk-stockinged leg, lifted it, and removed her satin slipper. “Like Cinderella?” He tickled the soles of her feet, and she laughed.
Then his long fingers moved up her calf, above her knee to remove the single blue and white lace garter. Slowly, he slid it down her leg, over her foot, onto his wrist. “This one is mine to keep,” he informed her huskily. Next, he slid her stockings off, down one leg, then the other, slowly caressing the soft skin he left bare in his wake. By the time he twisted her around and pressed her backwards onto the mattress, she was shivering, aching for the weight of his naked body over hers. In a flurry of tantalizing kisses and incredibly arousing caresses, Hawk removed her one remaining item of underwear as well and slid into position to join with her.
“I will never get tired of this as long as I live!” Jenny exclaimed breathlessly, beginning to writhe and squirm beneath his loving assault. “I am so in love with you, husband!”
“Copy that, princess. I’ll never ever get enough of you!” With one deep thrust, he entered her, releasing her from his tormenting exploration of her body. “One lifetime isn’t going to be enough to love you, wife.”
“Oh Hawk, that’s so beautiful!”
Ten Months Later:
Under a cloudless, deep blue sky, Hawk walked Jenny out of the courtroom, his arm curled protectively around her shoulders. She looked pale and shaken, but at least their long ordeal with Brad Caldwell was finished. He had been arrested, tried, and sentenced on three counts of attempted murder, in addition to the other charges of arson and kidnapping. Even with the possibility of a parole, he’d be an old man before he got out of jail. That suited Hawk just fine. He never wanted to see the bastard’s face again. He did feel sorry for Cindy, though. She had finally sold the Caldwell ranch and moved to the West Coast, in an attempt to escape the humiliation and publicity of her brother’s crimes and trial. Even now, there were reporters all over the place, clamoring for interviews.
In a small community of little crime, the highly publicized arrest and trial had been big news for months. Brad had been a leading citizen of the community, so people were understandably dismayed and curious. They
generally thought it was sad that Brad had thrown such a promising life away for greed. Hawk had no pity for the man he’d been harassed by for most of his life. Brad Caldwell was his father’s creation. Only he and Tom Fletcher had ever really understood that, though. If it hadn’t been for Tom’s intervention, Hawk figured he might have ended up just as messed up as Brad.
Both he and Jenny had testified at the trial. But it had been Steve Walker’s testimony that had sealed Brad’s fate. For his cooperation, Steve had gotten a much lighter sentence. Hawk had hoped to spare Jenny the ordeal because of her condition. He’d been worried about her dealing with all the stress of testifying and seeing Brad every day for weeks. It had been hard on her, especially today.
Before sentencing Brad, the judge had listened to both their statements, as victims, about the harm done to them by the defendant. Afterwards, when Jenny had walked by the defendant’s table, Brad had uttered a low voiced threat for her to watch her back if he ever got out of prison. Seated in the front row, behind Caldwell, close enough to hear what had been said to his wife, Hawk had lunged to his feet, leaned over the dividing rail, and nearly grabbed the arrogant, grinning banker by the neck. Jenny had hurried to stand in front of Hawk so the judge wouldn’t see his lunge for Brad. But the magistrate had apparently heard the threat, and angered by it, had severely admonished Brad. It had probably added an extra year or two to the sentence Brad had been given afterwards.
All in all, though, Hawk was immensely relieved to have the whole ordeal behind them. His beautiful wife was very, very pregnant, carrying twin boys, due within a week or two, a little over a year after Tom Fletcher’s death. New life was a good thing to mark such a tragic anniversary with, he thought. And Tom would have been elated over two grandsons to carry on the Fletcher/Larson brand. Hawk certainly was. As he steered his tired, emotionally drained wife out of the courthouse, protectively guiding her through the throng of clamoring reporters, he thought about how life could take the most unexpected turns.
The ranch was profitable again. The barn had been rebuilt. All the damages had been repaired. And he didn’t have to work his tail off at all those extra jobs just to make ends meet anymore. Jenny and Becky had opened a small boutique in town that had real potential in the future to add to the ranch’s income. Pretty soon he’d have two sons to carry on Tom’s legacy, and hopefully a daughter or two, eventually.
A year ago he had lost his best friend and partner; the man he had always loved as a father. Now he was married to Tom Fletcher’s daughter, and no one could fulfill his life the way she did every single day. He loved her more now than he did when he had married her. She was everything to him— partner, friend, lover, wife.
It often amazed, even scared him, that he was so lucky and so happy. A year ago he would never have imagined his life taking such a wonderful turn. Maybe Tom really was watching out for them from above, because he certainly felt miraculously blessed.
THE END