Camila stopped first to hug Carter and Blitz‘s jockey, Eddie. Then she caught up with Wyatt, who was hugging Michaela. “Camila!” she called out and Camila rushed to hug the woman who had quickly become her best friend. “My dad is proud of me,” Michaela whispered.
“And I am, too!” Camila said as tears threatened to flow again. “Let me boost you up, you have some flowers to receive.”
“Can you believe it?” Mike asked with utter joy.
“Not yet,” Camila laughed as she put her hands together and helped Mike up onto Gent.
Wyatt was currently hugging Gent’s head, and Bud was sniffling as he held Gent’s reins. Syd was congratulating Mike and finally Camila turned to answer all the reporter’s questions before it was time to enter the winner’s circle. As they walked, Wyatt finished his interview as well.
They got Gent in place and Camila’s heart almost stopped at the sight of the blanket of roses being carried out. Bud was on one side of Gent, Wyatt on the other. All their friends and Wyatt’s family filled in behind them as Wyatt motioned for her to join him up front.
Behind and slightly above them was the governor of Kentucky, the track president, and the commissioner waiting to hand Wyatt the trophy. But for now, they seemed in their own little world as the photographer took their picture.
“Wait!” Wyatt called out when he saw both Conor and Sean standing behind the photographer. “Mr. Donahue, Sean and Triana, you have to join us! You’re family!”
All the Davies called for them to join in and when Mike and Camila motioned to them, their family joined in the picture. Conor with his hand on Michaela’s boot and Camila’s parents behind her with a hand on each shoulder. Camila would remember that moment forever.
“Camila,” Wyatt said as the photographer and press continued to take pictures as the crowd cheers grew loud.
“Yes?” she asked as she tried not to move her mouth while she smiled for the pictures.
“I love you.”
“Oh, Wyatt, I love you, too.” Camila turned to smile at him and saw Wyatt down on one knee holding out a ring box.
“I waited my whole life for a woman like you to fill my heart and share my soul. You’re my love, my best friend, my partner, and the best thing to ever happen to me. Will you marry me?”
Camila knew she was staring, but she wasn’t quite believing it. The shock of winning the race and now seeing Wyatt holding out a ring . . . it had to be a dream. But just in case it wasn’t, “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.” The ring felt very real on her finger. And then Wyatt felt very real kissing her.
“It’s Nana Ruth’s ring. I hope you don’t mind,” he said as he rested his head on hers.
“Mind? That makes it even more special. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
That was the last moment Camila got with Wyatt for a long while. The winner’s circle turned into a massive celebration and the governor had trouble getting the attention she needed to present the trophy. There were more pictures, more interviews, and then bottles of champagne as their limo turned into a family party on the way to Keeneston.
Camila was surprised, but shouldn’t have been, when they pulled into Wyatt Farm—soon to be her forever home—to see cars filling the pasture. A band played out back and fairy lights on the patio overlooked the pasture where Bud was releasing Gent who came to the fence to join the party.
Her parents were slightly nervous at first but fit right in as all of the people from Keeneston welcomed them along with Mike and her father.
“We must plan the wedding!” Katelyn yelled out to the group as she tipped up her own bottle of champagne.
“We must have a priest,” Triana said with her arm around Katelyn and her own bottle of champagne.
“He’s right there,” Katelyn said, pointing to Father Ben.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” she said, gasping at the very handsome, very muscular Father Ben.
“I know, right?” Sophie and Sienna winked at each other.
“I sat on his lap and hit on him,” Sienna admitted.
Camila and her mom burst out laughing.
“It must be after the other two races. Camila has two more jewels for her crown,” her father said, lifting up a bottle of bourbon and toasting Marshall’s bottle.
“June! We can plan a June wedding.” Katelyn sighed happily.
“That’s so close, I don’t know if we can pull it off,” Triana said worriedly.
“A month’s a snap,” Wyatt’s Grandma Marcy, told them.
“I’ll make the gown!” Sydney cried as she wrapped Camila up in a hug.
“And you and Sean will stay in our guest house,” Katelyn decreed. “We can have the whole wedding planned while Cami trains Gent.”
“Oh, Sean, can we?”
“Well, the duke does want me to stay and race Cobalt.”
“You are welcome to board him here,” Wyatt told him.
“Father and daughter training together and planning a wedding?” Sean wiggled his eyebrows at Camila. “It’s a dream come true!”
And so it was.
Epilogue
June, New York . . .
* * *
Wyatt, Camila, Mike, and Bud each placed a hand on the three-sided silver trophy and raised it up into the air. Ruth’s Gentleman had won all three jewels for his crown.
Blitz had come in fifth. Cobalt finished fourth in the race, the long distance of the Belmont being too much for the fast sprinters. Sandstorm had taken third and a new horse had come in to give Gent a run for the money. But just like every race, Gent had come from behind on the outside. He’d charged past the field and snapped up the third win by a full length. He was everything Nana Ruth had dreamed he would be.
The offers to purchase Gent had been for astronomical amounts but there was no way Wyatt was going to part with him. After all, he was the final gift from Nana—the gift that brought Camila into his life.
Wyatt leaned over and kissed her in love and celebration. When he pulled back, he looked up and waved over her parents and a very dirty Conor Donahue. They raced into the winner’s circle and the celebration continued. The past month had seen both Michaela and Camila flourish with the love and support of their parents.
The Americans, having seen what Sean Callahan could do with Cobalt, had been offering him training jobs left and right. He hadn’t agreed to any yet, but he also hadn’t refused.
Gent tossed his head and nickered in celebration. He loved the attention winning gave him. The crowd cheered and Gent was practically smiling with the two bright red lipstick stains on each side of his muzzle. The news media had dubbed it the “Kiss of Luck” and called Wyatt and Camila “Racing’s New Power Couple.”
“What are you going to do now?” the news reporter asked Wyatt.
“We’re going home to get married,” Wyatt said as he looked at his bride.
Gent was handsome in his Syd, Inc. custom-made bowtie as Bud held him next to where his humans were getting their marriage blessed. Father Ben was offering a blessing in the backyard of Wyatt Estate after their wedding at Saint Francis. There was nowhere else Wyatt and Camila would consider having their reception.
Sydney, Mila, Sophie, Michaela, and Blythe had been bridesmaids while Wyatt had Carter, Ryan, Jackson, Gabe, and Zain by his side. The entire town, along with Camila’s parents, stood and cheered as Wyatt leaned forward and kissed his new wife after the blessing.
The reception began and the guests drank and talked as the musicians started playing. Wyatt took advantage of the moment alone with his new wife. “There’s something I was hoping you could do for me.”
“Anything,” Camila told her husband.
“I couldn’t do this before,” Wyatt said, handing Camila the note from his nana. “Could you read it to me?”
Camila seemed to know instantly that it was important as she opened it. “My dearest Wyatt and his bride,” Camila started to read. “If you’re readi
ng this, then you’re in love. When you, my dear great-grandson, fall in love, it will be forever. And so, I wish to give you one last thing for a wedding present. I know I left you with a burden. Your sister will have her own hard times, but they will quickly pass as I left her the gift of love to see her through them. I was unable to give you the same gift, but I hope this will make up for it.”
Wyatt knew it was Camila reading the words, but he could hear Nana Ruth’s voice as if she were here saying them to him.
“Beauford always considered you the son we were never blessed to have. And so, before he passed, he made me promise to give you this upon your wedding day. I am saddened beyond words that I won’t be here to see you and your sister marry, but Beauford and I will be smiling down at you with all our love,” Camila continued to read.
“In the attic, along the left wall, there is a hidden door. Inside is our gift for your wedding day. We wish you all the love that Beauford and I were lucky enough to share. We love you, my littlest dear, Ruth Elizabeth Wyatt.”
Camila looked up at Wyatt, but his eyes were still closed as the last strains of Nana Ruth’s voice faded in his mind. When he opened them, he smiled with an even fuller heart than it had been a moment ago.
“You think our guests can wait?” Camila asked with excitement in her voice.
“Let’s go!” Wyatt grabbed her hand and together they raced up the stairs and into the attic. Wyatt felt along the wall and sure enough he found the door. All these years and he’d never known it was there.
When he opened it, the air was stale but there in the room sat a baby’s cradle that looked to be from the 1800s. In it was a tightly sealed box. When he picked it up, it was heavier than he thought it would be.
“I’ve got this,” Camila said as she lifted up her beautiful gown to reveal her soft leather boots. She reached inside a hidden pocket in her boot and pulled out a Swiss Army knife. “You know I’m always prepared,” she said as Wyatt laughed.
She sliced the top open. When they opened it, they found a tissue-wrapped christening gown. When Camila gasped and pulled it out, he saw that underneath was a bottle of very nice, very old, and very rare bourbon.
“I think this is for me,” Wyatt chuckled as he pulled out the bourbon.
“What’s that?” Camila asked, pulling out a thick envelope with Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Davies and family written on it.
“I don’t know, but that’s Great-Grandpa’s handwriting.” Wyatt leaned over to see what was inside as Camila opened it.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Camila gasped as Wyatt’s mouth dropped open. Inside, the contents were divided up in three groups. The first one read “Mr. Wyatt Davies.” The second read “Mrs. Wyatt Davies.” The third read “Family.”
“There’s millions of dollars in stocks in here,” Camila marveled. “I can have my own training center with this money.”
“These weren’t with his other investments. I never knew they existed.” Wyatt looked down at them as the realization hit. “I can pay off and expand my veterinary clinic and hire a lifetime of people for the farm.”
Camila sniffled as she handed a note that had been behind the “family” packet. “Many blessings for our great-great-grandchildren. The remainder is for their thirtieth birthdays. You can use it for education of any kind along the way or anything special. However, our greatest gift is the gift of hard work, determination, and love. Wyatt Farm will one day be theirs. Just as I did for you, teach them the love of the land, the value of hard work, manners, and respect. Ruthie and I are so proud of you, Wyatt. We love you,” Wyatt read out loud.
Quietly Camila put everything back in the box and lifted it from his arms. She placed it back in the cradle and then paused as she thought again. She reached inside and pulled out the bottle of bourbon. “He did say wedding present.”
Wyatt laughed and took his bride’s hand. “Let’s go celebrate.”
* * *
“Another one down,” Dani said to the girls as she pulled the notebook the Rose sisters had given her for matchmaking.
“We’ve done well, ladies.” Kenna lifted her glass of champagne as they all toasted.
“Look how happy they are,” Katelyn said with a smile as they turned to see their sons and daughters taking a shot of her Grandpa Beauford’s favorite bourbon. Where in the world had they found that?
“Your dad was so sweet to give them the honeymoon for a wedding present,” Gemma said to Katelyn.
“He was,” Katelyn said, looking at her dad, Jack Jacks. Older now and having sold off the fifty-one percent of his hotel empire to Sebastian Able, he was much more relaxed than he’d ever been. He was sitting, holding baby Van on his lap as he talked with Jake and Marcy Davies.
“The question now is who is next?” Annie asked.
All the moms turned to eye their kids.
“Jackson,” Tammy said suddenly. “His eyes have been a little darker recently. He needs love to brighten them back up.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Paige said.
“But who do we fix him up with?” Morgan asked.
* * *
“I swear, I thought they’d be better at this, bless their hearts,” Miss Lily said, shaking her head at the women trying to set up their kids.
“They just don’t have the flair for matchmaking,” Miss Daisy said with a sigh.
“Thank goodness they have us,” Miss Violet said, pulling out her phone.
“Is everything in place?” Miss Lily asked her sister.
“Operation Jackson has now commenced,” Miss Violet told her sisters as she sent a text.
“Ladies, should we ask what you’re doing?” John Wolfe, Lily’s husband, asked as their husbands joined them.
“Just talking about missing our husbands,” Miss Lily said innocently as the men snorted in disbelief.
“As long as you weren’t fiddling in people’s lives, I’ll take it,” John said, sitting down next to his wife.
“You’re one to talk,” Miss Daisy snorted. For the past umpteen decades, John had done nothing but fiddle.
“Haven’t you heard?” John asked with a grin as he looked at DeAndre. “I’m retired.”
“Well, so are we,” Miss Violet said so innocently that no one believed her.
* * *
Oh goodness, she thought to herself. What was wrong with her? Her stomach thought the dance floor was a fishing boat on rough waters.
“Are you okay?” her husband asked.
“I’m fine. Too much champagne.” She laughed it off. “I guess I should have had the bourbon.”
“You only had one glass,” her husband said with concern. “Do you want to go home?”
“No,” she said as she dug around her purse for an antacid. “I’m fine. This is too good of a party to miss. Plus, I love dancing with you.” She leaned up and kissed her husband on the lips before resting her head on his chest and swaying to the music. Just to be on the safe side, she might want to talk to Dr. Ava. She’d been feeling a bit under the weather recently.
* * *
Jackson Davies was tired. He watched Lucas and Talon dancing with Poppy and Zinnia as Holt Everett sang one of his country hits, and Jackson was a little jealous. His FBI partners, who were like brothers to him, were in love and that love got them through the darkness they saw on the job as hostage rescuers. But Jackson didn’t have that.
Three days earlier, they were on a particularly rough job. They were praised for getting three people out alive, but what wasn’t mentioned was the four-year-old who didn’t make it out. And that weighed heavily on him. He needed something to chase back the darkness, and the Keeneston Belles vying for his attention wasn’t it. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. It was from his cousin Harper in Shadows Landing.
The Bells are going to open a guesthouse on their property and want to have a pre-opening test run for three nights in the future. Before they start looking around, I thought of you and wanted to see if you had time off in the up
coming months.
The Bell family owned a massive old plantation house along the river in Shadows Landing. Fishing and hanging with his Faulkner cousins sounded great. Only he was going to be working hard the next couple of months. His boss had alluded to overseas assignments with the military.
When? He was a man of few words and even fewer texts.
The first bookings start for Christmas, so sometime this fall would be perfect. I know your schedule requires a lot of advance notice for time off.
Jackson looked down at his phone. Three nights on the river just relaxing after whatever hell his boss was going to put him in. That was a no-brainer. I’d love to. I’ll let you know the dates.
Perfect. I’ll tell the Bells.
Jackson slid his phone back into his pocket and accepted a glass of bourbon from his brother Ryan. “Why are Mom and the aunts staring at us?” Ryan asked as they sipped the expensive bourbon.
“I don’t know. Just like I don’t know why the Rose sisters just high-fived each other,” Jackson said with a sigh. “I’d worry if I think about it.”
“Hey, guys.” Gabe and his brother Zain joined them, but seemed preoccupied.
Jackson scanned the room and quickly saw why. “Who invited Draven?”
“I did,” Zain said with a grimace. “He’s been practicing, and he’s ready to make his move.”
“Did you check him for gold dildos?” Jackson asked as they watched Draven approach a tableful of Belles.
“Crap, I forgot,” Zain said worriedly.
“I checked,” Gabe told them. “I imagine this is something like watching your child on the first day of school.”
“I won’t be nearly as worried for Zaria in the years to come as I am for Draven. She’s already more mature than he is.” Jackson burst out laughing at Zain’s comment. Home was good for the soul.
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