Page 114 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

EPILOGUE

CORD

December

Juniper and I chose the sixteenth of December as our wedding date, exactly one year from the day we met. We decided on the inn as the site for the same reason. The night before, we stayed in the suite Patricia had given me as an upgrade on my first night in East Aurora, and Juni made us both bacon-cheeseburgers with fries for dinner.

Since I couldn’t leave the Lilacs until five days later, my brothers, including Porter, and my sister helped us plan a second “unofficial” ceremony in Crested Butte.

Decker Ashford arranged for his plane to transport us, Juni’s parents, her brother, and her nana, plus Beau and Sam there. While he’d be leaving that night, after the party was over, that he’d be there at all meant a lot to me.

No one knew Juni and I were already married long before the “official” ceremony. Not even Sam. Pete had been the hardest one to keep it from since we did itat the East Aurora courthouse, which was in the same building as the police station. It had all worked out, though, since we chose a day he was scheduled to be off. That was ten months ago, less than a week after we’d returned to the Lilacs from Crested Butte with twenty-four hours to spare.

Between then and now, in addition to our secret wedding, Juni and I had gotten the Lilacs Therapeutic Riding Center fully established. More importantly, the day of our grand opening in July, Juni and I arrived at the ribbon cutting side by side, on horseback—her on Apache and me on one of the new geldings I’d named Mojave. It had taken her a few weeks to work up to riding again, but her determination never wavered.

“With you by my side, I can do anything, Cord,” she told me repeatedly.

Of course, each time she did, my heart swelled.

I’d offered to bring her horse to Crested Butte, but she’d declined, saying that, given his age, he’d be much happier in the stables at the Lilacs. Since the day after we opened, he’d become a favorite of the kids and adults who visited the center.

“You’re deep in thought,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder. “It’s a long flight. Can you sleep?” she asked.

“I don’t want to.”

She laughed. “Why not?”

“If I’m sleeping, I can’t stare into my beautiful wife’s eyes.”

Juni beamed in the way that melted my heart. I’d been so pissed off about having to travel to a place I’d never heard of for a reason no one could figure out. Now, I was thankful. There were still so many unanswered questions, but something in my gut told me that, with every new codicil, even the one that had sent Porter to Parlin, we’d discover more.

Juni talkedabout holding the ceremony on the spot where we planned to build our house, but with the amount of snow that had already fallen, combined with the trek up the hillside, I convinced her we should do it at the same place the after-party was being held.

“At the Goat?” she asked, looking from me to her mom and dad.

“Why not?” said Patricia. “Look, sweetheart, we loved that you had the beautiful ceremony at the inn,which I think was more for us than you, but you and Cord are hardly newlyweds anymore. Why not live it up a little?”

When Juni’s mouth gaped and she turned to me, I held up both hands. “I didn’t say a word.”

“How did you know?” she asked her parents.

“Good Lord, June-bug, do you really think there’s anything that happens in East Aurora your mom doesn’t find out about?” said her dad, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, let’s get to the party!”

Her mother nudged me. “At least not in the last twenty years. Sorry I can’t be more help before that.” Her eyes opened wide, and she spun around. “Jay, where’s your mother?” she asked Juni’s dad.

“Taking a nap,” Grayson answered.

“Wake her up.”

“Mom, what’s going on?” Juni asked.

She leaned closer to both of us. “Why didn’t we think to ask the old goat what she remembers?”

“I heard that,” said Jay.

“Like that isn’twhat you call her.”

“I’d ask if that’s the reason you named your place the Goat, but it’s what the previous owner called it, right?” I asked.

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