Page 45 of Older Cowboy

Erika took Cody’s hand the second she reached him, glad to find it not clammy in the least. Just strong and warm. Sturdy, just like he was.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite Erika Cantrell and Cody Stiers in holy matrimony.”

Even despite having been a bride before—just like Cody had been a husband before—the experience felt different this time around. Not only because she was marrying a different man, but because through her courtship with Cody, she’d grown into a different woman. A woman less confined by her past. And a woman much more inspired by her present and future.

She grinned back at Cody, knowing however many years they might have together, she’d make sure they were as happy as she could make them.

The vows whisked by at the speed of light, and before she knew it, they were kissing in front of a small audience of their friends and loved ones. Her parents were there, looking both gleeful and relieved. She understood now how hard it must’ve been for them to stand by and watch her stagnate and struggle.

All the Duncans were there, as were Zeke, Aaron, and several of the other people Cody worked with here on the ranch. Tim, an exceptionally pregnant Amanda, and their three kids were there, as well. Erika tried not to notice two of the most notable absences, however. Feeling like it would be wrong not to invite them, she’d sent a formal wedding invitation to Nikki and Bruce’s, but she’d never heard back.

Not a single word.

She hadn’t seen either of them in months now. It hurt to lose them, to lose that connection, but knowing that their link to their son hadn’t been healthy helped her to release her hold on them. And on him. Besides, if the presence she felt earlier meant anything at all, moving on had actually allowed her late husband to rest better anyway.

The reception table was only a few yards from where the wedding had been held, and while the twilight lingered long enough for people to find their ways over to where Lindsey’s team had hung a multitude of patio lights, another spot of light made itself known.

“Look,” said one of Tim and Amanda’s daughters, Kimmie, if Erika wasn’t mistaken. “A firefly.”

Cody leaned over to whisper in his new wife’s ear. “I didn’t think we’d get fireflies this far north.”

“Oh, we do sometimes,” she assured him, and as if it’d been her announcement that awakened that single firefly’s sisters and brothers, several more of them lit up the field, tiny sparks of magic all around them.

Itwasmagic. This evening. This day. Her entire life.

All of it.

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

Erika's hands trembled as she placed the final touches on the dinner table. She'd arranged everything perfectly. She looked at the scene for dinner and couldn’t contain her smile. The beautiful China they'd received as wedding gifts and crystal wine glasses filled with sparkling cider made two place settings at the table. The bouquet of daisies with candles burning on each side gave the table just the ambiance she was going for.

In the top cabinet drawer beside the sink she’d hidden a small box. She’d carefully wrapped package with white tissue paper and blue and pink ribbon.

The past three months of marriage had been pure bliss. She and Cody had settled into their Victorian home, blending their lives together seamlessly. Even Gabriel had stayed with them for a few weeks over the summer before heading back to Stanford, and the easy rapport between them had made her heart swell.

But this news... this would change everything.

She heard Cody's truck pull into the driveway and her pulse quickened. After working all day at the ranch, he always came home covered in dirt with that wonderfully earthy smell she'd come to associate with happiness. Sure enough, she caught his familiar scent as he entered through the back door.

"Something smells amazing," he called out, then appeared in the doorway with raised eyebrows at the formal table setting. "What's the occasion?"

"Can't a wife make her husband a nice dinner?" she asked innocently.

He crossed to her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "A wife can do anything she wants, especially when she looks as beautiful as you do right now."

Erika felt her cheeks flush. Even after three months of marriage, his compliments still made her feel like a schoolgirl. "You might want to clean up first," she suggested. "Dinner's almost ready."

While he showered, she paced the dining room, rehearsing different ways to tell him. When he returned, freshly changed and smelling of soap, she could barely contain herself enough to make it through the meal.

Finally, she got up and took the package out of its hiding place and handed it to her husband. "I got you something."

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "Is this why you've been fidgeting all through dinner?"

"Maybe," she admitted. "Open it."

Inside the box was a tiny pair of crocheted baby booties and a positive pregnancy test.

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