Page 132 of Charlotte's Reckoning
His arms encircled her, his lips warm against her hair. “Take all the time you need. I’m content to sit here and hold you until you are.”
“I’m bound to get emotional,” she warned. “Be prepared for tears.”
“I’ll be right here for you, Rowie, and I’ll dry your cheeks when you’re done. Afterward, I intend to make our home a place where only happy tears are shed.”
“Do you know how much I love you, Seth Walker?” she asked, a catch in her voice.
“I’ve got an inkling because I love you too, Mrs. Walker.”
She sighed and cuddled closer. “You know, that’s my fourth name change, and it’s the best.”
Epilogue
Tired, but the good kind that came from an honest day’s work to your benefit and that of your family, Seth climbed the front steps to the porch. He had eyes only for his wife, who slowly swayed back and forth on the swing, eyes closed, the breeze teasing her hair. In a cradle at Rowie’s feet, sleeping peacefully, was William Phillip Walker, Will, for short, their four-month-old baby boy.
When Seth eased himself onto the swing beside her, she looked at him beaming, and, as she always did, took his breath away. She was beautiful all the time, but happy and in love, with her childhood dreams come true, even more so.
He handed her the letter he’d picked up at the post office while in town.
She looked at the postmark, which was from two weeks earlier, and asked, “Who do we know in Washington, D.C.?”
“Old friends from Laramie. Mayor Jackson spoke before Congress last week to make his case for statehood.”
“Mm,” she hummed, not at all surprised. “Janelle told me he’d be a senator one day.”
“I believe she’s right, once Wyoming becomes a state.”
She opened the letter and began reading. “They’re coming to visit on their way home. It will be so nice to see them.”
“Indeed. A lot has changed for all of us in two years. It will be good to catch up. When do they arrive?”
She referred to the letter again. “If my calculations are correct… Oh, dear. They’ll be here the day after tomorrow. I have so much to do.”
The baby started fussing, and she reached for him, but Seth waved her off. “I’ve got him,” he said, scooping up his son and putting him on his shoulder. He wiggled, his baby bottom poking out as he curled his legs beneath him but then settled back to sleep.
Rowie didn’t move, watching them. “My heart is so full of love sometimes, I fear it might burst.”
“Same,” he mouthed, his eyes on her, hopefully conveying his feelings, not willing to risk waking their boy and interrupting this quiet father-son moment.
She leaned in to kiss her son’s downy soft curls—dark brown like his, but he had his mama’s stunning eyes. Then she turned and kissed him, as warm and sweet and stirring as the first time.
As he sat with his wife by his side and his sleeping son in his arms, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect life. He never thought he could be happy living east of the Mississippi. The mountains were hills compared to what he was used to, but Virginia was lush and green, and Eldridge House was surrounded by rolling hills just as beautiful. The scent of the nearby honeysuckle bush filled the air, and the chirp of crickets in the trees surrounding the manor came to life as evening approached.
He watched as Rowie squinted to read the rest of the letter in the fading light. How did he get so damn lucky? Their lives had started very different, separated by thousands of miles, and adversity had been a common theme—hers so much worse—and they’d both suffered loss, but they’d found one another despite it all. The words he said to her often couldn’t convey how much he loved her or the gratitude he felt for the near-perfect life they had built together.
The stables kept him busy. They had a stable master, but he liked to be hands-on. Rowie, too, who was easing back into it since the birth of their son. Until coming here, he hadn’t realized how much he didn’t know about horses. Now, half of what he knew, he’d learned from his wife.
“I can’t wait to meet the twins,” she exclaimed, smiling broadly as she tucked the letter back inside the envelope.
“I can’t believe they traveled cross-country with a pair of two-year-olds in tow.”
“It sounds like a grand adventure to me.”
He laughed; he couldn’t help it, patting his son on the back gently when he stirred. Then he whispered, “It’s finally happened.”
“What’s that?”
“The pessimist has turned optimist.”
