Page 53 of His Christmas Star
“Miss Poppy Rose, and all of us at Bison Ridge and Heavenly Lane,” Ash answered, placing Cece’s hand in Caleb’s. He lowered Poppy to the ground, and she stood next to Caleb, holding onto his leg as though she knew he needed support. That’s when I noticed Amity. She sat on the floor next to Cece.
“My goodness,” I whispered, taking a deep breath. “Amity is going to sign for Poppy.”
“Well, of course, our little Poppy would not like to be left out.”
“I would ask if anyone had any objection to this wedding, but that would be silly,” Beau said, dragging laughter from everyone in the barn. “There is no greater connection than what is between the three people standing before us today.”
“Are you doing okay on your feet?” he asked as the ceremony progressed. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself tonight. Ask for help if you need it.”
“Yes, daddy,” I teased, patting his hands. “My feet are perfect, and I have my mitts ready to go.”
“Cecelia, would you like to say your vows?” Beau asked, and I snapped my attention back to the ceremony.
Cece took the ring from Dawn and then took Caleb’s hand. “I wanted to start by saying thank you. Thank you for picking me up and protecting me, and a little girl you’d never met, simply because you knew we needed it. Your unwavering trust and belief in love taught me how a family was made, and I’m glad I listened. We’ve been through some hard times together, and that’s how I know we can make it through anything. When I put this ring on your finger, it symbolizes the pain and trauma we’ve been through to get to this day, but it also symbolizes hope for the future. It symbolizes the start of a family brought together by tragedy but held together by love. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, Caleb North. With this ring, I do.” She slid the ring on his finger and then kissed it, a smile on her lips even as tears ran down her cheeks.
Caleb took her ring from Beau and held it up. “I have known that I’ve wanted to put a ring on your finger since the first day you stepped onto the ranch. Then you disappeared on me, and I thought I’d lost everything all over again. Since that day, we have been through a lot, but we’re here. We’re here,” he said, gently wiping a tear off her cheek. “Tonight, I finally get to say, Cecelia, you are the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. Your sweetness, laughter, temper, and soft-touch are what I look forward to every day. You are the most wonderful mother to our little girl, and it’s me who is the lucky one. Your arms are where I found solace from the past and where I saw a future for the first time. So tonight,” he said, taking her hand. “I promise to love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life.” He slid the ring on her finger and then kissed it. “With this ring, I do.”
“With the pow—”
Caleb held up his finger to Beau, which brought more chuckling from the crowd. Caleb knelt in front of Poppy Rose, pointed at himself, and held up one finger. Poppy pointed at herself and held up two, something they’d done since she first came to the ranch. Only they understood it, and only they could communicate without words or signs. Those fingers in the air were a pathway of emotions for them that didn’t need words. They stayed that way for almost a minute before Poppy crossed her fingers together and touched Caleb’s heart. Cece cried silent tears as she watched the exchange, accepting a hankie from Amity, who was smiling with a trembling chin. The rest of the room hadn’t fared much better.
“Those two defy understanding,” Joe whispered in my ear as he wiped a tear from my face. “I see them and think love most definitely trumps DNA.”
I squeezed him tightly to me as Caleb stood again and took Cece’s hand. “She wants you to know that Allie has finally let her go. She’s ours now with Allie’s blessing.”
Cece crumbled into Caleb, requiring Beau to grab them both and hold them upright. Poppy tugged on Cece’s dress until she looked down. Only then did Poppy’s tiny hands brush up her chest twice.
“Happy,” Cece whispered and then signed it back. “She’s happy.”
“And she wants you to be ha—happy, so let’s finish this ceremony so you can be a fa—family,” Beau said, fighting back the tears himself. He cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on his leg, both things he did to break his stutter when he got emotional. Caleb lifted Poppy into his arms and took Cece’s hand. “By the power vested in me by the internet and the State of Wisconsin. I now pronounce you husband, wife, and family. Caleb, you may kiss your bride.”
The room erupted into applause as Caleb laid a tender kiss of love on the lips of the woman who was now his forever.
The evening was winding down, but I couldn’t find the woman I loved anywhere. I jogged up to Heaven who was dancing with Blaze. “Have you guys seen Tobi?”
Heaven nodded. “She’s on her way back from Heavenly Lane. She finished the sleigh rides and took the horses back for the night. She said she had to come back because she promised someone a dance.” Heaven winked, and I know I blushed, but I didn’t even care.
“I’ll wait for her outside. Thanks,” I said, just as Blaze grabbed my shirt sleeve.
“Thanks for everything tonight, Sheriff. You run a tight ship, but everyone is safe, and we can’t thank you enough.”
“Protect and serve,” I assured him.
“I have a message for Joe, too,” he said, and I groaned, much to Heaven’s amusement. “You better protect and serve that cowgirl too, or we’ll have words.”
“Understood.” I gave him a finger gun before I turned and headed for the door of the tent, only to stop dead in my tracks three steps later.
Tobi stood on the edge of the dance floor with her hands behind her back, and I walked to her entranced by her beauty. “My God, you take my breath away. You are my Christmas star.”
A shy smile lifted her lips as she brushed at the knee-length dress she wore. “This old thing?”
It was red, velvet, and hugged every inch of her in just the right way. It flared at the bottom and showed off her cowgirl boots she saved for special occasions. Her hair was pushed back in a headband, and I pulled it out, letting her golden tresses spill down over my fingers while I stole a kiss.
“Dance with me.”
“Joe,” she said, holding back on my hand, but I wasn’t having it.
“I’m sorry,” I said, turning and bowing slightly. “I should have said, may I have this dance?”
