Page 70 of Trails of Temptation

I reached into the box and pulled out a huge wad of cash, some coins, and a booklet of very old photos.

That was all that was in the first box. The second box was… full of jewelry.

“Jesus,” I whispered, opening a few of the velvet jewelry boxes that belonged to my mother. Each one had a note inside written by my father.

For my love, on our 5thanniversary. On our sixth, on our seventh, so on and so forth. I thought about my mother’s engagement ring I had safely tucked away in the safe at my house, the ring I’d been thinking about non-stop for weeks now.

But then I picked up a letter that was tucked between two of the jewelry boxes. The postage was brand new, the date stamped in fresh ink. It was dated back to roughly a month ago, around the same time I was at the hospital with Mom.

It was addressed to me.

My heart skipped a beat as I opened it, my hands trembling slightly.

George,

You’re probably wondering why I took the time to write you this letter instead of just saying this to you. You’re asleep right now, actually, wasting away in the horridly uncomfortable hospital chair watching me wither away instead of being home with the woman you love. I’m so happy for you, you know. I do wish I could’ve had just a bit more time to formally meet your Keely, possible even see the two of you get married and give me some grandbabies, but our Lord and Savior has other plans, I’m afraid. I’ll be watching, though, so you better treat her right.

This jewelry is for her if she wants it. It’s dated, of course, and I myself rarely ever wore it but it does make a nice gift when you’re in a pinch. Maybe one day you’ll have a daughter who wants nothing more than to play dress-up in her grammie’s jewelry. My, what a sight that would be. I am so proud of you, honey. You made my life worth living after your father passed away. My greatest wish was that you’d find someone that made you feel that way and aren’t I lucky I lived long enough to at least learn that you have, and you do?

Well, enough of this sappy nonsense. It’s about time for the long sleep, I’m afraid. Don’t be sad for me, George. I lived a great life, and now I very much look forward to seeing your father again.

I love you, my sweet boy.

Mom

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I slowly folded the letter and put it in my chest pocket, my hand resting over it for a moment. Leave it to my mom to send a letter from the grave. She always had to have the last word. I smiled, laughing to myself as I reached into the box and took out a gold necklace that had caught my eye. A single freshwater pearl dangled from the gold chain. It was beautiful, and warm to the touch.

I clutched it in my fist as I took the booklet of old pictures from the other box and closed both lids.

“I’ll be back for the rest, eventually,” I told the receptionist as I left the lawyer’s office and went to find my girl.

* * *

I fastened the necklace to her neck and let her curls fall back over her shoulders. Keely beamed up at me, her fingers gently stroking the pearl as she turned her attention to the mirror.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion,” I replied, reaching over her shoulder for my toothbrush as we readied for bed in my tight bathroom off my bedroom back at the Hallston Ranch. “I saw it and thought you should have it. It suits you. It reminded me of you, I guess.”

Keely blushed deeply and turned to face me, her fingers deftly unbuttoning my shirt. I’d told her all about the lawyer’s office, the paperwork, and what was inside the lock boxes. We’d gone through the pictures at Grant and Moira’s dining room table, all of us marveling over pictures of my parents in their youth, as well as pictures from my dad’s side of the family that dated all the way back to the late eighteen-hundreds.

We’d gotten back to my house later than expected and I was exhausted, and very much looking forward to falling into bed with Keely and sleeping, eventually. We probably wouldn’t sleep just yet, not when Keely was trailing her soft, supple lips over my collarbone.

“Keely—”

My phone started ringing in my back pocket, interrupting the moment. I pulled it out and frowned, my brow furrowing.

“It’s Grant,” I said, concerned. I answered, and his voice rang out through the tight space. “We’ll be right there.”

“What did he say? Did he just say—”

“Moira’s water broke.” I smiled, a choked laugh leaving my lips as I shook my head. “It’s go-time. Let’s go keep Day company while Grant and Moira head to the hospital to meet their daughter.”

Epilogue

Eight Months Later

Keely

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