“But we’d only spoken on the phone, she’s never met me. How did she know?”
“I’m not sure, but she has her ways. Now, let’s introduce the two of you, then head for the airport.” He took her hand in his and led her to the door. “We have something waiting for us back at my house.”
“And what would that be?”
Caleb’s sexy grin sent waves of heat coursing through every cell in her body. “A hot tub.”
“I like the way you think.” Raising up on tiptoe, she kissed his lean cheek. “I love you with all my heart, Caleb Walker.”
His tender smile lit the darkest corners of her soul. “I love you, too, Alyssa Jane Merrick. Now, let’s go home and I’ll get started on that lifetime promise of showing you just how much.”
Epilogue
“How much longer?” Caleb asked, walking over to gaze out the farmhouse window.
“I swear to God if you don’t stop pacing, Hunter and I are going to tie you down,” Nick said, laughing.
Hunter checked his watch. “You have approximately fifteen minutes of freedom left, bro.” Grinning, he slapped Caleb on the shoulder. “There’s still time to make a run for it.”
Caleb shook his head. “No way. Alyssa’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“You’re one lucky son of a gun,” Nick said, smiling. “She’s a great girl.”
“Nick and I both wish you the best,” Hunter added as they headed for the door. “When is she taking over the reins at the financial firm?”
“Right after we get back from our honeymoon in the Bahamas.” Caleb led the way toward the meadow down by the creek. “Our plan is for her to keep things going until I get my business degree, then we’ll run it together.”
“And Emerald is okay with that?” Nick asked, looking doubtful.
“She’s the one who suggested it,” Caleb said, taking his place beside the preacher from the local Methodist church.
As he gazed over the small crowd seated in white folding chairs under the shade of the oak tree he’d climbed as a boy, he noticed that several of the Skerritt and Crowe employees had made the trip from New Mexico to Tennessee for the wedding. His smile widened when his gaze drifted to his mother and grandmothers. On opposite sides of the aisle, they were chatting congenially. All things considered, he’d have never believed it was possible, but his mother, his grandma Walker and Emerald had become fairly good friends.
His heart swelled with love for the women in his life. When he’d brought Alyssa home to meet his mother and grandmother, they’d immediately accepted her as the daughter and granddaughter they’d never had. Then, to his surprise, his mother had called Emerald and the four of them had had a grand old time planning the wedding together.
But when the string quartet that Emerald had insisted on hiring started playing “Here Comes the Bride” and the crowd rose to their feet, Caleb turned his attention to the woman being escorted down the aisle by Malcolm Fuller. Alyssa was dressed in a long, white, satin-and-lace wedding gown, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful. Her gaze never wavered from his and, when Malcolm put her hand in Caleb’s, her radiant smile lit the darkest corners of his soul.
“I love you, sweetheart. Are you ready to become Mrs. Walker?”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” she whispered.
“They make a very striking couple,” Emerald murmured, watching Caleb raise Alyssa’s veil.
“Quite,” Luther Freemont agreed.
As she watched her handsome grandson kiss his lovely bride, Emerald smiled. She’d been right to pair Caleb with Alyssa. From the first time she’d spoken on the phone with the young woman, Emerald had been impressed with her intelligence and business acumen. Then, after a discreet check into Alyssa’s background, she’d instinctively known each was exactly what the other needed. Caleb was a natural-born leader and Alyssa a sensitive intellect. They were a perfect match and together they would be a major force to contend with in the financial world, not to mention producing beautiful, intelligent heirs.
Extremely pleased with the results of her first endeavor, she turned her attention to her other two grandsons. Hunter and Nick were going to be a challenge. Both of them had pasts that would have to be overcome before they could find their happiness.
But she wasn’t worried. She and Luther had done their research and had put their plans into action. In the months to come, she fully expected everything to turn out to her satisfaction with Hunter and Nick as well.
When Caleb and Alyssa walked down the aisle as husband and wife, Emerald turned to Luther with a smug smile. “One down and two to go.”