Epilogue

Daphne sat calmly in the church office, waiting for Cy to collect her and her bridesmaids when it was time for the ceremony to begin. Her serenity stemmed from her certainty that Brock was the man she’d always been meant to marry. The Great Spirit had chosen him for her and now they were about to be forever joined.

Leigh sat down by Daphne and took her hand. “I’m so happy for you and Brock. You belong together.”

Squeezing Leigh’s hand, Daphne said, “I owe it to you. If you hadn’t pushed me to confront him, I wouldn’t be sitting here, getting ready to marry him. Thank you.”

“I might have started the ball rolling, but you took it from there. I’m glad you worked things out.”

“Me, too.”

Brock’s sister, Nora, said, “He’s a handful to live with. Consider yourself warned. He’s cranky in the morning and he likes to play pranks.”

“I think I can handle him,” Daphne responded. “I have ways of keeping him in line.”

Leigh chuckled. “I’ll just bet you do.”

Daphne blushed. “Shut up. It’s going to be so strange when you and Cy move out. I’m going to miss you.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll still see a lot of us. I’ll be working every day like normal, so we’ll still have lunch together. Besides, I’m sure you and Brock will enjoy having the house to yourself,” Leigh said with a teasing smile.

Nora giggled. “Who knows what you’ll get up to.”

Daphne turned a darker shade of pink. “Knock it off, you two.”

“You’re so lucky,” Nora said. “I hope I meet someone soon.”

Leigh said, “I’m sure you will. There are a bunch of eligible bachelors around, you know.”

Nora frowned a little. “I know, but none of them seem to be interested in me. Of course, I’m so shy that I can hardly talk around them.”

Daphne asked, “Is there anyone in particular you’re interested in?”

Nora shook her head.

Leigh gave her a kind smile. “Don’t get discouraged. It’ll happen.”

“She’s right. And sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands and make it happen. So, don’t give in to your shyness. You’re a beautiful young woman and someday soon, you’ll find the man of your dreams,” Daphne said.

Nora brightened. “Do you think so?”

“Absolutely,” Leigh said.

Cy arrived at that point, ending the conversation.

“You look beautiful, Daphne,” he said, taking in her winter white satin gown. “I know I’m not your father, but I don’t want to give you away.”

His statement brought tears to Daphne’s eyes. “Quit saying things like that! I don’t want to bawl and have red eyes.”

Cy laughed and lightly embraced her. “Sorry, sis, but I mean it.”

“I’ll always be your sister. That isn’t changing.”

Nora said, “And just think, you get to live with my brother now.”

Cy’s expression darkened. “You just had to remind me, didn’t you?”

Nora laughed. “I couldn’t resist.”

Cy heaved a sigh. “Well, are you ready to go get married?”

Daphne bounced a little. “Yes!”

Cy offered her his arm. “Let’s go then.”

“I can’t believe Pastor Clem let Ollie in here,” Aaron remarked as he stood up at the altar with Brock and Wheels.

Brock said, “I paid him a little extra. I love Ollie and I wanted him to be here.”

Wheels grinned. “Almost everyone loves Ollie. I hope he behaves for Nora. Although, she does have a way with him.”

Aaron nodded. “That she does.” Patting Wheels’ shoulder, he said, “You clean up pretty good, Wheels.”

Wheels ran a hand over his tuxedo jacket. “Thanks. I do what I can.”

Brock said, “Yeah. You cut your hair and everything. I’m honored that you would go to all that trouble for our wedding.”

Wheels glared at him. “Shut up. I just get so busy that I forget to get it cut.”

“Now, now, gentlemen,” Aaron said. “It looks like things are going to start.”

The organist sat down at his instrument and began the pretty piece of classical music that Daphne had picked out. Pastor Clem took his place at the altar.

At the entrance to the sanctuary, Nora bent down to pet Ollie, who looked handsome in his little tuxedo. She handed him the small satin pillow to which the wedding bands were affixed.

“Take to Daddy,” she said. “Go. Take to Daddy.”

Ollie nodded and grunted before he took off down the aisle. He spotted Vern and almost got distracted, but then Wheels whistled for him, and he bounded the rest of the way, hopping up on Wheels’ lap. The congregation chuckled at Ollie’s amusing performance.

Wheels took the rings from Ollie and handed them to Aaron. He praised the monkey before making him sit down and be quiet. The look of distaste on Pastor Clem’s face made Wheels grin, but he pretended that he was smiling at Ollie so that he didn’t offend the clergyman.

Nora walked to the altar, beautiful in her pale lavender gown. Leigh followed her, and Cy’s eyes never left his wife as she made her way up front. He loved her more every day and he knew how blessed he was to have found her. Then he turned to Daphne.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded. “Ready.”

Cy led her down the aisle, proud to be standing in for their father and wishing that their parents could be there. He put that out of his mind, concentrating on the joyful occasion instead.

Daphne couldn’t tear her gaze from Brock. He was freshly shaven, and his tux fit him to perfection. His shoulders looked even broader, and his impossibly blue eyes were filled with love.

Watching Daphne come down the aisle to him, Brock felt as though his heart was almost too full of love to fit inside his chest. Her high-necked, long-sleeved dress molded to her curves and her mahogany hair, which she’d let grow out somewhat, had been secured back with combs. Nora had woven baby’s breath through the dark tresses, and the effect gave Daphne an ethereal appearance.

Brock’s bride arrived at the altar and Pastor Clem asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?”

His bearing proud, Cy said, “I do.”

For a few seconds, he hesitated to let Brock take her hand, giving the deputy a hard glare that spoke volumes. Brock just smiled a little and took Daphne’s hand when Cy relinquished it to him. Daphne rolled her eyes at them, and Brock chuckled. Cy grinned and went to sit with Johnny.

Their vow exchange was filled with laughter thanks to Ollie, who chirruped after almost everything Pastor Clem said. Wheels finally tucked him under his tuxedo jacket, a trick that always quieted Ollie. However, Brock and Daphne didn’t mind. They were so joyful that the laughter felt appropriate to them.

Tears stung Brock’s eyes as he said, “With this ring, I thee wed.” Sliding Daphne’s ring on her finger gave him such pride that he couldn’t quite contain it and a couple of tears escaped his eyes.

Daphne had never seen him cry before and she grew misty-eyed as she put his ring on his finger. The tears kept coming as Pastor Clem finished the ceremony and gave Brock permission to kiss his bride.

Sweeping her into his arms, Brock distracted them from the tears by kissing her soundly, much to the pastor’s consternation.

“All right, son, that’s enough,” he said.

The newlyweds released each other and turned to the congregation, who clapped when Pastor Clem presented them to the guests.

Brock had hired a photographer, but he itched to take the pictures himself. However, that was impossible since he was the groom and had to be in the pictures. As he looked at Ollie sitting on Wheels’ lap, he thought that it wasn’t everyone who had a monkey in their wedding photographs.

Daphne must have been thinking the same thing because she coaxed Ollie over onto her lap and hugged him. Ollie put his arms around her neck and gave her a noisy smooch, which the photographer caught. Brock thought that outside of the pictures of him and his wife, the one with Ollie might just be his favorite wedding photograph.

Staring into Brock’s eyes while they danced together, Daphne finally believed that her dreams had come true. He was hers forever and she’d never let him go. He’d proven himself to her and she’d never doubt him or his feelings for her again. She was safe in his arms, and she knew that she always would be.

Brock waltzed with his wife, never looking away from her luminous, dark eyes. His mind flashed ahead to when she would become pregnant with their first child and then to when they had four or maybe five kids. He wasn’t sure how she felt about that many kids, but he’d take as many as came along. Hell, between Cy and Leigh, and him and Daphne, they could have enough kids to create Chance City’s next police force.

That thought made him laugh and Daphne gave him a quizzical look. He told her what he’d been thinking, and they laughed so hard that they were forced to stop dancing for a few moments. Brock started moving again and she gazed into the eyes of the man who held her. The man of her heart, who would forever hold it.

“Go on and ask her.”

Hunter shook his head a little. “It would be too embarrassing to be turned down at a wedding reception.”

Johnny turned Hunter to face him. He and the young deputy had become good friends since Hunter had arrived in town. “Now, listen to me. I don’t know much about private things between men and women, but I know that you can’t waste opportunities. I did, and it cost me.

“But you have a chance, so don’t lose something because you were too chicken. If she turns you down, so be it, but at least you tried. Now pull yourself together and go ask her to dance.”

Ray lounged back in his chair. “If you don’t ask her, I will.”

Hunter glared at Ray. “No, you won’t. Don’t you get enough attention from women working as a whore?”

Even though they were on opposite sides of the law, the two men liked each other.

Ray crossed his legs at the ankles and gave Hunter a lazy grin. “I’m always looking for more business.”

Hunter snorted with laughter. “It’s a wonder that thing doesn’t fall off.”

Ray and Johnny laughed.

“No danger of that,” Ray retorted.

The other two grinned.

“Look, Texas, get over there and ask her to dance,” Ray said. “You’re a good-looking guy and you’re respectful. Women like that.”

Johnny asked, “Then how come you have so much business?”

“Because after some men marry a woman, they figure that they don’t have to keep trying to please their wife. If all men treated their women right, I’d be out of business in a heartbeat. I’m just providing something they don’t get at home.” Ray kicked Hunter’s chair. “I swear if you don’t get over there, I’m gonna ask her to dance and once I get a hold of her, she’ll be ruined for anyone else.”

Hunter smirked at Ray. “You’re awful sure of yourself.”

“That I am,” Ray agreed. “There’s not a single woman, and a lot of married women, I couldn’t get to dance with me.”

Johnny grinned. “Is that so?”

Ray nodded. “Yep.”

“Care to make a wager on that?” Hunter asked.

Never one to back down from a bet, Ray sat up straight. “Yeah. How much?”

“I got ten dollars that says you can’t get the mayor to dance with you. She’s single,” Hunter said.

Ray pulled out his money clip and peeled off a ten-dollar bill, which he handed to Johnny to hold. He stood up and straightened his tuxedo jacket. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a mayor to seduce.”

Johnny and Hunter exchanged startled glances at his proclamation. Hunter hadn’t expected Ray to take him up on the bet because of who he’d chosen.

Ray walked brazenly up to the table at which Carly Branson sat with several other women.

“Pardon me for interrupting, Mayor Branson, but I was hoping that you might do me the honor of dancing with me.” He bowed to her.

Even though she’d never been formally introduced to Ray, Carly knew who he was through a couple of her friends who visited him. Her tone cool, she asked, “And just why would I do that?”

Undaunted, Ray replied, “Because I have a business matter to discuss with you.”

Her eyes widened as they met his silver gaze. “What kind of business could you possibly have to discuss with me?”