Ford and Emma were married in a ceremony at the Clayton ranch two weeks before Sue Ellen’s trial was scheduled to begin. Because of the timing, they kept the ceremony small, just the Calamity Janes and their guys, along with Ryan, Teddy and family. Ford’s parents came from Georgia and fell in love with Emma and Caitlyn, and with Winding River.
Because Emma couldn’t choose only one bridesmaid from among all of her friends, she had Caitlyn stand up for her. Ryan served as Ford’s best man.
Three weeks later Emma stood in a courtroom with Sue Ellen beside her awaiting the jury’s reading of its verdict. Ford sat in the front row right behind her. Just before the foreman stood to speak, she glanced at him.
“I love you,” he mouthed silently.
That gave her the strength to face the solemn jurors.
“We the jury find the defendant, Sue Ellen Carter, not guilty,” the foreman read.
Sue Ellen stared at the man, her expression blank, then slowly turned to Emma.
“I’m free?” she whispered.
Emma hugged her. “You are free.”
Tears streamed down Sue Ellen’s face. “I can’t believe it.” Her gaze sought out Ryan in the back of the courtroom. He was already making his way toward her.
Suddenly Sue Ellen stiffened. Emma turned and saw Kate standing in the aisle. Ford was about to intercept her, but she said, “Please, I need to see Sue Ellen. I’m not here to cause a problem.”
Emma glanced at Sue Ellen, who nodded. “It’s okay.”
Ryan moved to stand protectively beside Sue Ellen as Kate came closer.
“I’m sorry,” Donny’s mother said, her expression anguished. “I loved my boy. I’ve listened in this courtroom the last few days and I’ve learned a lot. I’m ashamed to admit it, but part of the blame for what happened rests with me. I stayed with Donny’s daddy for a lot of the same reasons you stayed with my son. By doing that, I told Donny what his daddy was doing was all right, that it was what I deserved.”
Sue Ellen regarded her with pity and understanding. “It’s hard when you love someone to have the courage to leave, isn’t it?”
Kate nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Forgive me.”
“That’s easy,” Sue Ellen said. “The hard part will be forgiving ourselves.” She looked at Ryan, her heart in her eyes. “But I’m going to try. I really am.”
* * *
A few days after the trial ended, Emma helped Sue Ellen pack. She was determined to leave Winding River to live closer to her sister in Montana and start a new life where she could build happier memories.
In the weeks after that, Ryan spent a lot of time commuting north to try to convince Sue Ellen that they could have a future together.
“I think I’m getting through to her,” he told Ford and Emma when he stopped by their house after his latest visit.
“But will she ever want to come back here?” Emma asked, concerned that he might still get his heart broken.
Ryan grinned. “That’s just it. She won’t have to. I’ve been talking to the sheriff up there. He’s got an opening.”
Ford’s gaze narrowed. “For a deputy? Will you be happy with that?”
“I’d be happy being dogcatcher if it meant having Sue Ellen in my life, but the truth is, the sheriff’s going to retire in two years. He says with my experience, I’ll be the best candidate to take over.”
The thought of Ryan leaving Winding River filled Emma with sorrow, but she reminded herself of how selfish she was being. All he’d ever wanted was the chance to love Sue Ellen. If he was finally getting that, who was she to start listing objections? Even so, she couldn’t help crying just a little at the prospect of losing him from her life.
“I’m happy for you,” she said finally.
“No, you’re not,” Ryan said, grinning. “You don’t like letting go. You never did.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not going anywhere, isn’t it?” Ford said, squeezing her hand as she fought the salty sting of tears.
“Will you invite us to the wedding?” she asked Ryan.
“I expect the two of you to be our witnesses,” Ryan said. “Without you, who knows if we ever would have gotten this chance?”
He stood up then. “Well, it looks to me as if Emma has something on her mind, so I’ll get out of here and leave you two alone.”
She frowned at him. “You can’t read my mind.”
“Of course, I can. Always could,” he said, then leaned in close. “Congratulations, by the way.”
She shot a startled look at him, but he merely winked. “If it’s a boy, Ryan’s a nice name.”
“Get out of here before you spoil my surprise.”
After he’d gone, Ford studied her intently. “Okay, spill it. What surprise?”
“We’re going to have a baby,” she said, watching his face to gauge his reaction. It had only been a couple of weeks since they’d stopped using birth control. Apparently they’d slipped up before that, because the doctor estimated she was at least six weeks’ pregnant.
“A baby,” he echoed, looking stunned. “Already? Are you sure?”
“Very sure. I took a home pregnancy test, then because I couldn’t believe it had happened so fast, I had the doctor check it out, too.”
“How long have you known?”
“For sure, since I saw the doctor this afternoon.”
“How did Ryan know?”
“Lucky guess. He knew I wouldn’t cry over the thought of him leaving. It had to be my hormones acting up.”
“Oh, I suspect a few of those tears were for him, but it’s not like you’ll never see him again,” Ford said. “People from Winding River have a way of coming home again.”
Emma gave him a watery smile. “They do, don’t they?” she said happily, already anticipating Lauren’s permanent return the following week. Then all of the Calamity Janes would be close by.
“When will we know if this baby’s a boy or a girl?” Ford asked.
“Not for quite a while yet. Do you want to know ahead of time?” she asked him.
“I already know it’s going to be a boy,” he said with confidence. “I don’t need a sonogram to tell me that.”
“It’s another girl,” Emma declared, just as convinced. “Caitlyn has been pleading for a sister, and you give her everything she asks for.”
“Are we going to fight about this, too?” Ford asked, regarding her with amusement.
Emma grinned. “Right up until the day I deliver. Since I married you, I’ve discovered that there’s nothing quite as stimulating as a good, heated test of wills.”
“I’ll show you heated, darlin’.”
And he did.
* * * * *