AFTER WHAT FELT like half an hour of trying to attract their attention, Sunny was finally successful in getting both of the twins to look her way at the same time with grins on their faces.
“Quick, take the picture!” She swatted Dean’s back, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, for emphasis.
Instead of being annoyed, however, he chuckled as he snapped several pictures of Lily and Liam sitting atop the hay bale, surrounded by pumpkins, various other types of gourds, cornstalks and more hay bales. They wore matching jeans, little tan work boots and sweatshirts sporting cartoon pumpkins and ghosts. Thankfully, festival day had turned out pleasant and sunny, and the various photo spots her committee had set up around town had proven popular with families with young children, groups of teens and couples of all ages.
“You two go over and hold them and I’ll take some family photos,” a lady she didn’t recognize said.
She must be one of the many out-of-towners who’d flocked to Jade Valley, helping to make the rejuvenated festival even more successful than she’d hoped. Trudy had informed her when they’d stopped by that she’d even had to hurry up and bake more pies because at the pace they were going they were going to sell out halfway through the afternoon.
“If you don’t mind, that would be wonderful,” Sunny said, handing over her phone to the smiling woman.
Sunny picked up Liam, and Lily went to her favorite person in the whole world. Each with a toddler on their lap, they scooted close to each other. Dean reached over and took her hand, threading his fingers with hers. Now that he’d finally admitted his long-held feelings, he had no problem expressing them often. She wondered if her heart would ever get used to his open affection and not beat a little faster when he held her hand, smiled at her, when he held her close and kissed her until her entire body tingled.
She’d honestly never thought a whole lot about being in love, but she’d come to the conclusion that Maya had been right. Without even realizing it, she’d kept herself from feeling too much for anyone for fear of losing them. She still sometimes struggled with worry about Dean’s health and safety, same as she did for the twins, her dad, Maya, Trudy and everyone else in town she was getting to know again. But she supposed that was true of anyone, and she did her best to not let those concerns get the better of her.
She was the happiest she’d ever been, and she firmly believed her mom, brother and sister-in-law were happy for her. Happy that she had taken the role of mother that Amanda could no longer fill, that Dean had stepped into the role of fatherhood as if he’d been born to be a dad.
She squeezed Dean’s hand in return, gave him a smile she hoped reflected how very much she loved him and then turned that smile toward the camera.
“You have a lovely family,” the woman said when she handed the phone back to Sunny.
“Thank you.”
After putting Lily and Liam back in their double stroller, Sunny walked hand in hand with Dean around the business district of Jade Valley. They chatted with neighbors; she checked in with the various merchants to see how business and the mystery game were going and stopped at the booth selling chocolate-covered pretzels.
“No, you’re too little for this,” she told Liam when he reached for a pretzel.
He did not like her answer but his attention was quickly diverted by the start of the pet parade.
“We should get them a puppy,” Dean said.
“They already have cats to play with.”
“Okay, maybe I want a pup and I’m using the kids as an excuse.”
“Well, you are awfully cute, so I guess you deserve a puppy.”
“Yes!”
Sunny laughed then planted a peck on his cheek, not caring who saw.
Ever since she’d decided that she really, truly wanted to make Jade Valley her permanent home, a surprising inner peace had blossomed within her. Though she was starting small, her business was off to a good start. She already had clients as far away as Cheyenne and West Yellowstone, Montana, and only two days before she’d begun discussions with a former coworker who had also left the company about her coming on board to cover the small towns in Southern California.
“What are you thinking about?” Dean asked as they headed to the main stage where the winners of various contests would be announced soon, including the mystery game.
Even Sunny didn’t know the identity of the “killer,” though she was intensely curious.
“About how happy I am,” she said in answer to Dean’s question.
“To have the festival almost behind you?”
She shook her head. “No, that ended up being fun to work on, even if it was a lot to do in a short amount of time.” She stopped and turned to face him. “I knew when I came back from LA and told you how I felt that I was doing the right thing, but I underestimated how incredibly happy I would be back here. My job feels right—my family feels right.” She ran her thumb across the back of his tanned hand. “Being with you feels so right that I often feel stupid for not realizing sooner that this is how it should be.”
“You’re not. Maybe it had to be the right time for everything to fall into place for us.”
“Maybe. I’m really glad that it did.”
“Me too.” He dropped a light kiss on her forehead.
“How many times are you two going to kiss right out here for God and everyone to see?” Trudy teased from her perch on the end of the bleachers set up facing the stage.
“I think we still have a few in us,” Dean said, suddenly taking Sunny in his arms, dipping her backward and giving her a quick peck on the lips.
Sunny wasn’t easily embarrassed, but blood ran to her cheeks. Dean winked at her before righting her on both her feet.
“Whew, I think I need a fan,” Trudy said, drawing a few chuckles from the people seated near her.
Sunny spotted her dad sitting with friends in lawn chairs across the park, a huge grin on his face. He was probably telling his friends for the eight hundredth time that her and Dean being together was all his doing, that he thought he might have a second career as a matchmaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” announced Brent Foley, the radio DJ they’d brought in to emcee the festivities, “it’s time to reveal the winners of both the pet parade and the Jade Valley Murder Mystery.”
An adorable golden retriever named Bella won the pet parade, much to her elementary-age owner’s squealing delight.
“We don’t even have to do a drawing among all the right answers in the mystery game because only one person guessed the identity of the culprit correctly. And that nefarious merchant is...Alma Graves.”
“Ha! I knew it!” Trudy said so loudly that the twins startled and several locals who were familiar with the ladies’ feud started laughing.
As the afternoon waned into evening, musicians filled the stage and couples gathered in front to dance the night away.
“So, Mrs. Wheeler, care to take a spin around the dance floor with this cowboy?”
“I think we can make that happen, Mr. Wheeler.”
They left the twins with all three of their doting grandparents and joined all the other locals and visitors enjoying the cool fall evening filled with lively tunes. Dean pulled her close, and that familiar little thrill went through her again. She hoped that never changed.
“I’m proud of you,” he said as they began to dance. “The festival is a rousing success, and I’ve seen a lot of happiness and hope on people’s faces today.”
“I’m glad it’s gone well. And speaking of pride, that goes for you too.”
After they’d gotten back from their belated honeymoon in Ireland, construction had started on the first cabin along the river with plans to add a second and a greenhouse the following spring. With her connections, both cabins were already booked solid until next Thanksgiving.
“We make a pretty good team.”
“That we do.”
Whether it was business, parenthood or being in love, she doubted they could be any better suited.
“I love you,” she said.
He smiled. “That came out of nowhere.”
“You make me want to say it all the time.”
“I’m not averse to that.” He pulled her closer. “Because I love you too, more every day even though that shouldn’t be possible.”
“Imagine how much we’ll love each other when we’re old, gray and wrinkled like a Shar-Pei.”
“You’ll be the most beautiful grandma the state of Wyoming has ever seen.”
“And I’ll have to beat the other grannies away from you with a big stick.”
Dean laughed and guided her head to rest against his chest. As they danced, she listened to his heartbeat and couldn’t stop smiling. Loving someone with your entire heart and having that love returned really was the best thing ever.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Falling for the Lawman by Claire McEwen.