“Really?” she asked him.
“Really,” he said. “I’d take you to church tonight if you said yes. But I understand what you’ve been through. And if I have to be patient, I will.”
“Loss taught me a lot of lessons,” she said carefully. “And the main thing is that I don’t want to waste a single moment. Tomorrow isn’t promised.”
“But I am, Ella,” he said, kneeling at her feet. “If you’ll have me, I promise to love you forever.”
Gazing into his brilliant blue eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. As far as she knew, there wasn’t a man alive who took his promises more seriously than Dalton Tyler.
“Yes,” she whispered, as tears burned in her eyes.
Dalton leaned forward, pressing his forehead to her chest as if he were trying to burrow his way into her heart.
She ran her hands through his dark hair and kissed the top of his head.
It was only when he leaned back again that she saw he had tears in his eyes too.
“I wish I had a ring for you right now,” he told her, bringing her hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to it. “We’ll go into town first thing.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Really,” he told her. “We’ll take Dove with us. She should have something special too, something to help her remember that this is forever for all of us.”
“You don’t think she’s asleep yet, do you?” Ella asked.
“She can’t be,” he said, leaping to his feet. “Do you want to tell them?”
“Yes,” Ella said, hopping up off the loveseat and heading for the hall.
“Wait,” Dalton said.
She stopped and turned to him and he strode over toher, joy in his blue eyes as he lifted his hand to cup her cheek.
“Thank you, Ella,” he said, his deep voice reverent.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she covered his hand with her own. She wanted to thank him for opening her heart again, for bringing back pieces of her brother, for helping her fulfill the last promise she had made to Lee, for awakening her daughter’s laughter, for working the farm, loving her parents, and making each day feel like it was meant to be enjoyed andlived, not just survived.
But she couldn’t make her voice work through her tears, so she went up on her toes and kissed him gently instead, hoping that he knew what was in her heart.
22
ELLA
Valentine’s Day
Ella stood on the patio at Wright Farm, watching her wedding guests enjoy the beautiful reception.
When Dalton told her he wanted to get married right away and she agreed, both of them had been very serious. But they decided to take just enough time to make the day special. And what could be more special than celebrating their love on Valentine’s Day?
The church wedding had been small and simple. But Ella’s father surprised her by booking nearby Wright Farm for the reception afterward. Hailey Sinclair, a Trinity Falls native and former soap opera actress, had bought the place after she retired from acting and got right to work fixing it up to host events.
The house and grounds were warm and welcoming. And the big heat lamps out on the patio allowed Ella and Dalton to host outside, in spite of the cold weather. Beautiful lights twinkled, there were gorgeous flowers everywhere, and best of all, the space was filled with friends and family.
Dalton was currently chatting with a group from the veterans’ foundation on the far side of the patio. The men were all laughing and gesturing with their hands, and Ella was pretty sure they were talking about Captain Anderson’s New Year’s wedding and all the unexpected drama before and afterward.
She smiled and shook her head. One thing was for certain, if Dalton had been lonely before he came to Trinity Falls, he certainly wasn’t now. Between her family, the other vets, and Dove dragging him to read at school and volunteer for every activity under the sun, the man didn’t have a moment to himself these days. But it sure seemed like he liked it that way.
He caught her eye across the patio and she felt a tug on her heart, like a string stretched taut between their chests.
