“You’re the one who made this happen,” Judith said as she stepped beside Mary.
“Wemade it happen,” Mary said, her voice loud and firm, “we and the people of Lilac City. But it would not have been this grand affair if not for your dedication and perseverance. On behalf of the Ladies’ Improvement Society, we thank you.”
The mayor’s wife stepped forward and handed a lap desk to Mary who, in turn, held it out to Judith. She stared at the beautiful carving of the local mountain range.
“Mr. Hamblin mentioned your lap desk was looking the worse for wear after putting in so much work on behalf of our Christmas Fair, so we commissioned a new one for you.” Mary smiled. “We hope you’ll use it as you continue to bring culture and, need I say,funto Lilac City.”
Once again, the crowd broke out with enthusiastic applause, this time including a few cheers from the cowhands.
“There’s one more thing,” Luke said, stepping to Judith.
Her heart raced at the determined expression on his face. He took the box and handed it back to Mary. Did he mean to have that interrupted discussionnow? Wasn’t that just like him?
Luke took her hand and brought it to his chest before turning to face the crowd.
“Many of you may have heard I’ve been courting Miss Judith. Today I told her I love her and wish to marry her.”
Judith closed her eyes, her cheeks flushing. He was really doing it.
“Believe it or not, she thinksshe’snot good enough forme.” Luke almost shouted the words, his tone rich with disbelief. “What about you all?”
“Say yes, Miss Judith,” Nick Reynolds shouted. “Say yes.”
When others joined in, she opened her eyes. The men had taken up a chant ofsay yes, and the ladies were adding their voices. Many in the crowd were clapping their hands and stomping their feet.
Judith met her brother’s gaze. He watched her expectantly. She raised her free hand, and the crowd quieted.
She swallowed and said, “This was not the atmosphere I’d intended following the Christmas story.”
Some people laughed and others groaned.
“Are you going to put the man out of his misery?” Marshall called.
Judith looked at Luke and his delicious dark eyes.
“I love you, and I can’t live without you,” he said, his expression open and vulnerable. “Will youpleasemarry me?”
“I love you too.” She took a deep breath and said, “If you’re willing to live with my failings, I’ll gladly marry you.”
The people started cheering, and hats went flying into the air.
Luke pulled her into his arms. “I’m not exactly perfect either, sweetheart.” His lips met hers, and he kissed her. Right there before God and everyone.
Epilogue
Frances
Frances slowly sat up in her bed on Christmas morning and rubbed her eyes. When awake, she usually managed not to think of her father, but this morning she couldn’t help it. Not with the memory of the dream so vivid.
In it, the four of them had been gathered around the dinner table as they had that evening last March. Just as he had then, her father looked at her.Trulylooked at her for the first time in years. There’d been such love and pride in his expression that her breath had hitched. He’d handed her a letter of acceptance to the music school with a date in the fall.
Her classes would have begun three months ago.The too-familiar sense of loss nearly overwhelmed Frances, and her throat tightened, a knot of pain making her rub her chest. She refused to think about either the music or her father.
As she moved her legs to the edge of the bed, another bit of the dream came to her. Father hadn’t looked well for a couple of weeks before his collapse but had eaten fairly well that night.
A sense she sometimesgot when things didn’t quite add up hit her as forcefully as the images in the dream had. Something was wrong, and her mind was trying to tell her what. She must pay attention.
Frances stilled and closed her eyes, allowing memories of her father to flow through her. They began as little snippets of things she’d overheard. He’d barely been able to be in her presence the last two years, so she’d taken to eavesdropping whenever she could just to hear his voice. She’d found if she quoted Shakespeare he would stay at the dinner table longer, but toward the end that hadn’t worked. Even now, anger made the muscles in her neck tighten.
