EPILOGUE:
One year later
Sierra glanced at the crystal clock sitting on her armoire, her fingers nervously tapping the vanity table as the seconds ticked away. In exactly one hour she would be walking down the aisle with her daddy by her side, walking towards a man who she’d be spending the rest of her life with. Till death us do part, Sierra repeated to herself. She couldn’t help but think of her grandmother at this moment and remember another wedding day that had dawned with such promise, yet ended with such sorrow.
It was time, she thought. Time to open the letter that Yancy had placed in her hands a week ago today. All she knew for certain was that it was a letter from her grandmother. A letter from the grave. It had taken her one week to build up the courage to open the letter, for it was her deepest fear that Lilliana Rose would reveal another bombshell, one that would threaten her and Caleb’s peaceful existence. Caleb had told her that she wasn’t in any way obligated to open the letter and that if she wanted she could simply rip it up and toss it in the trash. But she knew she couldn’t take the coward’s way out. The one lesson she’d learned in the past year was that the truth, however damaging it might be, was always better than ignorance or lies.
With trembling fingers she ripped open the envelope, the scent of lilacs assailing her senses and bringing with them images of her grandmother, heartwarming memories that she would find strength in over the years. Lilliana Rose served as an inspiration to her, and despite the lies, Sierra had long since forgiven her grandmother. She considered herself blessed to have known such a remarkable woman. Tears misted in her eyes as she looked upon the bold, distinctive handwriting of her grandmother.
My dearest Sierra,
Hopefully Yancy will have put this letter in your hands approximately one year after my death. If I know you like I think I do you’re now happily married, or at least engaged to your beloved Caleb. I hope you don’t blame an old woman from meddling in your affairs. By now you’ve probably figured out that I set you and Caleb up and deliberately placed you in each other’s path. Of course I knew that you and Caleb would be sniffing around each other again, especially since I asked you to do me that one last favor so I could rest in peace. You never could resist a sob story, Sierra. You truly have the soul of an angel, my darling girl.
I knew that I did wrong, Sierra, and I knew that I had to right the wrong. I hope to God that my wrong was set to right and that you are heading toward the best years of your life. And I hope that my legacy is doing well, the ole Diamond Lil Ranch. You were truly the only soul who ever loved it as much as I did, which made it so very easy for me to pass on my legacy to you...and Caleb...and your future young uns.
The Diamond Lil will serve as a lasting legacy built on love, devotion and hard work. Something that you can pass on to your children. And grandchildren. You see, Sierra, it was destiny that brought Jock and me together in the first place, and I believe that it was also destiny that brought our grandbabies together decades later.
Please give my darling Jock a kiss for me and let him know that I’m waiting for him. You see, Sierra, destiny cannot be denied.
All My Love,
Grammy
That old fox, she chuckled. Her grandmother had played matchmaker from the grave, deliberately sending Sierra on a mission of mercy that would throw her directly into Caleb’s path. It was her grandmother’s penance for doing wrong so many years ago. Somehow she’d found a way to make things right.
Her grandmother had been right about so many things, Sierra reflected, and yet so wrong about other things. It was amazing, she thought, so amazing what love could do. She and Caleb were so lucky to have found each other again. Both of them could hardly wait until God blessed them with children. He had already gifted them with countless blessings.
And despite what her grandmother had done in the past, she’d managed to redeem herself quite nicely. Regardless of her deception, Sierra realized she deeply loved her grandmother and that in return, Lilliana Rose had loved her with all her heart and soul.
A loud knock on the door startled Sierra out of her reverie, causing the letter she held in her hand to go fluttering to the floor. For a moment she froze as she heard Caleb’s voice through the door, murmuring, “Sierra, I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
A knot of fear formed in her belly as she imagined all types of scenarios. All those years ago, Jock had knocked on her grandmother’s door and announced that he didn’t love her and couldn’t marry her. What if Caleb was here to tell her the same thing? History couldn’t be repeating itself, could it? No, it would be too cruel.
Faith, a calm voice whispered in her ear. With faith and love all things are possible. She was simply having last minute jitters. She knew Caleb loved her beyond all reason. And she loved him more than she’d ever thought possible. He would never walk away from her willingly. Not in a million years.
She shook off all the feelings of doubt and cast off the momentary feeling of impending doom. Today was her wedding day and nothing in this world was going to stop her from becoming Mrs. Caleb Matthews. Like Lilliana Rose had written - destiny cannot be denied. And it was her destiny to make a life with Caleb.
Slowly she pried open the door and peeked her head out in the hallway, her eyes nearly popping out of her head as she caught sight of Caleb. He was standing a few feet away from the door, his arms patiently folded across his chest, a huge grin lighting up his warm features. Sierra sucked in an admiring breath, her eyes devouring every inch of him as he stood before her in his wedding finery. He was gorgeous, she thought. Tall, dark and handsome. The last time she’d seen him in a tuxedo was at their senior prom, and although he’d looked scrumptious then, he now left her breathless.
“Marry me?” Caleb asked as he scrambled to the bended knee position, his eyes filled with devotion as he gazed upwards at his beloved. “I never got to ask you for you hand in marriage. You beat me to the punch that day at my ranch. I need you to know how much I truly want you to be my wife. Will you?”
“Anytime. Anyplace. Anywhere,” she answered laughingly, pulling him up to a standing position so that they were on equal footing. Although it was a sweet gesture, she didn’t need to see Caleb on bended knee to know he loved her. They’d been put through the fire too many times to count, and through it all, they’d survived the challenges. No, she thought wisely, she didn’t need Caleb on his knees. He’d given himself to her, heart and soul. That was more than enough for her.
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you heard that old superstition about brides and grooms seeing each other before the wedding?” she asked with a mock frown on her face, her finger pointed at him disapprovingly. “Are you trying to jinx this thing?”
He lowered his head and planted a kiss on Sierra’s lips, a sweet, joyous kiss that she knew conveyed all the tenderness and adoration inside of him. He'd told he that sometimes he felt he might burst with happiness or that he’d wake up to find that he’d been dreaming one long, miraculous dream. But, as each day passed Caleb became more comfortable with their newfound happiness and he'd accepted that they deserved such blessings. He’d finally realized that their new life wasn’t going to disappear in a puff of smoke.
“I laid all my fears to rest the moment I knew you loved me,” he whispered against her cheek, his lips nuzzling her ear and neck before he pulled away from her. “I came to give you this,” he said in a formal tone as he pulled an envelope from the inside of his tuxedo. “It’s been something I’ve been meaning to do, but I wanted to wait until the timing was perfect. And in my humble opinion, there’s no better time than the present.”
“What is it?” she asked as Caleb placed a small, manila envelope in the palm of her hand.
Caleb nodded his head at the envelope, silently urging Sierra to open it up so that she could see the contents for herself. He was standing there smiling at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back, knowing instinctively that there was something wonderful inside the envelope. Filled with impatience, she slit the envelope open with her freshly manicured nail, her fingers trembling with expectation as she removed the piece of paper from the envelope.
“Caleb, it’s the deed to the Diamond Lil,” she whispered, her voice suddenly made hoarse with emotion as she stared in wonder at the faded piece of paper. It was more than a wedding gift, she thought dazedly, it was the purest act of love she’d ever seen. It was love and hope and faith all wrapped up into one. And she loved him for it, more than she ever thought was humanly possible.
“I give it to you this day, Sierra, to do with what you may, along with my heart and my eternal love,” he said as he gently cupped her face in his palm, his eyes filled with worship and tenderness.
Sierra’s eyes grew misty upon hearing Caleb’s words and she blinked away the tears that were welling up in her eyes. “Whatever I have, Caleb, I willingly give to you. My heart, my love, the Diamond Lil...it all belongs to you.” She rushed toward him and wrapped herself in his arms, clutching his tuxedo jacket so tightly that he feared she might rip it in her exuberance.
“That’s sweet, darlin. But no thanks,” he said as he gently untangled her from his tuxedo. “That would take all the fun out of having competing ranches.”
“What? We can’t have competing ranches! People will think we’re crazy!” Sierra sputtered, her hands automatically moving to her hips in a challenging gesture. “Are you nuts?”
“Why on earth can’t we?” Caleb said with a wide, easy grin. “It’ll sure make life interesting.”
“C’mere.” Sierra crooked her finger at Caleb and motioned him closer. When he stood in front of her she reached out and tugged him downwards so that their faces were almost touching. For a moment she stared into his eyes and for that instant they needed no words. Right here, right now they were exchanging silent vows and promises of love and commitment that would last a lifetime.
“Forever,” she whispered as she brushed her lips against his, her kiss a subtle promise of their future.
“Forever,” he vowed as he kissed her back with equal measure.
A loud pounding on the door startled both of them, and they jumped apart, their faces betraying deep anxiety as they heard the the booming voice from the other side of the door.
“What are you doing in there, Sierra?” Minnie barked from the hallway. “Is that you I hear in there, Caleb?” she asked as she banged on the door.
“Can’t I even get a break of my wedding day?” Caleb asked with a groan. “Whatever you do, Sierra, don’t open that door.”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of little old Minnie,” Sierra teased, amazed at the sight of the rugged cowboy she loved quaking in his boots.
“Little old Minnie she’s not. She’s liable to knock me upside the head for seeing you before the wedding. Is there another way out of here besides that door?” Caleb asked as he frantically looked over the room for a way out.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Unless you’re going to shimmy down the trellis I think you should just take your medicine and face Minnie.” Sierra tried in vain to hide her smirk behind her hand. “Her bark is worse than her bite,” she reasoned.
“Yeah, and judging by the way she’s barking out there she’s raring up to bite someone.” Caleb headed towards the window and carefully inspected the trellis outside, silently calculating the distance between the window and the ground. “It’s not gonna be me!”
“Get back here!” Sierra whispered, not wanting Minnie to hear her calling out to Caleb. Although she’d joked with him about being afraid of Minnie, Sierra had to admit to herself that the thought of Minnie’s wrath made her a little nervous. Minnie was still banging on the door like a madwoman and ordering Sierra to open the door. If she didn’t open the door in a few seconds Minnie might just decide to take matters into her own hands.
“It isn’t worth breaking your leg!” Sierra pleaded.
Caleb took a deep breath and hoisted one leg over the window sill, turning towards Sierra and blowing her a kiss before he disappeared from sight. “I’ll take my chances on the trellis, thank you very much. It’s a lot safer.”
Sierra ran to the window and watched as her husband-to-be scrambled down the white trellis, which had looked a lot sturdier before it had to endure the weight of a grown man. Sierra watched from the window, as the trellis swayed and creaked underneath him. She exhaled as Caleb safely landed on the grass
A half hour later Sierra began to walk down the aisle, proudly escorted by her daddy who couldn’t seem to stop grinning at his breathtaking baby girl. Jacey and Marissa were resplendent in lavender dresses that skimmed the top of their knees and hugged every curve of their bodies.
Sierra clung tightly to her father’s arm as they walked through the front door of the Homestead and down a path of rose petals, heading straight towards the flower garden that her grandmother had lovingly created and nurtured over her lifetime. The same flower garden that had been the site of the doomed wedding of her grandmother and Jock. But this day, Sierra thought dreamily, the flower garden would be filled with an incredible amount of love.
The garden was filled to capacity with all their loved ones. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she saw her mom, Jason, Aunt Simone, Hollis, Yancy, Caleb’s family, and countless other friends.
Once again, a gazebo had been lovingly built and placed in the area, decorated with lace, pink and white roses and ivy. As she walked down the aisle Sierra shot Jock a look of gratitude and silently mouthed her thanks. Everything had come full circle, and in the deepest part of her soul Sierra knew that her grandmother was smiling down on them, no doubt urging them to get on with the ceremony and make it official.
Then she caught sight of Caleb standing at the altar, with Cruz and Drew at his side, his face filled with a look of wonder and such tender, tender love. Sierra couldn’t stop smiling as she walked toward him. Caleb winked at her and thumped his chest three times, their secret code for “I love you.” Her heart was bursting with joy. All the shadows had disappeared and now there was only sunlight.
She was walking toward her destiny.
THE END