She stood there waiting. Her heart thudded rapidly as she battled hope and fear and a twisting kind of nausea in her stomach.
When he reached the ground, he tore off his protective gear and swept her into his arms.
His mouth was hot and hard and claimed her in a kiss that made her toes curl. She hugged him back, holding on as if she would never let go.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling back enough to speak. “I was an idiot. Worse, I was the jerk who hurt you. I’m sorry, Nevada. I shouldn’t have left, except I had to. It was the only way for me to figure it out. But I’m back now and I’m never leaving. I talked to my dad on the way out and I’m moving the business here. I want to be here with you, in this town.”
He stepped back and took her hand in his. “I love you, Nevada. I have for a while. You were right — what I had with Cat wasn’t love. It wasn’t anything good. But I couldn’t see that and I never wanted to go there again. Because of that, I nearly lost you. I hope you’ll give me another chance. We belong together. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Say yes.”
She was floating. Honestly, she could feel her feet leaving the ground. This couldn’t be happening, only it was. He loved her. Tucker Janack loved her.
Warmth and promise and happiness filled her. She stared into his dark eyes and knew that they would always have each other. That their future was going to be more wonderful than she could imagine.
She smiled. “You haven’t asked me anything,” she said, her voice teasing. “What am I supposed to answer?”
“What? Oh. Right.” He dropped to one knee. “Nevada Hendrix, will you marry me?”
Right there, in the night, with the stars as witness, in front of a giant vagina. Only in Fool’s Gold, she thought happily, pulling him to his feet.
“I love you,” she whispered, before kissing him. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
He picked her up and swung her around, then set her down slowly and kissed her.
This was perfect, she thought, kissing him back. They held each other close, before he turned back to the statue.
“I need to get this finished.”
“I’ll help,” she said. “It’ll go faster that way and then we can go home.”
EPILOGUE
5:45 p.m. New Year’s Eve
Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort
A LIGHT SNOW had been falling all day. Just after sunset, it had taken a turn for the serious. White carpeted the parking lot and roads. The valets checked the guest list one more time to confirm that everyone had arrived. As all the guests would be spending the night at the hotel, getting the roads plowed could wait.
In the smaller of the two ballrooms, chairs had been set in neat rows, dividing the space into sides for the bride and groom. Make that brides and grooms. A few folks from South Salmon, Alaska, who knew Finn Andersson mingled with former patients of Dr. Simon Bradley. Elliot Janack, Tucker’s father, introduced himself to Sasha and Stephen, Finn’s twin brothers.
Max Thurman settled on the brides’ side, Dakota’s adopted daughter, Hannah, in his arms. While Max wore a dark suit, the baby was dressed in a pale pink dress with lace shoes and a crown of tiny pink roses in her hair.
The Hendrix brothers, except Ford, who’d been unable to get leave, were in attendance. Ethan sat next to his wife, Liz, their three children next to her. Kent and his son would sit beside them after escorting Denise to her seat.
The townspeople settled on both sides of the aisle, to make sure the numbers were even. With the Hendrix triplets finally settling down, there was no point in upsetting anyone. Better for the men to feel they were a part of Fool’s Gold.
The Gionni sisters, still feuding, sat across from each other. Eddie Carberry and Gladys Smith settled next to each other. Mayor Marsha walked in with her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Charity and Josh Golden, their beautiful daughter in Josh’s arms.
Pia and Raoul Moreno each had a twin daughter. Morgan, the man who owned the bookstore, sat next to them and reached for one of the girls. He was still waiting for his daughter to give him a grandchild. The McCormick family took up an entire row. Janis and her husband, Mike, still looked at each other like they were on their honeymoon, despite having been married more than thirty years. Daughter Katie and her husband, Jackson, were expecting their first child in the spring.
Jo and Will slipped in a side door.
“Is my hair okay?” Jo asked anxiously.
Will kissed her. “You look amazing.”
She smiled at him and leaned close. “Thanks, but do I look like I just had sex? I think people would find that tacky.”
“No. They’d be jealous.”
As she sat next to him, the diamond ring on her left hand winked in the light. Neither of them were interested in a big wedding like this. Sometime in the next few weeks, they would take off for Las Vegas and make it all legal.
Charlie, Annabelle and Heidi walked in together.
“Nice,” Charlie said. “A little fussy for me, but nice.”
“It’s beautiful,” Annabelle said with a sigh. “It almost makes me wish I was more romantic.”
Beside them, Heidi nodded. “I’ve sworn off men, but I could almost go for this.”
They walked up the aisle and found seats behind Mayor Marsha, Charity and Josh.
Denise Hendrix sighed with contentment, watching the guests settle. Despite the speed with which everything had been arranged, the whole wedding had turned out perfectly.
The fragrance of roses and lilies mingled with the scent from tall, tapered candles. Romantic music drifted from the small orchestra in the corner. She was willing to admit that might have been an extravagance, but it wasn’t every day a mother saw three of her daughters marry.
She stepped into a side hallway and went to check on the larger ballroom, where the dinner would be held.
Controlled chaos reigned. The cake decorator was setting out the last of the cupcakes. Rather than have three cakes, the girls had decided on different cupcakes for each of them. The colors of the frosting ranged from pale pink to deep red. The flavors — chocolate, spice, coconut and vanilla — reflected in the decorations on each cupcake.
A bar was set up in each of the corners. With no one having to drive, champagne and cocktails would flow. She watched ice being delivered and glasses unloaded.
Appetizers would circulate for the first hour, then dinner would be served, followed by dessert and chocolate-covered strawberries. There was a dance floor by the orchestra and a net filled with balloons that would be released at midnight.
Denise pressed her hand against her stomach, telling herself not to be nervous. Everything would go perfectly. She smiled to herself, then returned to the smaller ballroom. Once the girls were ready to begin, she would be seated next to Max — the one place in the world she most wanted to be.
“I’M WEARING A TIARA,” Nevada said, studying herself in the mirror. “I can’t believe it. I work in construction. How did this happen?”
Dakota leaned forward and adjusted the headpiece. “It belonged to Tucker’s grandmother and he wanted you to wear it. Were you going to say no?”
“Obviously not.”
“I think you look beautiful,” Montana told her.
“We all look beautiful,” Nevada said, knowing it was true. Somehow they’d managed to pull off a triple wedding that reflected all their styles.
Nevada’s dress was simple. Strapless, with a plain, fitted bodice and a slim skirt. Her romantic indulgence was the bow in back that flared out into an elegant train.