Epilogue

Four weeks later

The movers had come and gone, their household belongings shifted from one locale to another. A ‘For Sale’ sign stood in front of their old house as they unpacked in their new home, making the large brick ranch house their own. Carpenters had flocked to the property, updating and repairing the large old barn still standing, renovating the shelter to be more than adequate to care for the needs of several animals in all kinds of weather.

Once the last boxes had been finally emptied and broken down for recycling, his mother had called Summer, inviting her to come over and see the new place. She’d visited often, and had helped them unpack, but she’d been busy all week and had had no time to see the finished residence.

Night had spent part of the time away on a mission, a short one thankfully. By the time he’d returned, his mother had the house fairly in order. Her house. He knew she’d claim the place all along, which left him with a splendid idea. If only Summer would agree.

Summer stepped up on the front porch. Night opened the door before she could even knock, having been expecting her.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled at him.

“Come on in, dear.” His mother gestured for Summer to enter.

Night stood in the entryway, eager and excited to show Summer the first of many surprises for the day. He took in her faded jeans complete with unraveling knees, pink T-shirt, and her bright blonde hair pulled up in the ever-present ponytail. Beautiful.

“How are you feeling, Mrs Kensington? The knee doing okay?” Summer asked as she walked through the entryway, pausing beside Night to look at the older woman.

His mother wiggled her cane. “Better every day. Doctor thinks I can lose this contraption in a few more weeks.” She now only saw Summer twice a week for her therapy as she’d progressed in the healing process. Although, she’d taken the past couple of weeks off due to the move.

“That’s great. I’m so proud of you for all your hard work.”

A soft squeak interrupted as a tubby orange tabby wound his way around their legs.

“Oh, dear. This is Oliver.” She gestured to the couch. “The black one napping away is Millie.”

“How adorable.” Summer reached down to pet the cat’s head. “Where’d you get them?”

“I adopted them from the shelter a few days ago.” Night’s mother beamed with pride. “Their owner passed away, leaving these siblings grieving and alone. I had to bring them home with me. Always wanted a cat, but never thought the time would come.”

“They’ve been good for her.” Night interjected with a grin. In all honesty, he could see the many changes those cats had brought about in his mother. She talked to them all the time while they listened intently. Nearly every time she sat down, one or both landed in her lap, curling up while she caressed their soft fur. They slept with her and she fussed over them, making sure they got plenty of food. He’d driven her to a pet specialty store so she could purchase a whole box full of cat toys. She would spend hours tossing fake mice or waving a wand for them to catch, providing her with pure joyous entertainment, if her smiles and laughter were any indication. “She nags them instead of me.”

Summer chuckled. His mother rolled her eyes.

“I’ll give you the tour.” He reached for her hand, locking her fingers in his.

Together, they moved slowly room by room while he played tour guide, pointing out small nuances and hinting at future plans for adjustments.

“You have no idea how thrilled I was when you purchased this house and land.” Summer beamed up at him, leaning her smaller frame against him. “One of the best ideas ever.”

He accepted her weight easily, relishing in the physical closeness. “How could I not? It’s a nice house, well cared for, with eighty acres of shady pasture.” Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. “Besides, the package came with this great little neighbor.”

She tittered, looking up with a wide smile plastered on her face. “Ah ha. You thought to share a fence line with me and get your binoculars out to spy on me in my bedroom at night.”

Night smiled wickedly. “Why would I do that? I can just march right over and get an up close and much more personal view.”

“That you can do. Already did so last night.”

He recalled the resulting burst of passion that had lasted half the night and knew tonight would prove just as exciting and memorable. He placed a kiss of promise on her lips. “Let’s go outside. I want to show you the barn.”

“Lead the way.”

They moved through the back door to the closest fence, slipping through the gate and into the pasture. Ahead sat the old large A-frame barn, fully remodeled.

“I hear bells.”

Night grinned. “You mean, you hear Belle.”

“Huh?” Bewilderment and confusion carried in her voice.

“Come on. I’ll show you.” He took her hand, leading her into the refurbished barn, all the way to the back. Only then did he stop in front of the overly large end stall.

Summer peeked over the stall door and gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh, my. She’s beautiful. They both are.”

He watched her reaction, joy zinging through his heart. “Yes, you are.”

She spared him a glance. “No, silly. I meant the horses.” Her attention returned to the baby standing next to her mother’s side. A tall palomino paint mare arched her neck, nuzzling the mirror image foal, jostling the bells to ringing. “Why do you have a collar with jingle bells on her?”

He sidled up to Summer, leaning against the solid wood, taking in the scene of the mare and her three-month-old foal. “The mare is blind. Her foster home said she was always frantic over losing her baby. So, they came up with the idea of placing a collar with bells on the filly. It didn’t take long for Ribbon to realize her baby jingled. She relaxed, because she could always hear Belle.”

“That’s such a wonderful story. I see why you call her Belle.” Her voice cracked with emotion.

Night smiled at her maternal reaction. “Ribbon was neglected and starving. She and a few remaining live horses were seized by animal control and sent to the rescue. It took months to get her back into good shape. Early on, they realized she was pregnant, but no one figured she would carry to term. Somehow she did.”

Tears overflowed, running down Summer’s cheeks. She brushed them away with her sleeve.

He tugged her close, placing a kiss on her crown. “There’s one more.”

She swiveled, looking around the barn, her gaze finally lighting on a shadow standing in a stall adjacent to where they stood. Without hesitation, she walked over.

He followed, speaking low and soft. “This is Ransom.”

The short but stocky-framed horse ambled to the front of his stall as if drawn by the sound of his name. A finely chiseled head emerged over the barrier, the bright white star on his forehead contrasting starkly against the black background. He snuffled them with his delicate muzzle.

Summer reached out, running her fingers over his cheek. “What’s his story?”

He smiled as he recalled uttering the exact words when Summer introduced him to her rescued horses a few weeks ago. Unbeknownst to her, that day she planted a seed that had come to fruition a couple of days ago when he’d picked out these horses, the first of many he hoped to adopt in his lifetime. “He was rescued from the same pasture as Ribbon. They bonded during their experience and the rescue refused to separate them. After she delivered, he stuck by her, seeming to help her watch over the foal. He’s her eyes.”

“So, he nearly starved as well?”

“Yeah. He was actually in worse shape, nearly died, but they pulled him through. They found something else, too.”

She pulled her attention from Ransom to look Night in the eye. “What is it?”

“He carries a tattoo inside his lip. They traced him through that. He’s a retired racehorse. Didn’t win a single dollar for his owners, so they sold him to what they thought was a decent home.” Anger gripped Night recalling the horrendous shape these poor horses had been discovered in. No animal should have to suffer like they did, living in filth with no food or clean water, left to slowly starve to death in the bitter winter.

Yet, somehow, these horses managed to not only survive, but to hold no resentment toward man, being gentle and affectionate, seeking nothing more than a rub to an itchy spot and a bucket of grain.

“You rescued a thoroughbred.” Amazement laced her voice.

“It appears so.”

“Oh, Night. I can’t believe you did this.” She wiped more trails of tears from her face.

“You inspired me.” Pulling her into his arms, he held her tight, soaking up the essence that was Summer. “After meeting you, I decided I could do so much more. Strive for old dreams, do more good in the world. Because of you, I’m a better person.”

She sniffed before resting her head against his chest. “I love you, Colton Regent Night Shadow Kensington. You’re my dream come to reality.”

“And I love you, too.” He stood with the woman of his dreams wrapped safely in his arms.

He savored the moment standing in an old barn surrounded by miracle horses, the love of his life holding him as if she would never let him go.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back, taking her hand in his. Lowering to one knee, he watched her face intently.

Summer tilted her head in question before seeming to understand. Her hand covered her mouth as she waited.

“Summer? Will you marry me?”

More tears trickled down her cheeks. “Yes! Yes!”

He caught her as she threw herself into his arms, holding him just as tightly as he held her.

The time felt right. He hadn’t planned this particular surprise, but this simply clicked as the perfect time to ask. Being a spur of the moment decision, he had no ring to offer her, but didn’t think she’d mind. They could go shopping for a ring later. Right now he needed to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

“I guess that leaves one more question. Where will we live?”

“Anywhere you want. As long as I’m with you, I don’t care.”

He latched onto her, covered her mouth with his own, and soaked up her joy. Finally, he’d found the woman of his dreams. Pulling back, he stared down into her pretty eyes. “Care to take on a boarder, then? I think my mother might be getting a live-in by the name of Walter soon.”

She laughed. “Free rent in exchange for kisses?”

He grinned. “Works for me.”

“Works for me, too.” Her eyes sparkled in happiness, before she leaned into him, treating him to a long, exciting lip-lock, ringing with love.

The last missing piece of the puzzle for his life clicked into place. This was one special summer’s night he would never forget and the first step in many more to come.

A whole lifetime yet.