Tom’s eyebrows popped up. “You’re kidding! After all those bloody noses at my house, I could’ve used hydrogen peroxide? How’d you know that?”

    “I’m a surgeon, Tom,” she said with a laugh. “We’re very closely acquainted with blood.”

    “Gee, I should’ve asked you how to get out blood a long time ago! Well, if there’s even a shadow left, tell me and I can switch out that carpet really fast.”

    Cal asked Tom if he could stay for dinner, but he was off to feed his kids and check homework. Maggie and Cal got busy in the kitchen. Since they hadn’t been prepared for a big crowd they’d pillaged through Sully’s refrigerator, their freezer and the last of the garden.

    They sat around the picnic table for a pizza dinner with bruschetta and salad. What was left of the baguette was sliced and slathered with garlic butter. It was a celebration.

    When the meal was almost done, Connie clinked his glass. “I have a request, since everyone is gathered. I don’t know when I’ll have Sierra’s big brothers in the same room together again so I’m sorry if this seems a little unusual.” He looked at Sierra, an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry, honey. Nothing required of you—this is between me and the big brothers.” Then looking back at those men he said, “I’d like your blessing to ask Sierra to marry me. I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve wanted to. Now, if you give your blessing, I’ll ask her when she’s had a little more time to recover and a little more time with me. You know—not too long, not too fast. So?”

    Dakota shrugged. “Okay by me,” he said.

    “I heartily approve, if that’s what Sierra wants,” Cal said.

    “Nobody asked me, but I like the idea,” Sully said.

    “I’m in,” Maggie said. “I’ve known Connie since he was a kid and he’s okay. I mean, he’s really okay.”

    “That’s nice,” Connie said, smiling. Then he looked at Sierra.

    “Well?” she said. “When are you gonna ask me?”

    “I don’t want to rush you.”

    “You don’t want me to get tired of waiting, do you?”

    “Never thought of that! Will you marry me, Sierra? Because I love you a lot. More than you can imagine.”

    She grinned hugely. “I absolutely will. I love you a lot, too. More than I thought possible.”

    “Oh God! Really?” he said.

    “Oh yes,” she said. “You’re one of the greatest men I know. I want to be with you forever. Then some more.”

    “Oh man,” he said. Then he grabbed her and planted a big, deep, sloppy kiss on her to the cheers of everyone in the room. When he broke that lip-lock he still had a hand on her cheek, holding her face close to his. “I love you so much,” he whispered.

    “Me, too,” she whispered back.

    “Well,” he said, straightening up and looking at the dinner table. “We hate to eat and run, but—”

    The room dissolved in laughter as Connie pulled Sierra along. She broke away just long enough to hug Dakota and tell him she loved him and would miss him and would email every day. Then she hugged everyone else and was literally whisked out of the house by Connie.

    Her future husband. The man who believed in her and was truly her knight.

           If a book is well written, I always find it too short.

    —Jane Austen

    Epilogue

    WHEN THE FALL foliage was in full glory in mid-October, Maggie and Cal drove to Denver together. She was in the very early stages of labor but a long drive in advanced labor would be too uncomfortable. So, she called her dad and explained they’d be waiting it out in her Denver house. Cal called his sister with the same message. They called Maggie’s mom and stepdad, Phoebe and Walter. Everyone asked for an update call when they went to the hospital. And they happily obliged. “Elizabeth Margaret Jones will be arriving sometime today. First babies are in no hurry so be patient.”

    Patience, it turned out, was not a common trait among Cal or Maggie’s family. Without conferring with each other, they fell like dominoes. Sully called Enid and Frank and Jackson Canaday—there were only some leaf peepers and two hunters in the campground and the store was not at all busy. It could be closed at six. And Sully headed for Denver to meet his first grandchild.

    Sierra and Connie tried to distract themselves by putting on a good movie, but it wasn’t working. Connie had two days off anyway so they took Molly to Rafe’s house to play with Rafe’s kids for the day and off they went to sit baby watch in Denver.

    Phoebe and Walter didn’t even try to wait.

    And of course when word got out that Dr. Sullivan and her husband were in the labor and delivery suite, her best friends and biggest fans gathered.

    “You’re at eight centimeters,” Jaycee said. “Nice work. And they’re all here.”

    “All who?” Maggie said with a groan.

    “Everyone. Sully, your sister-in-law and Connie, your mom and Walter, half the ER staff and some neurosurgery folks. Waiting. Partying out in the lounge.”

    “Oh God,” she moaned.

    “You want anyone in the room?”

    “Only California Jones!” she said. “Cal, go talk to them, tell them you’ll let them know when the baby is here. Oh God,” she groaned again. “And hurry back!”

    Thus it was that an hour and a half later a very sleepy Maggie with swaddled Elizabeth in her arms welcomed what seemed like a throng of well-wishers and relatives. They all congratulated the mom and dad, gave Maggie a kiss and were slowly leaving.