Chapter 26

"Surprise!" Sherry, along with Kelli and Leah, stood on the front porch, a bouquet of balloons bobbing up and down, their arms laden with wrapped gifts.

Jo's jaw dropped. "What is this?"

"A party." Delta waltzed into the living room, carrying a layered cake. The residents, all grinning mischievously, filed in behind her.

"It's a surprise bridal shower," Sherry said.

Jo pressed a hand to her chest, noticing not only were her three former residents carrying gifts, bags and boxes, but Laverne, Courtney, Carli, Michelle and Raylene were too.

"We can't let you get married without having a shower."

Gary and Nash appeared. "Where do you want the stuff for the games?"

"Over here." Delta directed them to the coffee table.

The men set the boxes on top.

"I guess our job here is done." Gary dusted his hands.

Jo placed her hands on her hips. "Where are you two going?"

"To do some menfolk stuff, I guess. This looks like a party for the ladies." Nash kissed Jo. "Have fun."

Delta patted the wingback chair next to the fireplace. "The guest of honor gets the queen's seat."

Jo hugged Sherry and then Leah and Kelli. She hugged her residents, saving the last hug for Delta. "You did this," she said.

"Only partially. The gals took the idea and ran with it."

The doorbell rang again.

"Now who?" Jo ran to answer it and found Carrie, Claire and Marlee standing on the other side, bags and boxes in hand.

"Happy bridal shower," Carrie beamed.

"You." Jo playfully wagged her finger. "You almost slipped earlier."

"I did. Thank goodness Raylene stopped me from spilling the beans." Carrie held out the bag. "This is for you."

"Thank you." Jo gave her a quick hug. She hugged Marlee and Claire, thanking them for coming to her surprise shower.

With the guests assembled, Delta hosted rounds of games. They feasted on finger foods and then finished it all off with a fresh berry cream cake…a cake Delta had been working on when Jo tried getting into the kitchen earlier.

"It's time to open gifts." Michelle clapped her hands.

"You guys shouldn't have." Jo took the gift bag from her and checked the tag. "This is from Raylene." She removed the tissue paper and found a sunflower necklace inside, along with a leather journal, ready to capture all of Jo's thoughts. "I love it. Thank you."

She opened Michelle's gift next, a dancing copper bird, perfect for the front yard. "This is gorgeous," Jo gushed.

"Thanks. I made it," Michelle said proudly. "With a little help from Nash."

Kelli gave Jo an angel wind chime, lovingly hand crafted.

Sherry's gift was an oven mitt, embroidered with the initials "J N."

"This is too nice to use." Jo ran a light hand over the custom embroidery. "I'll hang it on the wall instead."

Laverne's gift was a pair of twined silver candlesticks with "J" and "N" etched on each.

With each special gift, Jo could feel herself becoming emotional again, knowing each had been lovingly created or chosen to be treasured and kept forever.

Finally, the last gift was opened, and Jo placed it on the table with the others. She stood back and snapped a picture, insisting her friends and residents stand behind the table for another picture.

"This has been the best surprise party ever. Thank you for making it special and for celebrating with me."

Delta began gathering up the used paper. "It was hard to keep a lid on this one."

"You did a great job. I had no idea."

Marlee and Claire were the first to leave. Carrie wasn't far behind, reassuring Jo that Charlie would be heading over to the farm soon to spend the night. "Are we still on for a stakeout tomorrow?"

Jo gave her a thumbs up. "We'll swing by at 11:30 to pick you up."

Sherry, Leah and Kelli gathered up their things, lingering a little longer to share their excitement about the upcoming wedding, which was right around the corner.

The residents stayed behind to help Delta and Jo clean up and admire the thoughtful, personalized gifts she'd received. Finally, it was just Delta and Jo. "Thank you for putting this together. I loved it."

"I have a confession," Delta said.

"What?"

"The shower wasn't my idea. It was Laverne's."

Jo blinked rapidly. "Laverne?"

"Yeah. She suggested it."

"I never would have guessed."

"I see improvements in her. Slow but steady." Delta finished loading the dishwasher, turned it on and reached for her purse. "I bet Gary's ready to head home."

Jo trailed behind her, following her out onto the front porch. "Thanks again for spending the night here last night."

"You're welcome. I can't imagine sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag or chasing after someone was very restful," Delta said.

"It wasn't."

"You're gonna try to track the fitness tracker's owner again tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I am concerned about Carrie. It seems whoever is behind this isn't going away." Jo told her what the sheriff had said. "He has some leads and assured us the person will eventually get caught."

"But by then, it might be too late. If someone is bold enough to set off explosives, who knows what else they're capable of?"

"Exactly."

"Gary's waving me down. He's ready to go." Delta gave her a big hug. "We'll see you in the morning."

After she left, Jo settled onto the porch swing. Duke, who had been sniffing around their fall flowers, clambered up the steps and leapt onto the swing. He hogged most of it, forcing Jo off to the side.

Nash emerged from his workshop and made his way over. "How was the party?"

"The bridal shower was wonderful. You should see the special gifts we got." Jo grabbed his hand and led him inside to the table, where they were all still on display. She told him who had given them what.

"This copper bird is cool. Where are you going to put it?"

"I was thinking in the front flowerbed. We can put it out tonight."

"Show me where." Nash picked the bird up and followed Jo out. She tried a few different spots before finding what she deemed the perfect one. She ran back inside, grabbed the angel wind chime and hung it on a nail near the front porch post.

She gave it a light tap. An enchanting melody filled the air. "How pretty."

Nash scooched Duke down and patted the seat. "Let's enjoy the gifts for a minute."

Jo snuggled in next to him, placing her head on his shoulder. "This is my favorite time of the day," she sighed. "When the busy-ness is over and we have quiet time together."

"It's my favorite time of the day too." Nash kissed the top of her head. "Delta knocked it out of the park. I had no idea the women were planning a surprise shower for you."

"It was Laverne's idea."

"Laverne?" Nash arched a brow. "I never would have guessed."

"I think I said the same thing. She's a mixed bag," Jo said. "The woman can be opinionated and borderline rude. In the next breath, she does something nice."

"Laverne is a work in progress," he joked.

"Yes. She is."

"Are we on for tomorrow?" Nash asked. "I'm guessing you still want to try another stakeout."

"I'm concerned if we don't figure out who is targeting Carrie soon, they'll ramp up their attacks. Although I can't imagine what's worse than being tracked or having your property vandalized and blown up."

"I hate to put into words what could be next," he said.

"Me too."

The evening light faded and the sun, an enormous ball of glowing orange, slowly sank behind the field across the road.

Chattering crickets filled the air, reminding Jo the farm was alive with creatures both big and small.

She closed her eyes, savoring their serenade, thanking God for her many blessings. Nash, the residents, her friends, the farm. It was a life she only dreamed of a few short years ago.

What would another five years bring? Jo envisioned the farm, and residents would continue to thrive, to transform and grow. Since buying the place, she'd learned a lot about herself. How to persevere when faced with daunting obstacles.

It hadn't always been an easy road. It had taken time for the Divine locals to accept the residents. Thanks to Sherry, Leah and now Kelli, they were discovering the women were hardworking citizens who only wanted to be accepted, to be a part of the Divine community.

Every day they and the others were proving they weren't the scourge of society and deserved a second chance. Not unlike Jo, who also realized life was full of second chances.

And Nash was one of the very best second chances of all.

He playfully nudged her. "Did you fall asleep on me?" he teased.

"No. I was sitting here counting my blessings," she said. "Thanking God for how good he's been to me, to us."

"Amen," Nash said. "I can't imagine my life anywhere else other than right here, by your side."

Jo leaned back, gazing into his eyes. "I love you, Nash Greyson."

"And I love you, Joanna Pepperdine." Nash gently kissed her.

She placed a light hand on his chest, a soft sigh of pure contentment escaping her lips. Blessed beyond measure. She and Nash were living their best life, right there in the tiny town of Divine.