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Epilogue

J ack checked himself in the mirror and turned to the side. "Too much?" he asked. Vivian couldn't chase away the grin on her face and nodded, taking a step closer.

"Definitely."

"Good," Jack said, satisfied. "That's what I was going for."

He wore a silver-and-black checkered silk shirt with a thin white tie. His pants were the tightest pair of black Wranglers she'd ever seen, and the silver belt buckle was larger than the last one he'd worn. It was polished to a high sheen, with black writing across the front of it.

"I don't want to get too close, but what exactly does your belt buckle say?"

"‘Caught ya looking.'" He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it perfect?"

"It's something all right." She smoothed back her hair. "How about me?" Her dress was deep blue and matched her eyes. The cut was simple, with a high neck, sleeveless, and with an empire waist that let the soft material fall to just above her ankles. On her feet were a pair of old friends, silver Jimmy Choos that had been a gift from Jack the first Christmas they'd spent together.

"You look more beautiful than ever," Jack said with a wink. "That love thing sure does suit."

She glanced at her watch. "We need to get our butts in gear, or we're going to be late."

"Honey, we already are."

"I know, but there's late, and then there's late ."

"Is that man of yours going to make it in time for dinner?"

"I hope so." His last few text messages hadn't sounded hopeful because his flight back had been delayed due to bad weather. He'd had to fly out to Kentucky to look at a mare for their breeding program. A time-sensitive thing that couldn't be put off any longer. It was something Benton had planned on dealing with, until he'd been hit with some legal stuff by little Nora's mother. With Bent's plate full, Dallas had volunteered.

"Let's go," she said, scratching behind Lily's ears before she headed downstairs. They were supposed to have been at Cal's new place twenty minutes ago, and it was at least a thirty-minute drive.

On the trip over, Jack kept her abreast of any and all gossip that she'd missed back home in Alaska.

Over a drunken weekend in Vegas, Carly, the single stewardess from the first floor of her building, had married the billionaire she worked for. What could have been a Cinderella moment was, however, quite the scandal. Said billionaire already had a wife, and to make matters worse she was the source of all those billions. With an ironclad prenup to boot.

Then there was Gerald, a friend of Jack and Richard's. Apparently, he'd made a ton of money posting pictures of his feet on some website for folks who liked to look at feet and had been outed by a woman who was jealous of his success. He'd been fired from his job as a result of it all and planned on suing.

"Can you believe people pay money to look at someone's feet?" Jack asked with a shudder as they pulled up in front of Cal's place. He didn't wait for an answer, but whistled and shot her a look. "Now, this is the kind of house I could get used to."

She gazed up at her brother's new place. It was a mix of modern, with lots of glass and sleek lines, coupled with brick, stone, and wood. Some fancy architect from Switzerland had designed the place, and he and Millie Sue had only recently moved in.

It was impressive, but she preferred the house she now called home. The house that Dallas had planned, designed, and built himself.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of him, and anxious, she checked her phone. There were no more messages. She shot him a quick text and then headed inside with Jack.

Millie Sue greeted her almost immediately, her little guy held fast in the crook of her arm. "Hey, everyone is in the great room, which is straight through to the back. I'm just looking for a quiet place to nurse Josh." She smiled warmly. "Nice to see you again, Jack. I'm so glad you're here for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Smells amazing," Jack said, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"I've had a lot of help."

"I don't remember Cal being particularly good in the kitchen," Vivian replied with a wink.

"He's not. But Rosie offered to help, and Martha's here too." She nodded toward a room to the left of the foyer. "Coats can be hung through there."

Jack and Vivian hung up their coats in a mudroom that was bigger than her first apartment. Then they made their way to the back of the house into a space that would make anyone's jaw drop open. It was floor-to-ceiling windows, beams of wood, creams, whites, and taupe. It boasted a bar area with gleaming quartz countertops, furniture that was functional and stylish, and a large fireplace. In the corner, a Christmas tree was decorated to the nines, with a few presents already underneath it.

"Wow, Cal, this is incredible," she said as her brother walked over and gave her a hug. There were a bunch of folks gathered near the bar, and he followed her gaze. "Ollie from the band is up for the holiday and, uh?—"

"Is that Kip Harris?" She interrupted her brother, eyes on the tall man chatting with Ivy Wilkens. Cal looked surprised. "What? I follow baseball."

"He might play baseball," Jack said with a grin and a wink, "but that right there looks like a hockey butt."

"Ya think?" Vivian asked with a laugh.

"Definitely. It's so round and muscular."

"What's he doing here?" Genuinely curious, she missed the pained expression on Cal's face. "Apparently, he and Ivy got drunk in Nashville, and uh, now they're engaged."

"No." She dragged the one-syllable word out into at least three, and it was then she caught sight of Mike Paul sitting across the room. His expression was dark, and his gaze was like a laser beam tacked onto the couple. She knew what it was like to love from afar. To live half a life because the only person who could complete you wasn't available.

"I think Mike Paul is in shock," Taz Pullman said as he sidled up to them.

"Shell-shocked is more like." Benton joined the conversation.

"Do they grow all the men in Montana in the image of Greek gods?" Jack elbowed her. "If so, I'm living in the wrong state."

Cal pointed to the bar. "Help yourself. Dinner won't be for an hour or so." He leaned close to Vivian. "Dad and Martha are in the kitchen helping Rosie with some finishing touches. I thought you should know."

"Thanks for the head's-up," she said, taking a step back. "We're going to grab a drink."

"Any news from Dallas?" Benton asked as they headed for the bar.

"No." She frowned. "I don't know if he's still in the air or on his way home. He's not answering his text messages."

"I feel bad he had to make the trip when I should have."

"Anything new from Daisy Mae?"

"I don't want to talk about Daisy Mae."

"Okay. Let's get a drink."

Vivian spent the next half an hour or so making her way around the room, reacquainting herself with some of Cal's friends she hadn't seen in years and chatting with her siblings. She made her way over to Mike Paul and offered him a beer.

"Thanks," he said.

"It's Thanksgiving. You should be social."

Mike Paul looked up at her and shrugged. "I'm hungover. Not feeling it."

"Hungover, huh?"

He scowled and glanced up at her. "What else would it be?"

Vivian considered her answer for a couple of seconds and decided honesty was the only way to go.

"She's not married yet. If you love her, fight for her."

"I've been trying for months, and she won't talk to me, and now she comes home with the shortstop for the goddamn Yankees? And they're engaged? What the hell?"

"Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to make your situation better. Trust me, I've been there. But if what you feel is real, then you have to at least try. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't."

"Easy for you to say. Your guy looks at you like you're the only person in the room."

"How do you know that?" she teased, moving back.

"He's standing right behind you."

"What?"

She whirled around and was instantly scooped up into arms that felt like heaven.

"Duchess," he murmured against her throat before kissing her. They clung to each other for so long that Nora squealed, which in turn had Taz and Scarlett's twins, Cameron and Ryan, squealing.

With a laugh, she pulled away. "Save some of that for later," she murmured.

"I'll do my best." Dallas grinned and grabbed her hand. He didn't give her a chance to say anything but led her out of the great room and back to the foyer and into the mudroom, where he closed the door behind them.

"Sweetie, if you want to make out, I'm sure we can find a better place than this." She was teasing, of course, though the expression on his face was so damn serious, she instantly stilled and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"When I was in Kentucky, I took a side trip to Richmond."

"Virginia?"

He nodded. "It's the real reason I took this trip and not your brother."

Confused, she frowned. "I don't follow. Does this have something to do with the mare?"

"There was no mare. Benton went to the auction while we were in Louisiana."

"Oh."

"I went to Richmond for this." Dallas reached into the pocket of his coat and withdrew a small black velvet box.

"Oh." Those butterflies were still there, but they were flying more slowly. She was able to breathe.

"I haven't done much right when it came to us, and I wanted to do this one thing the way it should be done." Dallas dropped to one knee and opened the box. Nestled inside was a ring. It was elegant and delicate. A round black diamond, encircled with smaller chips. It was perfect.

"My God, how did you know?" She'd followed Kirk Daniels, a designer, for years and had always admired his work with black diamonds.

"Jack."

Of course.

"Will you marry me, Duchess?"

She answered with a kiss. And then another. And would have answered with more, but Dallas stopped her. "Keep that up and we'll be getting naked in your brother's mudroom."

"When do you want to get married?" she asked, heart overflowing.

"Whenever you want."

"Next week?"

"Fine by me."

"Courthouse?"

"If that's what you want."

She gazed up at him and nodded. "It's perfect. Just us. Followed by a week in bed."

He grinned. "I can get on board with that." He pulled her close for one more kiss. "Let's tell the family."

"Okay, I'll join you in a minute." He dropped one more kiss and then, with a wink, was gone. She found a powder room and splashed water on her face. She'd never been so happy. Had never thought it was possible. And yet…there was something nagging at the back of her mind. One bit of unfinished business she needed to take care of.

Vivian walked through the dining room, past a table decorated for Thanksgiving, with leaves strewn about and a giant cornucopia in the middle. She continued into the kitchen, where she found Rosie, Martha, and Manley. The women were busy fussing with the vegetables and side dishes, while her father was at the other end of the large island, carving the biggest turkey she'd ever seen.

Vivian grabbed an extra platter and set it down in front of her father. He glanced up questioningly, and she shrugged. "It's a big turkey."

"It is."

She watched him carve in silence, and when she finally worked up the nerve, her voice was so low, she wasn't sure he heard her.

"I'm ready now."

Her father stilled. He exhaled and looked up at her. His eyes were misty, his pain real.

"To forgive you."

He swallowed, and his hands trembled. She cleared her throat and didn't trust herself to speak for a few moments. Vivian grabbed an empty bowl. "This for the stuffing?"

Manley nodded. "Yes."

They worked together in silence, and when they were done, her father set his knife down and looked at her.

"That's one hell of a ring on your finger."

"It is."

"About time, if you don't mind my saying."

Something light and soft replaced the sliver of darkness she'd been holding on to. It eased the ache inside her. "You're not wrong."

"We should talk about some things."

"We will. But not now. Today is about all the good we have. All the things we're thankful for."

Dallas walked into the kitchen just then. "You ready?"

Vivian smiled. "Yes." She looked at her father. "We've got some news to share."

Dallas grabbed her hand and kissed it. And together, with her father trailing a few feet behind, they walked toward a future they'd fought for and won.

It was Thanksgiving, after all, and as she raised a glass with her family, the black sheep come home, she could only hope that it would be, the first of many more to come.

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