Epilogue

EPILOGUE

They were being discharged in an hour. Dylan was going to take her cranky cowboy back to the inn, where Dixie was going to help her keep him for a little while.

Her dad and mom were there. Her father wanted to take her back to the house he rented from her uncle—and Dylan suspected he intended to keep her there, probably forever. Poophead fathers could be a bit overprotective and everything.

Well, that was not going to happen. Tyler Hot Guys—two, Arthur Talley—still sitting at zero.

Dylan was just fine with that. And if Darcey ever figured things out, it would be Tyler Hot Guys—three. She suspected that would happen eventually. Probably her father did, too. He was rather especially anti- Martin Tyler right now.

Ben and Gil and Dusty were in Fletcher’s room, too. They were Dylan and Fletcher’s official ride. But her mom was fussing, mostly over Fletcher, and her dad was grumbling. Also over Fletcher.

Fletcher was sitting up, dressed, and ready to go. He was definitely feeling better—his hands had started exploring under her jammies early that morning after Dylan had snuck into his bed. Technically, she had been discharged the night before, but no one had kicked her out of Fletcher’s room or anything. Not like she would be going anywhere without him, either.

A room at the inn was waiting for them now.

It took a bit more organization and fanfare than Dylan had anticipated—her Tyler and his brothers really liked to yank her dad’s chain whenever they could—but then they were at the inn, settled on the couch in the lobby, with people stopping by to “check” on them every few minutes. Dylan didn’t mind the questions now—people cared. And that really mattered.

“You are being quiet. I don’t like it when you are quiet. You good?” Fletcher asked, almost whispering in her ear. His hand spread over her stomach gently. She was really bruised there—she hadn’t even been fully healed from the operation, after all—but she was feeling better. Of course she was, they were going to be okay.

“I am really tired, Fletchie. Really tired. I can’t wait to take a nap—with you holding me.”

“As soon as you are ready. And when the doctors say I can, I’m going to show you exactly what you mean to me.” His blue eyes were filled with that look again—the one that made her shiver.

“I am going to hold you to that.”

“We can head down the hall.” The family had put her and Fletcher in a room together just outside the family entrance, on the first floor. Dylan had been in there before, but now she was making no pretense of hiding what she felt for this man. He was in there with her, and no one had questioned that at all.

Dylan had found home. With him.

“In a bit. Quade is stopping by. I want to check on him.” They had learned that the man Quade had fought that night was one of the men who was responsible for what had happened to Brandt Barratt’s family in Finley Creek. Quade’s aunt Heather had been there, had been hurt pretty badly. She had almost died. To know Quade had encountered one of those men in Wyoming had struck him hard.

Quade had fought an armed man with his bare hands—a man who had hurt Quade’s own family.

That had rocked Quade, Dylan suspected, and she wanted to make sure her bestie was going to be okay. He was very sensitive under that Wonkus McBubbles exterior.

Dixie was there then. She was covering the front desk for Darcey, who was off arguing with Martin Tyler somewhere. Dylan really hoped her oldest sister just got naked with that gorgeous Tyler man already. There was a lot of fire those two needed to work out.

But it was Dixie she was going to focus on next, she thought. Her big sister was having a problem of some sort—with one seriously gorgeous pediatrician named Seriously Sexy Dr. Shane Lowell. Dylan had questions…

“How are you both feeling?” Dixie asked.

“Tired,” Dylan said. “We’re going to sneak away and… take a nap… soon.”

“Sure you are. Napping. Right. Someone just called. They’re looking for you specifically. Can you stick around for another half hour, or is your nap too pressing?”

Nope. Her big sister wasn’t a fool. Dylan shot Dixie a wicked grin. “I think we can wait another half hour. But Fletchie is really, really sleepy right now.”

“Sure he is.”

“Fletchie is exhausted,” the man in question said. “He really wants…that nap.”

“So who is it? Coming to visit us?” Dylan asked, arranging the quilt over her lap more fully. There were male hands tucked under that quilt, and everything. She didn’t want to scandalize her poor, innocent big sister or anything.

“A relative. They’ll be here in about five minutes.” Dixie shot her a knowing look. “Behave yourself. He is not up to napping anytime soon.”

“I know, I know.”

Her dad and mom were eating lunch in the dining room, Ben had lured Dusty off somewhere—probably across the road to nap —and now it was just her and Fletcher in the lobby of the inn, right next to the fire. Together.

She snuggled closer. This felt right. Like she was finally at home at the inn. But well… she’d figured it out. Dylan was home with him—it didn’t matter where they were, as long as they were together.

A man came in the big, hand-carved doors far older than Dylan. He came right to Fletcher and Dylan.

“Fletcher,” the man said, pulling off his hat. Fletcher’s uncle Phil stood there—he looked a great deal like Bruce, but shorter, a bit older. With a far kinder look in his eyes. Dylan liked Phil Tyler very much. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. But I’ll be fine. Where’s Glenna today?” Fletcher asked.

“She’s in the restroom down by the dining room. We were looking for you both. Well, for Dylan mostly,” Phil said. He leaned over and hugged her. “I’m sorry for what Bruce did, honey. If I ever get the chance, I’ll kick him in the rear for you. I promise.”

She believed him. This was the kind of man Fletcher would grow up to be someday. Phil was one of the kindest-hearted men she had ever met. He was one of her favorite Tylers in Masterson, too.

“So why were you looking for me?” Dylan asked.

“Glenna. There is something she wants to talk to you about.” He looked over Dylan’s shoulder. His eyes sparked—with love. “Here they come now.”

Dylan turned—gently; she was still hurting, after all. Phil’s wife Glenna, a counselor at the center where Dylan’s mom went, stood there. She had a blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. Probably one of Phil’s daughters’ babies. Tylers had lots of babies. She’d heard around town Tylers were really good at making more of themselves.

She was counting on it.

Which… Fletcherlings. They had already decided on four. They’d pick out names later.

“Hi.” Dylan really liked Glenna. She just had no idea why Glenna wanted to talk to her specifically. “Who is this?”

Glenna pulled the blanket back. A tiny baby of around two months or so was sound asleep in her arms. “Dylan, I’d like you to meet Kennedy Taylor Carnes. Her first daddy called her Katie.”

Dylan just stared. The baby was blond and sweet and perfect. And familiar. “That’s… Katie. Baby Katie. How? Why do you have her?”

Glenna smiled. “Because I’m her aunt, Dylan. Her father was my first husband’s youngest brother, Jackson Carnes. They always called him Sonny. Phil and I are going to be keeping Katie with us so she can know her family here, grow up with her cousins. We were in Finley Creek last week, dealing with my former mother-in-law and her attorney. Katie is going to grow up in Masterson County. As a Tyler. Sage gave us a copy of Sonny’s letter, and we wanted you to know—Katie is going to be just fine and you can visit her whenever you want. Be her honorary godmother, the way her father wanted.”

She lowered the baby into Dylan’s good arm. Fletcher reached up to steady the baby’s bottom with his uninjured hand. Dylan just looked at that precious baby, tears sliding down her cheeks. Katie was beautiful. She was safe. And she was going to grow up a Tyler—Katie was going to be okay.

Fletcher kissed her gently half an hour later, when his aunt and uncle left to go pick up their four younger kids at Fletcher’s cousin Pan’s. “You okay?”

“I am awesome right now. Did you know that they were getting her?”

“No. They kept it quiet.” Phil and Glenna had told them they’d been asked a week after what had happened to Katie’s father if they wanted guardianship of the baby through a kinship placement. Eventually, after the time requirements had been met, they were going to officially adopt her. But Katie would always know where she came from, and that her first parents had really loved her.

It had just taken a bit longer than expected for them to actually get Katie, due to Glenna’s ex-mother-in-law demanding money to let them have her. A Texas judge had gotten involved, in an emergency placement hearing. Phil and Glenna had kept everything quiet until they knew for sure what was going to happen. But all that was settled now.

Katie was going to be fine. She’d found a home in Masterson County. As Fletcher pulled her closer on his lap, Dylan knew she finally had, too.

For a short “haunted” story featuring Quade and a favorite character from Finley Creek visit https:// callejbrookesreads. com/ 2024/ 10/ 27/ the- chronicles- of- vera- finley- creek- ghost- stories/