Keeping Faith (Book 3 in the Red Valley Series)

Epilogue

Cade leaned against the door frame to their bedroom watching his wife. Even after almost eight years, well the first two didn't count, he still had a hard time believing that this beautiful woman was his wife. Together they had made five beautiful children. Cayson was seven now. Ida was five and was just like her mother, a hand full. She also insisted on wearing her big brothers old pants. Celia was three and the complete opposite from her older sister. The newest additions were his three month old identical twins Owen and Witt. He still had a hard time telling them apart, not Faith though, she could tell them apart in the dark.

How had he gotten so lucky? It didn't matter really, all that did was him telling each of them every day how much he loved them. So even after he was dead and gone, hopefully in the very distant future, they would never doubt how much they meant to him. "Are you about ready to go?" He asked quietly so he wouldn't startle her or the twins.

Faith looked up at the sound of her husband's voice, then smiled. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him standing in the doorway. It always did and she hoped it always would. "Yes, I just finished feeing and changing the babies. Are the girls and Cayden ready?"

"They're already in the wagon impatiently waiting." He chuckled as he walked across the room to pick up...... Owen. The sleeping baby sighed then snuggled against his papa's chest. With his free hand, Cade gently cupped Faith's cheek. He lowered his mouth to hers softly kissing her full lips. "I love you Faith." He breathed.

"I love you too Cade." Faith sighed, longing for more. They didn't have near as much alone time as they wanted but that was to be expected when you have children.

"Do you want me to take Witt too?" Cade nodded toward the other baby.

Faith smiled. "You already have him but no, I'll take Owen."

The azure sky was crystal clear. The children played in the yard, the men were somewhere in the barn and the women sat in rockers and swings on Grace Weston's front porch. A warm breeze blew softly rustling the new green leaves on the trees. "It's such a beautiful day! I'm so glad we could all get together, I just really don't like the circumstances." Hope said with a touch of sadness in her voice. She looked over to her friend in time to see her dab her eyes.

"I know, and I promised that I wouldn't cry but it's so hard."

Ann reached over, patting Grace's hand. "I know, but we have to let go. My Janey is married with babies of her own and Jamie is twenty. Thank goodness I still have Daniel. He's only nine, so I still have a few years with him. It will get easier, I promise."

"I don't want it to get easier, I want my son to stay in Red Valley."

"When is he leaving?" Hope asked as she patted Witt gently on his back.

"In the morning."

"That's what John told me too." Faith answered then grimaced and began unwinding her hair from Owen's chubby little fingers. For some reason, he loved to pull her hair.

"I just don't understand why he has to be a US Marshall. Andy offered him a job as a deputy." Grace said but in her heart she knew that Blake needed to go and see the world. She just wished he wasn't choosing such a dangerous way to do it. All she could do was pray that God would keep her son safe.

"Did – did he say how long it would be before he comes back to visit you and Cole?" All the women turned to look at Ellie as she sat quietly beside Hope. She had never told a soul but she knew they all knew how she felt about Blake. It was killing her to sit here. All she wanted to do was spend as much time with Blake before he left. "I think I'm going to go for a walk." Ellie got up and made her way around the back of the house. If she couldn't be with him then she just wanted to be alone.

The Weston's along with the Helms, Matthews', and Jacobs' families spent the rest of the day together. They laughed and told stories about Blake and some of the antics he'd pulled as a small child. The next morning he hugged his mother, father and siblings then mounted his horse and rode out with John excited about his future as a US Marshall. He knew he would miss his family and friends. But most of all he was going to miss Ellie, she was after all his best friend.

Yes, you guessed it. The next book in the Red Valley series will be about Blake and Ellie. I've been thinking about them since the beginning of Unexpected Hope. There also may be a little about John too, after all he needs to find someone to finally get his mind off of Faith.

COMING SOON: LOVING ELLIE

Thank you SO much for reading Keeping Faith!!