Malachi winked at Shannon, enjoying the woman's flustered pleasure. "This is our wedding anniversary, you know, Martha."

"Yes," Shannon said, stripping away her gloves. "So we've come back, eager for our honeymoon suite."

"Your honeymoon suite—of course!"

Beau gurgled. Martha laughed with delight. "Oh, he is precious!"

"Well, you see, Shannon's brother Matthew and Iris were married last week—"

"No!" Martha gasped.

"Oh, yes. We were all just wonderfully pleased. But they're setting up housekeeping now."

"And we've done what we can to pull the McCahy ranch together," Malachi said.

"So," Shannon continued, "Cole has gone to Texas with Kristin and Gabe and Jamie and Samson and Delilah."

"We're going to join them down that way, too," Malachi said.

"Malachi has been offered a job as sheriff in a little town west of Houston," Shannon said.

"Cole is ranching, and Jamie is—believe it or not—scouting for the cavalry."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Martha said. She looked from one of the squirming babies to the other. "Oh! They're just both so beautiful."

Malachi pinched Martha's cheek. "We're so glad that you like them, Martha."

"Like them? Why, captain, I love them!"

Shannon smiled sweetly and kissed Martha's cheek. "Good." She laughed mischieviously. "Because we're going to sneak up to our honeymoon retreat."

"Oh, of course!" Martha giggled. "You two go right ahead."

Malachi swept Shannon off her feet, striding to the stairs. "Oh, we'd like to baptize them tomorrow, if we could. If you and Mr. Haywood wouldn't mind. And we want you and Mr. Haywood to be the godparents."

"Oh!" Martha would have clapped like a child except that her arms were full of squirming babies. She looked at them more closely. They both had soft ringlets of gold and immense blue eyes. Nadine was going to be a beauty like her mother, and Beau would be as handsome as his sire. "My godchildren!" Martha cried. She turned around quickly. "We won't mind. We won't mind at all."

She wasn't sure that Malachi and Shannon heard her. Their eyes were locked with one another's as he carried her up the stairs. She was glorious, with her hair streaming over his arms, and he was wonderful in his dark coat, tall and striking. It was so romantic, the way he held her.

"Of course, of course!" Martha repeated.

Shannon had heard her. She looked over her husband's shoulder and winked. Martha waved. A second later the door—now repaired—closed at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, my!" Martha said. "Papa! Papa, wake up, Mr. Hay-wood. We've responsibilities tonight!"

She sat down with her two little bundles.

And she smiled. She had been right—she had been ever so right. They were the perfect couple, and it was just like a fairy tale…

Ending happily ever after!