Enright Family Collection (154 page)

My, my,
Delia grinned.
One might expect a private investigator to be slightly more discreet. You, my dear Jeremy, are very obviously and visibly falling flat on your face. Though Jody doesn’t seem to be aware of it. You’re a good man, Jeremy Noble, but you work far too hard. As does Jody, now that I think about it. I can’t remember ever having been here at the inn when Jody wasn’t busy in the kitchen. Well, perhaps you’ll both slow down long enough to find each other.

Laura, in a pale blue summer dress that draped easily around her body and flowed gently to the floor—what Corri had called a “floaty dress”—bent her head slightly to one side as August’s Captain Pete related some story or other. The young woman laughed, and the sound of it soothed Delia’s worried
mother’s heart. Laura had had such a fiercely bad time of it, these past few months, seeming intent upon doing penance for sins she had not committed. And there, off to the side, chatting with Ben, as if waiting patiently, stood Tucker Moreland, who had already begun the long process of helping Laura to put the past behind her. It would be Tucker who would help Laura take those first awkward steps toward the rest of her life, Tucker whose love would heal her and bring joy into her life.

And you, Matthew,
Delia beamed as her future son-in-law cradled Devlin in his arms.
What a full circle you’ve come, my boy ...

“There’s a rumor going around that you were looking for some champagne.” Gordon appeared at her side and handed her a delicate fluted glass glowing with pale gold bubbly.

“Why, thank you, darling. Where is Rachel? I’m dying to meet her.”

“She’s talking sharks with Captain Pete. She’ll be over in a minute.”

“Silly of me, but I’m nervous about meeting her.”

“Don’t be. She’ll adore you. She said she’s waited years for her father to find the right woman, and she’s delighted that finally, I have.”

“Thank you, Gordon.”

“For what?”

“For always knowing the right thing to say.” Delia drew him to her with her eyes, those same clear sapphire blues she had passed on to her two oldest daughters. She nuzzled the side of his face and sighed, grateful for his presence in her life. She said,
“I was thinking it might be a good time to make a toast to officially welcome our precious Devlin.”

“But first, I have one.” He leaned closely and whispered for only her to hear, “To the remarkable woman who has shown me that it’s never too late to find love. To the glorious surprise of having found her.”

Delia smiled and touched the tip of her glass to his. “And to all those glorious surprises yet to come ... for all of us.”

MARIAH STEWART
is the bestselling author of numerous novels and several novellas. A RITA finalist for romantic suspense, she is the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, several RIO (Reviewers International Organization) Awards honoring excellence in women’s fiction, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from
Romantic Times
magazine. A three-time recipient of the Golden Leaf Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award winner from the New Jersey Romance Writers, she has been inducted into their Hall of Fame. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband, two daughters, and two rambunctious golden retrievers amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Valley Forge Romance Writers, the New Jersey Romance Writers, and the Romance Writers of America.