“What are you all doing out here?” He put his hands on his hips.
“It was my idea.” Cat stood to the side in her usual trousers. “The wedding was for everyone. This is for us. We wanted you to know how much we loved you and how happy we are you found Grace.”
Ben looked at each of them in turn. Matt and Olivia leaned on a stall door while Nick and Caleb sat on a hay bale. Elizabeth and Rebecca stood beside Cat, the three youngest sisters together.
They were the circle of eight, a forever chain that couldn’t be broken. They’d proven that when they hadn’t given up on him, no matter what happened or how he behaved after he’d been found. He’d been unconditionally loved by each and every person in the barn. It was humbling and filled him with joy.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Ben eyed Cat. “You’re devious enough that I don’t trust you.”
“I am innocent.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “At least I am for this. The boys are going to help with your house, but the girls and I wanted to help, too. We’re all so happy for you and we want to give you the best start in your marriage.”
Olivia chimed in. “Hannah and I are going to make new clothes for your wife and boys.”
Rebecca spoke next. “Tobias and Will are going to make furniture for your new house.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Vaughn and I are helping with the furniture and linens.”
“Don’t forget me.”
“I can’t forget you, Kitty.” He managed to smile at his sister, Cat. She had always been his best friend, even when he pushed her away. “You’re louder than all of us.”
She humphed. “I’ve decided you can keep Paladin and I’ve got ponies for the boys. When they get a little older, I’ve got two yearlings earmarked for them.” She smiled at him. “Your wife can have her choice of the stock.”
Ben’s heart was near to bursting with love for his family. They were everything to him. He couldn’t imagine being who he was and where he was, without them. “Thank you.” His voice had dropped to a husky whisper. “I don’t know what else to say besides thank you for not giving up on me, for loving me, for giving me a home that was always there with me.”
In turn, each of them hugged him and left the barn without having to say anything else. They were the gift he never had to ask for, never had to return and never wonder if he’d still have it. The Grahams were the circle of love he would always have.
Olivia was the last to leave. “I’m very happy for you, little brother.”
“Me, too.”
“Be happy. Be free.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Benjy.”
With that, the last of his siblings left, but he felt them in his heart and his soul. The world had turned completely around from who he was six months earlier. From a very dark place, to the bright light of love and family.
Benjamin Graham had finally found where he belonged. Home.
THE END
Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)
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Published by Beth Williamson
Copyright © 2016 Beth Williamson
Kindle Edition
Edited by Catherine Wayne
Cover Design by The Killion Group
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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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ISBN: 978-1-943089-07-9