Almost Home Part 38

He slipped it into his sleeve, matching the other one he'd kept tucked away in a drawer. "I would have worn these the day I married your mother, if she'd stayed with me, if she'd trusted me to make things work. I would have given up the horses for her. I would have moved to California, but she never asked."

"I know," Katherine said, giving him a hug. "But I think she's watching right now, and she's happy we're together."

Sam drew the back of his weathered hand across his eyes, then stepped back so Zach and Katherine could move forward together, to stand in front of the minister, to pledge their love.

Zach took Katherine's hand in his and smiled down at her. "From now on, it's just the two of us, Kat. We're starting our own family. And you won't be the princess, you'll be the queen." He gazed into her eyes with the serious intensity she'd come to adore. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"For better or worse," he said.

"In sickness or in health," she added.

"Hey, those are my lines," the minister interjected. "You're getting ahead of me."

Zach laughed. "We've got a race to get to. Could you speed this along?"

"Do you, Zachary Tyler, take Katherine Jones Whitfield Stanton to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you, Katherine Jones Whitfield Stanton, take Zachary Tyler to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"You're going to have to get rid of some of those names," Zach whispered to her as the minister continued with the blessing.

"I only need one now. Tyler."

Zach kissed her on the mouth, long and hard, promising her a lifetime of happiness.

"Uh, sir," the minister said, clearing his throat.

"What?"

"You may kiss the bride."

"I'm way ahead of you."

"I can see that."

Everyone laughed as Zach kissed Katherine again, long and hard and pa.s.sionately endless.

Mary Jo turned to J.T. "Sam is her father? I don't understand why you had that photograph of Margaret if she was involved with Sam."

"Sam took the photo, and I stole it, because I was jealous. I wanted Margaret for myself."

"You did?" Mary Jo felt a shaft of pain.

"Then I met you. Then I fell in love with you."

"You did?" she repeated with a sense of wonder.

J.T. looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mary Jo, for a lot of things, but you have to believe me when I say I married you for love. When I couldn't give you a baby, I felt like a worthless man. I never realized I'd made you feel worthless, too. My heart attack woke me up, made me take a hard look at myself. I want to start over. I want a second chance, unless you still feel you need to sell to Zach."

Mary Jo smiled. "I think Zach has his hands full." She turned to Leeanne, who was sitting next to her. "We were both wrong, huh?"

Leeanne sighed. "Yes. Imagine-J was short for Jamison. I think I even remember Margaret talking about someone named Jay, but I had no idea who he was. She was awfully secretive, wasn't she?"

"Like everyone else in Paradise," Mary Jo replied.

"So it's back to life with my normal, boring husband. Who I absolutely adore," Leeanne added with a mischievous smile. She leaned over and planted a wet kiss on Jimmy's cheek.

"Leeanne," Jimmy complained. "This isn't the time."

"See? Same old thing."

Five hours later, Katherine wondered when life would ever get back to normal. After the wedding breakfast, Zach had gotten down to the business of the day, the Kentucky Derby. Katherine had spent the early hours of the day drinking mint juleps and meeting her grandparents' friends, then she'd slipped down to join Zach just before the start of the Derby.

Now the jockeys had mounted, the horses had been called to the post and paraded before the crowd, and there was nothing left to do but lead each highly strung thoroughbred into the gate that would start the race of a lifetime.

"This is it," Katherine said as she and Zach stood at the rail with the grooms and trainers and real horse people, letting the Stantons and others sip champagne in the luxury boxes of Millionaire's Row.

"This is it," Zach echoed. "I've been living a long time for this day, dreaming about this moment, wis.h.i.+ng for success, happiness, all the things I never thought I had."

Sam came up on the other side of Katherine, his body as tense as Zach's. Katherine slipped one arm around each of them, silently praying for a miracle.

Within seconds the gate opened and Rogue came out fast and clean, the jockey wearing the Stanton colors of burgundy and gold. Katherine couldn't hear the screaming crowd, her heart was pumping too loud. She wanted Rogue to win for Zach. She wanted it more than anything.

Zach turned and looked at her, actually taking his eyes off the race.

"What are you doing?" she asked in bewilderment. "Rogue is running right now."

"I just realized. It doesn't matter what happens. I have you. I don't need to look up at the stars or down that stretch of track. My happiness is standing right here in front of me. Thank G.o.d you didn't give up on me."

"Oh, Zach." His words broke her heart. "I love you so much."

"I love you back." He kissed her on the mouth until the screams broke them apart.

"You won, Zach," Sam said, slapping him on the back. "Rogue came in first. He flew past those other horses, ran 'em right into the ground. Did you hear me? You won."

Zach never took his eyes off Katherine's face. "I already knew that, Sam. I already knew that."

end.