“That’s between Gemma and Tristan,” Colin said. “I’ve not seen it and don’t plan to see it. I know it was hidden in Tristan’s house for many years, so ownership of it goes to him. And when I talk to him I think he’ll agree to give the guardianship of it to Gemma. If she wants to stay in Edilean, that is.”
Mr. Frazier put his hand on his son’s shoulder, and looked at the others in the room. “What do you say that we give these lovebirds some time alone?” He didn’t wait for an answer but herded everyone out of the guesthouse.
When they were alone, Gemma threw the quilt off her legs and stood up. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
She turned toward the kitchen but Colin didn’t follow her. When she looked back, he was on one knee and he had what was unmistakably a ring box in his hand.
Slowly, she walked back to him.
“Will you marry me?” he asked as he held out the little blue velvet box. She opened it to see a ring that had to be a family heirloom, three diamonds in a slightly worn basket setting.
“I thought you might like something old better than new,” he said softly.
“I love it,” she said as she took the box, then held it out to him.
He removed the ring, tossed the box on the couch, and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. “Your mother told me your size.”
“My mother?” She was astonished.
“I thought I should make myself known to her, so I called and asked her permission.”
Gemma sat down on the couch. “Did you tell her about—” She glanced down at her stomach.
“When I called her, I didn’t know about that.”
She was sitting, he was still on one knee. “When did you do this?”
“Right after we met in the sandwich shop. As you told my brother, I was miserable.” His eyes brightened. “You bought the baby clothes for our child, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” She held his face in her hands and kissed him. “I want to hear more, but your child is making me so hungry your ears are beginning to look appetizing.” She stood up.
“Gemma?” he said, his voice sounding urgent. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“What question?”
He raised his eyebrows, then glanced at his awkward position.
“Oh!” she said, laughing. “You poor baby. Your knees must be killing you. Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes and yes and yes.”
“Great,” Colin said. “Now help me up.”
She put her arms out to him, but he didn’t need help. He pulled her down to the couch. Slowly and with all the emotions they felt in their hearts, they touched and held each other. Their kisses were different, for their doubts and fears were gone, and all they could see was the future.
Unseen by human eyes, the Heartwishes Stone blinked. It had given two more wishes. Gemma belonged to a place and people, and Colin had found True Love.
Epilogue
GEMMA DIDN’T GET around to repairing Shamus’s art box for weeks. By that time Jean’s uncle had been extradited to Romania, where he was to go through the first of several trials. Quite a few countries wanted to question him.
Gemma told Colin the truth about the Edilean robberies and she pleaded on Jean’s behalf. Gemma said that Jean had endured enough because of her uncle and she didn’t deserve prison and disbarment. Colin had agreed with her, but he said the law was the law.
In the end, the FBI solved the dilemma. They arrived two days after the arrest of Adrian Caldwell, and they pushed Colin aside as though he were a country bumpkin, too dumb to know what he had. Gemma smiled as she watched Colin stand back and let the federal agents tell him, with their superior attitude, that only someone of Caldwell’s caliber could have pulled off burglaries like the ones that had happened in Edilean.
“No wonder, sheriff, that you couldn’t figure out who done it,” they said, smirks on their city faces. “Nobody local could do something like this. Too bad you missed the hair and fingerprint the first time around. They tie into some big jobs, and they’ll put Caldwell behind bars for the rest of his life.”
Colin just smiled at them in good nature and invited them to do all their Christmas shopping in Edilean. They clapped him on the back and said they would.
Only Gemma saw Colin talking to Jean in such a ferocious way that she felt sorry for the woman. But later, Jean looked over Colin’s big shoulder and mouthed “thank you” to Gemma.