Raising the Stakes

Dawn made a sound that was half laugh, half sob. “He’s a nice little boy. I think you’ll like him.”

“He’s yours, baby. How could I not like him?” He smiled. “I just hope he likes me. I figure it would help if a kid liked the guy who intends to marry his mom.”

“I love you,” she said. “I love you…”

Dawn grabbed Gray’s face, pulled it down to hers and kissed him. Then, arms around each other, they walked away from the past and toward the future.

EPILOGUE

JONAS BARON looked past his wife’s shoulder, at the mirrored wall in their dressing room, and made a grumpy face.

“I don’t see why a man’s got to dress up like a penguin to attend a wedding.”

“Hold still, Jonas, or this bow tie’s going to… There.” Marta beamed, took a step back and regarded her husband with admiration. “The tie’s perfect, and so are you. You’re still the handsomest man ever!”

“Methuselah in a cummerbund,” he snorted, but a smile tugged at his mouth. “You look pretty good yourself. What do you call that color? I know it can’t be somethin’ as simple as red.”

“It’s called poppy.” Marta laughed as she twirled before him, then smoothed down the skirt of her silk and chiffon dress. “And you’re right. If they called it `red,’ nobody would buy it.” Her smile tilted as she looked up at her husband. “You did remember to take your medicine, didn’t you?”

“Yes ma’am, I did.”

“Because you know what your doctors said, darling. That wonderful new transplant treatment cured your leukemia but you need to take those pills every—”

“Marta,” Jonas said, in a voice so gentle none of his sons would have recognized it, “I’m old and sometimes I’m foolish, but the one thing I ain’t is in any particular rush to meet my maker.” He gave her a tender kiss. “Now, come on, gorgeous. Let’s go show the younger generation a thing or two. What’s the sense in havin’ Gray’s wedding at Espada if we don’t get out and enjoy it?”

Marta smiled. “Sounds like a good idea.” She took her husband’s arm, then held back. “Jonas? I’m glad you told me why you sent Graham to find Dawn.”

“Yeah, so’m I. I s’pose I should have said somethin’ right away but I wanted to be sure first. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course.” Marta brushed a bit of lint from his tuxedo jacket. “Are you very disappointed?” she said softly.

“That Dawn isn’t my granddaughter?” Jonas smiled. “No. Tell you the truth, I’m kind of relieved. When it turned out that Orianna—Dawn’s mama—was born in August ‘52—”

“Meaning that Nora Lincoln was almost two months pregnant when you and she became lovers.”

“Yeah.” Jonas sighed. “When Dawn told me her mama’s birthday, it was like somebody took a big rock off my chest. I felt guilty as sin, thinkin’ I’d abandoned a woman carryin’ my child.”

“You didn’t abandon anyone,” Marta said gently. “Besides, look how well it’s all worked out. I’ve never seen Graham so happy. Dawn’s perfect for him. She’s a lovely young woman.”

“She is that. I’m proud to have her join our family.”

“Her little boy is a sweetheart.”

“He’s a charmer, all right. A hell-raiser, too.” Jonas grinned. “Fits right in with our own grandkids.”

Marta peered into the mirror and smoothed down a stray curl. “Isn’t it lovely that they’ve decided to make their home in Brazos Springs?” She smiled. “The party chairwoman says Graham’s a wonderful candidate for district attorney.”

“That he is.”

“And I’m so pleased he and Leighton are getting on well.”

“Well, Gray’s goin’ out of his way to deal nicely with his old man. I expect that might be Dawn’s doin’.” Jonas lifted his wife’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “A good woman can be a powerful influence on a man, like you’ve been on me, Mrs. Baron. I don’t think I tell you that often enough.”

Marta squeezed her husband’s arm. “I’m kind of fond of you, too,” she said, and blinked back tears that came not of sorrow but of joy.

Twenty minutes later, in the gardens behind Espada, Gray stood at an altar bedecked with white and pink roses, watching as his bride took Dan Coyle’s arm and waited for the pianist to begin playing the music they’d chosen for her walk up the aisle. Dawn wore a slender column of ivory lace; her hair was drawn back from her face and when she looked up from her bouquet of palest pink roses and smiled directly at him, Gray felt his heart lift into his throat.