Chapter 19 - The Spring WeddingOn a sun-drenched Saturday in May, when the apple orchards were in full white bloom and the valley air tasted of wild honey and rain, the town of Fairview gathered at the Vance homestead for our wedding.
There were no velvet ropes, no polished limousines, and no high-society photographers.
Long wooden dining tables crafted by the workshop apprentices were arranged across the lush green lawn behind the main house. Bunting made of cream linen hung between the ancient maple trees. Mrs. Gable had baked a three-tiered berry cake that sat proudly on the porch, while old Hank played a lively fiddle tune alongside a local bluegrass band near the barn.
I walked out through the green oak front door wearing a simple, breathtaking gown of ivory lace, holding a bouquet of wild mountain lilies and pine sprigs.
Jonathan Vance walked beside me down the stone path, holding his arm out for support, looking as proud as any father ever could.
Standing beneath a majestic white pine archway at the edge of the forest was Caleb. He wore a sharp charcoal suit with a sprig of white pine pinned to his lapel, his hazel eyes shining with unvarnished, tearful devotion as he watched me approach.
Every person who had protected, loved, and stood by Grandpa Arthur and me was there: Deputy Miller, Mr. Henderson, Maya and the apprentices, the diner crew, and the local farmers whose land we had saved from foreclosure.
When we exchanged our vows under the shade of the grand old pine, our voices echoed clearly across the quiet valley:
May you like
"To hold, to honor, to protect, and to build—on truth, on love, and on this unbroken land."
When Caleb pulled me into his arms and kissed me, the entire town erupted into a roar of cheers, applause, and ringing handbells that echoed all the way up to the high peaks of the north ridge.
