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Rusty liked this woman on sight. “We’ll do our best not to let you down,” she said.
“No pressure or anything. Just a fact. And speaking of facts, when’s the wedding and where’s it gonna be held?” Annie asked.
Cameron slid his arm around Rusty’s shoulder.
“We decided the week before Easter…at the ballroom at the Serenity Inn. Ray Caldwell and his family are all the relatives Rusty has left. We’ll need all that room for friends and family.”
“Grand idea,” Annie said, and then reached for Rusty’s hand and clasped it between her own. “Just remember…marrying my nephew lands you square in the middle of the biggest clan in Kentucky. We mind our own business, but we’re always there for each other, and if you need a simple hug or some help, all you have to do is call. Now I better get home. John will be wanting his supper.”
“Thank you for the apple tart,” Rusty said. “And since you offered, I’ll take a hug before you go.”
Annie threw her arms around Rusty and held onto her like there was no tomorrow, then did the same to Cameron.
“Your mama would be so proud of you, Cam. But since she’s not here, I’m gonna be proud of you for her. You two go on about your business. I’ll just let myself out.”
Cameron walked her to the door anyway, then waved as she drove away before coming back inside.
“I just love her,” Rusty said.
“So do I. Of all my mother’s siblings, Annie is the most like her. Now, where were we?” he asked.
“Peeling potatoes and carrots to put in with the roast,” Rusty said.
“And apple tart for dessert. I call this a good day,” he said.
“I call every day with you a good day,” Rusty said, and took the kiss coming at her square on the lips.
***
The turmoil in Jubilee had passed, and while wedding plans continued, life had taken a nosedive for a few former residents. After a brief and final message from Agent Howard, Rusty and Cameron learned the fate of those they’d taken down.
Once the details of Emily Payne’s involvement within the gang were made known, and the level of pressure and coercion that had been used upon her was taken into consideration, her charges were dropped to theft and credit card fraud.
Dewey Zane’s fear for his wife ended when he learned Barton and Kelly were both behind bars. And when Carly quit calling, he knew she was gone. He also accepted he would likely die in prison and that made him sad, but it was nothing less than he deserved.
Just before Christmas, and acting on behalf of his client, Jack Barton’s lawyer contacted a Realtor. Barton’s Tiny Cabins and Campground was officially for sale.
Lindy Sheets’s willingness to cooperate with the FBI in taking down the rest of the gang didn’t impress the judge who ultimately sentenced her. By their count, she’d participated in the kidnapping of more than 143 women from across the country, knowing full well they were being sold into sex slavery, and the kidnapping and selling of more than a dozen children under the age of four. She wound up sentenced and buried so deep in the prison system that she was never going to walk the streets a free woman again.
Kevin Vanzant’s body was buried in a cemetery in his hometown, beside the parents who’d kicked him out before he turned sixteen. The irony of his final resting place was lost upon humanity. He hadn’t mattered to anyone before, but in the grand scheme of things, it was God who took him home.
Epilogue
Rusty woke before daybreak.
She was getting married today!
She rolled over, scooted up closer to Cameron’s backside and slid her arm around his waist, and buried her nose in the middle of his back, waiting for the rumble of his laughter, and it came.
“Woman, you breathe on me like Ghost does. What do you want?”
“You,” Rusty said. “Make love to me while I’m still wild and single. Tonight I’ll be sleeping with a married man.”
Cameron was still laughing as he rolled over and kissed her, and then the last laugh died as he took her hard and fast.
Between one second and the next, he was inside her. All thought vanished. For the next few minutes, there was nothing that mattered but the rhythmic motion of man to woman chasing that shattering blood rush.
His hands were tangled in her hair.
