2 years later

The town square was alive with music and laughter, and the smell of food carried from every kitchen in the valley. The annual town feast had become the favorite gathering of the season, and the long wooden tables were already filled with neighbors greeting one another and sharing news. Lanterns hung from the posts around the square, swaying lightly in the warm breeze, casting soft golden light over familiar faces.

Cora arrived a little later than most, balancing two restless one‑year‑olds in her arms while trying to keep their small shoes from slipping off. The twins kicked and squirmed, one grabbing at her braid while the other reached for the ribbon tied around her wrist. She huffed out a laugh, adjusting them both as best she could.

Levi walked beside her, wearing the sheriff’s badge that now belonged to him after Sheriff Gideon Pratt finally retired earlier that spring. The badge caught the lantern light as he moved, glinting against the dark blue of his shirt. The town had trusted Levi long before the badge was offered to him, and now he carried it with the same quiet steadiness that had once made him a respected lawman in another life, a life from which he no longer ran.

“Easy there,” Levi murmured as one of the twins reached for the badge. “You’ll have your own someday.” 

Cora laughed softly. “Not if they keep trying to eat it.”

Levi reached out and steadied the child on her left, his hand brushing her arm in that familiar way that still warmed her heart. “You sure you don’t want me to carry one?”

“They’re fine,” she said, though her voice held the playful strain of a mother who knew she was losing the battle. “Besides, they behave better when they’re together.”

“That’s debatable,” Levi muttered as the twin on her right grabbed his brother’s ear.

Cora shot him a look that made him grin. They stepped into the square and were greeted immediately by neighbors calling their names.

“Cora! Levi!”

“Look at those babies. Oh, they’ve grown so!”

“Sheriff Holloway, you better keep an eye on these two. They look like trouble already.”

Levi tipped his hat, smiling in that quiet way that made people trust him without thinking twice. Cora felt a swell of pride every time she saw him like this, respected and at peace.

Miss Agnes hurried over, wiping flour from her hands. “Give me one of those little rascals before you drop them both,” she said, already reaching out. 

Cora handed over the twin on her right, who immediately grabbed Agnes’s apron and squealed.

“Oh, he’s a lively one,” Agnes said, bouncing him on her hip. “Just like his father.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “I’m offended.”

“You should be,” Agnes said, patting his arm. “Now go enjoy yourselves. I’ll keep him entertained.”

Della appeared next, scooping up the other twin with practiced ease. “I swear they get heavier every week.”

“That’s because they eat everything in sight,” Cora said.

“They’re Hargroves,” Della replied. “It’s in their blood.”

Cora laughed, feeling the familiar warmth of family settle around her. The twins were safe, the tables were full, and the valley, once shadowed by danger, now glowed with the easy comfort of peace.

Levi slipped his hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Feels different this year,” he said quietly.

Cora looked up at him. “Better?”

He nodded. “Better.”

They strolled together toward the center of the square, where music drifted from a small group of fiddlers and guitar players. Children ran between the tables, chasing each other with sticky fingers and wild laughter. The smell of roasted meat, fresh bread, and sweet pies filled the air.

Cora took a slow breath, letting the moment settle deep inside her. Two years ago, she had stood beneath a flower arch with Levi’s hand on her back, choosing a future she wasn’t sure she deserved. Now, she walked beside him with two children, a safe valley, and a life built from love instead of fear. 

Levi leaned down towards his wife, but before their lips met, Levi stumbled to the side as a little body crashed into them. Cora and Levi looked down to see Caleb staring up at them with a mischievous smile, his curls bouncing as he tilted his head.

“Well, if it isn’t trouble,” Levi said as he scooped Caleb up into his arms. Cora leaned in and kissed Caleb on the cheek, which made him giggle loudly at the pair giving him all their attention. Caleb kicked his legs, eager to get down, and Levi set him down. The boy took off running straight into the crowd.

“I better go check that he doesn’t get into trouble,” Levi said, kissing Cora on the cheek before following after Caleb.

Cora watched as Levi chased him between the tables, finally sweeping him up into his arms and handing him over to his mother. She laughed softly and laid out a blanket on the grass beneath the big oak tree, settling herself as she watched Levi drift between people, greeting neighbors with that quiet confidence he carried now.

Della and Miss Agnes strolled toward her, each holding one of the babies. They placed Ezra and Pearl on the blanket before hurrying back to their stalls, where they supply food to the festival‑goers.

Her son Ezra, named after her father, immediately began crawling toward the nearest table, determined and fearless. His sister Pearl, named after Levi’s mother, watched him with wide, curious eyes before following him, her tiny hands patting the grass as she moved.

Cora reached out and gently redirected them both back toward the blanket, laughing under her breath. Ezra protested with a squeal, and Pearl simply blinked up at her as though she were considering her next move.

Levi soon joined her after finishing a conversation with a few townsmen near the courthouse steps. He lowered himself onto the blanket beside her, brushing a stray curl from her forehead.

“A letter came this morning,” he said quietly. “From the prison warden.”

Cora looked up, attentive.

“Diego’s been working hard,” Levi continued. “Showing honest remorse for what he did. The warden says he’s been helping with repairs in the prison yard and … he’s learning to read in the evenings. Something he never took the time to do before.”

Cora listened quietly, her fingers brushing Pearl’s tiny shoulder. “I’m happy to hear that,” she said softly. “I really am.”

Levi nodded. “Silas Hargrove and Cornelius Ashby were transferred last month. Separate prisons, far from the territory. They still have many years left to serve.”

Cora exhaled, a slow breath that felt like closure. “Good,” she murmured. “That chapter needed to stay closed.”

Levi reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers as Ezra crawled over his leg and Pearl tried to climb onto Cora’s lap. The town square buzzed around them with music, laughter, and the smell of roasted meat and sweet pies drifting through the warm evening air. Lanterns swayed gently overhead, casting soft golden light across the valley.

And as Cora leaned her head against Levi’s shoulder, watching their children tumble across the blanket, she felt the truth settle deep inside her. 

This was the life they had fought for and was the peace they had earned.

Across the square, Della waved cheerfully from behind a small wooden stall filled with baskets of fresh bread and pies. With Agnes’s help, she had opened her own bakery in town, and the smell of warm pastries drifted across the feast, sweet and comforting. Caleb came running back from the stall with crumbs all over his face, proudly announcing, “Bread good!”  His almost‑two‑year‑old voice bubbled with excitement, which caused Levi and Cora to laugh at him.

The band began to play a lively tune on a fiddle and guitar as Miss Agnes and Della came closer, and Levi glanced toward them with a smile. 

“Mind keeping an eye on the little ones?” he asked.

Agnes shooed him away with a grin. “Go dance with your wife, Sheriff. We’ve got them.”

The music shifted into a slower tune, warm and sweet beneath the lantern‑lit sky. Levi reached for Cora’s hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles as though he were asking a question to which he already knew the answer.  

“Dance with me?” he murmured.

Cora smiled. “Always.”

He pulled her gently toward the center of the square. The crowd parted without being asked, giving them space as though everyone understood this moment belonged only to them. Lanterns swayed overhead, throwing soft gold across the pair as Levi slid his arm around her waist and Cora rested her hand against his chest.

They began to sway, slow and easy, the world around them fading into a warm blur of music and laughter. Cora leaned into him, her cheek brushing his shoulder, and Levi let out a soft breath that sounded almost like a laugh.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Levi murmured, brushing his thumb along her hip.

“I’m enjoying the moment,” Cora said. “You should try it sometime.”

He huffed a laugh. “I am enjoying it. I’m enjoying you.”

She tilted her head up, giving him a playful look. “Only me?”

“Well,” he said, pretending to think, “the music’s nice, too.”

Cora nudged him lightly with her forehead. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love me anyway,” he said to her cockily. 

“Unfortunately,” she teased.

Levi pulled back just enough to look at her properly. “Unfortunately?”

She shrugged, eyes sparkling. “You’re very hard to resist.”

He grinned. “I knew it.”

“Oh, don’t get cocky,” she said, swatting his chest gently. “You’re only charming when you’re quiet.”

“That’s not true,” he said adamantly. 

“It absolutely is.”

Levi shook his head, pulling her closer again. “You know, you’re lucky I adore you.”

“Lucky?” she echoed. “I think you’re the lucky one.”

He raised a brow. “Is that so?”

“Mm‑hmm.” She looped her arms around his neck. “I’m the one who puts up with you.”

Levi laughed softly, leaning his forehead against hers. “You put up with me?”

“Every day,” she confirmed with a nod.

“And you enjoy it.”

“Most days,” she said.

He let out a dramatic sigh. “I swear, woman … you’re going to be the end of me.”

Cora smiled, her lips brushing his. “Not if I can help it.”

Levi’s breath caught, his voice dropping to a warm whisper.

“You know,” he said quietly, “I’m starting to think I’m never going to win with you.”

Cora lifted her head, eyes sparkling. “Not if I can help it.”

Levi huffed out a playful sigh, pulling her a little closer. “Figures.”

She nudged him gently with her forehead. “But you can keep trying.”

“Oh, I intend to,” he said, his voice soft and warm.

They swayed beneath the lanterns, the music curling around them like a soft ribbon. The valley stretched quiet and peaceful, the feast alive with joy, but all Cora felt was Levi’s hands steady at her waist and the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her palm.

He leaned down, brushing his nose against hers, and Cora tilted her face up to meet him.

Levi’s hands slid to her waist, drawing her closer until their bodies fit together as naturally as breathing. Cora lifted her chin, her lips brushing his in a slow, teasing graze before he deepened the kiss. It was warm and lingering, the kind of kiss that made the world fall quiet around them. Lantern light flickered across their faces as Levi tilted her slightly back, his thumb stroking her cheek, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. The music swelled, but all Cora heard was her own heartbeat. 

When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling, hearts steady in the same rhythm.

They stayed there, swaying gently beneath the lantern glow, the music drifting around them like a warm breeze. Levi’s hand stayed at her waist, hers at his chest, both holding on as if the moment itself were precious. And with one last soft kiss, the night closed around them, full, bright, and theirs.