Then he was enfolding her in his arms, drawing her against his chest and sealing their vows with his kiss while everyone stood up and clapped. Rio clapped him on the back and Felipe and Leonardo followed suit, nearly knocking the breath out of him.

He kissed Isabeau’s fingertips. “I can’t believe how beautiful you look.” He inhaled her fragrance; she smelled of cherry blossoms and fresh forest after a rain.

“The women helped me. They’ve been so wonderful.”

She looked so happy Conner kissed her again, vowing silently to try to find a way to repay the people of the valley. They’d turned this day into something magical. Their generosity seemed boundless. As the guests congratulated them, they each pressed a small gift into their hands. Each item was made with loving hands. All seemed priceless. A sharp hunting knife, the metal folded and honed into an edge that gleamed. A knitted pullover sweater for Conner. A cardigan and scarf for Isabeau. The wool had been spun and dyed right there in the valley. Isabeau’s personal favorite was a small bronze statue of two leopards, one a fierce male standing protectively above a female who nuzzled his throat. The beauty of the piece brought a lump to her throat.

Talk swirled around them and music started. The buffet tables were filled with wonderfully smelling food, and several of the women took turns taking plates and coffee to Elijah as he prowled the grounds and nearby forest to keep them all safe. Marcos flirted outrageously with the women, and laughter rang throughout the valley.

Conner pulled Isabeau into his arms, the music pounding through his veins in time to the beat of his heart. She fit perfectly, and the scent of her drifted through his lungs like fine wine. He rested his cheek against the soft silk of her hair, content to sway gently to the rhythm.

“I can’t believe they did this for us, Conner,” Isabeau said. “I was afraid I’d feel lonely and sad, and they’ve transported us into some magical realm.” She tilted her head to look at him. “They did this for your mother, for Marisa. She’s here with us. They all loved her and they took us in and made us family because of her.”

“She was magic,” Conner agreed. “She had a way of making every person feel important, maybe because, to her, they really were. I never really heard her say an unkind word. She took in Mateo and raised him as her own. And when I say “as her own” I mean she would love him the way she loved me. With everything in her.” His arms tightened around Isabeau. “I’m glad you had a chance to meet her.”

“I see her in you, Conner.”

“Do you?” He was really asking. Really hoping. “I was afraid I was all my father.” Hard. Mean. A man others would avoid.

“She’s in your eyes, Conner. And in the way you love. You didn’t hesitate to take Mateo in, even if it meant losing me. You would sacrifice for a small boy you don’t even know. Her kindness lives in each of the people she touched, in you and hopefully in your brother.”

He brushed kisses along the corners of her mouth. “We’ll see to it.”

“You aren’t worried, are you, Conner?” she asked. “We’ll find him and we’ll bring him out safely.”

“I’ve never thought about being a parent. First I was worried that I might not measure up as a mate to you, and now I have to worry about what kind of father I’ll make.”

She snuggled against his chest. “I don’t think you have to worry. You had a great example in your mother and, although my father did many things very wrong, he was a good parent to me. He loved me and made me feel important to him. He made certain I had a good education and always felt loved. I might not have had a mother, but I did have a father. You didn’t have a father but you had a great mother. Between the two of us, we’re bound to have picked up a few things.”

Conner looked around him at the men and women who had established a retirement valley. They grew food on their farms and most still worked at their occupations, but were now committed to the good of the community. “We have a wealth of knowledge right here,” he whispered against her ear. “Look at them all. They’ve already fought their battles and learned their lessons. We’ll settle somewhere close to them. You can still work with your plants in the rain forest, we can raise Mateo and any children we have nearby.”

“What about your work?”

He shrugged. “It isn’t that difficult. Rio sends for us when we have a job.”

She scowled at him. “I don’t think I’m going to be so willing for you to seduce a woman after this. I’d like to say my leopard wouldn’t be jealous . . .”

He laughed softly. “Your leopard would be spitting jealous. She’ll turn ferocious if she finds her mate near any other woman. Don’t worry, I gladly give up my job to one of the others. When I go”—because she had to know this was his life’s work—“I’ll go as one of the team, not the front man.”

Elijah passed by on his shifting patrol and one of the women handed him a strawberry lemonade. His smile was genuine, but she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. Did they know about his past? Probably. The men and women in the retirement valley seemed to know about everything—leopard or human. They were accepting, tolerant people who were willing for anyone to live out their lives. No one asked him questions and he was treated with open friendliness.

Isabeau inhaled sharply, wanting to remember every detail, the setting sun turning the sky into an orange-red flame, the forest a silhouette of dark trees and brush and especially the fragrances mingling in the air. She could sort them all out if she chose, the food, the forest and each individual. She knew exactly where Mary and Doc were at any given moment. She threaded her fingers through Conner’s as they strolled around the yard talking to the various guests.