Country Roads

She, Eric, and Mia all thanked him, and as he walked away, tears of relief began falling from Jordan's eyes. As they did, Eric put his arm around her and pulled her close while Mia watched and smiled as he did. When she caught Eric's eye, he winked at her, and the flame grew brighter as she smiled at him.

Jordan held out her hand again and Eric took it immediately.

"That's good news, huh?" he said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"About my mom or that Mia said you could kiss me?" she tried to smile while raising her head to look up at him.

Eric glanced Mia's way and saw her watching. She nodded and smiled indicating 'go ahead' so he again moved closer. This time, Jordan also moved his way and as their lips met for the first time, Mia giggled even as her mom softly moaned.

"May I tell you a secret?" Eric asked, a smile on his face.

"Uh-oh," Jordan replied, mostly kidding.

"I've kind had a thing for you since the first time I saw you. At the airport."

"You...have?"

"I have," he admitted with another little smile.

"Hmmm. Maybe I should wear cashmere more often," she teased.

"Flannel suits you."

"So do you want me to wear flannel when we...spend time together?"

"Oh. Um...that'd be okay, I suppose."

"Don't worry. I won't do that to you," she told him before kissing him softly for maybe a second or so.

This time, Jordan saw her daughter looking, and the smile on her face told her it really was okay.

"Can I sit by you guys?" Mia asked.

"By us? Here. Come sit between us," Eric said as he moved over on the bench seat.

Mia squeezed in between them, and when Eric and her mom put an arm around her, she was as happy as she'd been since losing her father.

"You sure this is okay?" her mom asked as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"Mom? I miss Daddy, but I hate seeing you be sad, and you've been sad ever since he died."

The very grownup answer nearly made her mother cry again as she said, "Yes I have."

"But now you're happy, and that makes me happy."

Jordan looked at Eric then said, "I am happy, sweetie. I'm very happy."

Mia leaned over on her mom then said, "Then so am I."

******

One year later.

"Mom? Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, honey. I'm just thrilled to be able to see my daughter get married. My beautiful, wonderful daughter."

Jordan somehow managed not to cry as she gave her mom a hug and thought how grateful she was to still have her after everything she'd been through. The surgery and subsequent chemo had bought her extra time no one expected her to have. But after the third chemo treatment, Jean let everyone know she'd had enough. She wanted to live the rest of her life free of doctors and feeling sick.

For the last eight months or so, she'd done just that, and until just recently, she'd almost been her former self. And she and Jordan had used that time wisely as they bonded again like they never had before with Eric being included in most of the time they spent together. After all, he'd asked her daughter to marry him on Valentine's Day, and now, just five months later, they were all together in the church Jean had attended her whole life.

She was in pain, even with the Vicodin, but nothing could take away the joy she was feeling as her daughter hugged her before getting ready to walk down the aisle. Mia was too big to be a flower girl, but she was old enough to be her mom's maid of honor, and she, too, looked beautiful in the new dress she was wearing. Had Jean felt better, she'd have taken the job, but she was thankful just to be able to sit and watch this amazing event.

Jordan thanked her mom for saying that then sat down beside her.

"Mom? I loved Joseph. I truly did. But had I known then what I know now, I never would have left home the way I did."

Jean knew her daughter was on the verge of tearing up and stopped her before she could ruin her makeup.

"Jordan? We can't undo the past, so talking about it is a waste of time. All that matters is that you came home. And ever since you've been the most wonderful daughter a mother could ever ask for. And you brought my granddaughter home, too."

Jean forced a smile in spite of the pain then said, "And you found a man—another man—who loves you more than anyone or anything on earth."

"And who loves my daughter as his own."

"Yes. He certainly does that," her mother agreed. "So let's never talk about those things again, okay?"

Jordan smiled, hugged her mom again, then stood up.

"Eric may pass out when he sees you in your wedding dress, honey. You look absolutely gorgeous!"

Jordan hadn't had her hair, nails, or makeup done by someone else since returning home, but she'd had all three taken care of, and anyone who didn't know her would never believe she was 42 years old.

"Mom? Don't even joke about such things, okay?" her daughter replied with a little laugh.

"Sorry, honey. I just meant that you look beautiful."

A moment later, a family friend stepped in and helped Jean to her seat in the front row leaving Jordan there with just the wedding planner her mother had hired. Jordan nodded to her, and she then looked out and nodded to the organist.

Moments later Jordan took a deep breath then began walking down the aisle as Here Comes the Bride was played. Her only living uncle escorted her, and as they walked toward the front of the chapel, she saw Eric dressed in a tux for the first time and nearly fainted herself.

She had no idea her favorite ranch hand could look so good, even though he looked nice to her no matter what he wore. And she also couldn't believe that someone as handsome, well-educated, and as young as Eric Harmon could possibly have fallen in love with a woman her age—and all her baggage—but he had, and he let her know that every single day since the first time he told her he loved her.

When he smiled at her her body began to tremble and her knees felt weak, because she loved him every bit as much as he loved her.

"Wow!" he whispered as her uncle let her go and Jordan took her place beside her husband-to-be.

"Wow yourself, handsome," she whispered back, a huge smile on her pretty face.

As they exchanged non-traditional vows, both of them mentioned the circumstances that led to Jordan's return home, and while acknowledging the tragedy of her loss, both also expressed their profound gratitude for the way things worked out.

Jordans final words were the reason that every woman in attendance, and no small amount of men, were teary-eyed or crying as the new couple said, "I do."

"It took losing everything to break my stubborn pride and force me to eat a lot of humble pie to travel down country roads to bring me back to the place I belong—West Virginia. And by your side."

Eric kissed his beautiful bride before both of them turned to face the congregation which broke into applause and well wishes as the Harmons, with Mia, walking between them and holding both of her parents' hand, walked out of the chapel together as a family.

Ten months later, Jordan Harmon gave birth to another daughter. The happy occasion was less so because her grandmother, Jean, had gone on to be with her husband and the angels, but her daughter named the new baby girl Olivia Jean Harmon in honor of the mother she'd hurt so badly then made so happy near the end of her life.

The farm continued to prosper, and Eric hired the young man full-time who'd filled in for him occasionally in the past once Jordan was in her fourth month of pregnancy.

For the Harmons, life on the farm was always hard and involved 10-12 hour days seven days a week. But it also involved family time and was the perfect place to raise two girls, one who graduated near the top of her class a few years later and went of to West Virginia University and then into the US Air Force where she became a fighter pilot.

After her graduation, and during her commissioning ceremony, her mom, dad, and little sister watched as Mia Conway-Harmon take the oath of office and became a second lieutenant in the US Air Force. As they did, Jordan saw a tear well up in the eyes of her still-handsome husband. They were already holding hands, but she squeezed his when she saw the unusual display of emotion.

"We did good, honey," he whispered to his beautiful wife as he leaned her way.

"Yes we did," she whispered back.

Eric looked at her then quietly said, "You have no idea how happy I am you came home."

Now Jordan teared up as she told him she did.

"Oh, I think I might have a pretty good idea," she said. "All I know is I will be forever grateful for the country roads that brought me back here; back to the place where I belong."

Eric smiled then quietly sang, "West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home."

Jordan leaned over and kissed her husband and told him how much she loved him.

He said it back as the Air Force officer who'd administered the oath asked them join him and pin the gold bars Jordan had in her purse on their daughter's shoulders.

"Shall we?" Eric said as he helped his wife stand up.

"Nothing would make me happier," she said with that look in her eye that told Eric he was the luckiest man on earth thanks to her having taken the country roads that brought her back home and to him.