The new year was entered that night with the family gathered together and what looked to be a wonderful and exciting year to come. Colt would soon be out of his cast, and his aches and pains pretty much gone. The twins were resilient in their recovery; of course, no one could really tell that the kind of pain they suffered was one of the mind. Matt, on the other hand, was still having those bad headaches but they were getting further and further apart. We all were hoping that whatever his problems were, they would soon end.

Luke and Mark were now making plans for their commitment ceremony in the Spring; it was too cold for it to be any sooner, as they wanted to hold it outside in the family's special place up on Casper Mountain.

Only time will tell what's in store for the Anderson family.

Chapter 10 

By June of the new year, things had been increasing in excitement and happy anticipation for the family. Colt had completely healed and his arm hadn't given him any problems. From all signs, he was as strong as ever. That fact was experienced one day when he and the twins got into a wrestling match that drew Matt into it. Yes, Matt rarely had any signs of headaches anymore and enjoyed the banter and fun he and his boys enjoyed together. Johnny and Grace were planning on getting married this summer right after the twins held their commitment which was just hours away now. Mike and Andrew were so excited for their sons and grandsons. Both were walking on eggs around the boys; seemed everyone on the ranch was nervous and excited about the coming events.

Buckaroo II was now part of the fleet of planes belonging to Lambert, Lambert and Anderson, Inc. The company was flourishing and it was good times for all at the Lazy L. The lodge in Canada was doing very well; so well, in fact that it was hard for them to close for just a few days so they could attend the twin's commitment. Joel just told everyone to load up and that was it, even George was back at the ranch for the first time in a long time. He even went back to the barn to see the room where he was 'born'. It was emotional for him, but he enjoyed the time alone in there.

The soon-to-be new owners of the Long Rod ranch would also be in attendance. They had no idea they would be that, but it was in the works.

Now that the immediate family and small group of friends had gathered for Luke and Mark's commitment ceremony, they were gathered on Casper Mountain. Yes, the time was at hand for Mark and Luke to become, officially, life-partners. Little did they know what James and I had as special plans for their glorious day. Not only their day, but it was going to be a special day for many others on the ranch.

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That morning:

Colt was just getting his morning coffee when he noticed the twins coming into the dining room. "Good morning, guys, how was your night?" he smiled with his cup in hand.

"Lots of fun!" grinned Luke as he poked Mark in the side with his elbow.

"Now that's not nice telling on us!" Mark laughed as he reached for a cup, then filled it with coffee, and then sat down between Matt and Colt.

Matt just smiled between sips of coffee.

About that time, Mike and Andrew came in and sat down. They asked in unison, "Where is Johnny this morning?"

Luke spoke up saying, "He spent the night with his girlfriend. He was going to ask her to marry him, I think, but he had to get some ... 'inside' ... information first," he said with an evil expression.

"I was wondering when he was going to pop the question," Colt chuckled, as he reached for the toast and jam.

Matt poked at Colt saying, "Don't make fun of him; I think it's cute, and they will make a great couple."

"You would, you dirty old man," Colt replied while the rest were in stitches.

Julie and Jo came in with the main part of breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and sausage. Colt was again helping out by bringing in the huge platter of hotcakes.

Everyone dug into the meal and not much more was said. No one had time to talk, stuffing their faces with the good food.

Mark and Luke were going to head into town to pick up their rings for the ceremony later. While the gang from the lodge was due to arrive soon at the airstrip on the ranch, the ranch hands had been getting things ready for the party that was to be held later that night. Julie and Jo were not going to have to work at all. Colt had hired out the staff of the Corral to cater the event. They were only too happy to do the job for their favorite customers, giving them a great price for the huge planned meal. They expected well over three hundred friends and family to be in attendance. Of course, Judge Franklin and his family would be there, along with other officials who had been a big part of their past, and some still were a big part of the family.

Mark and Luke were so nervous that James and I had to send them some comforting thoughts along with our guidance. They were so darn cute, and handsome boys; they had broken many young girls' hearts as they grew up. But they were meant for each other and everyone knew that.

Mike, Andrew, Colt, and Matt had been working on some legal matters involving the Lazy L and Long Rod ranches, or what was left of the Long Rod. They had surveyed the property of both ranches and had new deeds drawn up so all the land now became the Lazy L.

The Long Rod ranch was now only about ten acres that consisted of all the buildings including the barns and corrals. The deed had already been drawn up with a surprise in mind. The ranch would be deeded to Johnny and Grace as their wedding present, when that day arrived.  Of course, James, JC, Richard, and I sure knew what was going on. We had planted the seeds in their minds a long time back.

Mark and Luke took one of the trucks and headed in to town even though it would only take one to pick up the rings; they seldom went anywhere alone.

Colt and Matt were excited for the twins; yes they were like two very proud papas, and they could just see how much the twins had become inseparable; if you saw one, the other one wasn't far behind. 

"How are we going to get all this gang up to the mountain tonight?" Colt asked Matt while they finished their coffee.

"I have a bus coming in from town to take the family and a few friends up there, and bring us back to the party afterwards." Matt chuckled, then added, "See, I know what I'm doin'!"

"You think so?" Mike retorted with a laugh.

Andrew smiled back at the papas, "You two always seem to amaze me with your planning."

"Thanks for what, I don't know?" Matt smiled back at him.

Colt just got up and looked back. "Well, I just know those two are great kids! And I am so pleased they want to stay here and be part of the company." Then he continued on his way to the ranch office to find Ben.

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Back on the mountain:

Looking around you could see the twins all decked out in some very nice western suits; what a handsome pair they were ... sexy, too! But it was getting time for James and me to make ourselves seen again; this seemed to be getting easier the more we did it; of course it could have been that the twins became our focal point. This seemed to make the transition much less of a problem for us.

James, JC, and I appeared out of the dark from behind the tree, becoming visible to everyone. Approaching Judge Franklin, I spoke, "Hi, Roy, do you mind if I take over this ceremony? I have something very special for tonight," I asked with a smile and a little evil grin.

"MY WORD, CHARLIE! It's good to see you, or your spirit anyway, and you, TOO, JAMES, AND JC! My word! This must be a special night." Roy looked quite shocked as did the rest of the folks. "Of course you can Charlie; I'll just be the live person here to sign all the papers later." He laughed jokingly at the spirits.

The twins were smiling from ear to ear at seeing their 'spirit' granddads.  They were hoping that they would be here for their special day. Reading their thoughts, I said, "We wouldn't have missed this day."

All of us walked to a place in front of the loving couples, and faced the friends and family gathered to witness this day.

"Hello, and I want to thank Roy for allowing me to conduct this ceremony for him. We have sent our thoughts to each of the loving people standing before us. To the twins, Luke and Mark, this is their special night. For Johnny, Grace, Julie, and Jo, this will be a shock, but, hopefully, a fond remembrance. I want to ask each of you if you are ready to commit to each other as Husband and Wife ... in your case, Johnny and Grace, I am willing to marry you here tonight if you are?"

Johnny took Grace in his arms and kissed her and said, "Honey, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife tonight and for always? I would love to have Charlie marry us."

Half-shocked at seeing the spirits, Grace gave a weak smile and said, "YES! I love you so."

"Julie, you and Jo, I know are a loving couple, and it's known by more than you think. Would you like me to conduct your commitment tonight with the boys?" I asked with a warm and loving smile.

Julie smiled and blushed as she turned toward Jo and asked, "Jo would you do me the honor of becoming my life partner here tonight?"

Jo just embraced Julie with a tight hug and said, "I thought you would never ask me, hon, and the answer is YES!"

I just listened to them and grinned with pride at the family and friends, all of whom were willing to let me do the honors. "We have brought with us rings for everyone. See, we have a way of knowing the future." I just smiled at them all. "I hope everyone can hear me, but I will proceed now that everyone is ready." I moved over in front of Johnny and Grace.  I handed each one a ring, and as they accepted it, their attire changed into formal Western-wear, just as the hats had appeared at the Christmas dinner.

Then I began, "Do you, Johnny, take Grace to be your wife, to love and cherish her until death do you part?"

Johnny took Grace's hand, saying in his own words, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, and when death parts us, for eternity." He then slipped the ring on her finger.

"Do you, Grace, take Johnny to be your husband, to love and cherish him until death do you part?"

Grace, still holding Johnny's hand, said, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, and, like you, when death parts us, for all of eternity." She then slipped the ring on his finger.

"My grandson and granddaughter, you honor James, JC, and me, with your undying love for each other. You make us proud of what you have become, and your parents should be as proud of you as we are. You are now and forever ... husband and wife."

Turning away from Johnny and Grace, I moved over in front of Julie and Jo, handing them each a band of gold, and as each accepted it, their attire also changed as it did with Johnny and Grace.  There were oohs and ahhs from everyone, as it happened again.  I then asked, "Do you take each other to be committed life partners?"

Julie took Jo's hand saying, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, until death do us part. I now commit to you." Then she slipped the band of gold onto her finger.

Holding Julie's hand, Jo said, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, until death do us part, and I now, also, commit to you." Then she slipped the band of gold onto Julie's finger.

"My dear and loyal friends, you have served our family well. James, JC, and I, admire you're undying love for each other. You make us proud of what you have decided to do here tonight, and I'm sure everyone here feels as we do, and are as happy for you as we are. You are now and forever life partners."

Then I turned away from Julie and Jo, and stepped over in front of the twins. On my way, James stopped me and whispered into my ear, "Hon, I have something special for you and the boys. Something I have kept secret from you for all these many years."

Then James reached into his pocket and pulled out two simple bands of gold, raised them to his lips and kissed them. He held them toward me and said, "Here, my love; you threw these away a long, long time ago. Do you remember? On the beach with JC? When you threw them into the sea? I could never just let them go. I just knew one day we would want them for someone else. So, you take the rings and give them to these two wonderful young men, our great-grandsons."

I reached out and took them with tears in my eyes, and hugged James, and kissed him in front of all present. "You kept these secret for all these many years, love?"

"Yes, love; will you forgive me for my little secret?" James asked with tears in his own eyes.

With teary eyes and a kiss I said, "No, I won't forgive you, for there is nothing to forgive. For everything there is a time and season, and this is the right time and place to bring them back. THANK YOU, MY LOVE!" Then, through teary eyes, he read aloud the inscriptions inside them. "To Charlie, with all my love, James," and the other, saying, "To James, with all my love, Charlie."

I looked at the twins and asked, "Mark will you and Luke accept these two rings in place of the ones you got for each other? They were so very special to James and me."

Mark looked at Luke and nodded 'yes', and waited for Luke.

"It would be wonderful, Mark; I would love to have our granddaddy's rings!"

Mark looked back at me and said, "Charlie, we would love to have them!"

I then placed one of the rings into each of my grandson's hands, and immediately their clothes were transformed slightly, as they were already in formal attire.

Mark took Luke's hand and said, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, even after death and throughout Eternity." Then he slipped the ring on Luke's finger.

Smiling at his brother, Luke, still holding Mark's hand, said, "I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life, and beyond, throughout Eternity." Then he slipped the ring on Mark's finger.

"My grandsons, you honor James, JC, and me with your undying love for each other, which is so evident to all who know you. You make us proud of what you have become, and your dads should be as proud of you as we are. You are now, and forever throughout Eternity ... life partners."

Then I stepped back a little and said, "You all may now kiss your partners."

Johnny and Grace hugged and kissed each other in a long slow and loving kiss.

Julie and Jo embraced and kissed each other in a subdued but wonderful peck on the lips.

Luke and Mark blushed as they locked lips for a long and passionate kiss, and were so handsome doing so in front of all their friends and family.

As the couples finished their kisses, everyone was stunned by what seemed to be a bright light high in the night sky. It appeared to have opened a tunnel into the heavens. Two stardust-filled figures slowly descended from the skies above. Unrecognizable to anyone physically present, they seemed to shimmer as they both stood in front of the three couples.

Those gathered were silenced in awe as the two figures moved from couple to couple, grasping the ring-hand of each. One by one, the rings themselves seemed to glow with a bright translucent light that was near-blinding.

I could see in my own mind's eye what they had done. They had removed the old inscriptions, replacing them with identical inscriptions except for the names -- those were the names of their respective partners. The inscriptions read like this, "To Mark, with all my love, Luke" on one line. Just below it, in almost shimmering colors, so small you could barely read it, it said, "Your union is blessed by angels". 

As soon as the two had held the last of the couples' rings, they began their ascent from whence they came. They had spoken not a single word during their brief appearance, but the impact spoke volumes and touched everyone.

With emotion choking my throat as the pair left, never to be seen again, I could only whisper ... "God bless you both ... now and for all Eternity.  Thank you ... Jason and Nicky."

The End... and the Finale!

Author's Note: I want to thank each and every reader who wrote me, and those who couldn't find the time. It started out as a simple story that mirrored my life to a certain degree. What started out with a planned ten-chaptered story turned into a novel of sorts. I found two wonderful editors along the way and they have been my jewels. How they could put up with me and my scribbles I'll never know, but they did and much of the credit goes to their magical fingers in repairing my scribbles so you the reader could understand my work.

Darryl was given Part IV. along with a few chapters here and there to write as he wished, and did a great job of it. Thank you for all your hard work and ideas.

Gerry also had a hand in this work and was my rock at times. Thank you for all your hard work, and ideas as well.

From the beginning it has been fun, and along the way the story helped me find my wonderful boys, Jason and Nicky. I will always miss them, it is so very strange how Jason's life and my own were mirrored, but they were. I will meet them again one day, when the time is right, if the good Lord is willing.

Tickie

Editor's Notes: First of all, I want to thank Tickie for writing this wonderful saga.  When I first found the story on Nifty, it was, as he said, not going to go on for very long, but as he and I discussed some ideas, we kept thinking of new and exciting things to incorporate into the story. There were several strange things that happened while we put out heads together. Not the least of which was naming Colt's first horse, Star. We both named him that without discussing it with each other, yet we both knew that his name was indeed Star.

This story touched a lot of lives, some, I am sure, that we will never know about. 

I personally know of one individual who has told me that having read "A Second Chance", and subsequently contacting me, most likely saved his life. He had been very depressed and was thinking of ending it all, but the story inspired him to such an extent that he wrote to me. This was while I was writing book four.

When I read his first letter, I knew somehow, that he needed to talk to someone, so I wrote back to him and gave him my number. Thank goodness he called me and we have been friends ever since. He is indeed a very special person and the world is a better place for having him in it, and this story is one of the reasons that he is still in it. Thank you again, Tickie.   

I am glad to have you as a friend, and I will be here for you if you ever need me.

I hope that you will find another story to share with us at some point. I know you have one in your mind somewhere.

Thanks again for letting us share this one, and we are all better off having read it.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher