Emily and Byron went up to their suite in the farm house. The ceremony had been intense, and they needed a bit of time to recover and be alone for a half hour before the reception began. Meanwhile, the guests could wander around the farm or hang out in the barn, which was decorated for the reception with flowers and fairy lights.The suite they were in had a simple but lovely décor. There were paintings of horses on the walls, and the furniture was old-fashioned and functional. It felt like a restful country retreat."We pulled it off," Byron said, putting his hands around her waist like he couldn't wait for their first dance… or their wedding night. "I hope you were happy with how it all went, minus the Carter incident?"Emily placed her hands on his shoulders and returned his admiring look. Gazing up at him, she could hardly believe they were married. "I'm glad we managed without a martial arts demonstration. Some other time, sure, but not at our wedding. You don't think Carter ru

This was Emily's first time ever visiting Fiji. It was evening when they got off the plane, and she couldn't see the landscape, but the air embraced her with its balmy warmth and brought the smell of fragrant flowers. Arriving at the five-star hotel, they were greeted by a friendly and polite young woman who offered them a free basket of fresh fruit."Wow! Thank you!" Emily said. She could smell the intriguing scents of the fruit, some of which she had never heard of before.Another hotel employee took them up to the room and showed them the state-of-the-art entertainment system. Here, there was another complimentary snack platter and an assortment of drinks. And on top of the bedspread they found a small platter filled with gourmet chocolates."It's pretty standard for a five-star hotel to provide gifts," Byron said, looking amused at her effusive thanks when they were left alone in the suite."That doesn't mean we shouldn't say thank you and be happy about it," Emily remarked.

The next few days felt like the honeymoon period really began. They enjoyed everything the island offered, from swimming in the ocean to sipping cocktails on the beach. They finally did go on the birdwatching tour as well as snorkelling and hiking.Still, Emily felt something was nagging at her. She couldn't forget that poor flea-ridden dog she had seen that first day. "I was thinking," she said as they rested in hammocks in the pleasantly cool courtyard of the hotel, "Maybe we should see that dog again. I wonder how he's doing…""I thought you might say that," Byron replied."And we don't have any outings planned for tomorrow.""I thought we were going to relax and enjoy the beach," Byron said, "but if you want to see a smelly, mangy dog, that's even better.""Byron!" she cried reprovingly."I'm kidding," he said, "I kind of want to see the dog too. I hope he's feeling okay."They returned to the shelter to find a young woman named Anya in charge of the dogs. She seemed like

The next summer, Byron's half-brother Mateo came to Vancouver to take a summer course at one of the local prestigious cooking schools. Of course, Emily was pretty sure the real reason was to see Katie.The two had really hit it off last year, and Emily knew from Katie that they had kept in touch ever since. She also knew that Katie still thought of Mateo only as a friend, but secretly she hoped Katie would change her mind. Mateo was such a kind, talented and funny young man that Emily thought he would be good for Katie and would never break her heart.They hadn't grown up together, but Byron thought of him as a brother, and he was always proud of his accomplishments. Mateo had his own online cooking show that was getting a bit of traction.To celebrate the reunion, they decided to have dinner at Susie and Angie's animal shelter. Byron and Emily had been spending a lot of time there helping to fell trees and clearing some space for an orchard. It would be an extra way for Susie and A

Byron and Emily insisted that Mateo should stay with them during his recovery so that they could assist him with anything he needed. For the first two weeks, he was not supposed to move his leg at all to let he bones heal.Pretty soon, Mateo was walking with crutches. After the initial recovery, the doctors recommended putting more weight on the leg to prevent the muscles from atrophying. Byron hired the best physio therapist in the city help Mateo to regain muscle strength. Instead of taking the culinary course he had come to Vancouver to do, Mateo was learning to walk again, which may have been a harsh disappointment to anyone else, but he looked at it with a cheerful attitude.Emily wasn't sure how Katie and Mateo were going to deal with their upcoming separation as he had to leave for California to help his family run the farm and eventually resume his schooling there in the fall. To mark the last day before Mateo's departure, Emily and Byron took Mateo and Katie out to a res