I had never been this far north on the Navajo lands. With the Whitcomb trial essentially over, it was time to go meet Chayton's family. I missed my mother with a keen ache, as we sped closer to his home.

"Is your father still alive?" I realized I never heard him mention him.

He winced. "We lost him when I was six. Mom said he was from a clan to the east of us. He complained of a vicious headache like the ones plaguing him for a few months and collapsed at breakfast one morning. I was supposed to go with him to ride fences. I remember it was round up time, and I didn't have to go to school that day, and for the life of me, I can't remember why."

I reached over to squeeze his thigh in sympathy. "It's horrible when things like that happen. I'm sorry you had to see it."

"The last thing he said was love you, sweetheart. We were going to go out to get our horses. My sisters were already gone to school. The twins are almost twelve years older than me. Mom screamed then told me to call 911. She was doing CPR for a long time before the ambulance got there I don't think I'll ever measure up to his standards."

"Ha! Ask Ella what she thinks of you. I'll bet you're the best Tio she's ever had." I think I actually made Chayton blush.

"Just doing what's right. Children always deserve the best we can give them. Come to think of it, she's calling Malia Tia and you too. I guess we've made a family there. Never really thought about it."

"Madelene has become an older sister. We finished setting up our partnership agreement, and she's now a thirty percent share holder in our private company. Now we have to expand our house again. And in the way of our people you will become an official member of our Antelope clan when we marry."

"I hope I can be everything my father was for all of you." He pointed to the GPS. "We're almost there. It's been a long drive today. My sisters and their husbands live on the ranch at the very northern end. Their hooghans are side by side with the eight sided construction of the entry way facing east. It took us almost six months to build the central piece and now they have many rooms attached to them. You'll be impressed."

"I can't wait to see everything. I'm so glad we decided to bring Bingo and Star with us. Do we want to go full traditional?" I asked. I knew it was my responsibility to build the hooghan we would marry in, but many of us blurred the tradition.

"I don't think so. We both have properties and a life we built before we met. My sisters are both very deeply rooted in our ways. It was their choice build. Hania and Mato brought a gift of new breeding stock with them as a lobola. It was a very generous bride price."

He was right. The old ways of a bride price were symbolic in most cases now, and I knew he would gift me with a share of ownership in everything he built. I twisted in my seat to study him. He looked smug, and I had to think about the layout. It all flowed together so well; the actual geometry of the rooms didn't matter.

"Hmmm. It's kind of hidden, and it took me a while, but it's your kitchen. Clever the way the door to get to the grill is facing east."

"And the indoor-outdoor breakfast nook took some time to put together. A sliding door going down the middle of the table was a design challenge."

"But I love it. To be able to greet the sun so easily is a blessing."

"I'll let Mom know. She's the one who convinced me to go for it."

"I think I like your mother already!" I hoped she would become the mother I needed as well. Ophelia was my work mother, but someone who understands our culture and traditions would be a true blessing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I'm glad we turned our cell phones off, so to speak. At least we're ignoring anything in email or messages until we head back," Chayton said.

"Meixing did say she would call if anything dire popped from her research, and that is all we need to know. Our staff at the agency is great, and we can trust them to continue. I'm trying to quit the micro-managing bad habit."

"You're doing better from what I saw, but I was thinking. Have you registered your company name yet?"

I shook my head. "I was going to get Jane to deal with it. I love the name, but it doesn't ring right."

Chayton nodded. "Drop Agency. Seeking Hozho is enough. Those who don't understand the words will look it up."

The light bulb went on in my head. "Of course! Thank you."

We turned through a sturdy set of gates, which opened as we approached. I turned to look at Chayton, and he said, "We have a pressure sensor embedded in the roadway. It can be disabled if needed. It closes automatically in about ten seconds after we clear it."

"Why?"

"All of us dislike the rumble of a stock grid. And if startled animals stampede, they are a horrible hazard."

"Enough said. We have a few of them in the area around our ranch, but we use gates onto the federal land we leased for the same reason. Goats are generally able to avoid them by jumping but...." I let my voice trail off. I really didn't want to think about the awful results.

"Mom will be outside when we get to the house. We have a custom app which alerts when the gate opens. It's been too long since I've been home."

"Then I'll give you a moment with her before I get out."

Chay shook his head as we followed the road around a switchback curve climbing toward a tabletop mesa. "I'll come open your door. Mom taught me manners, and she knew her sons-in-law were the right men by how they treated Kai and Ama. I suspect they're here too. Prepare to be mobbed. I've never brought a woman home before, and failing to be a gentleman? Well, she would dismiss our relationship instantly."

Once again, his innate ability to show how much he cared blew me away. I couldn't wait to meet them all.

As we came into the wide graveled yard, I saw them. Children racing around chasing each other, the adults grouped together around a slight woman with a long silver streaked braid. She shaded her hand against the sun, and I heard her whistle right through the music and air conditioning thrum inside Chayton's Suburban.

My fiancé's chuckled and said, "Yes, she taught us all how to do that. I think my nieces and nephews all know how by now too."

Can ears wince? I swear mine did.

He was out of the car and around to open my door in what seemed like a split second and I felt like a movie star getting out of a limo at the Oscars. His introduction left no doubt about our relationship. He let out his own piercing whistle and announced, "Meet my future wife, Alyana Klah, daughter of the Antelope Clan."

His mother crossed the distance between us ahead of the rest of them. She moved with grace and strength which belied her age, and she simply enfolded me. "Welcome, my dear."

I knew I was home. No matter that Chayton would move to my clan, here I knew acceptance on a level which spoke to my soul. When she released me, my man led me through the introductions.

"Meet my mother, Aponi Adakai."

"Butterfly? What a gorgeous name."

"And she brings beauty and love with her wherever she lands," one of the men in the group said.

It was plain to me her family adored her, and I was right there with them.

By the time Chayton introduced them all, I knew my memory was overwhelmed. His sisters were equally as welcoming as their mother. But it was his oldest niece who stopped us in our tracks, when she asked, "Are we going to unload the horses. I know how long the drive is from his place to here."

Home was all I could think. How did I get this lucky?

Star took to Kaya and let her lead her to the barn across from the ranch house as Chayton and I followed with Bingo.

"What was I worried about?" It was a rhetorical question, but my love winked at me.

"Told you!"