The frozen ground was unforgiving as the backhoe dug into the dirt.

“Are you sure this is the best time of year to be doing this?” Bowie asked as he wrapped his arms around her stomach. Katie felt the ripple of her child’s swift kick move all the way to her back.

They stood with Bishop in the middle of the old park and watched the construction crew break ground. Katie wanted to pass her good fortune forward. Rather than use her trust fund to build a house or buy things she didn’t need, she put a chunk of the money to community improvements like Hope Park.

She turned to her husband and looked into his eyes. Eyes the color of a spring sky. “It has to be now. I want the children of Aspen Cove to have a place to play this summer.” She walked to his right and pointed. “That’s where the new baseball diamond is going.” She turned and pointed behind them. “They’re putting a jungle gym and swing sets over there.” She pivoted to the left. “Right there will be a pavilion where the town can hold events like picnics or a concert.”

“How much money is in this trust of yours?”

Because the money never mattered to her, she never brought it up until now. She had remembered the scripture recited at Bea’s funeral that said something about money being used to do good. That people should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share what they have. Money in a trust didn’t help anyone, but this park would.

“We’re rich.”

“How rich?” he asked her.

“We won’t make the world’s top ten, but we’re okay.”

“You want to spend your money on a park?”

She leaned in to him and breathed in his scent. “I want to invest in people. I want to pay the gifts given to me forward.”

“You don’t want a better house? A nicer car?” He looked to her wedding ring. “A bigger diamond?”

Though the diamond was small, the gesture was huge. She knew Bowie had spent every dime he had on this ring, and she’d wear it to her grave.

“I’m the richest woman in the world, and it has nothing to do with money.”

She rubbed at the ache in her lower back. She was certain it was the cold January day that caused the persistent discomfort.

“Let’s go home, and I’ll make you your favorite tea.”

“Home sounds good.”

It was no longer the apartment above the bakery. Ben had taken that over and given them the lake house as a wedding gift. Most of Katie’s favorite moments happened there. It was the place they created the new life inside her.

She had so many favorites with Bowie, but the day they stood on the end of the dock and said, “I do” topped her list. It was the same place where she threw an empty hook into the water and somehow caught the man of her dreams. Doc put on another hat that day and officiated over their vows.

Since then, she’d marked off hundreds of items from her bucket list, from roller skating to making love under the stars. In her twenty-ninth year, she’d lived a lifetime.

They walked together to the truck, and Bowie lifted her into the seat. Bishop curled up on the floorboard by her feet. He barely fit. The poor dog was convinced he was still a puppy.

When Bowie climbed in, he turned up the heat. “Let’s get you defrosted.” He leaned over to help with her seat belt and stopped. “Duchess?” His eyes went to the space between her legs. “You’re melting.”

Katie looked down just as a gush of warm water released. Bishop leaped from the floor onto the seat.

“Uh oh.”

Bowie grinned. “It’s time.”

Doctor Holland expected the baby to come around week thirty-seven, but they were turning the corner on week thirty-eight. All was right in the world except the incredible pain that gripped her middle.

Bowie immediately went into military mode. He was trained for high-stress situations, which was a good thing because Katie wasn’t prepared at all. In that second, she felt completely unprepared to be a mother.

“Oh my God, what if I suck as a parent?”

She gripped the door handle and panted through the next contraction.

“You’ll be an amazing mother. You already have the cookie-making down pat.” Bowie dialed Sage and Cannon and told them to meet him outside for the handoff. Cannon would get Katie’s suitcase, and Sage would take the dog.

Next he called Sophia and Tate and told them to get the jet ready. Their grandchild was coming. Much to Sophia’s disappointment, they didn’t know the sex. The baby was a gift, and it didn’t matter if it were a boy or a girl. It’s not like they could send it back.

The final call, which should have been the first call, was to Dr. Holland, who promised everything would be ready when they arrived.

When they got to Copper Creek General Hospital, Dr. Holland was waiting with a wheelchair.

“How are you doing there, Mom?” he asked Katie. Then he turned to Bowie. “What about you, Dad? Ready to meet your baby?”

Bowie relayed pertinent information while Katie puffed through another contraction. Four hours that seemed like a lifetime later, her parents rushed into the delivery room. They stood by her head while Bowie coached her through the last phases of labor. Because she was a high-risk pregnancy, at least a half dozen specialists were standing nearby. Katie was grateful for their presence but confident she wouldn’t need them. She had Bowie, she had her parents, and she had the strongest, most loving heart in the world.

When Dr. Holland told her to push, she felt an extra surge of strength. Ten minutes later, Sahara Brandelyn Bishop was born. When she grew old enough to understand, Bowie and Katie would tell her about all the people who made it possible for her to exist. How dreams can come true and how the only currency worth collecting is love.

She looked down at her daughter, who had eyes like her father and a scream loud enough to wake the dead, and she smiled. In her mind, she checked off another item from her bucket list.

As she took a deep breath, she felt warmth flood her chest. Call her crazy, but she knew Brandy was with them. Looking down on them with love. She was certain her gift would beat for years to come.

Katie reflected on the last few months. She was certain of so many things when she arrived in Aspen Cove, but she’d been taught many lessons along her journey.

Hope didn’t come in a pink envelope. It was visible in the eyes of the man who loved her and in the heartbeat of the child in her arms.

Prince Charming may ride a Harley, but he also drove a truck and drove her crazy.

Secrets were never best left unspoken. The truth set her free.

There was a final thing she’d learned, maybe the most important since her arrival. Being independent didn’t mean being alone. It meant surrounding herself with people who cared, people who valued her opinion, and who celebrated her successes along with her failures.

Bowie looked down at his wife and child. She saw the tears in his eyes. Tears of joy.

“Your bucket list is empty,” he said. “What’s next?”

While Tate and Sophia counted Sahara’s fingers and toes, Katie giggled. “How about a boy?”