Chapter Eight
That evening, Bobbi got home just after Wilber arrived. “Where were you all day?” he asked. “I was planning on taking you out for dinner, but I didn’t know where you’d disappeared to.”
Bobbi wasn’t sure if he sounded more annoyed or concerned. “I’m sorry. I should have let you know what my plans were. I went to the Kids’ Korral today to hold the twins, and then I kidnapped Vivian, and we had a picnic up on the trail.”
“I see. I wish you’d told me what you were going to do.”
“I’m really sorry. I would never deliberately frighten you.”
“Well, do you want to go for trivia night? I hear that the pastor and Bridget are teaming up with Kaya and Glen, and between them they know some serious trivia. I’d love to team up with Bob and Miranda.”
“Bob and Miranda? They’re only going to know cooking questions!”
He shrugged. “So what? At least we’ll have fun.”
She nodded. “Sure. Let me just change out of my picnic clothes.” She could see some grass stains on the knees of her jeans.
As she was leaving the room, he caught her arm, spinning her toward him. Pushing her up against the wall, he lowered his mouth to hers. “You’re beautiful just the way you are. Never change.”
Bobbi felt her face softening, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You make me feel like I’m a teenager sometimes, Wilber Weston.”
“You always make me feel like a teen.” He leaned down and nipped her neck before backing away. “Hurry, so we can go.”
She slipped into the bedroom to change quickly, her face heated from their embrace. He really did make her feel like a teenager very often. But then she’d look around and see her children and grandchildren, and she’d remember she was a middle-aged woman.
She changed into a pair of nice slacks and a silk blouse. It was a little dressy for the restaurant, but it would be fine. She loved to mingle with the guests on trivia night, finding out what activities they were still enjoying and which should be overhauled.
Wilber was leaning against the wall waiting for her when she came out. “You didn’t have to stand there waiting.”
“How else could I escort my beautiful bride to dinner?” He noticed she wasn’t wearing a necklace, and then his eyes landed on the one he’d given her a couple days before, still on the coffee table where he’d set it. Somehow she’d never opened it. He walked over and picked it up, bringing it to her. “Maybe this would go with your blouse?”
She took it, her heart beating faster. She couldn’t believe that in the confusion with her father’s letter that she’d forgotten to open his gift. She carefully opened the box, and gasped. There lay a necklace that she’d told him she wanted, but she never dreamed he would actually get her. It matched her blouse perfectly. She’d always loved pink diamonds, but she never let herself indulge. “Thank you! It’s perfect.” She held it up to her neck and turned around so he could fasten it for her.
“I always feel so clumsy trying to fasten these things. My hands are too big!”
“I appreciate you trying. If you can’t do it, I’m sure someone will do it at the restaurant.”
“I got it.” He fussed with it for a little longer, before finally fastening it.
“Thank you!” She turned to him and kissed him quickly. “How did you even know?”
“I saw you looking at it while we were in town a few weeks ago. It suits you. I was going to wait to give it to you at our anniversary party, but I thought it would be nicer if you could wear it there.”
She hadn’t yet decided if there was going to be an anniversary party, but he was obviously doing everything he could to make it happen. She could not fault his efforts. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
He slipped his arm around her waist and they walked across the grounds toward the ranch house. It was the same place where she’d stayed when she first arrived in Idaho, and where they’d raised their children. The decision to add a restaurant had been made when all four boys had moved out and across the street. Now there were a few guest rooms, a couple of rooms for the staff, a library, a living area, and the restaurant.
“Do you ever wish we’d kept this as our family home on the ranch?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I couldn’t have let just one of the kids live here, and there was no reason to even try. It makes a lot more sense that we’re using it for other things.”
She smiled. “I really thought you’d be more sentimental about it. You and your brothers were raised here, and we raised our children here.”
“We have some pretty incredible kids.”
“And beautiful grandchildren.”
He frowned at the mention of the grandchildren. He knew it was still her desire to be there and watch them grow that was keeping them apart. He’d have to figure out a compromise quickly. He wasn’t about to let her go. “Have you decided what you want to do about your father?”
“I’m going to ask the kids on Sunday, and leave the decision entirely up to them. They have the right to know their only living grandparent if they choose to.”
“So will you have them vote?”
She shrugged. “I guess so. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I just thought I’d tell them the situation and let them discuss it amongst themselves.” She waited as he opened the door to the restaurant for her before moving over to sit with Bob and Miranda. “Wilber is certain the four of us will be unstoppable.”
Miranda laughed. “Maybe if we added my mom, or my brother, or someone with some sort of knowledge of trivia…”
Bobbi grinned. “At least we’ll have fun, right?”
Miranda was right, and their team was absolutely horrible. They finished second to last, only barely beating out a group of twenty-somethings from Riston. After the first round was over, Bobbi stood. “I’m going to go mingle and talk to the guests. See what they’re liking this year, and what they think should be changed.”
“That’s not our job anymore,” Wilber told her, his voice low.
“I know, but it’s fun!” Bobbi walked to the next table and smiled at the group of women gathered there. “I’m Bobbi Weston. Do you mind if I sit down for a moment?”
Twenty minutes later, she was still sitting with them, listening to them gush about their favorite activities on the ranch. “Is there anything you’d like to see us add?”
Two of the women exchanged a look, and one of them finally nodded. “We were saying it would be really fun if you had different craft nights. Like Monday could be for quilting and everyone could take home a quilt block. Tuesday could be scrapbooking. And you need to sell special River’s End Ranch paper in the general store. That would be so fun! Then a night for crocheting and another for knitting or baking. Charge a little bit for each activity, and I know everyone would love it.”
Bobbi nodded, smiling. “That’s a wonderful suggestion. Don’t be surprised to see us doing it if you come back next year.” She stood and walked back over to her husband, knowing another round was about to start. She quickly passed on what the woman had said before the next question was asked.
At the end of the night, Bobbi was full of root beer and nachos, ready to head back to the cabin. As they walked, Wilber wrapped his arm around her waist. “Did you have fun?”
She nodded. “I had a fabulous time. We were awful, but it was fun. I can’t believe there was a whole section of Bible questions on the night Pastor Kevin was there. He said God was rewarding him for his faithful service, but I think he rigged it somehow.”
Wilber laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. It was just fun.”
“I guess.” Bobbi was highly competitive, and she hated to lose. At least she’d had fun getting to know Miranda and Bob better. “Are you judging amateur night tomorrow night?”
He shook his head. “No. I traded weeks with Wade. He said something about needing to be off next week. I don’t remember why.”
“You really should pay better attention when the kids talk to you.”
“I pay good enough attention. Wade never knew I was daydreaming about how beautiful my wife was while I was talking to him.”
Bobbi shook her head. “Are you trying to get yourself out of trouble?”
“I don’t know. Is it working?”
She laughed. “I’ve missed just hanging out with you. We’ve always seemed to have to be somewhere and doing something lately. Just spending time together has been at the bottom of our list.”
He stopped walking and turned to her. “I’m so sorry I’ve made you feel that way. Since the day I met you, you were the most important thing in my life. That hasn’t changed.”
“For me either.” She stepped closer to him and hugged him, losing herself in his embrace. It sounded like his feelings hadn’t changed at all…just how he demonstrated them. That should be good enough for her.
That night, after Wilber was asleep, she lay in bed thinking back to his proposal. She’d been on the ranch for just under a month when she’d realized she was ready. Bobbi sat with Wilber eating lunch in the diner on Saturday, and as they held hands, she leaned forward. “I think I’m ready for that question you’ve been wanting to ask me.”
Wilber’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. She was still enjoying their relationship, but things were getting more heated between them, and because she didn’t believe they should go any further than kissing until they married, she knew it was time that they move to the next step. “I’m sure.”
“May I come and get you after the diner closes, then?”
She nodded, her heart in her throat. He was going to ask her that night. He’d had a few weeks to plan how he’d ask, so she was excited to see what he did. “Should I change first?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. I love you just the way you are.”
She grinned. “I’ll remind you that you said that when I’m old and gray.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll never forget.”
He was there with his pickup truck when the diner closed that afternoon. Leaning down to kiss Kelsey’s cheek, she said, “I’m going to spend the evening with Wilber. Don’t hold dinner for me.”
Kelsey smiled. “Have a nice time.”
She hurried out to the truck and slid into the passenger side, wishing he could kiss her, but knowing his mother was watching. He drove out of the parking lot and off the ranch, surprising her. “I figured you’d ask me here at the ranch.”
“You gave me lots of time to plan the perfect proposal. Now you’re going to get it.” He drove down the highway, and up into the mountains.
On the other side of the mountain from the little valley where the ranch was, she saw a huge lake. “Oh, that lake is beautiful!”
He kept driving, surprising her. “Where exactly are you taking me?” she finally asked.
“Not telling.”
She pouted, leaning back in her seat, but still he drove on. He finally stopped on the side of the highway, putting his truck into park. “Will you go for a walk with me, Bobbi?”
She nodded, unsure of what was so special about this place, but she slipped out of her side of the truck. He plucked a picnic basket from the bed of the truck, and took her hand in his.
He walked down a steep bank, and she saw a creek cutting through the land, which was covered with wildflowers. There were more than she’d ever seen, there for the picking. “Oh, this place is beautiful!”
He nodded. “I scoped it out last week, hoping you were getting close to being ready.” He led her down to a quiet area beside the creek and spread the picnic blanket he’d tucked under one arm out.
He carefully set out the food he’d brought, which looked like a small feast to her. There was fried chicken, potato salad, and root beer. And at the bottom of the basket, she saw a couple of brownies. It was the same thing he’d packed for their first picnic. “Everything looks delicious.”
“It will be. I promise.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. “I made sure everything was perfect for tonight.”
“I can’t imagine it being better than this,” she told him. As they ate, he talked about what he wanted from the future. Plans for the ranch and plans for a family together.
When they’d finished eating all but the brownies, he took her hand in his. “The day you walked onto the ranch, my entire world changed. Never have I loved something or someone more than I loved the ranch I was raised on. Until you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were meant for me. I knew you were the woman I was supposed to grow old with, to love forever. There’s nothing in this world that would make me as happy as you agreeing to be my wife.” He moved until he was kneeling in front of her. “Bobbi, would you do me the great honor of being the mother of my children and the woman who sleeps beside me every night?”
Bobbi swiped at the tears streaming down her face. “I would be delighted.”
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Oh no!”
“What?” What could possibly be wrong with him at that moment?
“I did it wrong. I forgot to have the ring in my hand.”
She laughed softly. “No, Wilber. You did it just right. The ring doesn’t matter. It’s the man who’s proposing that I want to spend my life with. Not an engagement ring.”
“Well, I still have to give it to you.” He pulled away from her and dug into his pocket, pulling out the ring he’d purchased shortly after she’d arrived. He opened the box and held it out for her to see. “May I put it on your finger?”
Bobbi stared at the ring in surprise. “I expected a diamond.”
He smiled. “It is a diamond. It’s a pink diamond. It seemed to suit you better than a clear one.”
“I love it. It really does suit me.”
He slipped it onto her finger, and then brought her hand to his lips. “This ring is a symbol of my love for you. I hope you’ll wear it for the rest of your life.”
“I can’t imagine ever taking it off. I love you so much, Wilber!”
He kissed her, his hands going to her back and stroking her. “When?”
“When what?”
“When are you going to marry me? Have you spent your whole life dreaming about a big wedding? Or can we run away to marry tomorrow. There’s no waiting period in Idaho…”
She laughed. “I suppose tomorrow works for me. Will your mother be hugely disappointed if we don’t have a big wedding?” She couldn’t imagine making him wait for the wedding. He’d already had to wait before she’d let him propose.
“No, she won’t mind at all.” He stood up, and pulled her to her feet, holding her close. “I can’t believe I’m going to wake up and see your face on the pillow beside mine for the rest of my life.”
“You don’t snore, do you?” she asked, her brow wrinkled.
He shrugged. “No idea. Maybe? Would you hate it if I did?”
“If it’s part of you, how could I hate it?”
“I like that answer.” He kissed her softly. “And after our kids are grown and running the ranch themselves, we need to take off in an RV and see the country. There are so many states I’ve never seen. So many things I’ve never done. Promise me we’ll do those things together.”
“I promise!”
Wilber let out a loud snore, bringing Bobbi back from her memories. She’d meant what she said all that time ago…but lately, she’d been different. It hadn’t been him that had changed. It had been her. Her dreams had changed, but his had stayed steadfast, which was a good word to describe her Wilber.
She propped her head up on her fist and watched her husband sleep. He made her smile. He made her so happy. She couldn’t begin to imagine life without him. As soon as he woke up, she was going to tell him that she’d been wrong. She would travel with him just as much as he wanted. And they would have their vow renewal right there on the ranch as they’d been planning.
She grinned as she thought of the way Dani had gotten angry with her and stood up to her about the lavender Chinese lanterns. Of course, they hadn’t been for Dani. She knew her daughter better than that. Bobbi, however, loved the color lavender, and she couldn’t wait to have the lanterns decorating the area around the gazebo where she planned to dance until dawn with the man she loved. The man she’d always love.
Wilber stirred, to find Bobbi watching him sleep. He turned toward her with a smile. “What?”
“I was just thinking about how much I love you, and about the promises we made each other when I agreed to marry you. I said that I’d travel the country in an RV with you, and that’s what I’ll do. Seeing the grandbabies on holidays and during visits here will just have to be enough for me.”
He shook his head. “No, it won’t. I have a better idea.”
She raised an eyebrow. “If it means me seeing the grandbabies more, I’m all for it.”
“Why don’t we spend every other month here, and every other month on the road. You can see your grandbabies grow up, and we can both see the country as we’ve always wanted to do.”
“But that’s not what you want!”
“Of course it’s what I want! I love those grandbabies too, but more importantly, I love you. This is a way we can both be happy.”
She squealed, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his face all over. “I love that idea! Are you sure it’s okay with you?”
“I’m positive. Now can we get back to planning our vow renewal? Maybe it’s time to tell the kids what all the improvements have been for? Partially to test them, of course, but mostly so we could have our vow renewal right here on the ranch. You haven’t canceled anything, have you?”
Bobbi shook her head. “Of course not. I wouldn’t have without discussing it with you first.”
“Good. Then on Sunday, we’ll tell them about your father wanting to get to know them and about our vow renewal. Bad news with good news? Though I’m not quite sure your father wanting to meet them is bad news.”
“I’m really not sure either. I think it’s up to them to make of it what they want. I’ve decided that even if the kids don’t want to see him, I do. I want to talk to him. It’s been so long, and he’s never been anything but kind to me. I have to stop hating him for what happened all those years ago. He’s done his time. It’s time for me to learn to forgive.”
Wilber stroked her cheek. “Are you sure? No one is going to fault you if you can’t forgive him. It’s a pretty big thing to forgive someone for.”
“I’m sure. I’ve been thinking about it constantly since I got his letter. That and us. We decided long ago that we were meant to be together. Or the fairies did, anyway.”
He laughed. “I don’t believe in the fairies any more than you do, but if they make Jaclyn happy, who am I to complain? She’s been so kind to us and to our children. I’m sure she’ll someday be matching our grandchildren.”
“Do you think so? She’s not immortal, you know.”
“I’m not so sure! She and Mom were the same age, but Mom always looked older. I think the fairies have given her the gift of everlasting life.”
“I think you’ve lost your mind!”
“I lost my mind over you a very long time ago. I hope I never find it again.” He pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her and holding her against him. He was keeping her. Nothing was going to come between them again.