Bernard Newell had read over the contract at least three times, but he hadn’t yet made a comment. Wendell was growing edgy. He needed information—he wanted a solution.
At last, Bernard set the paper on Wendell’s desk. “It’s ironclad,” he said. “Unless there’s some sort of illegal activity involved with the purchase of these properties, you are obligated to uphold your end.”
Wendell sighed. “The land was purchased with cash, and everything was done through the proper channels.”
“Then as much as you dislike Mr. Wells, you’ll have to stomach him just long enough to fulfill this contract.”
Wendell stood up and walked over to the window. He’d wondered what Miss Chapel had seen when she looked out, but now he realized, it gave him a chance to think, a little mental space. “What did he mean when he said that he’d do what he had to do, and that his feelings for Ariadne wouldn’t stop him? Isn’t that nearly a confession of hiring Wade to vandalize the tea shop?”
“You could see it that way, but without any evidence—”
“I know, I know,” Wendell interrupted with a sigh. “I had the same conversation with KC this morning. Wade’s so-called message, Mr. Wells’ so-called confession—all of it is coincidental and wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. And of course Wade’s so-called lawyer has completely vanished, and now so has Wade. So much conjecture, so little fact.”
“If I were you, I’d concentrate on what you do know, and move forward with that. You know that you’re not beholden to Mr. Wells for anything besides the fulfillment of this contract, and that will be simple. You also know that without evidence of his guilt, there’s no reason for him to try to harass you. If he was the one who sent Wade, it was an attempt to intimidate you, and he’s not foolish enough to try that again. In fact, I’m rather surprised that he tried it in the first place. It seems like a juvenile tactic to me.”
“Me too, but I didn’t want to seem rude by saying so.”
The two men chuckled, then Bernard came to his feet. “Hold the course, Wendell. Business as usual, let KC do his job, and this will all come out in the end.”
“I hope so,” Wendell replied. “I certainly hope so.” And in the meantime, he was going to let Royce Clark know that someone had an eye on the Circle C.
***
Perhaps he was rushing things. Perhaps he would scare her away. Perhaps a million different things would go wrong, but the fact was, Wendell knew he couldn’t wait another minute. Coming so close to losing Ariadne two days before had driven him nearly to distraction, and he needed one thing about his future to be resolved—one very important thing, the most important thing of all.
Ariadne rode beside him in the buggy, a blindfold loosely tied around her eyes. “Where are you taking me?” she asked with a laugh.
“I can’t possibly tell you. It would ruin the whole point of the blindfold.”
He turned the buggy to cross over the bridge that spanned the narrow creek, and she said, “I think I know where we are.”
“Then you should forget that you know. This is meant to be a surprise.”
“All right,” she said comfortably. “I’ll just settle in here and wait. I’m trying to be patient. Yes, that’s the truth—this is me being patient. So, so patient.”
He chuckled, loving how she never let him get away with anything.
After a few more minutes, he brought the buggy to a halt, came around, helped her down, and then removed the blindfold from her eyes. He had brought her to an empty lot that was forested on three sides with the road on the fourth side, and the creek ran through the southwest corner. The grasses and bushes were so green, it was if they had all been painted that way.
The best part, though, were the thousands of butterflies that had made this acreage their home.
Ariadne gasped. “American Ladies! And monarchs! And look—there’s a black swallowtail!”
“You’ve been reading the books I brought you,” Wendell said, pleased.
“Regina wouldn’t let me up for more than five minutes at a time yesterday, so I got some studying in. This is a beautiful place, Wendell. What’s it for?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few sheets of paper. “For this,” he said, handing it to her. He bit his lip, incredibly nervous. She could laugh—she could mock him. She could rip out his heart and stomp it into the dirt at her feet.
She unfolded the pages and began to read them aloud. He hadn’t expected her to do that, and he nearly asked her to stop, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t disturb the already delicate balance of this moment.
“‘In a quiet little glade in the center of the woods stood a little cabin made of the smoothest wood imaginable,’” she said. “‘The men who made the house worked long hours until it was just right because they knew it had a special purpose. This house was meant to be filled with love. Every wall, every floorboard, every roof shingle had to be perfect. No ordinary house would do.’”
She glanced up at him, and he nodded for her to keep reading.
“‘It wasn’t a fancy house or an expensive house, but everything inside it was made to go together. The saucers and the plates matched, and when they were set on the table, the patterns lined up just right.’” Her eyes flew to his and she smiled, but she continued. “‘There were crisp sheets and new towels, everything as it should be to welcome home its new owners. All that was missing from this perfect house was the bride.’”
She lowered the page, tears shining in her eyes.
“You said I should try my hand at writing a children’s story,” Wendell said. “I thought the first one could be one that we’d share with our children about how our family came to be. That is, if you’ll have me, Ariadne.”
She threw her arms around his neck so quickly, it nearly choked him. Then she seemed to realize what she was doing and loosened her grip. “Yes!” she said into his shirtfront. “Oh, yes. Please. Marry me.”
He held her close for a moment, then eased her back just enough that he could cup her face in his hands. “You make me so happy,” he told her, loving the way her eyes sparkled and her cheeks pinked. Then he kissed her, long and sweet, as the butterflies danced around them in the growing dusk. So much remained uncertain about the future, but this he knew—he was the most blessed man on earth with this woman in his arms.