Chapter 8

James

Giving Lia time wasn’t my preferred plan, but I still required that we be in the same bed every night, so I couldn’t complain too much. The truth was, when I wasn’t with her, I ached for her. So living together was clearly the only option.

Soon.

Red Hill Ranch had a colt born a short time before I started seeing Lia, but their other pregnant mare was ready to give birth. So, I decided to come over and surprise Lia with dinner, knowing she would be too frazzled and exhausted to make it herself. More than likely, she would simply forget to eat. I’d picked up on that habit quickly and made sure to be on top of it.

I plugged in the crock pot—okay, so I didn’t cook dinner per say, Cookie did. But I was still making her dinner. Sort of.

I cleared paper and her laptop from the kitchen table and took them to her office. As I set them on the desk, I noticed an envelope with the words FINAL NOTICE stamped in bright red ink. Before I could second guess my snooping, I snatched the letter from the envelope and read it over.

Son of a bitch.

Red Hill Ranch was on the brink of foreclosure. I immediately knew this wasn’t Lia’s doing, which meant she had inherited the drowning property. I was shocked that Nick would let it get that bad, but then I remembered the last year of his illness. It had often fogged his mind as well as ravaging his body.

I couldn’t understand why hadn’t Lia accepted any of my offers. After tucking the letter back in and putting it away, I returned to the kitchen, lost in thought. The back of the house had several large picture windows. They framed the beauty of the ranch like a moving photo.

It was an amazing piece of land, every bit as incredible as my own. When the answer hit me, I felt like the world’s biggest idiot. What would I do if I was in her situation? Every fucking thing I could think of to save my ranch. Before I’d gotten to know her, I hadn’t understood that her roots were as ingrained in Red Hill as mine were in Locke Creek.

An idea started forming, and it quickly gained steam as I thought it through. I was going to marry Ophelia and what’s mine is hers. Our lands would be merged anyway, so it made sense for me to go ahead and pay off the mortgage. Over the years, not only had I built the ranch into a success, I had invested wisely. My offers to Lia had been for a cash sale, one that would barely dent my savings.

I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and went back to the office. I called the attorney I’d been working with and told him to stop sending offers to buy and that instead, I wanted him to get with the bank and make sure the mortgage was completely paid. He sputtered and argued until I barked that it was my money and that if he didn’t do as I asked, I’d pay someone else to do it. He shut up real fast and mumbled about getting it done.

Satisfied, I hung up and went back to finish making dinner. Lia stumbled in a little after eight and I practically force fed her some of the chili I’d brought over. Clarabelle had given birth to a healthy little filly and as I suspected, Lia was ready to drop. I ended up carrying her to bed before cleaning everything up and then joining her.

***

“Are those engagement rings?” Rose’s screech nearly burst my ear drums when she saw what was on the screen of my computer. She started jumping up and down and flapping her wings like a bird.

“I knew it!” she continued loudly. “I knew you would end up marrying her! Yes!” she fist pumped the air in exclamation.

A wide grin split my face, I wasn’t bothered by it because she was basically expressing how I felt on the inside. I just happened to be more reserved about it. Also, Lia was in the kitchen with Cookie.

“Button it up, Poppy,” I warned. “She’ll hear you, and I want it to be a surprise.”

Rose made a motion like she was zipping her lips then continued to jump around silently. She looked so ridiculous I couldn’t help laughing.

I seemed to be doing an awful lot of smiling and laughing lately. All because I had the best two girls on the planet.

After giving me a high-five, Rose bopped out of my office and I returned to my search for the perfect ring. Lia’s “slow” time was up in a couple of days and I was going to press fast forward with a proposal.

I was ready to dive into the future with her and it began to play like a movie in my mind. Lia in a white dress, out on our land, walking toward me with love shining in her eyes. Rose bouncing right behind her in a bridesmaid dress.

The image of Lia with a rounded belly, carrying a baby we made out of love. Teaching our children how to ride and fall in love with the land.

Nights spent in the throes of passion, some making sweet love, and some, just finding peace from being together.

I’d never been a patient man and I was ready for our story to truly begin. But first, I needed a damn ring. I scrolled to the next page and sucked in a quick breath.

It was perfect for the love of my life.