Page 28 of Unexpected Sweetheart

“Almost there,” Jessie says, excitement evident in her voice. As kids growing up on a ranch, none of this is gross for them. They have a great love of animals and learning how to work the land. We also have chickens now, and we grow our own maize to add to the feed. We’ve become quite the impressive operation. Thanks mostly to my husband’s brilliant mind and tenacious spirit. He had the know-how, and I just worked alongside him to achieve it.

We are a fantastic team, and as the financial troubles of the ranch became a blip in our rearview mirror, we worked together to find a way to grow and create a vision for the ranch that is a sustainable business for our children to take over one day — if that’s what they choose. Neither Ryan nor I would ever force our children into a life they didn’t want. We both wholeheartedly believe that each person’s path is their own, and children need to grow up and find their own way in this world. If their path leads back to the ranch when they’re older, like their daddy’s did, then I will feel very blessed indeed. But if they find joy doing something like, say, sitting on the Board of Directors for a global cleaning product company, then I’ll be very happy for them doing that too.

All of these options are available to them and more, especially since once the first grandchild came along, my father released his hold on my trust, deciding he wasn’t going to play puppet master in an attempt to force my hand anymore—especially since it didn’t work. I was perfectly happy building my own world with my soulmate. We were rich with love. However, having access to my money again was a game-changer for us.

By that time, Ryan and I were already in the black. We were fully functioning with employees and future planning. We were even honoring his father’s legacy by taking on some wayward teens as ranch hands each summer. Our operation was still small, but we were flourishing. Getting access to my trust meant we could scale up and take a couple of risks. We updated the machinery and buildings—putting my joy of interior design to good use—and turned this place into a tourist destination for eight months out of the year, and a fully-funded summer camp for troubled kids. Then there’s one month each year where we welcome the calves, and that’s a time for just our family and our full-time ranch workers to enjoy.

“It’s happening!” Jonah moves closer to the fence, his arms hanging over the top as the calf finishes its journey into the world. We all hold our breath as our new momma cow turns to meet her calf for the first time, instinctually caring for it by licking and nuzzling until the calf is clean and sitting up, taking in its new surroundings.

“It’s so cute!” Jessie sings.

“This never gets old,” I say, resting my head against Ryan’s shoulder. He presses a kiss against the top of my head.

“No. It doesn’t,” he says, releasing a contented sigh. “And it looks like we’ll have another heifer on our list for next year.” The little calf pushes to her feet and takes her first drink from her mother. It’s such a special moment. And it’s made even better by the fact I’m witnessing it with my family.

When I first came to this ranch, I thought I’d been forced through the gates of hell. But very quickly, Ryan became my guiding light, giving me direction when previously I’d had none. Together, we built a life, a home, and a family, and we did it all with love in our hearts. We also proved that we could both make our own choices, follow our own paths, and still bring honor to our families. I think that in the end, that’s a pretty special achievement.

“I love you so much, Ry,” I say, turning in his arms as he looks deep into my eyes, just as handsome as he was on that first day. “I know I say this a lot, but I feel so blessed with our life together.”

“I love you too, baby. And you can never say it enough. I love hearing it. And I love every moment that I have with you. I never expected to fall in love that day when you arrived on this ranch, dressed in head-to-toe pink and filled with attitude, but as we grew together, I couldn’t deny that under all those layers was my perfect match. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever known and the holder of my heart. I love you beyond words, Lorelei. Always, and forever.”

“You really know how to make a girl swoon,” I tease, leaning into him before he holds me tight and kisses me like we haven’t already done this a thousand times. Each moment with him is as special as the last, and even as our kids turn to look at us and exclaim a few ‘ewws’ at our display, the moment is still perfect. Because everyone and everything I hold dear is right here with me, on a ranch filled with love in a little town called Sweetheart, Colorado. The name says it all. If a person can’t find love here, then I don’t know where in the world it would be.