“Moving?” Julia blurts out, voicing the surprise I’m feeling. “Where?”
“Not far,” he smiles. “Just into Ella’s house temporarily. We’re going to build our own place on Wolf Creek Ranch. Once finished, Caleb, if you choose to stay, Ella’s house will become yours.”
I exchange a confused look with Caleb. This isn’t what any of us expected.
Jake holds up the paper for everyone to see. “This is confirmation that my application has been approved. The ranch and the surrounding area, including the waterfall, have been donated to the province for a Provincial Park.”
Sergeant Miller steps forward, clearly intrigued. “That’s quite a development. What does this mean exactly?”
“It means,” Jake says, his voice growing stronger, “that we’re establishing the Thomas Wolf Historical Museum. The site willbe preserved for educational purposes, allowing visitors to learn about Thomas’s life, his principles, and his legacy.”
The implications hit me all at once. “And as a provincial park—”
“The land cannot be developed or expropriated by anyone,” Jake confirms, meeting my eyes with a knowing look. “Those mineral deposits that NTM has been so desperate to get their hands on? They’ll stay right where they are, protected by provincial law.”
The room erupts in exclamations of surprise and approval. I feel a surge of admiration for Jake’s clever solution—he’s found a way to honor Thomas Wolf’s wishes while simultaneously ensuring that the Hawthorne family, NTM, or anyone else, for that matter, can never exploit the land.
“It’s perfect,” I say, loud enough for Jake to hear over the commotion. “Thomas would be proud.”
Jake’s face creases in a smile. “I think so too. It’s what he would have wanted—protecting the land while sharing its story.”
Ella steps forward, taking Jake’s hand. “We’ve been planning this for weeks, ever since Richard showed us the full extent of Thomas’s journals. The application was expedited thanks to some friends in the historical preservation department.”
“So even if we hadn’t found the gold today,” Caleb observes, “NTM’s plans would have been blocked.”
“That’s right,” Jake nods. “Though finding the gold and documents certainly helps validate the historical significance. And speaking of those documents—” he turns to SergeantMiller, “—we want them to be part of the museum’s permanent collection, once your investigation is complete.”
The sergeant nods thoughtfully. “I think that can be arranged. They’re evidence of historical crimes, but also important cultural artifacts.”
“One other thing. About the museum. I’m going to need a curator to run it.” He looks around the crowd until his eyes fall on one man. “Richard, you’re the only person who never gave up on Thomas’s legacy. Would you do it?”
I look over and see tears rimming Richard’s eyes. Unable to speak, he nods at Jake.
As the conversation continues around me, I lean into Caleb’s side, overwhelmed by the day’s events. From terror to joy to this unexpected resolution—it feels like we’ve lived a lifetime in just a few hours.
“Are you okay?” Caleb murmurs, his arm tightening around my waist.
“Better than okay,” I whisper back. “Just processing everything.”
Julia appears suddenly at my side, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looks between Caleb and me. “You two look different,” she says bluntly. “What happened while I was helping the RCMP catalog evidence?”
I feel a blush warming my cheeks, but before I can respond, Caleb speaks up.
“I asked Lana to marry me,” he said. “She said yes.”
Julia’s squeal of delight cuts through the room like a siren, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. “They’re engaged!”she announces to the entire gathering, throwing her arms around both of us.
And just like that, the serious discussion about historical preservation transforms into an impromptu engagement celebration. Kori is crying and hugging me, Jake is slapping Caleb on the back, and even the RCMP officers are offering congratulations.
In the midst of the commotion, I catch Richard watching us with a wistful smile. I disentangle myself from Kori’s embrace and make my way over to him.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly. “With everything that’s happened with Margret...”
He sighs, looking older. “It will take time. But seeing Thomas’s vision finally come to fruition after all these years—that helps, and I tend to believe that is what she truly wanted. Time will tell.”
“You made it happen,” I tell him earnestly. “And now, as curator for the museum, you can share his legacy with the world. Without your dedication to preserving his story, none of this would have been possible.”
“Perhaps,” he acknowledges with a small smile. “Though I think Thomas would say it was always meant to be this way—that the right people would find each other at the right time.”
