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Blake reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. The dim light from the chapel porch and Ridge’s headlights sparkled off the single diamond.
Angel continued playing, but Everly’s world stopped turning in that single second.
“Everly, I’ve loved you for years. I loved you quietly at first, but now I can’t wait another second without telling you that you’re my future. My love, my life, my heart—it’s all yours if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”
Everly sucked in a shaky breath as her vision blurred. “Yes. I love you.”
She released Angel and wrapped her arms around Blake, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. She had countless friends, a loving family, a new dog, and soon, she would have a husband and a home.
Blake brushed a hand over her hair and whispered, “Now, I have everything.”
BONUS EPILOGUE
Ridge
Ridge pulled his baseball cap over his eyes and leaned back in the truck seat. He’d agreed to chauffeur Everly around the ranch tonight, but watching his friend and his sister’s lovey-dovey make-out session was where he drew the line.
Good for them. Those two deserved all that happily ever after stuff.
Ridge, on the other hand, didn’t.
If he wanted to be left alone, he was about to get it. The house he bought from David was ridiculously big. Not that he needed it. He’d bought it on principle. Well, that and he wanted to mess with David. The jerk needed a kick in the pants.
He crossed his arms over his chest. Things were happening exactly as they were supposed to happen. Everly dumped her ex, and Blake manned up and told her how he felt. Now it was Ridge’s turn. Only, his future wasn’t some epic love story.
He couldn’t fix the mistakes he’d made, but he could do his best going forward. Why was that so hard?
His phone dinged and he pulled it from his pocket. He lifted his cap just enough to see the score. The Red Sox were up by five against the Cubs. Everly suggested he cut off the notifications, but he wasn’t ready to go cold turkey. Sports were in his blood.
What did it matter? His blood was sinking into the hard Wyoming ground these days, not the gridiron.
The phone in his hand rang, and he answered it. “Hello.”
“I found your woman,” Ava said.
“I wasn’t aware I was in need of a woman.”
Ava huffed. “You know what I mean. If you’re going to have kids here, you need a woman who can help out with the little girls.”
Ava’s argument for a female assistant manager made sense. Ridge was still having nightmares from the examples Ava had given. Everything from potty accidents to little girls who had bad home lives.
Yeah, he’d thought teaching kids how to work the land would be a little easier, but it didn’t matter. He’d never backed down from a challenge. Working at the ranch had given him something to look forward to when his career fell apart.
“Right. What happened to Patricia Russell?” Ridge asked.
Ava chuckled. “I told you she spat tobacco on my office floor, right?”
“Sounds like my kind of woman.”
“She told me she doesn’t like kids. That’s kind of a deal-breaker for this position.”
“Fair enough. What makes this woman so special?”
Papers rustled on Ava’s end of the call. “She managed a grocery store for five years, and she’s willing to relocate for the position. I was thinking we could put her up at the Kellerman Hotel for a while, and she could move into one of the new wrangler cabins when they’re finished.”
Ridge fidgeted in his seat. “You sure about this?”
“I have a phone interview with her tomorrow morning.”
