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“I’m pregnant!” Chelsea exclaimed.
Heath didn’t know who to hug first, but since Ruby immediately descended on Chelsea, that left his brother. As they embraced, Heath was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy, while he was also struck by the feeling that their mom and sister should be here for this. It brought a bittersweet edge to an otherwise perfect moment. “I amsohappy for you guys,” Heath said.
Chelsea smiled and touched her belly. “It’s still early. I’m about three months along.”
“A winter baby. How exciting,” Ruby said.
“We’re really happy. Now we just need to get our house going. As you know, we haven’t had any luck pinning down our contractor on a start date, and the lease on the loft is just about up. We need to figure out a plan,” Nolan said.
“We donotwant to move in with my parents. I love them, but no,” Chelsea added. “And of course, my real worry is that we won’t have a place to be settled in when the baby comes.”
That gave Heath an idea, but he was going to need to speak to Ruby about it first. “Well, congratulations. It’s really amazing.”
“We should probably head down to the stables,” Ruby said. “We don’t want the guests arriving before us.”
“Good point,” Heath said.
The four of them piled into Heath’s truck and rode down one of the access roads that bisected the ranch until they were at the far end of the property. Heath wasn’t sure he’d ever tire of seeing the riding center now that it was complete. There was the welcome center, complete with classrooms, offices for staff and other administrative purposes. The stable was state-of-the-art with full climate control for the horses and easy access for loading in feed. Beyond that were three corrals—one open-air, one covered and another that was fully enclosed so that the center could be used year-round. Heath had spared no expense in making his sister’s dream come to life. He hoped it would be standing for a very long time.
Ruby was so full of pride for Heath’s accomplishment when they arrived at the riding center that she felt like her heart might burst. It was such an honor to be part of this momentous day.
“It’s so beautiful,” Chelsea said when they got out of the truck.
“My brother did a fantastic job,” Nolan said, clapping Heath on the back.
“Webothdid a fantastic job. It was a joint effort. As it should have been.”
Off in the distance, Ruby saw a car turn onto the main access road for the riding center. “It looks like the first of the guests are here.”
“That’s Ryan and Morgan in that first car. I can’t wait to love on my niece,” Chelsea said as Nolan and Heath walked toward the main corral.
Ruby hadn’t even known that Morgan was pregnant when she first met her, but she was. Morgan had given birth to a little girl named Cora about two weeks ago. Ruby had only seen her a few times, but she had the most adorable head of bright red hair, just like her mama. “There’s Alexa and Jackson,” Ruby said, referring to Alexa Lattimore and her husband, Jackson Strom. “Hold on a minute. Is that a baby bump I see?”
Chelsea elbowed Ruby. “Yes. Morgan told me Alexa is pregnant. It’s a bit surprising. She doesn’t seem like the mommy type, but apparently they’re very happy.”
“That’s so great,” Ruby said. “Looks like we’re about to have a real crowd.” She pointed at the growing line of cars pulling up the drive to the parking lot. “I’d better go talk to Heath about his speech.”
Ruby found Heath and Nolan down in the spot where they planned to do the dedication, in a lovely grassy spot. Right next to it was the main corral, which was occupied solely by Lucky. Heath thought she should be there to represent Ashley. The brothers were both stroking Lucky’s head.
“Everyone will be here any minute.”
Heath looked past her. “Looks to me like we’ve already got a capacity crowd. It’s Grandins and Lattimores for days. Even Daniel Grandin flew in from Paris.”
That alone was full evidence of just how much things had changed in the last seven months. When she’d met Heath, those names were like poison in his mouth. Now he talked about them like friends, and there was zero controversy in bringing up the topic. It was such a welcome relief. “Are you nervous?”
Heath was wringing his hands. “A little. Like I said earlier, I want to get past this part. So we can get on with our life.” He pulled Ruby closer and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being here today. I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
“It’s my absolute pleasure. And just so you know, I think your speech is going to be fantastic.” Ruby strode over to the arriving guests, waving them closer and directing them where to stand. Heath had been adamant about no chairs, since he wanted this to be very short and sweet. After ten minutes or so, it seemed as though everyone was ready. Ruby gave Heath the go-ahead with a nod of her head.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming today as we mark the opening of the Ashley Thurston Therapeutic Riding Center. My brother, Nolan, and I are so happy that you could join us for this important day. As many of you know, this was a dream of our sister’s, and it means a lot to be able to bring it to fruition, for the enjoyment of the entire Royal community. It would not have been possible without the generous donations of both the Grandin and Lattimore families. I want to give special thanks to Vic Grandin, who called in many favors with his friends in construction. Vic made our impossibly tight deadline possible.” Everyone in the crowd clapped, no one as much as Heath did. He and Vic had actually become friends, which was its own miracle. “So I hope everyone will enjoy a quick tour of the facilities and then join us up at the house for lunch.”
Another round of applause followed the end of Heath’s speech, and then everyone descended upon him and Nolan. Ruby hung back, letting Heath have his moment in the sun, and just enjoying watching him as he gave tours and talked about bringing Ashley’s vision to life. It was so endearing to see the time and attention he gave to everyone he interacted with. One thing no one could accuse Heath Thurston of was being ungenerous.
After an hour or so, everyone drove up to the house, where they all had a lovely lunch of what Ruby had learned was Ashley’s favorite midday meal, a chicken Caesar salad with warm yeast rolls and iced tea, followed by his mother’s favorite dessert, lemon icebox pie. It all went off without a hitch, exactly as Ruby had planned it. Bellies full and hearts bursting with the loveliness of the day, one by one the guests all said goodbye. Nolan and Chelsea were the last to leave.
“Goodbye, Nolan,” Heath said. “We did good today.”
“You did good, brother. And I couldn’t be any more proud.”
