Not ever.
A hush fell over the crowd of people present when Rose got to her feet and rang a dinner bell. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”
No!
Oh my gosh, this was it!
Wynter jumped to her feet from where she’d been visiting with Grams. The blood drained from her face. She hadn’t told Rose when to get everyone’s attention.
In an ungraceful flurry of movement, Wynter charged through the tables toward Marcus while Rose was thanking everyone for coming.
Marcus’s smile faltered as she approached, and confusion filled his eyes. He stood up from where he was sitting and kept his eyes locked on hers. Finally, she stood in front of him. Quiet took over the place as Rose directed everyone to hear what Wynter had to say.
It was now or never. She couldn’t let one more second pass without telling Marcus exactly how she felt.
Wynter started to lower to one knee, but Marcus caught her hands and tugged her gently back up with a crooked smile. “Oh no you don’t.”
A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd. Marcus squeezed her fingers. “If anyone’s asking a question today, it’s me.”
Heart pounding, Wynter swallowed and still spoke the words she’d carried for months. “Okay, but I’m still going to say what I’ve been wanting to say to you. Marcus, you are my light. My rock in the storm. You ground me when I’m scared and ready to bolt. We couldn’t be more different, and that’s what makes us perfect. I need you to know I’m in this for the long haul.” She turned her palm and revealed the simple silver band she’d brought. “I wanted to give you this—so you’d never doubt where my heart stands.”
Emotion flashed across his face. Marcus dropped to one knee, framed by flowers and twinkle lights, and looked up at her like she was the only person in the world. He pulled out the ringhe’d once offered months ago, the one he’d carried in his wallet ever since that day, and held it between them. “Wynter Delaney, I love you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she breathed, laughing and crying all at once. “Yes!”
He slid the ring onto her finger. She slipped the silver band onto his in return, and the moment he rose, he kissed her—hard and passionately.
Whoops and hollers erupted around them, followed by cheers and shouts of congratulations to the newly engaged couple.
When he broke the kiss and pulled her to her feet, their friends and family came up to congratulate them. They spent the next half hour receiving hugs and handshakes from everybody.
After they were finally alone, Rose cleared her throat next to them. “Now that you two are done being the center of attention, I want to introduce you to River.”
Wynter looked at the woman standing next to Rose and frowned. It was the pretty, dark-haired lady who’d been visiting with Rose when Wynter had arrived.
The woman held out her hand. “Hey. I’m River.”
“Wynter.”
River smiled. “Yeah, I gathered that.” Then she turned to Marcus. “Heard all about you, too. Some kind of romantic, huh?”
“Something like that.” Marcus chuckled. “Wynter said you’re a mechanic?”
River nodded. “When you’re raised by a man whose only wish was to have a son, you sorta don’t get a choice in the activities you’re offered as a kid.”
“Oh, I wasn’t asking because I was surprised. I was actually wondering if you could come by and check out a mower I’ve been trying to start.” Marcus avoided looking directly at Wynter. Probably because she’d insisted he get rid of it, but he wanted to fix it up. It had belonged to her grandfather, and there wasnothing Marcus liked more than keeping his memory alive. She thought that was sweet of him.
River and Marcus got into a conversation about the mower, and Rose grabbed Wynter to pull her aside.
“See? She’s amazing, right?”
Wynter glanced over at River. “She’s… interesting. But I thought…”
“That she was a guy? Yeah, when we got her application, we thought so, too. But then she showed up and proved her stuff. She needed a place to stay. That was the draw for the job. And she fits right in. Couldn’t be more perfect. Especially since Dad didn’t want any guys on the property.”
“Wait, what about Emerson?”
“Emerson is like a son. He’s been around forever.” Rose didn’t expand beyond that and Wynter had a sense that there was more to that story, but Rose wasn’t willing to share. “Anyway, River is perfect for the job. We’re happy. But most importantly, Dad’s happy because he doesn’t have to worry about a guy who might develop an interest in one of his girls.”
