"Yay!" she says with a goofy cheer that has us all chuckling.
"Can't say I've ever heard someone so happy about havin' to hike up a mountain top to trim a tree,” I muse.
"And marvel at life, you forget that important snippet of information.” She beams at all of us and I can’t help but grin. Her happiness is so contagious its hard to dwell on the ‘will she/won't she’ debate going on in my head. It’s then I decide to just go with the flow today. Maybe spending time together and just being close will help put my body, mind, and soul at ease… at least for a little while, anyway. It might just be what the doctor–ormountain–ordered.
One can only hope, anyway.
By the timewe reach the summit after lunch, the weather has changed and the wind is starting to pick up.
Yet as always, the tall oak tree stands proud on the saddle between the mountain’s twin peaks, its branches reaching toward the sky. There are a few that need cutting back and one big branch has broken free and now lies on the ground next to the trunk. But that’s why we’re up here.
"She's a beauty," she says, her voice full of wonder. I turn to check what she's looking at, expecting her to be taking in the view from so high up. But she's talking about the tree, which just adds another piece to the Delilah Daniels puzzle. She doesn't need fancy things, doesn't even need pretty things, it seems. She's just one of those people that finds beauty in everything life has to give. An old Oak tree sitting on top of a mountain that's been there for decades, maybe more than fifty years, a tree that has seen and lived through so much more than we ever have, and that's still standing strong.That'swhat she's marveling at. And just like her reaction to the black sand beach she visited, she seems to be overwhelmed.
"I didn't believe you," she whispers.
"Wouldn’t tell ya this was a life-changin' experience without knowin’ I could back it up, Skippy. I don’t say anythin’ I don’t mean and I always mean what I say. " She rolls her eyes but there's no malice behind it. "But if you think our old tree is good, turn around and witness heaven on earth behind you.”
She slowly turns toward the edge of the mountain, taking in what I already know is a stunning view. Even that isn't a good enough description.Awe-inspiring. Life changing.
Spread out before us is the mountain range as well as the vast expanse of land included in our ranch and beyond. There's a thick covering of clouds today but it's no less stunning. You can still see all the snow-capped trees and cattle-speckled fields in their picture-perfect beauty. It's just like looking at a postcard.
Dee's hair whips around her face in the wind, but she doesn't seem to mind as her big brown eyes take everything in. Her reaction is everything I'd hoped for when I'd first thought of her coming up here.
Moving toward the edge, she sits down, right there in the snow without a care in the world. When she doesn't move or say anything, I decide work can wait. Time, life, and this moment can not.
"You were right," she says after a while, her voice barely audible over the howling wind but there's no missing the emotion there. "I didn't think I'd ever find another place that gave me so much peace. There’s a meadow back home that fills with wildflowers every spring. It’s so pretty and colorful, it’s like running through a rainbow.” She looks over her shoulder to where I'm standing, watching her watch the world go by. She turns back to the view again. "I thought that was my happy place but seein’ the world from up here, I’m startin’ to wonder if I was wrong.Thisis where everythin’ becomes clear, where everythin’ melts away and you can justbe.” I stare wide-eyed at her, not with surprise, but in awe.She gets it…
How can a podunk rancher like me who's happy to work the land, give back to the land, and spend the rest of his days on theside of this beautiful mountain get so lucky to have this woman not only come into my life, but also be my reward for doing nothing more than living the dream.
“It just proves that we're all just little specks like the cows down there. Seemingly inconsequential from this high up, but when we're on the ranch, it's bigger, more important because it's all we can see,” she says, sounding rather sage-like and fascinating me even more with her insight.Why can't she see that we're made for one another like I can?
"This, right here,"–she waves her hand in the air, "this makes everything else melt away. Nothing else matters when you get to sit here and watch God's country.”
I smile at her words. There's a sense of contentment in her voice, an inner peace that radiates from her. As if the mountain itself has reached out and touched her soul.
"I'm glad you feel that way," I reply, joining her on the ground. The cold seeps through my jeans, but I hardly notice, too captivated by the sight of her and the view before us. "This place has always been special to me. It's where I come when I need to clear my head or find some perspective."
Dee turns to face me, her eyes filled with curiosity. "And has it ever failed you?"
"Nope." What she doesn't realize is that I'm talking about far more than just the mountain and the view.
When I reach out and lace my fingers with hers, I don’t even think twice about doing it. Ignoring all the physical signs of the Call is a small price to pay to share this moment with her.
Because this isn't about me, it's about Dee and her connection to the land and the mountain. Maybe this is how the spirit does her work this time, showing my One that she’s right where she belongs. This might just be the way the spirit does her work.
And who am I to stop her if it means that someday soon, Dee will know that she's my One.
16
DEE
With almost everyone from the ranch leaving town for the Snowflake Christmas Festival tomorrow where they'll finally find out which town–and mountain–has won the first ever Holly Jolly Christmas Cup, we all decided to have a quiet night in. A few of us are staying behind to look after everything here and will join them in a few days.
Toby and Star worked so hard to get the town behind them and their decorations on Main Street have made the place look magical, almost like Santa’s lair. If ever there was a doubt that Spring Haven wasn't filled to the brim with the Christmas spirit, there is absolutely none now.
I already know I’m going to miss him. Then again, I've been missing him for a while. Even when he's here, if I'm not with him, I feel it deeply. The last time Toby left the ranch, two days I didn't see him felt like two weeks. It was the same kind of heaviness and forlornness that I felt in Montana for Thanksgiving too.
It was the same feeling as when you forget something but can’t remember what it is. You know something’s missing but you’re not sure what it is. I’ve put it down to just missing the ranch and the people here because I’d grown so attached to everyone. That’s almost like lying to myself though.
