“Know of anyone in Copper Ridge that could use a roommate?”
Epilogue - Ten Months Later
Grayson
“Foot in the stirrup, just like we practiced, baby.”
With her left hand on the saddle horn, Holly places her left foot in the stirrup. I hold my breath, expecting her to jump once and swing her leg across Maple’s back, but she freezes and her head comes to rest alongside Maple’s neck. “Ahhh … I don’t think I can do it.”
We’ve spent most of the winter and early spring getting Holly used to being around horses. She’s become close enough with Maple that Maple can sense Holly’s approach. She runs to the gate and awaits her daily sugar cube and stands perfectly still while Holly brushes her coat. Except for the occasional turn to nuzzle her, that is.
We’ve practiced climbing into the saddle when Maple is tied up in the barn, and Holly was a natural at it. She’d ride in the saddle while I walked Maple around the farm, and then I’d let go of the reins and Maple would continueat my pace with Holly on her back. She’s graduated to walking Maple in circles around the driveway, which is why I feel myself chuckling right now, watching her panic at the thought of doing something she’s done a hundred times before. “We’ve been over this, baby, you’vedonethis. It’s no different now than when we’re in the barn.”
Holly scoffs. “It’s different because once I climb on, she will start walking, and then she might run, and then what happens? What if we’re on a hill, away from the farm?”
I shrug. “Then we will be on a hill, away from the farm. I’ll be right by your side, and if for some reason she runs, which she won’t, just hold on for the ride.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It might just be that easy, sweetheart.”
She looks once more at Maple, tucking her bottom lip in between her teeth. “Why can’t we take the side-by-side out there again?”
I chuckle at that, climbing off my horse and quickly looping his reins through one of the wooden posts outside the barn. Holly’s lips purse in an attempt to hide her smile as I stalk over to her, and when I’m within arm’s reach, she lays her head against Maple, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulder. “I’m nervous.”
“I know you are, baby, but that’s okay. Maple won’t hurt you.”
“And I won’t hurt her?”
“She’s used to carrying around my fat ass, so no, sweetheart, you won’t hurt her.”
Holly exhales roughly, looking up and through the back of the barn, out the doors that have been propped open to let in the summer breeze.
Through the back doors, there’s a clear view of the bluff she pointed out one morning months ago while we sipped coffee on my back deck. She asked if that was part of our property, and I promised her some day we’d take the horses out there so she could see it.
It’s a few hours ride by horse, and the path is so old and ragged, I don’t think the side-by-side would make it through.
“I really want to see it.”
“And I really want to see you up there, sweetheart.”
I want to see Holly cross off the last of her goals. This year has been a year of change for her, for both of us really, and a year of growth.
After the night at the gala, Holly really did quit her job at the hospital. We went back to her place and she packed a bag with the intention of an extended stay in Copper Ridge with me. Her first week turned into a second, and then a third. By week four, we both agreed that she should just move in with me, so we made the trip to the city topack up the rest of her belongings and she handed in her apartment keys.
We drove over to Doc Williams’s house and Holly offered to buy the clinic from him. The look of relief on his face had both of us swiping at our eyes, and after three months of heavy remodels, she was able to host a grand re-opening at the start of the new year.
Slowly but surely, word got around that Holly was a hell of a doctor, and she’s been working her ass off to see patients, some that hadn’t been to the doctor in years. She convinced Piper to come work for her, and even Harper fills in for the office when they need some extra help.
She’s even found time to spend with Lukas, and little by little, I’m starting to see my baby brother come back to life. He’s almost eleven months sober, with a beautiful baby girl, Ivy, that was born with the trademark Hart family eyes.
I want to take Holly to the bluff more than anything, because when we’re up there, I’ll be able to show her the area of the farm that’s been sitting unused for decades. I want to lay out my ideas, the ones my dad actually agreed to, and tell her how over the next few years, we’re going to build fences surrounding the land that’s near the river, so we can expand the amount of cattle we have. We hired Theo’s friend, Dean, from the fire department this year,and we’re looking at having another part-time support during the haying season. Having them around means I haven’t had to work late into the night or weekends, and I could spend my time with Holly.
And now, my great-grandma’s wedding ring is burning a hole in my pocket, and I want nothing more than to see it on Holly’s finger. It isn’t anything like the engagement ring she had on the day we first met, but it’s a ring that holds meaning in my family. The center stone had fallen out years ago, so I had it replaced with a similar one, one that matches the smaller diamonds that adorn each side.
After I bring Holly to the bluff, and she gets to see the view she’s been asking about for nearly a year, I’ll drop to one knee and beg her to spend the rest of her life with me. If all goes as planned, she’ll make the trek back down as the future Mrs. Grayson Hart.
“Whatcha thinking about over there, big guy?”
