I release McKenna and we smile at one another, tears of happiness streaming softly down our faces. Everything’s changing. But she’s still my person.
We pause at the back of my truck and I swing her suitcases into the bed, securing them with a tie-down.
“You are a sight for sore eyes,” she says. “You move like a rancher.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask.
“The way you just hefted two fifty-pound suitcases into that truck bed like they were featherlight. You’re a beast.”
“Um. Thank you?”
“It’s a compliment. Trust me.”
I walk over and lift McKenna’s hand again so I can really get a good look at the rock on her finger.
I stare at her ring, rotating her hand in mine. The diamond catches the light filtering in from outside, glittering in white, pink and bright yellow pinpricks with every movement.
“This is gorgeous,” I say, holding her hand up to her eyes as if she hasn’t seen her own ring.
“It really is.”
“So, tell me every little detail. How did he ask you?” I drop her hand and we walk to our sides of the truck and hop in.
I pull out of the garage and head toward I-40 East. McKenna fills me in on the whole story of Westley’s proposal.
“That’s so romantic,” I say when she finishes. “Straight out of a movie.”
“Well, he does come by his flourish for the cinematic touch honestly,” she says with a smile that softens her whole face.
“I love this for you.”
“Yeah. Me too. Who would have thought a random online stranger could end up becoming the love of my life.”
“Considering your life, it’s on brand.”
Our conversation flows from updates about our friends and ranch life to her time in LA. We talk about her social media plans for collaborations and deals she has in the works. An hour later, we’ve barely scratched the surface even though we talk three or four times a week when she’s away. Nothing beats being in person.
I pull up in front of Baker From Another Mother and we hop out of the truck. I didn’t tell McKenna, but all our friends made arrangements so they could be here when she arrived.
When we open the bakery door, she’s swarmed by Cass, Winona, Daisy, Syd and Emberleigh. Warm air and the scent of freshly baked pastries hit us at the same time the girls do. The chatter reaches a fevered pitch when McKenna raises her hand and announces her engagement.
“Did you know?” Winona asks me.
“Nope. She just told me at the airport.”
Everyone gushes and then McKenna says, “I’m starving. Who is going to feed me?”
“Coming right up!” Emberleigh says, ducking behind the counter.
Syd follows, and they emerge with warm savory scones and soup. We pull chairs up to one of the tables in the bakery and carry on eating and talking as if McKenna never left.
A few townspeople wander in and out, each one greeting McKenna. Every time someone approaches the table, she tucks her hand underneath it since her family doesn’t know about the engagement yet. If someone randomly caught wind of the news before McKenna reached the ranch to spill it herself, there’s no doubt it would spread before we even cleared our soup bowls.
“We’d better get McKenna home,” I say, wanting to linger, but knowing she’s had a long travel day already.
“Let’s get together this week,” Daisy says. “Book club at Moss and Maple?”
We all agree, and after we’ve cleared the table and given one another hugs, McKenna and I head through town, then out the road leading toward our ranches.
