A flirty grin curved her lips. “I had to come back. I’ve got a thing for sexy ranchers with cute dogs.”
“Hear that, Hank? She’s staying with us!” With a whoop, he gathered Colette in his arms. Her laughter floated on the warmbreeze. The dog merely lifted his head from where he had been snoozing in the grass and flapped his tail.
Marshall lifted her up and she clung to him. Their lips came together for a kiss, promising a love without end, and a bright future they had yet to behold.
EPILOGUE
It had been a strange morning, waking up slowly without Marshall by her side. He left early with a group of cowboys to drive the cattle to a far-off grazing pasture. The ranch strove to lessen its environmental impact by keeping cattle in certain fields on a rotating schedule, so as not to exhaust the ecosystem. The time alone gave her a moment to organize her thoughts, have a quiet morning watching the sunrise with her cup of coffee on the front porch. It was different without Marshall sauntering off with a quick slap to her butt and a kiss on her cheek, but she still loved it.
Every morning at Rosebud Ranch was a gift waiting to be unwrapped.
Getting up from her chair, she began her morning ritual of strolling to the flower patch to see what new blooms had appeared. Running her fingers through the delicate blue petals, she sighed at their fragile strength. Somehow, they survived the unpredictable weather in the foothills, storms, and hail. They stood strong, offering their delicate beauty for her eyes to feast on. Sometimes, Colette sat out with her flowers, watching them move in the breeze and picturing what it would be like to buildthat house Marshall dreamed about. After three months of living on the ranch, there was nowhere else she’d rather be.
To her surprise, she had gotten used to the quiet, the dirt, the dust, and the constant presence of massive animals that she didn’t find so frightening these days. She could stare at a field of cows grazing and feel at peace. Marshall had trained them to come for their feeds, and now, she knew how to call them as well. Which would come in handy if they ever escaped again.
Fingers crossed they wouldn’t.
One time, trying to contain a herd of cattle was enough for a lifetime.
Tipping the mug of hot coffee into her mouth, she savored the hit of caffeine, the fuel that would help her get through the day. Hank announced his presence with a soft pant behind her and his tail slapping against the flower stems. Colette patted the soft, brown, wavy fur on his head, and he licked her fingers. Perhaps he had decided to abandon Marshall in his endeavors and enjoy a slow day with her instead. It was very much on brand for the lazy dog.
“You working with me today?” Colette asked.
The dog happily panted, his brown eyes glued to her.
“Let’s go, Hank,” she said, strolling back toward the house.
Colette had come far in the last few months, restoring the ranch’s finances, helping find new creative streams of income, and new buyers to make the ranch more self-sustainable. They had negotiated a supply deal with the local meadery to have hives of bees living on the land, enjoying the flowers they were growing.
Occasionally, friends came to cut bouquets from her flower patch, or June purchased some extra flowers when she had big orders and needed more stock. After dealing with the aftermath of the Jarrett King case—his fraud and murder charges—itseemed as though everyone was recovering at their own pace. The ranch was still in mourning and healing would take time.
Edith had moved to her sister’s, leaving an empty house on the property that they might make available to the next supervisor, who was still to be determined. Marshall was taking his time, making sure everything ran smoothly again before making any more big moves. It was extra work, but Chip and Lachlan had stepped up and taken on more responsibility. They were strong candidates for Jack’s position when the time was right.
Evan spent many hours helping out on the ranch as well, when he wasn’t working on Lost Creek Ranch. In the time she had spent on the ranch, Evan had become a dear friend, and she wished him the same happiness she had found with Marshall. If only the handsome cowboy would settle down.
She was confident that someone would convince the angel to come down to earth one day. Colette chuckled. It would take someone pretty special to convince Evan Thomson to give up his bachelor lifestyle. He was enjoying himself way too much.
Her shoes echoed on the wooden steps as she made her way to her office in the main house. The guest house was gone, a pile of ash and dark debris still remaining after most of it had been cleared. Grass and wildflowers took over the area once it was abandoned by humans. They might rebuild one day, if the need arose. With a few little touches, she created a dream office for herself in the main house, including overstuffed chairs in a corner next to the bookcase where she had carved out a space for her own books. It would do until they could design the house of their dreams one day.
The large kitchen was filled with the scents of Betsy making the day’s meals. Colette liked to help in the kitchen some days, especially when Betsy was baking cookies. There was no greater pleasure than stuffing a freshly baked cookie in Marshall’smouth and watching him melt. But for now, she was going to work on these quarterly statements and finish preparing contracts for a small grocery store chain in the city that would be buying their beef directly.
After staring out the window for what seemed like ages, Colette decided to call it a day. Marshall had returned, exhausted, hungry, and if she was honest, a little bit grumpy. While he went upstairs to shower and change, Colette decided to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and maybe bring her favorite horse, Mocha, for a little trot. Not that she had the courage to hop on the animal by herself, but she had been slowly learning to care for the animal. Like how to saddle and brush her and give her snacks. Mocha seemed to connect with her right away, and Colette loved her calm and gentle demeanor. Marshall was teaching her to ride, and maybe if he was in a better mood after some food, she could convince him to take her for a little outing.
She walked the short distance to the stables, her anxiety no longer triggered by the horses reaching out for a pat on the nose or a sniff. Or in Vinny’s case, a lick. That, she needed more time to get used to. Consent didn’t exist in Vinny’s world, apparently. Mocha snorted when she approached, her hooves kicking eagerly at the pen door.
A grin stretched over Colette’s face, unbidden.
She loved her horse so much.
Reaching a hand to pat Mocha’s nose, the horse pushed into her hand, eager for attention.
Someone cleared their throat behind her.
Colette turned to see Evan, clutching his dusty brown cowboy hat.
“Hey, Evan, what’s up?” she asked.
“I didn’t want to bother Marshall, seeing that he’s had a long day, but I’m hoping to take some of the ranch hands to the rodeo in Brantford. I have some guys from our ranch coming and your guys here would like to come too. Do you think that would be okay? They finished most of their night chores and someone would just have to check on the horses later tonight.”
