Frowning, wondering if we were going down to the barn, I came to a stop as he opened his truck passenger door.
‘C’mon, Jessica,’ he urged, squeezing my ass as I climbed up.
‘Is this finally the big secret, huh?’ I asked as we set off. We got straight onto the highway, heading away from Jackson. He said nothing, just smiled, reaching out with his hand to hold mine.
I went with it. I’d long since learnt that all things came to those that waited with Jesse, and that it was always worth it.
So when we took a right off the highway, heading down a wide dirt road, I didn’t question it. Up ahead, nestled into a group of fir and birch trees, was a small, one-story ranch house: a miniature version of the Diamond Back.
‘That looks just like . . .’
‘The Diamond Back?’ he finished, grinning as he turned up the short drive, coming to a stop before the closed wooden gate. ‘Yeah, it was built by Lottie and Lil’s grandfather as a spot to come fishing and hunting here down in the valley. He loved the main ranch so much, he built a smaller version right here.’
I could see the river snaking through more trees; beyond it, the Tetons puncturing the fading sky.
We climbed out, Jesse taking my hand and leading me to the gate. It was beautiful, so peaceful and private. Just the sound of the river and the birds in the trees around us.
‘Do you like it?’ he asked, his voice soft, hesitant.
I exhaled.
‘It’s fucking gorgeous,’ I exclaimed, unable to take my eyes from any of it. It felt as though we’d landed in our own personal paradise.
‘Hestia,’ he said, taking both my hands and leaning on the gate, ‘I didn’t want to tell you about the rest of the money, in case it didn’t pull off. But . . . it did. Thanks to you, for what you did for me . . . and Mom.’
I searched his face, not following.
‘I already had some money put aside from my last bull riding season, when shit went really well, before Mom got sick. But this win . . . this pushed me over the line. Hestia, honey, this place – I’ve bought it from Lil’s mom.’
My mouth opened, unable to process it.
‘What? But – all of this?’
He nodded, smiling.
‘This house and a hundred acres, stretching down to the river,’ he said, reaching out to brush my cheek. ‘It’s ours, sweetheart. If you want to share it with me – hell, there’s plenty of room for Luci too. I don’t want anything else in this world. Just you and our own space, together.’
Tears rose up again as I blinked at him, almost unable to comprehend the size of the gesture he was offering. Generosity was like breathing to Jesse – I’d told him as much weeks ago as I’d thanked him for keeping Luci at the Diamond Back, for breaking her in for me.
‘In fact, Cole and I, we kinda agreed we’d both do something today,’ he added, holding my gaze with such an intensity that I felt my insides begin to melt. ‘I wanted to ask you, again, maybe in a more traditional way than I did in the hotel room.’ He released one of my hands and, as my brain moved into slow motion, he dropped down onto one knee.
I could barely breathe, but it was happiness – of a kind I’d only just come to recognize – that filled me up instead.
‘Hestia, whether it’s on an official piece of paper or not, I don’t fucking care. I just want you to be my everything, for ever, even if it’s just us that know. I love you more than I ever thought was possible, honey. Will you be my friend, my partner, the love of my life?’
I knew I was crying, but I couldn’t feel anything, see anything but him. Our future.
‘Yes,’ I whispered as he stood, pressing his lips into mine for a moment. Neither of us could speak, only hold onto each other. His thumb brushed away my tears before he bent down to kiss them away. ‘But – I think . . .’ I began, my throat thick with feeling, ‘if you want to, I – I want to marry you.’ I saw his eyes widen. ‘In a way that’s just about us – right here, if we can,’ I decided, looking up into the trees. The first stars were appearing above the eastern peaks in the distance. ‘Just us, and the same people up at the ranch right now.’
‘You want . . . to be my wife?’ he murmured, his voice cracking a little.
I nodded, holding his gaze as he stared, his disbelief turning to something else, tears forming in his eyes.
‘I know where all of the negative feelings have come from, about marriage. They have nothing to do with us, with what you are to me. I . . . I want everyone to know what we are to each other.’
There was a silence as he gathered himself, just the rush of a breeze through the trees.
‘You have no idea what that means to me,’ he murmured finally, searching my face.
