“Let’s talk about your birthday present,” Rebecca said excitedly. “We’re taking you to Corpus Christ for some shopping.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she insisted, feeling guilty.
“We want to do it. How does next weekend sound? Rachel knows a spa where we can spend the day on Friday, have dinner, and then go shopping on Saturday,” Rebecca gushed. “Amy volunteered to watch Tara. Before you ask, she’ll come here.”
“I’ll talk to her this Saturday when we help her out at the farm stand,” Riley said, picking at the delicious food. Garrett ordered all her favorites, and she got a glimpse of the birthday cake as she walked past. The memory flashed in her mind.
Garrett wrestled the TV remote from her hands. “Nope, I’m not watching another episode of cake decorating. There’s nothing better than chocolate. Who cares how it’s decorated?” he exclaimed and rolled his eyes.
“Chocolate?” she gagged. “There are so many other flavors to try. Every year we taste a different one. If we didn’t have much money, I’d buy Tara a cupcake and put a candle in it. In years when I saved enough money, I’d bake a cake. If I found a library, I researched different cake flavors and came up with a different one.”
“Why? Don’t you have a favorite?” he asked.
“No. My mom said life has a ton of flavors and until you’vetried them all, you can’t say with absolute certainty it’s your favorite.”
“Your mom seemed like a very wise woman,” he teased. ‘What will you try this year?”
“I’ve always wanted to try a hummingbird cake,” she confessed. “I found the recipe online, and I’m saving it for a special birthday.”
The one on the table resembled the picture she saved all this time, making her heart skip a beat. He remembered every little detail, but he didn’t believe in her.
Two hours later, Riley said goodbye to the last of her guests, and they shooed her out of the building, not letting her help with the cleanup. Annabelle waved her over, and she went over to the clinic to have the cast removed. Annabelle X-rayed them, checked the images, and then sent them to the radiologist. When she received confirmation Riley’s bones healed, she cut off the cast. “Don’t lift right away or engage in any other vigorous activities,” Annabelle advised. “I printed out more instructions, and because I’ve heard of your avoidance of doctors, I included a list of exercises to do twice a day to help regain your strength,” Annabelle said, giving her a stern glance. “If you run into any problems, feel free to drop by my cabin. My fiancé, Ragu, returned home. His team will spin up any day, and this will keep me from worrying about him.”
“Will he be gone long?” she asked.
“We never know. But every day seems longer when you can’t talk to them or see them to know they’re all right,” Annabelle murmured. “I’m hoping this mission won’t take long. We’re planning our wedding soon.”
“Congratulations,” Riley said before rising and testing out her arm. “Thanks for taking the cast off. It does feel lighter.”
“Remember, no strenuous activity. I know you’re helping around the ranch but be very choosy about what you do for the next few weeks.”
“I will,” she promised before leaving. Her mind drifted to Garrett. She wondered why he made her birthday special after she made it clear she needed space. Riley admitted to herself she enjoyed the company and the food, but she missed Garrett. She sighed as she took the steps up her porch carefully, when someone moved from the shadows.
She nearly screamed until she recognized his huge form.
“You scared me half to death,” she admonished, digging for her key.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. Brutus has acted ornery the last few days, and I thought I might’ve missed you,” Garrett explained as he came onto the porch and took the paperwork from her hands as she opened the door.
Riley allowed him inside, and he set the paperwork on the coffee table.
“How does it feel without the cast?” he asked, scanning the room.
“It’s fine. What’s wrong with Brutus? Did you change his diet? Has he hurt himself? It can be a sign of pain somewhere,” she suggested thoughtfully.
“I’ve kept him at the other barn, and I think he misses Storm. They’ve grown attached over the last few weeks,” he said quietly. “Did you have a nice birthday?”
“Yes, I did. Why did you set everything up? I don’t understand you. You say, I played some game with you to earn free gifts and money, and then you help throw me a party, but you didn’t even attend,” she said, gazing at him.
“I didn’t want to ruin your day,” he explained.
“Then why are you here?” she said before she managed to stop herself.
Garrett stepped forward and seemed to struggle with himself as he dug inside his jacket pocket. “I saw this in town and bought it before I opened my big mouth,” he said, holding out a white box tied with a purple bow.
Slowly taking it from him, she carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box to see a silver bracelet with turquoise designed delicately together like two ribbons twisting together. It was the most beautiful thing anyone ever gave her.
“It matches my mom’s necklace,” she murmured, realizing why he bought it.
