Page 1 of Wilde Flame

Caden

“I don’t understand why you brought me here, Caden.”

I pulled the blanket out of the back of my truck and walked toward her. The basket was hidden behind the carving tree. Four generations of the Wildes had their names or initials carved on that tree. My mother and father had gotten married in this exact spot, and in my mind, it was the perfect place to ask Rachel to marry me.

I’d asked her once before, but she’d said we were too young. She wanted to wait until we were out of our twenties. So, I’d waited. And while waiting, I’d begun building a house on the ranch for us. The ranch that I loved to the very core of my being. Any time I tried to talk to Rachel about it, she would simply tell me to make the decisions and that she trusted me.

I worked my ass off alongside my family to make our ranch a success, and I was damn proud of it all. Now, it was time to think about settling down and starting a family of my own. With kids who’d grow up on this ranch, just as I did. To me, it was the best place on Earth.

“Why do you dislike surprises so much?” I asked.

Instead of answering, she said, “I thought we were going out to dinner tonight in Granby with our friends. You told me to dress up for it, and now you want me to sit on a blanket on the ground?”

“Rach, please?”

She sighed heavily, then sat down, her legs bent to the side as she smoothed her skirt over her knees.

Rachel and I had been dating since high school, and although we were polar opposites, we’d managed to stay together through college and most of our twenties. I knew her better than I knew anyone else.

“Keep your eyes closed for just a couple of minutes.”

Once she closed her eyes, I went and grabbed the basket. I took out the flowers and put them on the blanket. The peach cobbler I’d made myself was placed right in the middle. Peach cobbler was Rachel’s favorite dessert, so I’d taken my time wanting to make sure it was perfect. I also took out her favorite sandwiches from a little café in Granby, where she always liked to go. They’d even offered to deliver them to the ranch when they learned what I was doing.

The last thing was the champagne. I took it out and arranged it next to two flutes.

I felt for the ring in my pocket, then took it out and opened the box. I had been saving up for this ring for the last few years. It matched a ring she’d said she loved but had been way out of my price range. I’d gone back to the jewelers, who’d suggested a lab-grown diamond. They could then essentially duplicate the ring, but the cost was far less.

It was an oval diamond, with smaller, round-cut diamonds on either side of the white-gold band. Instantly, I saw our future the minute I saw the ring in the display.

“Open your eyes, Rach.”

She did, then quickly looked over everything on the blanket. “Wait, we’re eating here? Why did you—”

Her voice cut off when she saw the ring. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was positive my sister, Ensley, and brother, Gatlin—who were both hidden away, one taking pictures and the other recording everything—could hear it.

I’d been practicing all day yesterday and today on what I was going to say when I asked her to marry me. I opened my mouth to speak—but Rachel held up her hand.

“Stop.”

My stomach dropped. She was going to say no…again.

“Stop?”

She stared at the ring, then looked at me. “What are you doing?”

Confused, it was my turn to look at the ring, then back to her. “I would think it was obvious, Rach. I was about to ask you to marry me.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head before meeting my gaze. “Caden, I can’t marry you.”

I struggled to swallow down the bile I could feel rising in my throat. “What do you mean, you can’t marry me? I thought of you when I saw the ring.”

She looked at it again and frowned. “I don’t think I would have picked out such a small diamond.”

My heart sank.

“I didn’t pick any ring out, Caden. I think I saw a ring like that and said that was the cut of diamond I liked, in that setting, but bigger.”

I frowned. “You never said that, Rachel.”