Page 79 of Roping Her In

She wouldn’t want a big public proposal either, but with every step Pearl Jo took, her smile widened.

Uncle Ace and Uncle Ward reached up and held on to Caleb as Uncle Bear and Uncle Ranger rotated the platform. Now Pearl Jo would be climbing the stairs with a side profile, and Caleb got down on both knees as she put her foot on the first step.

“Stop right there, sweetheart,” he said, when she stood on the second one. He held the microphone in one hand and obviously held a diamond ring in the other. “I love you,” he said simply.

Hailey wasn’t the only one who sighed. She supposed all the women in the crowd did as well, and Pearl Jo reached up and wiped her face.

“I know I’m not perfect, and I have a long way to go to be the man that you deserve. But I promise to take care of you, and love you, and you’re the only person I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”

Pearl Jo’s chest heaved, and Uncle Ranger took the mic from Caleb and held it in front of her mouth.

“Yes,” she said, her voice high, tinny, and filled with tears. Her hand shook as she held it out, and Uncle Ranger bellowed to the ranch, “She said yes! We’ve got a fourth Glover wedding happening!”

Cheers and yeehaws rose into the sky, and Hailey whistled between her teeth and cheered as loud as any of them. Pearl Jo went up the rest of the steps and embraced Caleb, and that caused catcalls and more applause. Hailey turned into Jake, cuddling in close to him, and he bent his head down toward her.

“Are there really four weddings in your family this year?”

“There sure are.” She looked up and met his eye, something fierce moving through her. “And if you ask me to marry you in front of anyone else, I swear I’ll say no.”

Jake simply blinked at her, and a puff of air came out of his mouth. But Hailey stepped away from him, because she wanted to go congratulate Pearl Jo on her engagement.

She and Jake had not talked about marriage at all, and she couldn’t believe she’d insinuated he might be proposing to her anytime soon.

So it’s just another conversation you need to have with him, she thought as she joined the rest of the family sweeping forward to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

30

Jake loved the vibe at Shiloh Ridge Ranch. He knew plenty of the younger cowboys here, as they were the ones who attended the same small ranch owners’ group meetings he did.

He finally reunited with Hailey and they went to get sorted into groups. He wasn’t surprised at all when Wilder took one look at him and said, “We need him in pre-inspection.”

Link handed him a one, and Jake stayed at Hailey’s side, wondering if they’d let her come with him.

“Howdy, Hailey,” Wilder said.

“I can do pre-inspection too,” she said. “That’s where you have the vets checking the cattle to make sure they’re sound before the branding, right?”

“I’m actually wondering if you’ll do post,” Link said. “Jake and his team will okay the cattle for branding or tagging, and you can check them afterward.”

“We need vets in both places,” Wilder said, and he kicked a grin at Jake. “If you can stand being apart.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “I think we’ll manage.”

Link handed Hailey a six, and they moved out of the way.

“Maybe I should get my water bottle from you,” Hailey said. “Because I think you’re going to be on the west side out there.” She nodded across the pasture, which seemed to stretch on and on. “They’ll have the cattle staged on that side of the ranch, and when they’re finished with the tags, we’ll funnel them down onto the Kindred property. So my guess is I’ll be down there.”

Jake moved a few more steps out of the way. “All right, let me get it out.”

The Glovers worked with efficiency, Jake would give them that. Once he gave Hailey her water bottle, he leaned down and kissed her. “If you need anything, you text me, okay?” he said.

“Same,” she said. “Don’t let my momma or daddy corner you, or any of my cousins say anything.”

She wore a worried look for a moment, but Jake waved away her concerns. “I’ll be fine, Hay.”

She squeezed his hand again, then turned to go join her group. As she walked away, Jake felt like a complete outsider, though he shouldn’t, and he pushed the feelings away.

He wasn’t surprised to find Smiles in his group, and he also shook hands with Mason Wisenhouer, who happened to be Charlotte’s brother. “Hey, how you doing?” Jake asked.