Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER
Erika's hands trembled as she placed the final touches on the dinner table. She'd arranged everything perfectly. She looked at the scene for dinner and couldn’t contain her smile. The beautiful China they'd received as wedding gifts and crystal wine glasses filled with sparkling cider made two place settings at the table. The bouquet of daisies with candles burning on each side gave the table just the ambiance she was going for.
In the top cabinet drawer beside the sink she’d hidden a small box. She’d carefully wrapped package with white tissue paper and blue and pink ribbon.
The past three months of marriage had been pure bliss. She and Cody had settled into their Victorian home, blending their lives together seamlessly. Even Gabriel had stayed with them for a few weeks over the summer before heading back to Stanford, and the easy rapport between them had made her heart swell.
But this news... this would change everything.
She heard Cody's truck pull into the driveway and her pulse quickened. After working all day at the ranch, he always came home covered in dirt with that wonderfully earthy smell she'd come to associate with happiness. Sure enough, she caught his familiar scent as he entered through the back door.
"Something smells amazing," he called out, then appeared in the doorway with raised eyebrows at the formal table setting. "What's the occasion?"
"Can't a wife make her husband a nice dinner?" she asked innocently.
He crossed to her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "A wife can do anything she wants, especially when she looks as beautiful as you do right now."
Erika felt her cheeks flush. Even after three months of marriage, his compliments still made her feel like a schoolgirl. "You might want to clean up first," she suggested. "Dinner's almost ready."
While he showered, she paced the dining room, rehearsing different ways to tell him. When he returned, freshly changed and smelling of soap, she could barely contain herself enough to make it through the meal.
Finally, she got up and took the package out of its hiding place and handed it to her husband. "I got you something."
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "Is this why you've been fidgeting all through dinner?"
"Maybe," she admitted. "Open it."
Inside the box was a tiny pair of crocheted baby booties and a positive pregnancy test.
Cody stared at the contents for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he looked up at her, eyes shining. "Really?" he whispered.
Erika nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Really. We're having a baby."
In an instant, he was pulling her into his arms. "I love you so much," he murmured into her hair. "Both of you."
As they held each other, Erika felt complete in a way she hadn't known was possible. Life had given her a second chance at love, and now it was blessing her with a child. Her heart felt ready to burst with joy.
"Gabriel's going to be a big brother," Cody said with wonder in his voice.
"Think he'll mind the age gap?"
"Are you kidding? He's going to spoil this kid rotten." He placed a gentle hand on her still-flat stomach. "Our little miracle."
Erika covered his hand with hers, thrilled beyond measure that she had finally found her way forward. And now her life was filled with more love than she ever dreamed possible.
* * *
The Duncan Ranch is a big employer in Rocky Ridge, Montana. The cowboys on this ranch work hard and they play hard. The small town culture molds and shapes their lives in ways that make them into the upstanding men they need to be. Building families and good citizens one cowboy at a time. Duncan Ranch.