Epilogue
Sophie
Two Years Later
I flicked the reins of Applesauce, my horse, to urge him to pick up the pace from a walk to a trot as we moved across the landscape of our ranch. Cresting a short hill, I was given a sprawling view of what we had begun to call “the back half.” Endless prairie stretched in every direction, marred only by a copse of trees and the lake that we shared with the adjacent ranch.
As it always did, the view took my breath away. I still couldn’t believe all of this was ours .
It hadn’t come easy.
First there was the farmhouse renovations, which uncovered enough black mold to fill a swimming pool.
The barn repairs seemed easier… until we discovered that about a billion brown recluse spiders were living in one corner. Eli’s scream was so high-pitched that I thought another woman was on the property.
There were issues acquiring the head of cattle.
Hang-ups moving them from New Mexico to Texas.
And once they were settled in, a quarter of the herd came down with a strange fungal infection.
We dealt with a six-month-long legal dispute over the mineral rights underneath the southern border of the property.
No, it was far from easy getting this ranch up and running. We’d cycled through every possible human emotion, then went back for seconds.
But eventually, we made it through.
And my relationships with Johnny, Eli, and Sawyer were stronger than ever.
I squeezed my boots, urging Applesauce forward again at an easy pace. Sometimes I forgot just how quiet it was out here. No city noises or traffic. Just peaceful silence, occasionally interrupted by a prairie breeze or the screech of a hawk.
I had always been a fiercely-independent woman. I did what I wanted, when I wanted to. I liked my life in Fort Worth. I had always worried that settling down with a man would somehow dampen that freedom—to say nothing of settling down with three of them.
But only after moving out here did I feel truly free .
I spotted our herd in the distance, a splotch of black and brown marring the endless yellow-gray prairie. They weren’t the target of my search, but the man watching over them was. I urged Applesauce in that direction, and the horse bobbed his head like he knew exactly where we were going.
Johnny Armstrong sat tall on his own horse, Stetson hat pulled low over his eyes while he observed the grazing cattle. His body rolled smoothly in time with the slow walk his horse was making along the border of the herd. I didn’t call out to him—I wanted to savor the way he looked out here without knowing someone was watching. I luxuriated in how natural he seemed when he was atop a horse, tending to his ranch. Even more natural than at the rodeo.
That was for show, after all. This was real .
Applesauce whinnied as we drew close, and Johnny’s head snapped toward me. But his expression softened as soon as he saw that it was me. “Why hello there, Sky Eyes. You’ve gotten pretty good at riding.”
“I was taught by the best,” I replied, bringing Applesauce up alongside the other horse. “They seem relaxed today.”
“The calves finally settled down,” Johnny said, eyes scanning the herd again. “Don’t know why the one was hollerin’ so much the past few days, but it’s over now. So. To what do I owe the pleasure of your beautiful presence out here on the back half?”
“I was going to ask if you wouldn’t mind coming back. I want you to cook the steaks.”
Johnny continued staring out at the cattle, but narrowed his eyes. “I thought Eli was the grillmaster tonight.”
“He doesn’t make them right,” I complained. “They’re always overcooked, or under-seasoned. Liz will be here soon, and I’d prefer if we don’t have to grill a second batch of steaks for our guests.”
Johnny chuckled. “I love hearing you say that.”
“What? Grilling a second batch of steaks for our guests?”
He finally pulled his gaze away from the cattle and smiled at me. “I like hearing you say that I cook the steaks better than Eli.”
I leaned across the horse, tipped Johnny’s hat up, and kissed him. “Don’t taunt him about it.”
“Oh, I won’t taunt him,” Johnny said, turning his horse around. “But you didn’t say nothin’ about teasing. Race you home.”
He kicked his horse into a trot, and Applesauce—ever the competitive animal—immediately sped up to match his pace. I squeezed my thighs, praying that I would stay in the saddle. I wasn’t used to going this fast.
Johnny glanced over his shoulder, smirked, and then urged his horse faster.
Dusty, our Yellow Lab, emerged from the shady copse of trees and shot across the landscape toward us, eager to keep up. Working on a ranch kept him young; despite being eight years old, he still loved to run, and could keep up with even the fastest horses… for a little while.
Johnny kept our speed just below a full sprint, for which I was grateful—I hadn’t been riding that long, after all. Only when we reached the gate that separated the cattle from the rest of our property did he finally rein in his horse, leaping from the saddle with youthful spryness and pushing open the gate.
“Thank you, kind sir,” I said with an exaggerated southern accent. “But we’re still racing.”
Applesauce leaped forward as soon as I dug my spurs in, eager to open up his legs on the final stretch to the farmhouse. When we arrived, I carefully dismounted and then tied Applesauce up to a post.
“I’ll be back to brush you down,” I promised the horse, gently rubbing my hand along his snout. “And to bring you a fat carrot.”
“I’ve got a fat carrot for you!” Eli called from the shaded back deck of the farmhouse. He was sitting in a chair next to the grill, wearing an apron that said, “Hung like a Cowboy” and plucking idly at his guitar.
“I don’t think you want Applesauce biting into your carrot,” I teased. “Aren’t you supposed to be prepping the steaks?”
“No need!” he said, running his fingertips across the guitar in a long, melodious note. “These steaks were carved out two days ago. Natural flavor. Nothing else required.”
“I’m glad you said that,” Johnny said as he dismounted nearby. “Now I don’t feel bad for taking over the steaks.”
Eli scowled at him. “I’ve got the steaks, partner. Like we discussed. Right, Sophie?”
Johnny smiled over at me. I winced.
“Aw, come on!” Eli whined.
“Don’t make me say it,” I said.
“Sophie says I do a better job on the grill.” Johnny beamed. “Her words, not mine.”
Eli strummed a sad note. “Say it ain’t so, darlin’.”
“I’m sorry! It’s just really important to me that everything is perfect tonight. This is the first time Liz has brought her whole family.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Johnny said, clapping Eli on the shoulder. He then opened the grill and grabbed a cleaning brush. “I’m sure there are plenty of things you’re better at than me. And when we eventually discover what they are some day, you can gloat all you want.”
“I’m better in bed, right?” Eli asked.
I leaned down and kissed him. “You’re definitely the best with your tongue.”
“Ah hah!” Eli said, leaping to his feet and thrusting his guitar into the air. “I’ll take cunnilingual superiority over grilling meat any day.”
“I’ll take it, too,” I said, giving him a wink.
Eli fanned himself with his free hand. “Careful, darlin’. With talk like that, you’re liable to get me all hot-n-bothered.”
“Have you seen Sawyer?” I asked.
“He’s presently speaking to his therapist,” Eli replied.
“Liz will be here any minute,” I warned them. “Make sure you censor yourself once they’re here. No cunnilingus talk around the kids.”
“It’s never too early to learn,” Eli said with a grin.
“Billy is four ,” I snapped at him.
Eli’s smile disappeared. “I, uh, got carried away with my joke.” He removed his hat and held it over his heart. “I would like to formally apologize to everyone in attendance.”
“No apology needed—as long as you don’t talk like that when they’re here!” I said, walking away.
“She likes my tongue best,” Eli teased.
“She likes mine just fine,” Johnny replied.
“Yes, but mine’s better .”
“Well, when she bites into a perfectly-cooked porterhouse tonight and moans with delight, I want you thinking about who made the steak.”
Their argument dimmed behind me as I walked from the farmhouse toward the barn. I passed the coop that houses our chickens, most of which were pecking for worms in the open air. Joline, our dairy cow, was idly nibbling on some grass nearby—she was well-behaved and never drifted far from home, so we usually let her roam free during the day.
On the other side of the barn was our garden. Twelve rows of well-tended dirt where we grew lentils, peas, carrots, and tomatoes. Sawyer was on his hands and knees in front of that last row, gently tending to the tomato vines running along a wooden lattice.
“Got any carrots?” I asked.
Sawyer turned and smiled at me, then tilted up his hat to look me in the eyes. “I’ve got a carrot for you. A big one.”
“Eli made the same joke,” I said with a smirk. “You’re more like him every day.”
A smoldering scowl covered Sawyer’s face in the blink of an eye. He stood up. “That’s the cruelest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
I threw myself into his arms and kissed him. “Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
He wrapped his arms around me, keeping me from pulling away. “I just picked four carrots to go with dinner. You can have one if you give me another kiss.”
“It’s not for me. It’s for Applesauce.”
Sawyer’s voice was deep and throaty. “I don’t want a kiss from Applesauce.”
He pulled me into another kiss, this one rougher and hungrier than the first. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment—held tightly by one of my cowboys, a soft prairie wind stirring our hair as our lips churned together.
Yeah. This was freedom.
A car horn honked nearby, interrupting our moment.
“Get a room, you two!” Liz shouted out the passenger window.
I turned my expectant eyes back to Sawyer.
“I’ll give Applesauce the carrot,” Sawyer growled. “Just as soon as I pick these cherry tomatoes for dinner.”
“I love you.” I gave him one final peck on the lips, then ran toward the car.
“Welcome to the ranch!” I shouted, spreading my arms wide.
Liz pointed. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is Mr. Grumpy Cowboy gardening?”
I glanced over my shoulder and lowered my voice. “It calms him. He’s always in his best moods after gardening. We call it his therapy . This ranch has brought out the best in all of us.”
“Glad we finally get to see the finished product!” Liz exclaimed after we had hugged. “Not that I’m complaining. I know it was a journey.”
“Getting this place up and running was a journey and a half ,” I agreed. “But it was worth it.”
“It seems like it,” Travis said, shading his eyes with his hand while gazing out at the land. “Great to see you, Sophie.”
“Taking care of my girl?” I asked him as we embraced.
“More like she’s taking care of me ,” he answered. “I’m still adjusting to being a stay-at-home dad.”
“You’re doing wonderful, sweetie,” Liz told him.
“That’s still going well, then?” I asked. “Your promotion to manager?”
Liz nodded emphatically. “I whipped that place into shape. Billy Bob’s is thriving under the tyranny of Elizabeth Owens.”
“She’s not really a tyrant,” Travis explained. “They all love her. She just likes to pretend she’s a dictator.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to talk about it later,” Liz said. “Billy? Marcus? Don’t you have something to give Aunt Sophie?”
The boys, four years old and two, sheepishly came forward. “This is for you,” Billy said, holding out a gift-wrapped rectangle.
I felt a swell of emotion as I put my hands on my knees and bent down to speak to the boys. “That’s so kind of you!” Then, to Liz, I added, “You really didn’t have to…”
“Oh yes we most certainly did. Open it and see.”
I removed the wrapping. Inside was a framed photograph. The lighting was poor, so it took me a moment to recognize the scene. It was inside Billy Bob’s, showing one of the many bars with a wall of liquor bottles. I was standing in the background, while in the foreground was a faceless man throwing a punch at Chris Appleton. The photo had captured the exact moment the fist connected with Appleton’s cheek.
I gasped. “How did you get this!”
“One of the guests snapped that photo during the fight. He was showing it to me one night, bragging about how he was there to witness the big fight that ruined Chris Appleton’s career. Figured you’d want it.”
“You figured right.” I hugged her. “Thanks, Liz. Sawyer’s going to love this more than me.”
After greeting Johnny and Eli, I retrieved our Mule from the garage and then gave Liz, Travis, and the kids a tour of the property. Billy was enamored with the herd of cattle, but Marcus tucked his head against Liz’s chest and said he was scared.
I guess not everyone was cut out to be a cowboy.
By the time we returned, my three men were setting the table for dinner. Johnny brought out a tray covered in aluminum foil and smiled as he set it down on the table.
“You have to let the steaks rest for ten minutes,” he explained. “Otherwise all the juices flow out.”
“We get it, you’re the grillmaster,” Eli complained while taking his seat. “You don’t have to rub it in my face.”
Johnny raised an eyebrow at him. “Why, Elijah. I would never rub anything in your face.”
“Who’s Elijah?” Billy asked.
“That’s what we call Eli when we’re trying to get under his skin,” I explained to the boy.
“Oh,” he said, treating it like it was a very serious topic.
“Don’t act like strangers,” Sawyer barked. “Dig in.”
We passed the food around and caught up on each other’s lives. Even though we lived less than an hour from Fort Worth, Liz and I rarely got a chance to see each other. We were both so busy with our lives. Now that the ranch was finished, though, I wanted to have them visit more often.
Travis and Liz raved about the steak. And when I bit into my piece and moaned happily, Eli sulked like a child.
But when I pulled my phone out and discreetly texted him something scandalous under the table, he grinned like a boy who had just learned he was getting two Christmases.
“We brought ice cream for dessert,” Liz said when the meal was over. “Local, from Melt . None of that Bluebell nonsense.”
“That ice cream is what I miss the most about living in Fort Worth,” I sighed.
Liz cleared her throat.
“Other than my best friend Liz, I mean,” I quickly added.
She nodded once.
“Should we get dessert now?” Johnny asked. “Or show everyone the surprise?”
Billy and I perked up and asked, “There’s a surprise?” in unison.
“Been working on it in the barn for the last month,” Sawyer answered.
“It’s from me, too,” Eli insisted. “I designed it.”
“And I did all the actual work,” Sawyer said, jaw clenching.
I turned to Johnny. “And you knew about this?”
He smiled warmly. “It was kind of my idea. Two years in the making.”
Eli hopped up and took my hand. “Dessert can wait.”
All of us left the table and walked out to the barn. Dusty trotted alongside us, wagging his tail happily while licking at Billy’s hand, which was probably sticky from dinner.
One half of the barn was a workshop where Sawyer tinkered and repaired everything on the ranch. I rarely came in here—I was still scarred from the brown recluse incident. There was an object leaning against one wall, maybe twenty feet long, covered by a white sheet.
“So that’s where one of my bedsheets went,” I muttered.
“We had to keep it covered up. Just in case you wandered in here.” Eli stood at one end, and Sawyer stood at the other. “Ready?”
Together, they removed the sheet.
It was a rusted iron metal thing, curving like a rainbow from one end to the other. It was difficult to make out in the dim light of the barn, but my breath seized in my lungs when I read what it said:
SKY EYES RANCH
The name was wrought in iron, welded to the arching frame.
Emotion overwhelmed me as I stared from the sign to my three happy cowboys. We had been discussing what to name the ranch, but hadn’t come up with any good options yet. Or at least, that’s what they had led me to believe.
“You did this?” I asked. “For me?”
Tears welled in my eyes, and then I erupted in sobs. Liz put an arm around me, and then all three of my men were gathering close to make sure I was okay.
“Does this mean you really love it?” Eli asked. “Or really hate it?”
“The. First. One,” I struggled to say between sobs.
“This is a good reaction,” Johnny told Eli. “A woman like Sophie doesn’t cry very often. And rarely for happy reasons.”
“Didn’t think she’d get this emotional,” Eli muttered.
Liz was giving me a suspicious look. I avoided making eye-contact with her. She had probably just figured it out, but she would definitely know for sure if she saw the look in my eyes.
Although… what was I waiting for? I knew I wanted to tell them soon, I was just picking the perfect moment.
What moment could be more perfect than this?
“I love you,” I said, hugging Johnny.
“We love you too.”
Eli and Sawyer came in, giving me one of the group hugs that I loved so much. In their arms, I always felt safe and cared for.
Even if I was pants-shitting-terrified of how they might react to the news I was about to give.
“I don’t want to ruin the mood,” Travis said, “but were you welding in here? This barn is basically a tinderbox.”
“I was safe,” Sawyer argued, pointing to a fire extinguisher in the corner.
“Not now, Travis!” Liz hissed.
He shrugged back at her. “I was a fire inspector for ten years. I can’t not say something.”
I wiped my eyes and addressed my men. “I have a surprise for you, too.”
Liz clamped a hand over Travis’s mouth and stared at me excitedly.
“I’ve always been a very independent woman,” I began. Oh my God, this was harder than I expected. “I used to think that in order to settle down, to start a family, I would have to sacrifice some of that independence. Nothing could be further from the truth. I now realize—”
“YOU’RE PREGNANT!” Eli suddenly blurted out.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“You made everyone Ranch Water with dinner, but you didn’t add tequila to yours. I thought it was because we were almost out, but…” He raised his hand slowly until he was pointing at my belly. “Are you?”
I bit my lip and nodded.
“Seriously?” Johnny asked, jaw hanging open. “This ain’t a prank?”
“It’s the truth,” I said, sniffling. “I’ve only known for a few weeks. Was waiting until the right time, and until I was further along, just in case, but when I saw that sign…”
Johnny embraced me fiercely, squeezing me tight. “I’m gonna be a father!”
“You are,” I breathed back at him.
He pulled back and stared deep into my eyes, into my soul . Then he smiled.
My heart came alive in that moment.
“Holy fucking shit!” Eli exclaimed, hopping up and down. “We’re havin’ a baby!”
“Language!” I hissed at him.
“He’s fine, they hear worse from us,” Liz said, hugging me next. “I knew you were glowing when we drove up. I just assumed it was all the fresh air out here.”
Eli was still hollering excitedly. He grabbed Marcus, threw him onto his shoulders, then ran around the outside of the barn, both of them squealing.
I guess I shouldn’t have been worried about how he would react.
Sawyer had turned away from me, and was staring at the metalwork sign. I slowly approached, anxiety returning to my body like a plague. He had claimed he wanted kids some day, but I had always been suspicious of the truth to that, or if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.
“If you’re not okay with this…” I said.
He turned to me. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he let out a pathetic sniffle that was so unlike the rough cowboy that I almost fainted in surprise on the spot.
“We’re going to have a baby?” he asked me, for a brief moment showing more vulnerability than I had ever seen.
I nodded. “I can’t believe you’re crying. You’re going to make me cry again!”
“I’m not crying,” he said, angrily wiping his face with a sleeve. “It’s dusty in here. That’s all.”
Billy, the four year old, tugged on Sawyer’s arm. “Take this,” he said, handing him a stuffed elephant. “Whenever I’m sad, I squeeze Elly and feel better.”
“I’m not sad,” Sawyer said, wrapping an arm around the kid and hugging him against his leg. “I’m happier than I ever thought possible.”
I kissed away one of his salty tears. “Me too.”
Johnny put a hand on his back. “You’ll make a great father.”
“So will you,” Sawyer replied, his deep, rough voice returning.
Eli finally ran back into the barn. He lowered Marcus from his shoulders and said, “I bet it happened last Tuesday.”
“You bet what happened last Tuesday?” I asked.
He pointed at my belly. “The baby. I think it happened last Tuesday.” He lowered his voice. “I came a lot that night. Like, more than usual. I had a feeling about it.”
“Your timing is off, since I’ve known for a few weeks,” I said.
“If my memory serves right,” Sawyer added, “you didn’t exactly deposit your boys in the right place.”
Eli grinned around at us. “I told you. My boys are strong swimmers. Doesn’t matter where in her body they start—they’ll end up crossin’ the finish line.”
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re joking,” Sawyer replied, “or if our public education system has truly failed us.”
Johnny frowned at me. “You were riding a horse earlier. Should you be doing that? In your condition?”
“My condition? Johnny, I’m pregnant, not paralyzed.”
“But the baby…”
“I spoke to my doctor. Riding is fine during the first trimester. The baby is the size of a peanut right now—it’s fine.”
But the men had already begun ignoring me, and were talking amongst themselves. “We should take all of her chores,” Eli said.
“Good idea,” Johnny agreed.
“I don’t mind milking Joline,” Sawyer said. “But I’m not setting foot in the chicken coop. That rooster wants to claw my eyes out.”
“I’m fine!” I insisted. “Hello? Are you even listening to me?”
“Travis was awfully protective of me during my pregnancies,” Liz said. “Three boyfriends means three times as much worry.”
I glared at her.
Billy tugged at my arm. “Aunt Sophie? I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“You’re having a baby,” the four-year-old said carefully. “But who is the father?”
I looked at my three men, currently engaged in a heated argument over who was going to do the laundry while I was “incapacitated.” They were all so different from each other, yet shared one very important value: they loved me. They would do anything for me.
And my baby.
“All of them,” I told Billy as new tears welled in my eyes. Tears of unfathomable joy. “ All of them are the father.”