Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
A week later, Ryan rolled over in bed, and smiled at the woman sprawled out on the other side. It seemed like he couldn’t get enough of her since he returned from helping take Royal down. Last night, he’d received a call from FBI agent Duane Manchester that Rudolph Royal, Paul Miller, Ernie and Philip Firth went before a judge and were denied bail. They were currently sitting in jail in Denver, waiting for their trial. According to Manchester, it might be at least a year before they could even get on the docket. Because of the severity of the charges against Royal, the FBI had confiscated his property, and had actually come to Erin and asked if she could take the animals. She didn’t hesitate to say yes. So, later today, Ryan was taking Sanchez and Gould with him to go pick up the mare and her yearling. He didn’t know what other animals there might be, but he would be prepared.
Both Scott Gould and Manny Sanchez had taken Erin up on her offer for them to work for her, and had moved into one of the larger cabins. Donald Donaldson had only asked to be taken back to his home to look over everything. He’d taken Clark and Naomi with him and explained how it would be easy for them to convert the chicken barns into horse barns. While there, the two had explained to Clark the plan Pru had come up with of getting the animals from Naomi’s Double A ranch brought over to this new one. Mr. Ducky was even willing to allow Cole Mercury to live in the house as the foreman of this new location. However, they had to tell it all to Clark first to see if he would be willing to agree with it. Since he and Erin owned it, but Erin had already agreed with what they wanted to do, so now they just had to convince Clark it would be a good idea.
Naomi was talking with her manager at the Double A ranch, as well as Carter from Brotherhood Protectors over in Yellowstone. By the end of the year, which was over eight months away, she felt that everything could be done over in Wyoming, and that her manager and the horses there could be brought to the Donaldson ranch.
Erin was trying to come up with a name for it, but for now, everyone was referring to that area as Mr. Ducky’s. Mr. Ducky himself had returned and moved into one of the large cabins along with Sanchez and Gould. You could hear laughter coming from the cabin late into the night.
It made Ryan’s heart happy that the older man seemed to fit in at Broken. The only thing that hadn’t made him happy was that his grandchildren tried to convince him to go into a home instead of moving to Broken, but he’d finally put his foot down and told them that if they were so concerned about him, then they could move back there and take care of him. It was harsh, but they changed their tune when they realized how much happier the older man sounded to be surrounded by like-minded people. His grandchildren didn’t want anything to do with country life, let alone farming or ranching.
Ryan shook his head as he heard something, then moved the curtain to the side. Mr. Ducky had just gone into the shed to let the chickens out. He smiled when beside him, Pru moaned.
“Tell me he’s not letting my chickens out.” She mumbled from beneath the light covers.
“Okay, I won’t.” Ryan laughed when she flopped the sheet off her head.
“He needs to get some of his own.”
“Does it bother you that much?”
“No,” she sighed as she snuggled into his side. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. “I like the fact that he has something to look forward to now. I swear moving here has put some pep in his step.”
“Yeah, I thought so too. I saw that he’s ditched his walker and only uses a cane.”
“Yeah, I saw that too. It seems like The Broken Wheel is a place for healing.”
“Seems like it.” Ryan rolled over and wrapped both arms around her. He nuzzled the side of her neck and suckled below her ear. When she melted against him, he lifted his head and looked down at her with a smile.
“I know we haven’t known each other for long, and I feel that I was successful in having a part in taking Royal and his minions down. With that said, I now feel worthy of you. I don’t have a ring yet, but will you marry me?”
“Yes, I will,” she said as she reached up and brought his mouth down to her. When they came up for air, she looked at him with a cocked brow. “What would you say if I told you that I don’t really want an engagement ring?”
“I’d ask why?”
“Because working with the horses, I don’t want to catch it on anything. I think a plain silver wedding band would do the trick.”
“I agree.” Ryan bent down and kissed her. It was at least two hours later before they shuffled their way into the kitchen, after making love thoroughly in the bed, then again in the shower. As Ryan started the coffee, Pru opened the refrigerator to take things out for breakfast, and looked up at the knock on the door, and watched as Mr. Ducky walked in carrying the basket of eggs he’d gathered earlier.
“Good, you’re up. I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
“About Naomi’s problem. I think Sanchez and Gould should go to the Double A and check out the situation. You know, like you did with Royal. This will give Naomi the information she needs to shut down that ranch, and whether her father is really after her.”
“We can discuss that while we eat,” Pru said as she withdrew the package of bacon, and the ingredients to make French Toast. “I have a question for you first.”
“What’s that?”
“Ryan asked me to marry him this morning, I said yes. My question, will you walk me down the aisle?”
Ryan had been watching Pru as she’d talked to Mr. Ducky, and whipped his head to the other man in time to see his eyes shine with tears. He knew right then and there that Mr. Ducky loved his Pru as much as he did, but in a fatherly, or rather, grandfatherly way.
“It would be my honor. Is there any special date set?”
“Not really, he only asked me a couple of hours ago.” Pru turned to Ryan. “My parents live outside of Chicago, and they’re not too much on ceremony. What about your family?”
“I have a brother-in-law and nephew over in Seattle. The question is, what time of year do you want to get married?”
“I’ve always loved the colors of fall, especially when the leaves start to change color.”
“I like that time too. Want to plan it for the last week in September?”
“Yes, the only people besides the ones we just mentioned will be the ladies and men that live and work here at Broken and Erin’s Way. Oh, and Mr. Ducky, of course.”
“Of course,” Ryan said as he walked over and gathered her in his arms. “I can’t wait for you to become my wife.” He bent his head and kissed her soundly, while Mr. Ducky shuffled around the kitchen to get their breakfast on the table. He couldn’t wait until they had children and he could be in their lives. If he had known that The Broken Wheel was here and the hearts it could repair, he would have been banging on Erin’s door sooner to get a little piece of the love this ranch gave not only to its animals, but also its people.
He looked toward the ceiling and whispered to Emily and Jeremy Riceman that their children had turned out okay, and they had started a great thing in their parents’ absence.