Epilogue
Daniel
Eight months later
Daniel let the sunshine from the beautiful spring day warm his skin. It was the first nice day they’d had after weeks of rain. He wasn’t complaining. The rain was good for all of them, but he’d missed seeing the sun.
With hands laced behind his head, he took in a deep breath. From the floral scents to the sounds of new animals in nearby pastures, this place felt like heaven.
A soft touch trailed up his chest and he peeked open one eye to find Aria settling beside him on the picnic blanket. Originally, they’d planned on going for a hike or a ride to some remote place, but then Aria got wind that Sophia’s favorite Australian Shepherd had gone into labor. The beauty had one blue eye and one brown one, and Daniel wouldn’t be surprised if she convinced Sophia and Mateo to give her one of the puppies.
So, they had their picnic in the backyard.
The Palmers’ property had become as much a home to Daniel as his own—maybe even more so. He found every excuse he could to spend time with Aria, even if that meant he was barely at home—besides to complete the work Wade needed from him.
He closed his eyes and hummed with contentment as she traced circles on his chest, her light touch sparking all kinds of feelings inside him. “How are the puppies?”
Her movements paused, then started up again. “They’re the most beautiful puppies I’ve ever seen.”
Daniel chuckled. “I’m sure they look like little drowned mice right about now.”
She let out a laugh and flicked him with the back of her fingertips. “Don’t call them that!”
He adjusted, settling into a comfortable position on his side. He propped himself up on his elbow and grinned at her. “What did Sophia say about the puppies? Do you get to have one?”
Aria frowned with a sigh. “Apparently this litter is all spoken for. I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”
Daniel’s brows creased. “But I thought she knew you were interested the second they found out about the new litter.”
“Me too.” She shrugged. “Oh, well. It’s not like they won’t have more. This is their job. But I don’t know if Bella is having any more litters. Mateo is really strict on how many times they can breed.”
He nodded. It was one of the admirable ways Mateo ran his business. It would be easy to keep using the same dogs. But their bodies could only handle so much. “Maybe one of her puppies will be exactly like her and they’ll keep her for the next litter.”
She shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I have a ranch full of cattle that needs one. Who knows? Maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle their energy.”
They both knew that was a lie. Aria had settled permanently into the cabin—at least as long as she wanted to be there. Mateo certainly wasn’t going to kick her out, not even after he’d discussed plans about expanding his business to raise a small herd of cattle. He’d be taking on some more men and even toyed with hiring a cook so they could live on-site.
Mateo kept saying nothing was set in stone, but with Daniel’s help on the designs, he’d already constructed a wrangler’s cabin close to the barn and was working on building a mess hall. It was laughable the way he insisted that he might not follow through with the changes when it was clear they were already taking place.
“Any word on the expansion?” Daniel asked. “Has he finally accepted that he’s going to have to hire someone to oversee the cattle ranching side of things?”
A sly smile touched Aria’s lips, but he didn’t get a chance to ask her what it meant before they both heard footsteps approaching. He glanced over to the intrusion to find Mateo holding a bundle in his arms. He was smiling, too.
Daniel sat up and his focus bounced from his girlfriend to his friend and back. Something was up. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Mateo dropped down on his haunches and handed him the bundle. A squirming puppy wriggled and opened its mouth—in a yawn or in search of food—it was unclear.
Daniel stared at the puppy, then once more at Mateo. “What do you want me to do with this?”
He smirked. “It’s your hiring bonus.”
“My… what ?”
“You’ve been saying yourself that I need to hire someone to oversee the wranglers I want to take on. I need someone good with horses.”
“Sophia—”
Mateo wrinkled his nose. “She’s not going to be able to run a bunch of men. She’s good with training the horses, but I wouldn’t want her in charge of all of it. You’re a much better fit.”
“But I’m not looking?—”
Mateo laughed. “You’ve been spending all your spare time here anyway. I talked to Wade, and he said he thinks it’s a great opportunity.”
Daniel’s head was spinning. Mateo talked to Wade about this? And his brother had agreed? He didn’t know whether to be thrilled or offended.
Aria nudged him. “I think it’s your turn to say something,’ she whispered.
What was he supposed to say? Of course, his brother was right. This was a great opportunity. Not only that, but it was the perfect segue into why he’d wanted to go on a picnic with Aria in the first place. He might have found a home here with the Palmers, but more than that, he’d found a home with her.
He glanced over to her, the bundle no longer squirming in his hands. This was more than he could have hoped for. Daniel carefully handed Mateo the puppy, ignoring the look of surprise on his friend’s face and the concern on Aria’s.
Daniel had to get up on his knees to be able to reach into his jeans pocket. This wasn’t how he’d planned it, but it felt right. He held out his hand to Aria, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his voice from shaking.
“Aria…”
Her eyes rounded.
Mateo chuckled and muttered something under his breath that Daniel couldn’t make sense of—probably due to the roaring in his ears. He rose to his feet, his focus on something else closer to the house. Brows furrowing, he gave Daniel a quick smile. “Congrats, man. Your life is about to change. I’ve got to go see what this is about.” He headed toward the house, and when Daniel’s focus followed him, he noticed a woman standing on the back porch speaking to Sophia.
Aria noticed, too, before dragging her gaze back to meet his, then dropping it to the ring he held in his palm. “Daniel… what are you…”
“Please marry me.”
“ What ?”
“It can’t possibly be a surprise. With how close we’ve become, you had to know I was going to ask you.”
Her cheeks flushed prettily, and he shifted closer to her.
“I was telling you the truth when I told you that you are everything to me.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “ Everything , Aria.”
Aria’s shuddering breath was the only indication of how she felt in that moment before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back, they were both breathless. “I love you so much, Daniel. When I moved here, I never planned to find love. I never expected to give my heart to someone so fully. You’re all I ever wanted.”
One corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Is that a yes?”
She rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
A squeal echoed through the air, followed immediately by Sophia colliding with Aria and holding her tight. “You’re getting married! For real this time.”
The two of them laughed, and Aria showed off her ring. They fell into excited chatter about the wedding and how Sophia knew all along that Daniel and Aria would hit it off. But then Aria got distracted as her focus shifted to where Mateo was still speaking to a woman on the back porch.
Sophia noticed and sighed, drawing a curious look from Aria.
Daniel knew better than to pry, but he wasn’t going anywhere if Sophia wanted to share.
“You remember when Mateo got his heart broken?”
Aria gasped and her eyes cut to the woman. “She’s?—”
“Oh, no! Definitely not . I don’t think Mateo would let her step foot in the house, let alone on this whole property.” Sophia leaned back and shook her head. “No…” She jerked her chin in the direction of the two, who were now seated on a pair of chairs on the porch. “That’s Nicole.” Sophia lowered her voice. “Best friend of she who shall not be named.”
Aria flashed an amused smile, but Daniel glanced over at the woman once more. She was at least a full head shorter than Mateo, with long brown hair and the kind of curves that would put the women in Renaissance paintings to shame. He was too far away to see the color of her eyes, but he would guess they were brown based on the woman’s complexion and her hair color. If she was the best friend of the woman who broke Mateo’s heart, what was she doing here?
Apparently, he didn’t need to voice the question, because Sophia was already on top of it. “She’s interested in a job.” Sophia grimaced. “I hope Mateo won’t hold her choice in friends against her. I always liked Nicole. She’s real sweet.”
Aria gave them both a knowing look.
Sophia caught on right away.
Daniel couldn’t help but be confused until Aria nudged Sophia.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”
Sophia nodded. “Time for me to play matchmaker again.”
Hello Sweet Romance Reader!
I hope you loved Daniel and Aria’s story—the heartbreak, healing, and the fight for love!
Now, it’s time for a new family in Copper Creek! The Palmers are stepping into the spotlight, and it all begins with Mateo Palmer, a hardworking rancher with a past heartbreak, and Nicole Reynolds, the woman who was always meant to be his future…
Nicole is starting over as the cook at Winding Creek Ranch, doing her best to provide for her son. She never expected Mateo—her old secret crush—to be her boss. And she definitely never expected his flirtatious charm to stir up feelings she thought she’d buried.
Mateo has sworn off serious relationships, but when Nikki walks back into his life, he wonders if fate is giving him a second chance. She’s a single mom now, guarded and cautious, but he can’t help wanting more.
They both have reasons to keep their distance. But love—and a six-year-old boy with a shy smile—may have other plans.