Epilogue
Four years later
T he anniversary celebration of the opening of the Hard Eight Guest Ranch was well under way with every cabin and glamping tent booked, as had been the case the entire summer. Chef Gary Nevers was manning the barbeque grill as the guests mingled amongst the tables and the central fire pit where a half-dozen children were roasting hot dogs on long metal forks over the fire. The hot dogs were specially made by Nevers and a big attraction for the little ones as the adults indulged in his gourmet offerings. The party soundtrack played country songs from the outdoor speakers and later, Cami’s brother-in-law, Luke, had promised to sing some cowboy songs by the campfire.
Another handful of younger children climbed on the wooden play structure poised a hundred feet away where swings and monkey bars, zip lines, and slides kept them entertained while their parents sipped on beers and cocktails. Tara and Gus and Cami’s daughter, ten-year-old Eloise, were at the play yard, watching the little ones.
Standing around the long table that would seat most of the family, the Hardestys had gathered to celebrate the continued success of the operation, which had seen a profit this year and last, recouping their initial investment. Will and Gus were standing near their wives, nursing Coronas, while Shay and Emily were running fresh drinks for the coolers placed strategically around the yard.
But none of that mattered to the three-year-old little girl with long blond curls who pushed her way through the crowd of adults toward the Hardesty table. Eloise chased along behind her. “Clover—” she called after her. “Wait for me!”
But Clover collided with Cami’s legs in a hug. Cami reached down for her, scooping her up in her arms. “ Mmmmm-whaaa! ” she said, kissing the toddler on the top of her head. In return, Clover hugged her tightly. “Aunt Cami so loves your hugs, Clovie. Where are you off to? Are you looking for mommy?”
Clover nodded.
Eloise said, “Tell Aunt Cami what you found, Clovie.”
But Clover held something tight in her fist, refusing.
“Oh. It’s a surprise for your mom? Well, I think I saw her somewhere around. Shall we go look?”
The little girl nodded again. Halfway across the yard, they met Izzy, who was heavily pregnant with her and Will’s second child and due any minute.
“Look who I found!” Cami said, allowing Clover to lean in for an Izzy kiss.
“Clover!” Izzy kissed her on the nose. “My little blossom! Where’s Lucas? Did you leave him over at the swings?”
“Yep,” she said as Cami caught her by the bare foot.
“Tara is watching Lucas,” Eloise told Izzy. “He’s having fun.”
“Oh, good. But where’s your mommy, Clover? I thought I saw her here just a minute ago.”
“I did, too,” Sarah said, approaching from the far side of the long table. “Come here, darlin’. We’ll go find her.”
“Oh, Grandma wants a snuggle,” Cami said, handing her over.
Of all the grandkids, Clover owned the reputation as best snuggler and rarely refused a hug, unless she was on a mission, which she apparently was.
She opened her fist to show Sarah what she’d found. “See?”
“What’s that? A rock?”
Clover shook her head. “A fish.”
“A fish?”
“Look.”
Sure enough, there was a fossil embedded in the rock. A tiny, fossilized fish.
“Wow! You did find a fish. Let’s go show your mom.” But from behind her came Liam’s voice.
“What about me, Clover Blossom?”
“Daddy!” Clover practically leapt out of Sarah’s arms and into his.
He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her curls. “There’s my girl. Now what’s this fish I’m hearing about? And did you get a hot dog yet?”
“No, but look.” She held up her rock proudly.
“Oh, man, Clover. It’s a beaut. We might have to send that to the museum. It’s quite a specimen. What do you think?”
She shook her head. “No. He’s mine!”
He laughed. “Fair enough.” Clover had his green eyes and Emily’s beautiful face, and he was as besotted with his daughter as he still was with her mother.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“I’m hungry.”
He settled her down near Eloise with a hot dog and got one for Eloise as well. “Anybody see where Emily went?” Even as he said it, he spotted her heading their way with a heavy trayful of sodas.
He told Clover, “You wait here with Eloise. I’ll be right back.”
A few moments later, he was snatching the heavy tray from Emily’s hands as she headed toward the Hardesty table. “I could have gotten that,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “Thanks, love.”
He shook his head. “Clover’s been looking for you.”
The smile that broke over her face was something he would never get used to. Since Clover arrived, almost a year to the day after they married at the courthouse, surrounded by his family, Emily seemed to be in her element. Motherhood suited her and was, perhaps, her biggest surprise. He couldn’t be more in love with her than he was, just watching her love their daughter.
Shedding the city had been easier than she’d expected, and she had built a big circle of friends here and had even started up her supper club again, once a month. If things worked out the way she hoped, she would expand that supper club to a weekly event dinner with limited seating over the summer, right here at the round barn. It had been her dream, and he meant to make it happen.
“I thought Clover was blissfully happy playing with the big kids over at the adventure park,” Emily said. “Really, it’s all she’s talked about doing for days now, hearing that Eloise, Lucas, and Lolly would be here.”
“Oh, yeah. But she wants to show you something she found.” He set the drinks down and they began unloading them into the Yeti tubs that were filled with ice. “Get ready for it to be all about a fish now.”
“A—what?”
“You’ll see.”
“Mommy!” Clover arrived at Emily’s side; collided, perhaps would be a better description. Her mouth was smeared with ketchup. “Look!”
Emily properly oohed and ahhed over the fossil then washed both it and Clover’s ketchup mouth clean with some bottled water. After, the tiny fish fossil stood out even more. Delighted, Clover took off at a run with Eloise to show Lolly her find.
Liam nudged Emily and jerked his chin in the direction of her father, who was deep in conversation with a guest from Canada who worked in the government. “He’s feeling right at home, it seems.”
She smiled. “He is trying, isn’t he?” It wasn’t her father’s first time back since they’d married.
Unexpectedly, he’d come for Clover’s birth after he and Emily had mostly mended fences between them during that visit. He was, in spite of everything, a doting grandfather, calling Clover once a month on Zoom much to her delight. Malcolm was still a no-show, but deep down, Liam knew Emily hoped for a reconciliation one day.
The smoke from the grill wafted over to them and Liam inhaled the savory fragrance. “Smells like Nevers is going to nail it again. I’m starving.”
Chef Nevers had gotten his anxiety under control and had proven to be a wonderful addition to the Hard Eight ranch. His food was one of the ranch’s great attractions, and Liam was glad they’d listened to his wife and kept him on years ago after a rough start.
Beside him, Emily wrinkled her nose, waving the smoke away, moving out of its path. She looked a little green, suddenly.
“What’s wrong? You okay?” he asked.
“Sort of.”
He pulled out a bench seat and made her sit. “You look a little pale. Here, have some water.” He handed her a bottle. She sipped a little.
“I’m fine. Really. It just hit me, that smell.”
“The steaks? They smell great—” His eyes widened. “Uh-ohh. What? Em . I can only think of one other time when that smell made you—”
Emily bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. “I was going to tell you after the party, but…”
“Oh, my God, Em. Really?”
She nodded. “Are you happy about it?”
He pulled her into his arms, laughing. “Am I happy?” His voice clogged up suddenly and all he could do was hug her.
“You know Clover’s been desperate for a brother or sister. I can’t wait to tell her, but we should wait a bit.”
“How far along are you? How did I miss this?”
“Far enough to know. I saw the doctor today—are you ready? Maybe you should sit down, too.”
He frowned. “What?”
“There’s two… it’s… twins.”
He literally gasped. “ Twins? ”
“ Shhhh! ” She quieted him with her hand. “We shouldn’t tell everyone yet.”
He glanced guiltily around them and lowered his voice. The shock and weight of her words hitting him like a punch of joy and fear and disbelief all at once. “Okay, okay. But what ? Twins? Em. ”
“I know.” She bussed his mouth with a quick kiss. “They do run in your family, don’t they then? I’m so happy. And a bit scared, too. It’s a lot. But I couldn’t wait to tell you.”
He stared down at her in wonder. “I’m so… you are… a rock star. I love you, babe.”
She kissed him again. “I love you back, cowboy.” She straightened the collar of his denim shirt and smoothed her hand down the front as she always did in a little gesture that always gave him the feels.
“Now what do we do?”
“Now,” she said, “I’m going to find our current only child and push her on that swing as I promised her all day that I would. And pocket her little fish fossil, so he doesn’t disappear.”
“Good plan. Meltdown avoidance.”
“Right. See you after?”
“I’ll be right here.”
Smiling, he watched her walk away, watched Clover gallop up to her, grab her hand, and walk together toward the sinking sunset that was casting the Montana sky with reds and purples. It reminded him then of the dream he’d once had of that same little girl with the hazel-green eyes who was theirs now, walking with her mama.
He’d never been a big believer in fate, or premonitions, but what else explained how he had gotten so lucky? That he’d listened to that small voice that had told him to offer her that seat on the subway, and later, when all seemed lost, told him not to let her go.
He took a deep breath.
For that matter, five years ago, none of this had seemed possible. And now look. Everything had changed. Changed for good. He stood at the center of the Hard Eight, surrounded by family and friends, all gathered tonight together to celebrate the life they’d—each of them—built here. He had Emily now and Clover and—he swallowed hard—two more on the way… it was a life he could never have imagined.
And it was a blessing he knew he would never, ever take for granted.
The End