Epilogue
N atalie fidgeted beside Sam on his porch swing the Friday before Labor Day weekend, eager for the moving van to arrive.
It turned out, moving halfway across the country really was fairly easy when you hired someone else to do the work.
Even better, the moving company was towing her Chevy Blazer out here, so she hadn’t had to make the drive from northern Indiana to Marietta, Montana.
After dinner, they’d gotten an alert that the van would arrive in the next hour.
After that, her move out here would be official.
“I still say you’re going to need a truck,” Sam said, squinting toward the main drive. “Or a Jeep.”
“We’ll see.” She had no intention of getting either.
Her Blazer, like the house she’d just closed on, had been purchased and then sat, mostly unused, while she’d spent all those months traveling for work.
Now that she’d had some time to drive it again, Natalie remembered how much she had enjoyed the test drive that’d ultimately convinced her to sign on the dotted line.
“Mm-hmm.” Sam pulled her closer and nuzzled the spot below her ear. “You just wait until your little SUV goes sliding off the road into a barrow pit. Then I’ll say I told you so.”
“A what?”
“A barrow pit. You know, the gully beside the road that holds rainwater.”
“You mean the ditch?”
He frowned. “I suppose if you drink enough ditches, you can end up in a barrow pit.”
Natalie held his gaze for a long moment, then burst out laughing.
For as many trips as she’d made out to visit the Miles family these past several months, she still was trying to get a handle on all their Montana-isms. Barrow pit was just the latest in a long line of phrases she was trying to learn.
“What are you two carrying on about over here?”
Natalie craned her neck to spy Eli and Sunnie walking toward them. She’d learned that they often took an evening stroll together across the ranch, and no, they didn’t call or text ahead of time. That just wasn’t a Montana thing.
“City girl here didn’t know what a barrow pit was.”
Eli chuckled. “We’ll get her learned eventually. Though, you can take the girl out of the city—”
“But not the city out of the girl.” Natalie shared a wink with him. “At least, probably not right away. Where are the others?”
Sunnie hitched a thumb toward the lodge.
“Telling stories by the fireplace. We’ve got some guests in from Ohio who haven’t ever been out west before.
Norah was explaining what they could expect on their trail ride tomorrow, but then Sam’s father got started on his moose story, and I’m pretty sure the wife will not be making that ride. ”
“His moose story?” Natalie looked to Sam.
“Really?” He frowned at his grandmother. “You had to bring that up, now that I’ve just got Natalie taking some horseback riding lessons from Madison and Norah?”
Sunnie shrugged. “There’s a reason I stay mostly in the kitchen, Samuel. And Natalie will hear the story herself soon enough. I’m surprised Teddy hasn’t mentioned it before now.”
“Oh, he’s tried. Twice,” Sam admitted. “I just keep interrupting at the right moment.”
They all laughed.
“So, is old Stubby really gone?” Natalie asked.
“He sure is,” Eli said. “New owners picked him up last weekend.”
Sam nodded. “We had Gran and Gramps distract them inside while me and the ranch hands got him loaded into their trailer. Didn’t want to tip them off about how ornery that bull can be and have them back out on the deal.”
“Poor Miss Petunia,” Natalie said. “I’m sure she’ll miss him.”
“She’ll be the only one. Besides, this was a win-win for the Flying J. We rehomed our notorious fence-destroying bull and made enough money off the sale to use as earnest money for the farmland we’re buying off Jack Nelson.”
“And his kids are using their portion of the inheritance to buy the rest of the property from him, so we shouldn’t have to worry about any more surprises going in next door,” Sunnie said. “No offense, dear.”
Natalie grinned. “None taken.”
“So, where’s Madison?” Eli asked.
“Painting Natalie’s office. It’s her welcome home gift to Natalie. I thought the old color in there was fine, but she was insistent,” Sam said with a shrug.
“I think it’s sweet,” Natalie admitted. “I offered to help, but she said it would ruin the surprise.”
Sunnie and Eli exchanged a grin.
“I take it you two are in on this?”
Eli shrugged. “We might have helped run a few errands.”
As if on cue, Madison appeared at the door. “Okay, who’s ready to see the finished product?”
Natalie looked to Eli and Sunnie with an arched brow. Something told her tonight’s evening stroll had been strategically timed. Sam rose and took her by the hand.
“After you, darlin’.”
They were all watching her now.
“Okay…” She headed into Sam’s house—no, their house, now, he kept reminding her—and made her way toward the ranch’s third bedroom.
Natalie had offered to sleep there until they were ready to make things more official, but Madison had rolled her eyes and said not to bother.
They all had agreed, though, that Natalie would need a workspace, since she’d be working remotely for Terakion.
So the third bedroom was where her office would be.
Madison stood outside the room, an ear-to-ear grin on her face. “Are you ready to see it?”
Natalie nodded, inching closer. She crossed the threshold and stopped, her hand rising to her chest. Gone was the meadow-gold yellow Sam had painted the room years ago, replaced by a pale sage green. Poster-sized photographs hung around the room, some of sunrises, some of sunsets. All of Montana.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“The pictures are all from the ranch,” Madison said. “Neil took them when he was here after Dad told him how much you loved to watch the sunsets.”
Natalie’s vision swam as she pulled Sam’s daughter into her arms. “Thank you. This means so much to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Madison said, hugging her back. “And look, I left a bunch of space on that wall for future pictures. You know, the ones you’ll take when we’re out on rides together and stuff.”
Natalie laughed softly. “Guess I need to keep taking those lessons from you and Norah.”
“I’ll be there, too,” Sam said, stepping in to take her under his wing. “Cheering you on, every step of the way.”
God, she loved this family. How had she ever gotten so lucky?
Natalie scanned the room again, still in disbelief of the collaborative effort it must have taken to pull it all together. Her gaze stopped on a whiteboard hanging from the wall beside the door. Black electrical tape had the surface divided into twelve squares. “And what’s this?”
“That was my contribution to your new workspace. It’s an inspiration board, for when you feel like doodling.” Sam met her gaze, grinning. “You never know, The Adventures of City Girl and Marshmallow could be a hit one day.”
Oh, how she loved this man! Natalie stretched on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “That’s true. After all, when you choose to fall for a Montana cowboy, you’re never quite sure what surprises may lie ahead.”
The End