Chapter 10 #3
“Similar, except I had the advantage of starting with something already established, and my dad was still my advisor up until he passed away four years ago.” I pull out the camp stove and begin setting up for coffee.
“My great-grandfather had to figure out everything from scratch, like which fields would support crops, where to find water, and how to survive winter storms.”
Lindsay explores the cabin’s simple interior, running her hands along walls that still bear the marks of hand tools. “Something about that level of self-reliance seems romantic.”
I smile. “There’s also something completely terrifying about betting your life on your ability to figure things out as you go.”
“Is that how you felt when you started expanding the ranch?”
“Every day for the first two years.” I light the camp stove and fill a pot with water from the spring. “Every decision felt like it could make or break everything my family had built.”
“You figured it out.” She sounds confident in my abilities.
“We figured it out. Mom helped Dad step back when he retired, though he was still there when I needed. I relied a lot on Emma, Miguel, Andrew, and all the people who believed in what we were trying to do.” I give her a significant look. “And now you.”
“Now me, what?”
“Now you’re part of figuring it out and building something that lasts.”
Lindsay’s smile is soft and genuine. “I like being part of something that lasts.”
As afternoon turns to evening, we explore the area around the cabin. The hot spring sits about fifty yards away, formed by water flowing from deep underground into a natural pool. Steam rises from the surface, and even in the cooling mountain air, the water temperature is perfect for soaking.
I point toward the spring while we prepare a simple dinner over the camp stove. “My great-grandfather wrote in his journal that this spring convinced him to settle here. He said it felt like the land was offering him a gift.”
She looks around at the mountains rising on all sides, the valley spreading below us, and the cabin that represents the beginning of everything my family has built. “Smart man. This place does feel special.”
“Special enough to build a life around?”
“Definitely.” She nods emphatically. “I can see why he stayed.”
After dinner, as the sun begins to set behind the mountain peaks, I suggest we soak in the hot spring while the stars come out.
The water is perfect because it’s hot enough to relax muscles tired from the journey but not so hot that it’s uncomfortable.
We slip in wearing nothing but moonlight and the comfortable intimacy that’s developed between us over the past month.
Lindsay floats on her back, looking up at stars that are beginning to appear in the darkening sky. “This is incredible. I can’t remember the last time I saw stars like this. Even on the ranch, they aren’t this bright.”
“There’s no light pollution up here.” I move closer to her in the warm water. “On clear nights, you can see the Milky Way.”
She smiles at that tidbit. “Do you come here often?”
“Not as much as I should or would like. Maybe a few times a year when I need to remember why the ranch matters so much.” I reach for Lindsay’s hand under the water. “It helps me remember that what we’re doing is part of something larger than just running a business.”
She floats closer, putting her arms around my shoulders. “What do you mean?”
“My great-grandfather didn’t settle here to make money but to build something that would last and that he could pass down to future generations.” I take a breath, gathering courage for what I want to say. “Every decision he made was about legacy and creating something good that would outlive him.”
“Is that how you think about the ranch?”
“More and more, especially lately, as I’ve been thinking about what comes next.”
Her expression is serious in the starlight. “What do you want to come next?”
“I want to build something with you that honors both our histories. I want to combine your family’s legacy of helping farmers with mine of working the land.” The words come easier now that I’ve started. “I want to create something neither of us could build alone.”
She parts her lips in a soft gasp but sounds composed when she says, “That sounds like something worth building.”
“It also sounds like something that requires a formal partnership.”
Lindsay sits up in the water, watching me intently. “What kind of partnership?”
Instead of answering with words, I slip out of the hot spring and retrieve the small box from my pack.
When I return to the water, Lindsay is waiting with anticipation clear on her face.
I open the box to reveal Ellen’s work, which is a simple gold band holding two stones that flow together with gold like they’re part of the same foundation. “Lindsay, will you marry me?”
The silence stretches for a moment that feels like an eternity. Then her expression transforms by a smile that outshines the stars. Her voice is soft with something that might be tears. “Of course, yes.”
I slip the ring onto her finger, and it fits perfectly. In the warm water under the vast mountain sky, with steam rising around us and the cabin where my family’s story began watching over us, nothing has ever felt more perfect.
“I love you,” I say, pulling her close. “I love your stubbornness and your intelligence and the way you make everything better just by being part of it.”
“I love you too.” She examines the ring. “This is unique and original, but…”
“You don’t quite get it.” I’m not offended as I point to the granite.
“That’s a piece of the original ranch house.
” I point to the limestone next. “Alongside limestone from a quarry near your family’s first farm.
A jeweler in Grayhead helped me design it so both our histories are part of the same ring. ”
“It’s perfect.” Her smile is radiant. “Absolutely perfect.”
“So you really want to marry me?” She already said yes, but I need reassurance for some reason.
“I really do, and I’ll help you build something that lasts. I’ll argue with you about drainage systems and all the other things that make marriage fun for the next fifty years.”
I let out a harsh breath, finally believing she’s going to marry me. “Promise?”
There’s no teasing this time. She speaks with utmost sincerity while staring into my eyes. “I promise.”