Epilogue Nadia
Eight months later.
The ducks on the dash bounce as we leave the asphalt highway for a dirt road.
I lean forward to keep them from falling to the floor.
Dalton glances my way. “We’re going to have to tape them down!”
“We might.”
A yellow one covered in hearts, which I left for him this last Valentine’s Day, escapes my hands and dives into the cup holder.
“Two points!” Dalton calls.
The road smooths out as we drive alongside pasture land, the mountains in the distance. It’s a vividly bright summer day, and flowers spread across the lowlands like yellow stars.
I hang on as we bounce over another rut. “Maybe we can put down some gravel there to fill it in,” I tell him. “Or we can see if there is room in the budget to pave it.”
We drive another minute or so before the sprawling house appears, surrounded by trees. The property used to be a ranch, decades ago, but it’s being sold by the retired couple who has owned it for fifty years.
I reach out to hold Dalton’s hand. “You think they’ll let it go?”
“I hope so.”
The couple has been reluctant to sell, taking the property on and off the market multiple times over the last five years. They wanted one of their kids to take it over, but none of them has been willing.
We approach the main house. Behind it looms a large hay barn, and beyond it, a long pole barn meant to house cattle when necessary. There are almost a hundred acres attached to the parcel, some five hundred getting sold off over the years as the operation slowly shut down.
We toured it a few weeks ago with the real estate agent, but today we meet the family. We have been warned this is the make-or-break moment.
Another couple stands off to the side of the house, not much older than us. The man points out at the mountain view, then lifts a fancy camera to take a photo.
“Do we have competition?” I ask. “I thought we were the only ones who put in an offer.”
Dalton kills the Jeep. “Maybe someone else stepped up yesterday or today.”
My heart speeds up. We can’t lose this place! It’s the best option for the rescue operation, I imagine. A place not just for dogs and cats, but horses and goats and even exotic pets, at least until proper placements can be found for them.
There would be a veterinary office where we saw paying patients, boarding to help with costs. I had it all worked out how it could be profitable!
Dalton squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry. We’re going to charm the pants off these people. You’ve planned every little thing.”
“I wish we weren’t competing. I hate competing.”
He kisses my knuckles. “We’re going to win.”
“We have to. It’s only thirty minutes from the Children’s Hospital, and forty minutes from Denver.” It’s also near my brother Court and their goat farm.
It’s so perfect. I can’t bear to lose it.
“Let’s go get it.” Dalton releases my hand.
“Maybe we can scare the other couple off. Tell them it’s haunted.”
Dalton laughs as we exit and meet in front of the car. “I think I’ve seen this episode of Scooby Doo.”
“It’s every episode.” I watch the other couple out of the corner of my eye as we approach the front door. We haven’t even made it to the porch when it opens.
Stan Velmont, the owner, gives us a wave, motioning for his wife to come out with him.
We all shake hands.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Dalton says. “I’m Dalton, and this is Nadia.”
“He’s a doctor,” I blurt out. “For babies. He saves babies.”
I don’t miss the way Dalton tries to hide his smile. “And she rescues animals.”
Yeah, we’re pulling out all stops, just like the first time.
It’s kind of nice that we’re doing it together.
“That’s what we hear,” Stan says. “You want to turn it into an animal rescue.”
“It’s a lovely idea,” his wife Maria says. “Will you put more buildings on the property?”
The other couple walks our way. I feel like I must state our case before they can get their claws in.
“We plan to build a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic,” I tell her. “The existing buildings will be used for boarding. We think mixing pets with families with the ones up for adoption will help all of them, plus give the needy ones more visibility among pet owners who might take them in.”
“You have experience with this?” Stan asks.
It feels like a job interview. “Of course,” I say, noticing that the other couple has paused at the edge of the porch, a good twenty feet away. Time for closing arguments.
“I have volunteered for a rescue in Boulder for years and this last year helped fund an expansion. I have put together all the seed money necessary to create a more broadly based operation, plus I have the support of an entire community of veterinaries, rescue volunteers, and my personal family, as I’ve lived in the area much of my life.”
Maria holds up a hand. “I believe you. I think you are a bright young woman. And of course, we already know about Axel and Court. The Pickles are a beloved part of the Boulder community.”
“And that hotel,” Stan says. “Fancy, fancy.”
I glance at Dalton. “It is beautiful.”
“Come on in,” Maria says. “We should sit down.”
Maria leads us into a living room. “Did you know Stan and I got married right here on the property? He carried me right over the threshold after.”
“That’s lovely.” But even as I say it, I worry. Will they be traditional? Dalton and I aren’t married. He’s only recently moved to Boulder after his internship.
He got a resident position at the Children’s Hospital in Denver in a direct swap between the two hospitals’ neonatology departments. A young woman wanted to leave her home city, and Dalton helped make it happen.
He’s been staying at an Air B&B in Denver while we looked for a rescue property. The real estate agent presented us as a couple.
And we are. I’ve spent as much time in LA as possible, and Dalton even made it to Boulder twice.
Maybe I should have stuck a ring on my finger and let them make an assumption.
Stan leads the other couple into the room as well. This is it. We’ll find out what we’re up against.
Dalton and I stand in front of the sofa but don’t sit down yet. I’m ready for battle. I start mentally preparing the arguments.
Stan turns to us. “This is Lana and Jed from the Denver Post. They wanted to do a story on the history of the property before it changed hands.”
Lana turns to me. “So you’re going to be the new owners?”
I swivel to Dalton. It’s already decided then? Our agent acted like we had to win them over. “Yes! Yes, we are!”
“Let’s get a shot of the four of you,” Jed says. “Maybe by the fireplace.”
Stan and Maria move toward the giant stone hearth in the towering oak wood wall.
We line up beside them. Dalton puts his arm around me and squeezes.
Emotions wash over me as Jed shifts us around and takes several shots.
“Why don’t we walk around while we talk?” Lana suggests.
And so we do, the six of us touring the property. We learn more about the history of the ranch, how it operated, and the challenges it faced over the decades.
Lana asks me about the plans for the rescue and promises to return when it’s operational, so people will learn about it.
Eventually, Lana and Jed leave, and Stan and Maria excuse themselves. “We’ll see you at closing,” Stan says with a wave.
“You’ll always be welcome here,” I tell them. “Anytime you want to visit.”
“We’re going to live on cruise ships!” Maria says. “You two stay as long as you like.”
The couple disappears inside the house.
Dalton and I climb the rise behind the house that gives a view of the barns and the pastures and the mountains beyond.
“We could get married here, like Stan and Maria did,” Dalton says. “Plenty of room. Get some tents.”
“Oh, the Pickles always get married in one of the delis,” I tell him. “I have to carry a traditional bouquet of kosher dills, and there’s always a very fancy sandwich bar where you can make your own subs.”
He stares at me for a minute. “Okay. When among the Pickles, be like the Pickles.”
I snort-laugh and lay my head on his shoulder. “In med school, did you learn about the part of the brain that makes people gullible?”
“Oh, I’ll get you for that.” He tries to sweep me into his arms, but I wiggle away and take off down the other side of the hill.
He chases after me.
I shriek, running as well as I can in ballet flats. His shoes are much better for the terrain, so he easily catches me and soon I’m thrown over his shoulder. “You know what happens to cheeky women?”
I hammer his shoulder. “What happens to cheeky women?”
He slides me down his chest until I’m standing in front of him again.
“This?” He lifts my hand and slides a ring on it. The diamond sparkles in the light.
“Dalton?” I shift it around to get a better look. It’s not small. “How did you manage this?”
“I don’t make an intern salary anymore.”
Right. The struggle will get less and less as we go. He can help his mother. I will make real money as the head of the rescue and veterinary operation.
We made it to the other side.
I stare up at him. “Since I’m a cheeky woman, I guess I should ask if there’s a question that goes with this ring?”
“There is.” And he gets down on one knee, then springs back up again with a yelp. “Rock.”
I laugh. “Here.” We take a few steps backward to smoother ground.
“Let’s try this again.” He kneels carefully. “This one is good.”
“You know, kneeling isn’t mandatory.”
“He’ll think it is.” Dalton aims this thumb back toward the house.
I spot Jed in the distance. I turn to see the shot he’s taking. Dalton kneeling, me standing before him in a pencil skirt and flats a lot like the outfit I wore the day we met.
And spread behind us, the Colorado mountains and the flower-dotted foothills.
It will be a gorgeous photo, the two of us a small part of a very big idea, one we came up with together.
He takes my hand. “So Nadia Armstrong, lover of kittens, rescuer of all things lost and weary, beautiful and strong, love of my life, will you marry me?”
I clasp his fingers, the answer already glinting on my hand. “Yes, Dalton Murphy, doctor to the most fragile members of our human race, willing to move across three states to be with me, champion of DuckDuckJeep, giver of five-star orgasms, and love of my life, I will marry you.”
He stands then and gathers me against him. When his face lowers to mine, our lips connecting in the kiss we both know so well, a breeze kicks up, sending flower petals scattering across the hills.
I close my eyes to the sun, the mountains, the blossoms, and think to myself, we made it. All of us. Me, Dalton, our kitties, and the animals and families who will come under our care.
We’re going to do great things. I’m so blessed that we will get to do them together .
Love this wild Pickle family? Nadia’s brother Axel is hiking naked as usual when he stumbles upon a young woman in trouble. And she also, inexplicably, has no pants in the hilarious Tasty Pickle .