Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
MATTHEW
A fter dinner, Tandy goes into her room to put on her walking shoes. And I hide a file folder and a Big Hunk in the mule. I also toss a blanket in the back so that when we’re tired of strolling, we can sit.
Tandy grins and heads toward the front door. “I’m ready.”
“This way. We’ll take the mule.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “The mule? I thought the entire point was walking. The mule sort of does away with the walking.”
“We’ll walk. Just in a different spot. Trust me.”
Easing up beside me, she clasps my hand. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I’ll trust you.”
Once we’re settled in our seats, I take off toward the old oak with our initials carved in it. It sits in a field of summer wildflowers, which as long as you watch for snakes, is a pleasant place to walk. It’s pretty.
We don’t make it far down the road before Tandy crosses her arms. “Do I need to be worried about the serious part? Did they tell you something at the appointment that you didn’t share with me? I’m not sure how you would’ve known that this morning, but I’m kind of grasping here. I’ve tried to be good about not pestering you with questions, but you disappeared multiple times today to run errands and now we’re taking the mule to go for a walk. What gives?”
“My doctor’s office will call when the test results are back. I have no more information about my health. And I was running errands. To prepare for tonight.”
“Okay.” She’s quiet until we get to the field. “This spot is so pretty. I should have Haley come take my pictures here.”
“You should.” I offer my hand to help her out. “Let’s walk.”
Fingers intertwined, we stroll along the edge of the field.
While I’m silently thinking through what I want to say, Tandy breaks the quiet. “I enjoyed having you close last night.”
“Good to hear. That’s part of the reason I want us to talk.”
She stops and crosses her arms. Her expression is serious, but there is a mischievous spark in her eye. “You drove me out here to tell me you wanted to sleep with me?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth, but I did enjoy last night. When I walked into your room, I was not intending to stay the night. I just needed to unload my worry because after nights of barely sleeping, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
She loops her arm around mine. “I haven’t shared my bed in a very long time.”
“There is a lot I want to share with you, and at least one thing I don’t.”
My cryptic statement earns me a quizzical look.
“Tandy, I love you. And blame it on what I’m facing right now if you want, but everything is clearer. I know what’s important. You’re important. I want to share my life with you, my bed with you, and all the things that go along with that.” As we reach the old tree, I reach into my pocket and pull out a blue velvet box. And in a move I practiced several times today, I flick open the lid with my thumb to reveal a ruby ring. “Tandy Cavanaugh, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes.” The word escapes as part laugh, part sob.
And I pull her close, and after a moment, I nudge her. “Look at the tree.”
She runs her fingers across the carved letters. “I never thought this day would come. And I can’t even say I dreamed it would happen. But I think a part of me always loved you, Matthew.”
“I’m glad you moved back to town.” I pull the ring out of its box and slide it on her finger. “I went with a ruby because I wanted a ring that would stand out, just like you.”
“I love it.” Her brow furrows. “You’ve been open about all the things you want to share.” She runs a finger down my chest, making it clear she understands what I mean. “Now tell me what you don’t want to share.”
“Your money. I’m not privy to how much you have, and I don’t need to be. But I had my lawyer draw up some papers.”
“A prenup?”
“If you want to call it that. But basically, I’m signing away my rights to all of your assets. Even whatever you make from Matchmaker Ranch.” I point toward the mule. “I have a folder. You can have your lawyer look over it. But I don’t want there to be any confusion about why I want to marry you.”
“So help me, if you make me cry…”
I chuckle and wrap my arms around her again. “I want you, Tandy. All of you. For better or for worse until death do us part.”
“Now you’re just trying to make me cry.” She inches up on her toes and kisses me. “And for the record, I don’t want your money or this ranch. All of it belongs to you and your family. You should have your lawyer write that up also.”
“I can do that. But I didn’t worry that you wanted it.” I let go of her and run back toward the mule. “I forgot something.”
She stands under the tree, admiring her ring. “What other surprises did you cook up? And because I’m curious, are you aware that you proposed last night?”
I stop and turn back to look at her. “I did?”
“You talk in your sleep.”
I pick up the candy but keep it hidden behind my back. “And what was your answer last night?”
“The same. Now, show me what you’re hiding.”
I lean back so that she can’t see behind me. “It’s a corny joke.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“You know what you get for saying yes to my proposal?”
She holds up her hand. “A ring?”
I hand over the candy bar. “You get a Big Hunk.”
She immediately starts tearing the wrapper. “Now I have another reason to love you. I haven’t had one of these in ages.” As she takes a bite of the candy, she lets her gaze slide down to my boots. “Yummy.”
Birds scatter from the trees when I let loose a laugh.
“I bought several of those when I was working on the remodel. But I wanted to save them until we were talking, so I put them in a safe place.”
She starts laughing before I even finish explaining. “So safe that you forgot where you put them?”
“Yep. I found them in the filing cabinet when I was getting papers for my attorney. And I took that as a sign.”
She kisses me, then pops a chunk in my mouth. “It tastes as good as I remember.”
“Good. You ready to head back?”
She climbs into the mule.
As I drive back to the house, she feeds me bites of her candy. And when I pull into the garage, she turns to face me. “If I leave this house with a ring on my finger, the entire town will know within a few hours, so as much as I love this ring—and you—I am not going to wear it until you’ve let your family know.”
“Probably smart. Should we just wait and announce it when everyone is in town? But I hate to make you keep a secret from Dallas and our friends.”
“I’ll just wait.” She takes my hand as we head inside. “When my house is finished, want to move in with me?”
“I do.” I drop onto the sofa and tug her into my lap. “What sort of wedding do you want?”
“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought. I stopped thinking about my dream wedding decades ago. But I’m for sure not going to waltz down the aisle in a big floofy white dress.”
“Maybe something with sparkles.” I poke her in the side.
“Don’t tempt me. I might just do that.” She tips her head back and lets loose a delicious laugh.
Now I just need those test results so I have a better idea of how long my happily-ever-after will last, not that anything is guaranteed.
Days become torturously long when waiting on test results. But Tandy has been more than helpful. She’s been supportive without constantly fretting over me. On the nights I can’t sleep, she rubs my back until I drift off. And when no one else is around, we talk about the wedding like there isn’t a black cloud hanging over our future.
I check my messages as I walk to the door. “Your house is close to done. The wrong flooring was delivered, and it’ll be a week or more until the right stuff arrives before they can install it downstairs. But it should be ready in three weeks to a month.” I’m anxious about my appointment, but talking about Matchmaker Ranch gives me a place to focus my energy and keep the building panic corralled. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Are you absolutely sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Tandy stands beside the door with her arms crossed. She didn’t even respond to the news about her house, which signals how stressed she is.
I rest my hands on her shoulders. “If people see you going into an appointment with me at the doctor’s office, they’ll think something is wrong with me. And I prefer to maintain control over that news. No matter what the doctor says, I’ll be okay. You’ll still marry me, right?”
“Of course I will. Don’t be silly.” She gives me a quick peck. “Go. You don’t want to be late.”
As I drive, I try to think about things that need to be done on the ranch and what I want to say to Zach and Eli tomorrow night. We’re having lunch with Dallas to let him in on our engagement, and we’ll tell my grandsons that evening. But the big announcement will be this weekend when all my kids are in town. I haven’t seen Donna in nearly a year, so I’m looking forward to the visit.
Once I’m at the office, the nurse calls me back right away, which is good because I’m tired of waiting.
Instead of an exam room, she leads me to Bernie’s office. “He wanted to meet with you in here.”
“Thanks, Sally.” I close the door before taking a seat. “Please don’t make me wait, Bernie. Tell me what I’m facing.”
“You didn’t follow my advice, did you?” Hands folded on the desk in front of him, he gives me a smug grin.
I’m praying that smile is a hint that I’ll be getting good news. “I’m not sure how you’d know that, but no. I didn’t. I know this could be very serious.”
“It was a bit of a guess since I saw you leaving the law office last week.” He opens the folder. “But the reason I didn’t want you googling was because while it could’ve been something that would require extensive treatment, there were also other possibilities. Like passing a kidney stone. Which after ruling everything else out, I think that is what happened.”
“So I’m not dying. Won’t need chemo or anything like that.”
“I’m giving you a sheet on how you can help prevent kidney stones. Drink more water. Things like that. But everything else looks great. You’re healthy. Even if you are old.” He gives a chuckle. “I guess that makes me old too. Maybe I should think about retiring.”
“You sure Maggie is ready for you to be home all day?”
“She has a honey-do list that would stretch from El Paso to Texarkana. And I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” He hands me a sheet with tips for prevention, then closes the folder. “I’ve had a kidney stone. I know how painful they can be. So hopefully you won’t have to deal with that again.”
“I definitely prefer not to.” I stand and shake his hand. “Thanks. I’m truly relieved. And for the record, the appointment with my lawyer wasn’t just because of this. That was just part of the reason.”
Bernie laughs. “This town is growing, but it’s still too small to keep secrets.”
I hope he’s wrong about that because I’d prefer to announce my engagement at the family meeting and not have my kids hear it through the gossip chain.
Tandy is sitting on the front steps, waiting. And when she sees my truck, she springs up. Then as soon as I park, she rushes over.
I slide out of the truck and open my arms. “Kidney stones.”
“Oh, thank God.” She hugs me tighter than she ever has before.
We celebrate my good news with a kiss.
Pulling back, I pat her hip. “Now when we all get together, I only have good news to share.”
“Yep. I need to go get cleaned up because we have reservations at Jeffrey’s tonight. I figured we’d either be celebrating or neither of us would feel like cooking.”
“Jeffrey’s? Wow.” I rub my jaw. “I should probably shave.”
“You look good just as you are.”