Chapter 14
Acocktail of anticipation and guilt whirled through Ellie's insides as she watched Nash sign on the dotted line in front of the notary.
The words, he's doing this for me, ran through her mind, filling her with gratitude. But it was more than that; since this was a romantic gesture, it also fanned Ellie’s feelings for the gentle, caring cowboy who'd sauntered his way into her heart.
"Well, Nash," Ellie’s dad said from the Zoom call Geneva had set up on her laptop.
"I know this is a rather unconventional way to meet the old man of the gal you like, but I’m extremely grateful to you for taking good care of my baby girl while she's away.
I hope next time I can meet you face-to-face. "
Nash rested the pen on the table and stepped away from the document, pinching the brim of his hat with a nod toward the screen. "Sure, sir, I'd like that as well."
Ellie volunteered to see the notary specialist out the door while Geneva closed up the Zoom call with Ellie's dad.
Since Ellie's arrival at Wild Buck’s Ranch, she'd had only brief, surface conversations with Dad.
She hoped someday to be able to forgive him, but she couldn't help but think that all hinged on how this new deal would come through.
Would Ellie really be free from the obligations she'd sought to escape all these years?
Another question came to mind as Ellie remembered throwing the purple flowers into the trash.
Would this mysterious Wolf really leave Ellie alone once it was all said and done, or would she receive the haunting flower arrangement at poignant times in the years ahead?
It all just seemed too good to be true, and Ellie had to wonder if it really was.
For now, she decided, as Nash joined her in the foyer, Ellie would simply take it a day at a time and attempt to keep her worries at bay.
"Well, we did it," Nash said, a wide, excited grin on his handsome face.
"We did. It still doesn't seem real." She reached up to accept his kiss.
Nash hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Now, you ready to party with the Copelands?”
The party. She’d almost forgotten about that.
Ellie was looking forward to meeting Nash’s family, but she was apprehensive too.
Had he mentioned the contract to them? They weren’t supposed to divulge the details of their agreement, but he’d only now discovered that stipulation.
Besides, Ellie really didn't expect Nash to keep those details from his family.
Still, if they knew about the contract, they might think Ellie was only pretending to like Nash, which was the furthest thing from the truth. Perhaps the best thing she could do was to be herself. Ellie was crazy about Nash, and she hoped that would be evident to a family that loved him, too.
Since she started spending time with Nash, Ellie had heard quite a bit about his family. Now, it was time to test her memory. On the way to his niece’s birthday party, Ellie recited the names and some of the stories behind each family member to make sure that she had them straight.
“It's funny,” she said as they neared his home, “I feel like I know so many of them already, and they're going to be weirded out because we’ve actually never met."
Nash chuckled. "True, normally, I would have told my family all about you by now. It's definitely a unique situation. Of course, you probably meet people all the time who feel like they already know you, seeing that they’ve followed your career and seen so many of your movies."
That was true. She just wasn’t used to being on the opposite end of it.
"So you told them you were bringing a guest, but you didn't tell them who that guest was," Ellie said, repeating what Nash had told her earlier.
"Right. I didn't want them to do anything fancy to try to impress you." He shot her a wink before glancing casually at the rearview. "We're getting close now."
Butterflies fluttered wildly through Ellie's stomach. "Oh man, I’m getting nauseous."
“No, don't be nervous." Nash reached out to rest his hand on her lap.
Ellie slipped her hand into his and sighed, replaying the names of Nash’s family members in her head. “So your sister’s name is Belle, and she recently married a man named Cash.”
“Yep. But Cash first hired her to be the nanny of a newborn he’d been given custody of. Belle fell for the baby and him both.”
Ellie grinned. “That’s a cute love story.”
“See that huge red barn and the big country house in front?”
Ellie nodded. “Is that it?”
Nash slowed and flicked on his blinker. “That’s it.” He pointed to an iron sign perched between two massive posts at the head of the private drive. “Welcome to Copeland Brothers Ranch.”
Excitement whirled through her as she took in the cattle, hints of a stable and horses nearby, and the big country home he was referring to.
Two stories, white country siding, and a wraparound porch.
It was absolutely charming. “This is where you live? When you’re not staying at the ranch, that is. ”
Nash shrugged one shoulder. “It’s where I’ve mostly lived since my folks died, yes. But this fall, I plan to move into the bunkhouse with Rem. See that other house and barn further down the way?”
Ellie nodded as she spotted it.
“My grandparents built that. Now, we house several of our ranch hands there during the summer.” They pulled into the drive as two other trucks did the same.
“Man,” she said, “you guys like your trucks, don’t you?” One was black, another was blue, and Nash’s was white.
“You bet we do,” Nash said. “And this is good timing. Now you can meet a few of them before we go inside.
The rear door on the black truck flung open, revealing a small girl with blonde, curly hair and a toothy grin.
“Is that Rosie?” she asked. “The birthday girl?”
“Yep, and that’s her mom Taja up front, who’s expecting a baby boy in November.”
Ellie stayed seated, hoping to recall the names of the rest before stepping out of the truck. “Aww, that’s so exciting. And she’s married to Wes?”
"Yep.”
“Okay, and didn’t you say Rosie is really into animals?”
“Good memory,” Nash praised with the squeeze of her hand. “Yes, she’s eight now, and she's real smart. Quotes animal fun facts like they're going out of style. And look at that grin,” he said fondly. “Could melt a man’s heart no matter how hardened it was.”
The comment caused Ellie’s chest to flood with warmth.
"That’s so cute. I’m excited to meet them.
” According to Nash, Rosie and her mom had joined the family just last year.
And already, the pair had somehow stepped into sync with them.
Hope welled within her at the thought. She couldn’t help but hope maybe there was room for her, too.
Nash shut off the engine. “I’ll get your door.”
Ellie eyed the couple getting out of the other truck. That must be Thatcher, the one Nash was closest to. He was walking around to open the door for his wife.
“Hey,” Ellie said once Nash opened her door. “What’s Thatcher’s wife’s name?”
“Abbie,” he reminded. “She’s also having a baby boy in the fall.”
Ellie nodded, figuring that detail wouldn’t be hard to remember since the blonde-haired beauty looked close to full-term already.
Taja, Wes, and Rosie were the first to welcome them just outside Nash’s truck.
“So this is your plus one,” Wes said, sticking out his hand to greet her. “I’m Wes, and this is my beautiful wife, Taja, and our daughter, Rosie.”
Ellie greeted the group in turn. “I’m Ellie. Nice to meet you guys.” She hunched down when she came to Rosie. “And you’re the birthday girl who knows a lot about animals.”
“I do!” the little girl assured with an exaggerated nod. “Nash told you?”
“He sure did. And he also spent a very long time at the toy store trying to find the perfect gift for you.” Not that Ellie had gone with him, but he’d told her all about it, and it made Ellie’s heart melt.
Rosie did a fist pump. “I can’t wait!”
Thatcher and Abbie joined the small group. “Who do we have here?” Abbie said, her grin nearly as wide as Rosie’s. “Oh my gosh, you’re Ellie Blaire. I love you!” She reached out and threw her arms around Ellie.
“Thanks,” Ellie said through a delighted laugh.
“Okay, well, now that Abbie’s already broken the silence about it,” Taja said, bumping Abbie’s hip, “I’m a really big fan too. You’re one of my favorites.”
“Aww, thanks, ladies, that means a lot. And to be honest, I’ve been hearing so much about you guys that the feeling is mutual.”
As they filtered into the house, the conversation continued. Rosie, who skipped merrily beside Nash, prodded him with questions about her gift. She’d find out soon enough that Nash had finally settled on a modeling clay kit with instruction cards to make twelve different animals.
Inside, Ellie was greeted by Nash’s Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Jackie, who made her feel right at home.
She'd forgotten that Nash mentioned having two dogs as well; the pair, Bonnie and Clyde, chased one another in the grassy corner of the backyard while the group gathered around large tables with mismatched chairs.
Birthday decorations hung from light strands and banisters, including a birthday banner with Rosie's name. The mascot for the day, it seemed, was a funny little creature with a long pink body, short stubby legs, and a bunch of weird pokey things around its head.
"It's an axolotl," Rosie said, coming up behind her. "It's pretty much my favorite animal right now."
"An axolotl?” Ellie repeated, pretty sure she’d pronounced it wrong. “Are they real or pretend?"
"It looks pretend," Rosie said. “That's why I like it so much. Last year, I got really into jumping spiders. Did you know they have eight bulgy eyeballs?"
"No, and I can't believe this little creature is real. I hope I can see one in real life one day."
"Me too. I have a library book so you can see some pictures," Rosie said. "And you’ll learn more about them tonight because we’re doing animal fun facts before presents."
"I’ll be looking forward to that,” Ellie assured her, completely charmed by the sweet, intelligent girl.
“I’m looking forward to it too,” came a deep voice from behind.
Ellie spun on one foot to see another new face.
Dressed in black from hat to boot, he propped a toothpick in the corner of his lips and reached out to shake her hand. “Howdy, honey,” the man said. “I’m Rem.”
“Hi, Rem,” she said while shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He pinched the brim of his hat the way Nash often did. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Rem surprised her by hunching low and slapping his knees. “Where’s that birthday girl?”
Ellie glanced around to see that Rosie had, in fact, crawled behind the patio furniture in a game of hide-and-seek. She giggled from her hiding spot, and Ellie felt the girl’s delight clear to her toes.
She looked back to Rem. “I have no idea where she went.”
Grandma C was the last of the group to shuffle in shortly after Belle, Cash, and their baby, Jane, hit the scene.
While Belle admitted to being a big fan like Abby and Taja—saying she even had her own Bubblegum Batters nickname, thanks to Come Out Swinging—Grandma C outdid them all in exuberance, mainly related to Ellie’s relationship with Nash.
The woman pulled Ellie tight against her chest in a squishy hug and said she had a feeling that she and Nash would really hit it off.
"Trust me," the jovial old woman said, "Nash is one of the good ones. And this here family…well, people get memberships for things all over the world—country clubs, secret societies, and whatnot—but being part of the Copeland Crew is free, and dear, there ain’t no better club to belong to."
That sweet assurance stuck with Ellie throughout dinner—a pasta bar featuring all of Rosie's favorites. A new round of guests filtered in—the Emersons, some friends of the family who had boys close to Rosie’s age; they were as kind and welcoming as the Copelands.
Just like Rosie promised, they all took turns reading fun facts the birthday girl had printed up and passed around.
Rosie clapped and cheered between every fun fact read aloud.
Things like, female axolotls can lay between 100 to 300 eggs during spawning season.
And it turned out the cute little things on the top of its head were actually gills.
But the wildest of them all was still in store, Rosie assured, and she’d saved that one for Nash since ‘his name rhymed with last.’
Nash puffed his chest as he held up the final slip. “An axolotl can regenerate almost any lost body part, including its heart." He lowered the slip and looked at Rosie with wide eyes. “Really? Wow.”
Uncle Lloyd piped up from across the table.
“That would've come in handy for my brother, Paul,” he said. “Poor guy lost a couple of his fingers in a tractor accident in his youth.” Lloyd looked at Ellie from across the table and gave her a wink. "Not Nash’s daddy, mind you. It’s a different brother. "
The comment gave new life to the loss of Nash’s parents.
His aunt and uncle had lost a brother and sister-in-law and then taken in their nephews to raise as their own.
Thank heavens they’d done that, and thank heavens Nash and his brother had people like this to love and care for them after such a tragic loss.
Ellie took in the faces of Nash’s bonus siblings, realizing they’d each played a role in helping Nash and his brother Wyatt heal during that time.
Next, she studied the newcomers. Abbie and Taja, who were both expecting, and Cash, who brought with him a baby he’d agreed to care for.
The picture was one of open arms, and it made Ellie believe that maybe, just maybe…
if all went well between her and Nash, there was a place for her, too.
Copeland Brothers Ranch truly was a magical place, wasn’t it?
The word harmony came back to her, and happiness and home.
It seemed, Ellie decided, as they sang happy birthday to Rosie, that what Grandma C had said was true. This family was one of the best groups on earth to belong to.
And though it wasn't her birthday, Ellie made a wish of her own while Rosie blew out her candles. As childlike as the notion might be, she wished she could somehow, in some way, belong to the Copeland Crew, too.