Epilogue
Tessa
The late afternoon sun slanted across the kitchen table where I sat with a mug of coffee, reviewing supply orders for the clinic. Outside, I could hear the steady rhythm of Wyatt working in the barn, the clang of metal on metal as he fixed something that had probably been broken for weeks.
It had been a year since I'd come back to this place, to Ray's land—my land—and decided to stop running.
A year of early mornings and late nights, of learning how to balance the ranch work with my shifts at the clinic, of figuring out what it meant to build a life that was entirely mine while letting someone else be part of it.
The house had changed. Small things, mostly.
New curtains in the living room. A repaired porch railing.
The garden plots I started as a kid now yield everything I’d need to get through the winter again.
Dad’s things were still here—his books, his tools, the photographs I'd finally been brave enough to hang on the walls—but they shared space with mine now. With ours.
Wyatt's truck keys on the hook by the door. His boots by mine. His coffee mug in the dish rack.
He didn't live here. Not officially. He had his place, and his ranch to run, the brewery in town that had become more popular as the days passed. But most nights, he was here. And the nights he wasn't, I drove to his place and fell asleep in his bed.
We'd found our rhythm. Independent but intertwined. Strong on our own, stronger together.
I heard his footsteps on the porch before the screen door opened.
"Hey," Wyatt said, kicking off his boots. "You got a minute?"
I looked up from the supply order and immediately clocked the tension in his shoulders. "What's wrong?"
He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I learned meant he was working through something complicated. "Just got off the phone with Maddy."
My stomach tightened. "Is she okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. She's—" Wyatt pulled out the chair across from me and sat heavily. "Her mom wants her to move here. With me. Permanently."
I blinked. "What?"
His jaw tightened. "Apparently, her priorities have changed. She wants to focus on her marriage, travel with her husband. Having a teenager around doesn't fit the lifestyle she's after."
The bitterness in his voice was sharp enough to cut.
"Jesus," I said quietly.
"Yeah." Wyatt leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "So Maddy's moving here. At the end of the month. She'll start school here in the fall."
My mind raced. Maddy here permanently.
"How does Maddy feel about it?" I asked carefully.
Wyatt's laugh was hollow. "She's trying to be tough about it. Says she's fine, that she likes it here better anyway. But I can hear it in her voice—she feels like her mom's choosing her husband over her."
"Because that's exactly what Rena is doing," I said bluntly.
"Yeah." Wyatt scrubbed a hand over his face. "Maddy asked if you were okay with it. With her being here full-time."
My chest tightened. "What did you tell her?"
"That you'd be thrilled. Because you will be, right?" He looked at me, and I saw the vulnerability there. "I know it changes things. We've had it good this past year. This will be different."
I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. "Maddy's family. She's always been welcome here. This is just making it official."
"She's going to need you," Wyatt said quietly. "More than she has before. She's going to be hurting, even if she won't show it. And I'm going to be figuring out how to be a full-time parent instead of the fun weekend dad."
"We'll figure it out together," I said firmly. "All three of us."
My phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen and felt a smile tug at my lips.
Maddy: Is it weird that I'm kind of excited? I mean, my mom sucks right now, but at least I get to live with you and Dad full-time. And the horses.
I showed Wyatt the text. Some of the tension left his shoulders as he read it.
"She's going to be okay," I said softly. "She's tougher than you think. Wonder where she gets that from."
Wyatt's laugh was rough but genuine. "Text her back. Tell her we're excited too."
Me: Not weird at all. Your room at your dad's place is going to need decorating it still looks like it belongs to a little girl. I'm thinking we can make a girls' trip out of it, head to the city. What do you say?
Maddy: YES. Can we get those fairy lights? And maybe paint one wall a different colour?
Me: Whatever you want, kiddo.
Maddy: I love you, Tessa.
My throat tightened as I typed back.
Me: Love you too.
Wyatt watched me over the edge of his coffee mug, something soft in his expression. "You're good with her."
"She makes it easy," I said honestly. "She's a great kid."
"Yeah, she is." He set down his mug. "I just hate that Rena’s making her feel like she's not wanted."
"Maddy knows she's wanted here," I said firmly. "By both of us. That's what matters."
Wyatt's fingers tightened on mine. "I'm going to need to be at my place more, at least at first. Let her settle in without feeling like she's intruding on what we have here."
"That makes sense," I said, even though the thought of fewer nights with him made my chest ache. "She needs to know your place is her home."
"But I don't want you to feel like I'm pulling away," Wyatt continued. "Or like you're less important. You're not. You're—" He paused, searching for words. "You're it for me, Tessa. You know that, right?"
Heat crept up my neck. Even after a year, hearing him say things like that still did things to my chest. "I know. And I'm not going anywhere. Maddy needs her dad right now, and I support that completely. We'll adjust."
Wyatt stood, pulling me up with him, and wrapped his arms around me. I pressed my face into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him—sweat and hay and the faint smell of hops from the brewery.
"What did I do to deserve you?" he murmured.
"You showed up when I needed you," I said simply. "Now I'm returning the favour. For both of you."
He pulled back just enough to kiss me, slow and sweet, and I let myself sink into it. A year ago, I'd been terrified that wanting him meant losing myself. Now I knew better. Wanting him, choosing him, loving him—and loving Maddy too—it had only made me find my true self.
When we finally broke apart, I glanced at the clock on the wall. "I need to get back to the clinic. Brooke's got a surgery scheduled at four, and she'll need help prepping."
Wyatt nodded. "I've got to head to the brewery anyway. Got a meeting with the distributor about expanding to more locations."
"Look at you, business tycoon," I teased.
"Hardly." But he was smiling. "Are you coming back here tonight?"
"Yeah. I'll pick up groceries on the way home. We're out of everything."
"I'll cook," Wyatt offered.
"You always cook."
"That's because you burn water."
I swatted his chest. "I'm getting better."
"You made toast this morning without setting off the smoke alarm. I'm very proud."
"Ass."
He grinned and kissed me again. "See you tonight."
“Wyatt,” I said as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. He turned as he headed for the door. “I love you.”
He froze, all emotion fell off his face, before he broke out in a grin. “I know, love you, babe.” He winked at that was it. No drums or trombones, just us.
The clinic was quiet when I arrived, the waiting room empty except for Mrs. Patterson's ancient tabby in a carrier, waiting for his yearly checkup. I waved at Susan, the receptionist, and headed back to the exam rooms.
"Tessa, good, you're here," Brooke said, looking up from where she was reviewing charts at the small desk in the corner. "I need you to prep the surgical suite. Mrs. Kowalski's bringing in her Lab for that mass removal."
"On it," I said, already moving toward the supply cabinet.
I was elbow-deep in surgical prep when Brooke joined me, already scrubbing in.
"How's the ranch?" she asked.
"Good. Fixed the fence on the south pasture last week. I still need to get the barn roof patched before winter."
"Are you doing that yourself?"
"Probably. Unless I can convince Wyatt to help."
Brooke smiled faintly. "Well that won’t take much convincing. How is Wyatt?"
"Good. Busy with the brewery." I hesitated, then added, “Maddy’s moving here. She'll be starting school in the fall."
"She’s the same age as Jackson." Brooke's tone was carefully neutral. "That'll be an adjustment."
"Yeah."
We worked in silence for a few minutes, the familiar routine of preparing for surgery. I'd done this enough times that my hands knew the movements without thought—laying out instruments, checking the anesthesia machine, making sure everything was exactly where Brooke would need it.
"Jackson’s been hanging out at the fire hall all summer.
I wish he’d find a different hobby, I don’t like what Bill fills his head with.
” Brooke said, eventually, with a sigh. I was sure it was hard for her.
Her husband had been a firefighter. Grant passed away in a car accident three years ago, so she kept a pretty close watch on Jackson.
“Maybe when Maddy gets here, we can get the two of them in the same place. He can help her settle in. They can hang out at Wyatt’s. There’s enough people around all the time.” I handed her a towel.
“That might be good, thanks, Tessa.” Brooke’s worry eased from her face
The surgery went smoothly. Mrs. Kowalski's Lab came through without complications, and by the time we'd finished closing and moved him to recovery, it was nearly six.
Wyatt
The distributor meeting at the brewery ran longer than I'd planned. By the time Marcus finally signed off on expanding distribution to three more towns, it was nearly five, and I still had evening chores waiting at home.
I was loading equipment into the truck bed when my phone rang. Unknown number with a 403 area code. Calgary.
I almost didn't answer. Then something made me swipe to accept.
"Hello?"