“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Susan swatted his arm. “Lots of men in wheelchairs succeed in business, enjoy a satisfying sex life, help raise families, and keep their wives more than content both in and out of the bedroom. And I love living here on the ranch. It’s so peaceful and relaxing.”
“But I can’t guarantee you everything will...”
“Life doesn’t come with a guarantee for anyone.” Susan held his face in her hands. “The things Fate has in store for us are the things we’ll handle, endure, overcome, make the best of. And who’s to say it will all be negative? Happy Hooves Stables could make millions and win charitable awards. Perhaps we’ll be blessed with twins. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? If life came with a prearranged game plan, wouldn’t it be boring?”
“I suppose so, but I never saw Ma as happy as I did when I visited her after she moved off the ranch and was out on her own. Ma told me a lot of the other widows seemed lost and adrift in a sea of uncertainty after their spouses passed. But Ma found herself after she escaped that ranch and her husband.”
“Seriously, I’d never consider you a burden, or holding me back, or any of that nonsense. I’d hope you would consider us a team. I know I would.” Susan glanced at her watch. “Enough discussion about such silliness. It is ten minutes after twelve. Merry Christmas, Dusty.” She leaned over and kissed him.
Immediately, Dusty wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. “God, I’ve missed you, Susan. You have no idea how many nights I’ve dreamed of our evening together in Bozeman. And the time I spent with you at your condo when we returned to Helena, before I moved here.”
“I know. I was so happy. I thought…”
“Yeah, I enjoyed our time together, too, and I was looking forward to our dinner celebration. And then the accident happened.” Dusty visibly cringed. “I can’t believe how horribly I treated you afterward and then…”
Susan covered his lips with her fingers, silencing him. “Ancient history. You were scared and in pain and you had no idea what the future held for you.”
“I know, but that’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have taken…”
“You’re forgiven. You’re doing so well, and I know you’re going to walk again, be able to operate Happy Hooves the way you visualized from the start.” Susan hopped off the sofa, dug under the tree for his Christmas gift. “Let’s open our presents!”
She flopped down on the sofa and handed him the small rectangular package wrapped in red paper with green plaid ribbon and a matching bow. Nothing said country like plaid, and Dusty exuded country. After contemplating the matter for a half hour, she’d written, Merry Christmas, Dusty. Hugs, kisses, and all my love, Susan on the tag. Direct, uncomplicated. The gift would eliminate any doubt about how she felt about him.
“Now, what do we have here? Looks like a tie box.” Dusty ripped the wrapping off and opened the top. He folded the tissue back and reached for the pair of concert tickets. “My God, Susan! Tim McGraw and Faith Hill? Next April in Vegas? I don’t want to even think about what these cost you, but I love it! And you know who’ll be sitting there right beside me.”
“Brock?” she asked, innocently.
Dusty grinned. “Of course, and you can doggie-sit Buster while we’re away.”
Susan playfully punched his arm. “Brock better pack his bathing suit. I booked a king suite with a hot tub.”
“To hell with Brock.” Dusty pulled her into a tight embrace and added, empathetically, “The only person who’s coming with me is you. Do you want to drive or fly?”
“I have air miles. We could fly.”
“Forget it.” Dusty waved off her suggestion. “You bought the concert tickets and the room. The flight is on me. This will be so great.”
Susan beamed. “I’m glad you like your gift.”
“Okay, your turn.” Dusty leaned over the end of the couch and pulled a package from between the tree branches. The square box was beautifully wrapped in silver paper with a stunning emerald green ribbon and an elaborate matching bow in the middle.
Susan read the tag, Merry Christmas. With my love. Dusty. She gaped at the gift, stunned by the sentiment that meant so much. He loved her, too. Still loved her despite all of their arguments and disagreements and fallings out. “This looks too pretty to open,” she said, grinning.
“Well, I suppose you could just look at it forever and…”
“Not on your life,” she interrupted him while ripping the bow and ribbon off. She removed the paper, dug inside the box.
And discovered…another wrapped box.
Smaller, still square.
Susan’s heartbeat raced. Could this be a ring box? She met Dusty’s eyes, but his expression didn’t give anything away.
She unwrapped the second box, wordlessly, and then lifted the top.
A pair of diamond earrings, at least two carats by all appearances, sparkled from the bed of blue velvet lining. “Dusty, these are beautiful,” gushed Susan, hiding her disappointment. For a brief moment, she believed he’d bought her an engagement ring and intended to propose this very minute.
Yeah, right. Just wishful thinking, she reminded herself.
Dusty beamed. “I’m glad you like them. Can’t wait to see them on those ears I love to nibble on.”
Susan smiled, weakly. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d nibbled on her damn ears. More like blistered them with four-letter words, until a couple weeks ago when he’d re-evaluated his life and allowed her back into it. Although he had apologized for his behavior, he hadn’t suggested they resume their relationship, appearing content to remain just friends.
“We’d better turn in, or you’ll be too exhausted to enjoy Christmas Day.” Susan tidied up the wrapping paper and clasped her gift to her chest. “Thank you. I love them.”
“Thanks for the tickets. We’re going to have an unbelievable time in Vegas.” Dusty attempted to stand, wavered on his feet.
Susan reached out a hand, helped steady him. “Do you need assistance to get to your room?” Living in a ranch house with all the rooms on the main floor and no stairs proved an enormous advantage, but Dusty inhabited the master bedroom at the far end of the hallway. Being so tired, it might prove a long trek for him tonight.
In lieu of moving into Linda’s old room off the kitchen, Susan occupied the guest room first on the left.
“No. I’ll be okay.” Dusty shuffled across the room heading toward the hallway.
Susan had hoped he might suggest he share her room tonight, but of course, he didn’t. Susan met his eyes and blurted, “Can I ask you a question?”
Dusty paused, turned back, and nodded.
“Why do you call Linda, Ms. Walters? I’ve never heard you call her Linda, but she calls you Dusty all the time.” Susan shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“She told me from day one that, whether treating me in a hospital or my own home, only total professionalism would do. And that included never being addressed on a first name basis. I’ve respected her wishes. She’s an exceptional caregiver, and I couldn’t respect her more.” Dusty smiled showing that dimple she’d fallen in love with on the day she’d met him. “Actually, Ms. Walters has been replaced due to her wedding. Just today, I hired a new housekeeper to look after the house permanently, since I’ll be progressively busier with the ranch as time goes on. And she’s agreed to help me find a cook for the hired help in the bunkhouse, too.”
“Who is cooking for them now?” asked Susan, blowing out candles, unplugging the tree lights, and turning off lamps.
“The ranch hands take turns cooking in the communal kitchen. I hear a few of them are excellent cooks, and they’ve been trading extra shifts in the kitchen for chores in the horse barn. Brock lets the hired hands sort it out by themselves, and so far, it’s worked beautifully. They even invite Brock to eat dinner with them on nights that I’m not around. They asked for a deep freezer and a dishwasher, and we outfitted their kitchen with both. Brock stocks
the fridge and pantry for me and it works really well.”
Dusty and Susan walked down the hallway toward their rooms. He took her hand and whispered, “Merry Christmas, darling.”
Susan paused outside her door for a second, believing he’d ask to spend the night with her. When it became blatantly obvious that wasn’t about to happen, she turned and opened the door to her room before he saw the tears in her eyes. “Good night,” she called over her shoulder as she stepped inside.
“Good night,” he called from the doorway.
Susan closed the door, threw herself across the bed, and burst into tears.
Chapter 18
“Are you certain?”
Susan buttoned her pea coat and wrapped a red woolen scarf around her neck. “Of course, I’m certain. If you insist on riding, fine. But you’re not going by yourself.”
Dusty beamed, slipping his foot into his boot. “Good. I’d hoped you’d see it that way.”
“Let’s go, cowboy. I’m all yours for three hours and then there’s a turkey in the oven with my name on it. I’ll finish preparing dinner when we return.”
“I can help, too.”
“I’m counting on it.” Susan waved him outside and closed the door behind them.
Dusty hobbled down to the barn, using his cane, while Susan walked at his side. He’d called down to the barn earlier, and one of the ranch hands had their horses saddled and waiting. The curly-haired young hand helped them into their saddles, and they headed south.
An early afternoon breeze wafted across the range, and Susan blew her breath into the clear crisp winter air. Sunshine reflected off last night’s fresh-fallen snow. Buster raced out to greet them and rolled on his back as if making a doggie version of a snow angel. Brock called him and he raced back to his master.
“Where are we headed?” Susan inquired.
“You’ll see,” answered Dusty, cryptically.
They rode across the white expanse for twenty minutes, following the snow-covered trail as best they could, discussing the weather and the ranch and her work. Susan loved spending time alone with Dusty and the scenery was breathtaking, but her jacket didn’t prevent a chill from pervading her entire body, and her feet were freezing inside her boots.
“Here we are,” said Dusty, reining his horse over beside a spot where two creeks intersected.
“It is so beautiful here, Dusty. I’ve never been out this way before.” Susan dismounted and tied her horse’s reins to a low-hanging branch.
“This is a very special place.” Dusty carefully climbed out of the saddle and tied his horse next to the other one.
“Come on. Let’s walk for awhile. There’s a story you should hear.”
Dusty reached for her hand, and they wandered alongside the frozen creek. Finally, she asked, “So, you mentioned a story.”
“Once upon a time,” he began and then peeked over at her, grinning. He continued, “There was a fellow named Brock Thompson. One day, he bought this very ranch. Soon, he decided the fine young lady he’d been courting at the time was the woman for him, and he couldn’t live without her. Shortly after coming to this conclusion, he proposed to her and they married. They lived happily for many, many years, until sadly, death parted them.”
Susan wiped at imaginary tears and sniffed, loudly. “I’m such a sucker for a happy ending.”
Dusty chuckled and stopped walking.
“The two creeks intersect at this spot.” Susan smiled, clapping her hands together to warm her fingers inside her gloves. “Can you imagine how beautiful it must be here in summer?”
“We’ll see next year.” Dusty glanced around. He’d been so preoccupied with therapy and work that he hadn’t been out here until recently himself. “There’s one part of the story that I neglected to mention.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
“Brock told me that this very spot is where he proposed to Sue,” said Dusty, softly.
“Really?” Susan whipped around and met his eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
Dusty nodded, validating his story, and shifted his weight to his other leg. “When I heard that story, I made a decision.”
“A decision?” echoed Susan.
“That I was going to continue the tradition.” Dusty dug in his pocket and extracted a small velvet ring box. “If I get down on one knee, you’ll need a winch to get me to my feet again, so I’m just going to ask.”
Susan gasped.
Dusty reached for her hand. “Susan, I couldn’t love you more, and I’m hoping you’ll agree to spend the rest of your days with me living on this ranch. You can drive to the bank in a matter of minutes, and I’ll support you wholeheartedly in your career aspirations. Both of us can pursue our dreams, here, together. And maybe if we’re blessed, that will include a couple of kids, too. Sweetheart, will you marry me?”
“Yes. I’ll marry you,” whispered Susan, fighting back tears of joy. Finally, he’d seen the light. She experienced an overwhelming feeling of relief. Her patience had paid off. She couldn’t wait to become Mrs. Dusty MacFarland.
Dusty opened the box and Susan’s mouth dropped open. An enormous diamond solitaire surrounded by emeralds sparkled in the sunshine.
“Oh, my God, Dusty! That ring is too much.” She met his eyes, beaming. “But it’s so beautiful.”
“Just like the wonderful woman who is going to wear it.” Dusty slipped the ring onto her finger, and it fit perfectly.
Suddenly, Susan’s eyes filled with tears.
Dusty’s horrified expression told her that he was terrified he’d done or said something wrong.
“Don’t worry. These are just happy tears,” she assured him.
“Thank goodness.” Dusty looked deep into her eyes. “I’d like to promise you one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Now that my dream is becoming a reality, I promise I’ll take the time to enjoy it. If I learned one thing these past few months, it’s to enjoy life to the fullest while you can. Your health, your freedom to move around, your ability to work at what you love, it can all be taken from you in a heartbeat.”
“I should promise you something in return.” Susan slipped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly. “I promise I won’t be so obsessive where my career is concerned. My promotions will happen when they happen. Love and family trumps everything else.”
“I think we can prove that dreams can be compatible with a little give and take from both of us.”
“I agree. For so long I put my career before everything, but I realize now that I don’t want to grow old with nothing but my spreadsheets to keep me warm at night. My biological clock is ticking, and we both want a family. Everything in its time.”
Dusty wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. “So, we should head back to the ranch and spread the word that there’s going to be a new lady of the house in a few months.”
Susan tingled from head to toe. How could she have thought she felt cold? Her heart raced and she felt dizzy from all the excitement. Susan broke the kiss, smiling. “Let’s go back to the ranch.”
“Let’s go home to our ranch,” said Dusty.
While they retraced their steps alongside the creek, Susan asked, “Should we set a wedding date soon, or would you prefer to just enjoy being engaged for awhile.”
“Whatever you’d like. Six weeks or six months. Big wedding, small wedding, elopement.” Dusty laughed at her open-mouthed expression after his last comment. “Okay, we won’t elope. I’ll leave the details up to you. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”
“I will check my calendar. Let me get back to you, Mr. MacFarland,” she stated in her professional banker’s voice. And then she laughed as they reached the spot where their horses stood, nibbling on tufts of vegetation sticking out of the snow.
Dusty grabbed his horse’s reins. He studied the stirrup, and then glanced over at Susan. “I can’t believe I’m saying this. I need some help here. Can you
give me a boost into the saddle?”
Susan met his eyes and smiled. “Certainly. But I’m a little surprised that you admitted you needed help.”
Dusty grinned. “You’re right. I’ve always considered asking for help a sign of weakness. I asked you, but I hated it. Truth is I’m just not strong enough yet to pull myself up and swing my leg over the saddle.”
“Isn’t marriage all about lending each other a helping hand?” Susan walked over to his horse. “Giving your partner a boost when they need it?”
Dusty grinned. “Guess my macho butt never thought of it that way.”
“We’re engaged. Your sexy macho butt can ask for my help any day.” Susan smacked him playfully on his behind.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, pecking her on the cheek.
She pulled her gloves on and cupped her hands. After a bit of maneuvering and shifting of his weight, Dusty slipped his boot in, and she carefully hoisted him into the saddle. “Now, you can help me cook Christmas dinner when we get back,” stated Susan, grinning.
“I’m looking forward to being married, to helping you, and to having you return the favor,” replied Dusty, reaching for the reins.
“Me, too.” Susan walked toward her own mount, backed him up to a fallen tree trunk and hoisted herself into her saddle. “Husband, home, children, and career. That was my dream. I wanted it all.”
“A horse ranch and family was my dream.” Dusty smiled. For so long he’d thought their lives were on a hopeless collision course to disappointment and disaster. “I can’t believe it. I know we’re on the road to success, both in business and in our personal lives.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Susan, settling into her saddle. “If you work hard, and with a little luck thrown in for good measure, sometimes dreams come true and you can have it all.”
The End
About the Author
Brenda Sinclair is a writer of historical American West and contemporary romance, a member of her local chapter of Romance Writers of America, a healthy lifestyle advocate and past leader of her TOPS weight-loss group, a gardening enthusiast and dog lover.
When Dreams Collide Page 19
