by TC Rybicki
“Did you think about my idea?”
“Yes, there’s enough money for it. Let’s keep it small though. Josie never wanted this place to be too large, or then it would lose its homey feel.” Sydney wanted to do a few additions, add ten more regular rooms, extend the dining area, and create two small cottages for families. She recalled her Gram had to turn away people sometimes, especially larger families and family reunions. I’d helped her with the books and the budget. Dad even volunteered to give her advice, and for once, I was confident there wasn’t an ulterior motive.
“You know what else would be awesome on this property?”
“What?”
“Take a walk with me and I’ll show you.”
I took Sydney to her scenic overlook. “What about a quaint two-story cottage right about there with an upstairs deck and French doors so every morning you can have your coffee looking out at the river from your soul-searching spot? I promise not to alter the ambiance of the property.”
“I don’t know, maybe a house here would be nice one day, but I’m not spending the money on that until I build up the inn.”
“Can I?”
“What? You’re not making sense.”
“I want to build us a house.”
“You love the ranch, Dane. Are you insane?”
“Yes, you drove me plum crazy, but now that this is all yours, I know you won’t leave. You’ll want to be at breakfast with the guests, participate in game nights during the summer, and personally greet every guest when they check in. I remember telling you I’d always do what I had to do to be with you. I’m keeping the ranch. I have some tenants in mind that will take good care of it, so we can visit whenever we feel like it. Cash insists.”
“Who?”
“Later, but answer me about the house? I have to have your permission to build on your property, Ms. Hagel-Littlefield.”
“Then the answer is no. You do not have permission because this is insane. You can’t just come over here, bang me under the trees and build a house on my land when you have your own damn house.”
“Well, I’m old-fashioned. I always imagined I’d live with my wife, so I am trying to get the ball rolling.”
“I should toss you into the river right about now.”
“That’s at least thirty feet down.”
“You’re exaggerating, but seriously. I had a rule. I can’t get married until I’m 22.”
“Yeah, I know. But I need a surveyor, a geology report, an architect, and a builder. This house could take a year, more like eighteen months because things usually get delayed. That will put you awfully close to 21. Are you saying a year is that important in the grand scheme of our forever?”
“Dane Ellsworth, you’re a nut. We haven’t even been together six months, and half the time we weren’t a real couple. Plus, hello.” She waved her hand in my face. “Do you know me at all? I know you didn’t halfway propose without a ring.”
I dropped to one knee and reached inside my back pocket. She was shaking her head but calmed down when she saw I had a piece of paper instead of a ring. It was a letter from Josie, and I handed it to her.
Emotions flooded her, but she calmed herself when I asked her to read aloud, “I know it’s probably not fancy enough, but Roy was awful proud when he scraped up the money for it. I loved this ring, it came before all our troubles, and I did my damnedest to hide it, so he’d never do something crazy with it. It’s real. Maybe a skilled jeweler could make it grander.”
“Gram gave you her ring?”
Now it was time to show her I indeed had a ring. The ring. Josie’s ring was lovely, but this guy I found was brilliant. He preserved the essence of the original ring, but it was totally Sydney when he finished with it.
“She gave this to me the night I dropped off the box of letters, the day you were done with us forever. I told her it seemed a little late or maybe it was premature. You never wanted to see me again, and Josie laughed, ‘that’ll be the day. I’m not saying to propose tomorrow, but I want it to go to Sydney, and you’ll be the one that gives it to her, so take it.’”
Sydney was crying big tears now.
“It made no sense because we were in utter turmoil, but I have a client who’s a jeweler. I took it to him and he had some ideas. I pretty much forgot because of what happened, but he called me yesterday.” I reached into my front pocket. “Maybe it’s too early, I’m sure it is, but we’ll have a long engagement. This ring shouldn’t be hidden away; you should wear it. Josie wanted you to have it and so do I. Sydney, I caught you the first time I saw you. What are the odds we’d come to this?”
“Grandfather said odds destroyed his life.”
“Chances are reckless, but you know as well as I do we’re a sure thing.” I opened my fist and Sydney screamed. She probably alarmed the guest back at the main house. Someone might check on her soon to see if she was in danger.
“Shut up! Oh, Dane. That’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen, and it was Gram’s? What the heck?”
“I have pictures of the original, so you can see the similarities and differences. My guy is a true craftsman. I told him you were a modern princess, but you’d love the vintage look of the original. The middle diamond was Josie’s and the many others are my contribution.”
“Are you trying to sway me hinting this cost you a bundle?”
“No, unless that would help.”
“I’m too young to get married and we haven’t known each other long enough.”
I nodded. I knew going for this so soon was a 50/50 shot. She wasn’t turning me down for good; she needed more time. I started to get up, but Sydney stopped me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m accepting your answer- for now.”
“Don’t. Because that wasn’t my final answer. Do it again, cowboy and make it good this time. Tell me exactly why I’m worth it and why you want to spend the rest of your life with me.”
7 years later
“No, Ma’am. That is not the outfit I bought for the party.”
“But Mama, I’m wearing the dress.”
“With raggedy blue jeans and tangled hair. Come on, Gabriella. I let you wear what you want almost every day, but this is a special occasion. Where’s your crown?”
“It broke.”
“What? No way.”
“No way, what?” Dane joined us in the middle of a common argument.
“Will you look at your daughter?”
“I am. She’s beautiful just like her Mama.”
“Of course, she’s precious and adorable, but she promised.”
“Gabs go check on your brother, please. Mom and I need to talk a second.”
“Can we go to Mimi and Poppa’s already?”
Sydney raised her voice, “No! Not yet. The party’s an hour away, and you need to make an entrance.”
Once Gabriella skipped away, Dane grabbed me by the shoulders. “Breathe, babe. It’s a little kids’ birthday party.”
“It’s special. They’re five, and they’re going to school in three weeks. It has to be perfect.”
“It will be. She told you a hundred times she didn’t like the dress. Joseph looks like a perfect little gentleman if that eases your mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, our son put on the outfit I picked out for him.” He was an easy child that was perfectly fine playing wild outdoors all day. But he also cleaned up and settled down as soon as he was told. Dane still found it amusing that our daughter had one speed, full throttle and wild as the day is long.
I was meant to be a girl mom. I’d been saying since we got together. I really didn’t even need the ultrasound technician to tell me what we were having. The initial shock we were having twins was over and done with before the end of the first trimester. The second ultrasound was supposed to assure us our girls were healthy and growing well.
Dane pointed to something like he was some sort of obstetrics professional, “Is that a?”
“Good eye, he’s not
shy at all.”
“I corrected her, no he, it’s a she. They’re both girls. We’re having girls.”
The woman performing the ultrasound looked at us strangely. “Well, Mrs. Ellsworth you’re half right. Baby B is a girl, but Baby A is all boy. That’s the penis, and those are…”
I was ready to protest when Dane yelled too close to my ear, “YES! One of each.” I cried for exactly one hour. I wasn’t meant to have boys and then my whole world changed because we were having one.
The tears dried up when Dane handed the picture of our twins to me. Two babies were growing inside of me and they were beautiful even as white splotchy-looking aliens. We paused to admire our miracles. “You’ll help me with the boy stuff?”
“Sure, I will, and you help me figure out the girl stuff.”
“Deal. One of each. Okay, I can do this.”
“Of course, you can. You can do anything, Syd.”
Dane wrapped his strong arms around me, “Tell me what she needs to change into.”
“For one, she can’t wear those holey jeans.”
“She doesn’t like dresses because she’s modest. It doesn’t make sense the way she’s climbing, jumping, and rolling down hills.”
“Fine, purple leggings under the dress won’t look horrid, but she has to let me brush her hair. I hope the crown isn’t broken.”
“I’m sure it’s not, but you should have listened. She wanted the reptile theme like Joe. This is what you get trying to have two separate parties at once.”
“But Gabriella is supposed to be a princess. Why can’t she pretend for one day?”
“Because she’s stubborn as hell. Got that from her mother as well. Syd, stop pouting. We have two happy and healthy kids.”
“I know. We’re blessed, but I swear she exasperates me on purpose.”
“I know the feeling and to think you demanded two females. God knew better.”
“Yes, I wouldn’t trade my Joseph for anything. He’s pure joy.”
“And so is Gabriella. That’s Daddy’s girl.”
“Yes, she’s great with a pocketful of frogs and dirt under her nails 24/7. She loves to butt heads with me.”
“Agreed. Ain’t it great? Karma’s fun sometimes.”
The party was in full swing outside in the gazebo a few hours later. At least Gabriella kept the crown atop her head until plenty of pictures were taken. They scattered in every direction to work on the scavenger hunt Poppa planned out. I was thankful for a minute of rest. Mom joined me on the porch swing so that we could watch from a distance. She handed me a paper cup.
“Is this wine?”
“No, silly. It’s punch. You can have wine once all the kids have left.”
“Thanks, Mom. Dad’s enjoying himself as much as the kids.”
“He always does.”
“So, does Paul.”
“Yes, grandkids are our greatest treasure, and they’re good for getting us together.”
“Thanks a lot. I’m just your kid, who knew I had to have my own kids to get it right.”
“Stop it. You know what I mean. It’s a special season of my life. I feel like it’s a second chance, but way easier because I get to sleep in my own bed all night.”
“That does sound heavenly. Half the time I wake up in various places, the couch, one of the kids’ beds. Can you believe Dane found me asleep on Joe’s closet floor one night?”
“What in the world, Sydney?”
“I was in the zone cleaning and going through old toys and clothes. I guess I passed out.”
“You’re a great mom. I mean it and I know I can’t take the credit. You figured it out all alone.”
“It helps to have a man like Dane.”
“I’m sure.”
“You and Paul help us a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without you two a few hundred yards away.”
Life had many twists and turns since I first climbed the stairs of Gram’s porch to announce my arrival the summer I turned nineteen. I found Dane. I tried to lose Dane, and then we all lost Gram way too soon. Her death knocked my world on its axis, but she managed to teach me a lifetime of wisdom in five short months living with her. The Groves was thriving. I’d recently won two awards from the Chamber of Commerce: Best Woman-Owned Business and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. It was hard to take all the credit because Dane was a huge help as was our entire staff, Paul, and Mom. None of us would be here without Gram’s vision. She was truly a pioneer and if I was half as good as she was that was saying something.
The business grew; a few things changed. We added the rooms and the cottages. The bed-and-breakfast wasn’t the only thing that grew. Our family changed over the years. Dane and I had the twins. My cousin Julian and Nina married a year after us and were expecting their second son around Christmas. Dad served out his prison term. Once he had the approval of his parole terms, he moved to San Antonio to head up a foundation started by none other than Paul Ellsworth.
We sat down and had a family meeting soon after Gram’s passing. I couldn’t keep that money Mom hid from the settlement. Paul did some maneuvering, none of us wanted to know the details, but neither he nor Dane were willing for Mom or me to take the fall. Paul transferred the money and any trace to me or my father was erased. He created a non-profit for low income, prospective homeowners. The money was put into a worthwhile cause and now my father truly helped people with their dreams instead of only collecting their money.
I can’t say it was an easy transition because of all the history and what occurred between Dane’s parents. His mother, Lynn concluded she and Paul weren’t going to make it once my mother moved back. She lives with her sister in Austin and is the only one missing today, but she sees the children often. There were a lot of hurt feelings and disagreements. Dane had the worst time with it. My parents’ divorce was already in motion before Mom and I reconnected. They were on the same page and continued a renewed friendship.
Dane refused to accept our parents getting closer. They swore to us it was merely rekindling a friendship. Paul stayed in his home and Mom took over the residence when Dane finished our cottage. Frisco’s family moved to the ranch and he still was my number one foreman. Our kids were close friends. They all treat Joseph and Gabriella like an extra little brother and sister.
The newest adjustment came about three years ago. Paul told Dane he’d like to start seeing Mom on a more than friendly basis. If we said the whole truth to strangers, I’m sure it seemed weird but after all this time, it already felt normal to me. Dane and I couldn’t make decisions for our parents just as they couldn’t make them for us. Divorce was sad and final, and no one ever wanted it to happen, but it did. If Mom and Paul had a chance at happiness, I wanted it for them. Six short months later, they were married in the same spot Dane, and I married three years prior. She hitched a ride on Grandfather’s electric scooter as he gave her away. She lost him for a time in her life, but it was a special moment to see him give her away to her one true love.
“She’d love every bit of this moment, you know.” Mom squeezed my hand.
“I know. He loved watching the kiddos too. Maybe now they watch together. How are you holding up? It’s our first big family event without him.”
“I thought of that this morning. I miss him, but we had some good years, years I never imagined were possible.”
Grandfather stayed with us until his death three months ago. Mom took it the worst. They had a special bond, and I’m so thankful we all found out the truth before the family secret died with Gram. The kids still talked about him every night during nightly prayers.
“Knowing they’re together helps.”
“And they’re with Gabriel.”
“Yes, and…” she wiped her eyes. “And others that have passed.”
Mom never said the other thing out loud. We all knew not to bring it up. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Mom. Seriously, we should join the hunt or Dane, Dad and Paul are going to find us looking like a
sobbing mess. That’s enough recollection for today.”
I enjoyed the rest of the kids’ birthday, spent a little quiet time with my father since he was heading back tonight. He always congratulated me on my successes which was more than my work. I was one lucky woman and the day I lost my father to prison, I thought I was the unluckiest girl on earth. It was tough, but it was also temporary. That’s how I got through tough times, knowing, and believing they were never permanent.
Nina and Frisco’s wife helped cleaned up the party mess. I was ready to round the kids up when tiny hands reached around me from both sides. I turned around and knelt, so I could give them big hugs. “Thanks for our party, Mama.”
“You’re welcome babies. It was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was the best party ever.”
“What was your favorite part?”
“Gabs found a snake.”
“What? You better not have touched it.”
“She picked it up,” Joe tattled.
Dane joined us laughing. “Calm down. It was a grass snake. I told her no more picking up snakes before I have a chance to look at it.”
“How about no more picking up snakes period, young lady?”
“Mama, it wasn’t venomous. I have a book.”
“See. Exasperated.” Gabriella hid something behind her back and I was worried it was another live creature. “What are you hiding?”
“It’s my crown. I wanted you to wear it since Daddy always calls you princess.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. She wasn’t all wild, I suppose. My daughter had a gentle spirit underneath it all. She placed the crown on top of my head.
“You’re so pretty.”
Joe seconded, “Our Mama is the prettiest.”
“I agree, kids.” Dane straightened my crown and helped me up. “Who’s ready to go home? It’s been a long day.”
“Can we spend the night? Poppa said it’s okay with him if it’s okay with you.”
Dane was in my ear, “Say, yes, please tell her yes.”
“Well, what did Mimi say?”
“I don’t know. Should we ask her?”
“I think so.”
The twins ran off in search of my mother. “Seriously, why are you not jumping at this opportunity?”
