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“I think you just did.” He grinned, knowing she’d playfully smack his arm if she were close enough.

She cracked up laughing. “I suppose I did. But what I wanted to know is if you would mind if I look for a place between Cheyenne and Piper’s Ridge? That way, it would be a half hour for me to go to a bigger town or a half hour to see you. I’m used to driving farther than that just for a really good coffee. I don’t know what I’ll find to do as far as work, but I’m sure I can think of something. I’m not useless…” she rambled.

“Ali?” He slowed his horse and waited for her to stop alongside him.

“Yeah?” Her eyebrows rose.

“I think that would be great.” He’d hoped to have her at Wayside, in his cabin after they married. Knowing how she felt about those cabins, this was probably a better compromise. At least for a while. If she got a house, it would give them time to truly start over again like she’d asked. “Now, I have a question for you.”

“Oh?” Her eyes widened. “If you’re going to ask me what I’m going to do with myself, I have no idea. I thought I wanted to be a PI, but I not so sure I’m cut out for that. I’m in my forties. Lots of people start new careers at that age, right?” She visibly swallowed.

“They do. I know you’ll find something.” He dug into his pocket. Originally he’d planned to go down on one knee, but he still struggled to get up off the ground with his weird weight distribution and the way the cast went over his whole arm and up part of his shoulder. He tugged the little box free of his pocket.

“Ali, I didn’t know when you showed up at Wayside that it would be the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but it was. I didn’t see the blessing. I only saw the curse. I’m sorry for that. Now, I want to make up for the time we lost. I don’t want to miss a second with you.” He opened the ring box. “I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow, but sometime in the future…will you marry me?”

Her mouth hung slightly open, and she covered it with her hand, then closed her eyes. “That’s the same ring. The one I tossed back at you.” A tear ran down her cheek. “I’ll never forget it or the look on your face.”

“Then look at my face now and change your memory.” That was a tactic he used with the clients who came to Wayside, and it worked. It was calledreframing, and it meant taking back something that was ruined and making it yours again.

Her fingers shook as she took the little box from his fingers. She slid the ring out from its cushion then onto her finger and looked at it. “It’s beautiful, Eric.”

“I know your other ring from your first husband w—,”

“Ex-husband, and let’s not talk about him.” She waved away the words like a cloud of gnats. “The ring is beautiful, and my answer is yes. Though I do agree with you that waiting is a good idea. We still have so much to catch up on.”

And he wanted to start this instant, but at least he knew the direction they were headed. “Perfect.” He flicked the reins and started them moving again. “Absolutely perfect.”