Page 87 of The Rancher's Wedding

“How is she doing?” Jacob asked, quietly.

Estelle was wondering the same thing. The back and forth letters highlighting the drama of the moments already seemed like they were years ago, a different time in Estelle’s life.

But a memory came back to her. Something she had nearly forgotten in all the madness.

“Quite well,” Richard said. “Lovely young woman.”

“You know, father,” Estelle said, “Jacob promised me that he would propose to her.”

Jacob’s face turned bright red.

“Propose? Has he even met the lady?” Richard asked.

“I thought we were done with secrets,” Michael said. “Is this true, Jacob?”

“It’s, well, it’s complicated,” Jacob said. It was quite amusing to Megan to see this big, burly man taken down by embarrassment. He, of course, had nothing to be embarrassed by, though for men of his nature, it could often be difficult to admit any feelings whatsoever.

“He told me,” Estelle said, “that if I told Michael about Ethan, then he would propose to Megan. Are you going to follow through with that promise? Or are you not a man of honor?”

Jacob was having trouble getting the words out. “You see,” he said, “what you said is not… well, you didn’t tell Michael anything. He found out when Ethan arrived.”

“She was in the process of telling me when he did,” Michael said. “It sounds like you need to be writing her a letter tonight.”

“I’d be happy to deliver it for you,” Richard said. “I’ll ensure that it’s not lost or delayed in the mail. It’s the least I could do after all the trouble I’ve caused you two.”

“That would be wonderful,” Estelle said. “So you’ll write that letter tonight, Jacob?”

Three pairs of eyes looked right at Jacob, as red as a fresh tomato by this point.

“You did promise,” Estelle said. “And I would love to have Megan here on the ranch with us.”

Jacob nodded and, in a mousy voice, said, “Yes. I’ll write it.”

“I’ll help if you’d like,” Michael said.

“That would be very kind of you, thank you,” Jacob replied, hiding his face in his food.

***

While Michael and Jacob worked on the letter, Estelle showed her father around the ranch, starting with her favorite place, the horse stables.

“This is Orion,” she said, kissing the top of his nose. “Orion, this is my father.”

She reached down and pulled a carrot out of the bucket, which she handed to her father.

“He can be tough to win over,” she said, “but he loves carrots. Go ahead, feed it to him.”

Her father approached the horse cautiously, holding the carrot away from his body. Orion reached out and nibbled at the end of the carrot. As he did, Estelle saw the smile forming on her father’s face, which soon turned into a genuine laugh of pure joy.

“He likes that,” he said, “doesn’t he.”

Orion finished the carrot, but kept going, gumming his mouth around Richard’s hand. Estelle hadn’t ever seen her father so happy. In her memories, he was always locked in his office, focused on business, with a serious look on his face.

“I can take you riding tomorrow if you’d like,” Estelle said.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Richard said, but there was something in his words that made his refusal seem less than genuine.

“It’s no trouble,” Estelle said. “While you’re out here, you may as well go for a ride. Have you ever ridden a horse?”