Page 54 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

“Nothing.”

Evie brought her hands to his shoulders to anchor herself.She locked onto his gaze and saw more love and acceptance there than she’d ever experienced.They were more than two peas in a pod.They were each other’s forever person.She’d never been more certain of anything in her life.

“Owen Sturgess, will do me the great honor of marrying me?”

A slow smile spread across straight, white teeth.Her stomach free-fell.If she were standing, she’d be walking on Jell-O legs.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said before planting a kiss on her lips so tender that it robbed her of breath.“Yes.”He feathered a kiss on the tip of her nose.“Yes.”He brushed his full lips against the base of her neck.“A thousand times, yes.”

In his arms, she’d finally found the one place she would always belong, no matter where in the world they lived.She’d found home.

19

Epilogue

Hudson Sturgess double-checked the trailer that had been sitting unused since he’d arrived home at the ranch.The ventilation was good.The doors functioned fine.He tested the floor.It was secure.Loading up Brazos’s Best was always a test of wills, so he made certain everything within his control worked like clockwork.

‘Brazos’ had been taken from the Brazos River.The name literally translated to strength and endurance.Hudson would add anxious to the mix.Brazos’s Best, or just Best as Hudson called him, had a nervous streak a mile long.Under normal circumstances, Hudson would insist the mare’s owner bring her to the ranch.The multi-million dollar exclusive stallion service contract, one of Beaumont’s most lucrative deals from when he’d been alive, would set the rescue side of the ranch up for decades if they managed the money right.So, the family had agreed to the wealthy oilman’s demand for the stud to be brought to his ranch so he could monitor the process.

“You sure you don’t want company for the drive down?”Owen asked as he led Best to Hudson.

“I’m sure.”This job didn’t need two people.Besides, with everything that had been going on in town and at the ranch, Hudson figured the rest of his siblings could use some downtime.“I’m good, and the job isn’t all that complicated.Oilman wants this to happen ‘the old-fashioned way’ so all I need is for Best to do his part once we get there.Two people would be overkill.”

Owen chuckled.It was good to see a smile on his brother’s face after everything the man had been through.Seeing Owen and Evie reunite after all these years was good for the soul.

“If you’re sure,” Owen said.

“I am.”Hudson tipped his Stetson.“Besides, I need to get out of here before the comments start about me being next to find love.”Hudson and Beau were the last men standing when it came to being single, and Hudson had every intention of keeping it that way.

Owen made a show of clamping his mouth shut, but his knowing smirk didn’t go unnoticed.He was saying,Mark my words when I say you’ll be next.

Hudson was as close to finding ‘the one’ as Seattle was to New York, which was just the way he liked it.His dating life might have slowed considerably of late, but it was a normal ebb and flow.Drought’s more like it, an annoying voice in the back of his mind picked that moment to say.

“I’ll take that,” he said to Owen, reaching for the lead as dark gray clouds rolled overhead.

“Let’s hope for a live foal this time next year,” Owen said, glancing at the sky.Ranchers were superstitious.The bad weather could be seen as an omen.The live foal clause in the contract meant the full payout.Otherwise, they were left with the stud fee and breeding fee, which were a drop in the bucket by comparison.

Hudson crossed the fingers on his free hand before taking a calm breath and walking Best up the ramp and into the trailer.Confidence and steady reassurance went a long way toward keeping a horse calm.

Within a matter of minutes, Best was balanced and securely restrained.This part of the process went surprisingly smoothly.Hudson took it as a good omen.

“Call if you need anything,” Owen said as Hudson claimed the driver’s side of the truck.

“You know I will.”

“All right then,” Owen said, taking a few steps back to give Hudson a wide berth.

“Take care of yourself while I’m gone,” he quipped.“You have a bad habit of getting in a bind every time I turn my back.”The comment landed harder than intended based on the tension lines forming on Owen’s forehead.“Hey, I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t worry about it, man.”

Hudson paused, unsure what to say next to smooth things over.

“I’m happy for you and Evie, though,” he finally said.“Finding your way back to each other after all these years is cool.Meant to be.”

Owen broke into the same smile that appeared every time Evie’s name came up.“Aren’t you the same person who called fate nothing more than a bunch of horseshit?”

“Was that me?”Hudson asked on a laugh.At least the moment of tension broke, unlike the clouds overhead.A few droplets of rain fell.“I better head out before this thing gets worse.”

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