Page 66 of Horn of Plenty
A weak smile bloomed on the man’s face, but she couldn’t focus on the creep.
“We’re going to Paris,” she whispered, hardly able to believe that she was looking at tickets for her and Cal to fly across the ocean. But a pang in her chest held her back. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable doing. I know how you feel about big cities, Cal.”
“The city wasn’t the problem,” he answered. “Betty Young helped me see that.”
“Betty Young helped you?” she parried back.
“Betty, her sisters, our zodiac signs, and casserole allowed me to see things more clearly.”
Had he lost his mind?
“Are you feeling okay, Cal?”
He chuckled. “Betty helped me understand that it isn’t my job to protect you or to save you. It’s to love you.”
She caressed his cheek as tenderness and gratitude welled in her chest. He understood. He truly understood her.
“If it wasn’t for you, Elverna would be in bad shape.” He smiled, and it echoed the warmth in his voice. “You saved me, Mabel. You saved me from myself. And you saved the town. And now, if that wasn’t enough, I get to be the man who takes you to Paris.”
She leaned in. “We can afford that?”
He gave her his best broody farmer face. “You said it before. I’m a loaded farmer now.”
This man!
She stared at the paper with the words Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport printed in bold lettering. “Cal, thank you! It’s more than I ever dreamed possible.”
“There’s more,” he added, and her jaw dropped.
“More? Did you bring Cal the Goat?” she teased.
He laughed. “No, your cranky goat is safe and sound in his pen back in Elverna.”
“Then what could it be?” she asked.
“Your necklace,” he supplied.
She pressed her hand to the hollow of her neck, so ready to have theMback where it belonged.
“I added something to it,” Cal began with a tremble to his voice. “You’ll have to let me know what you think.”
He reached into his pocket and removed the delicate chain with not only theMcharm but something else glinting in the light.
She stared at it as it sparkled and glinted, catching the sun at every angle. “Is that what I think it is?”
His cheeks grew pink. “It’s a couple of carats, but definitely not the kind you eat.”
“No, it most certainly isn’t,” she replied, staring at the diamond ring in Cal’s palm.
“It’s a pink diamond to match your shoes,” he said shyly.
A large pink center stone surrounded by a circle of white diamonds winked at her. She couldn’t have picked out a more beautiful ring herself.
Cal tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. “I love every part of you, Mabel. Your heart. Your smile. The way you light up a room. I never should have run away that day. I’ve regretted not making you mine a million times over. That ends now if you’ll have me,” he finished, taking a knee.
Gasps and coos sprinkled the air. She’d pictured this moment, but not in her wildest dreams did a proposal from Cal go down at a farmers’ market in New York City surrounded by a crowd of fans. Then her thoughts went to Jamie—the brother she’d asked for guidance. The memory of a man she turned to when she needed to find her way.
Show me the path forward, big brother.
