Page 114 of A Rancher's Love
Dare cleared her throat and looked Ginny in the eye. “When I moved to Rocky, I cleaned out this cottage. Everything, including stuff my mom had tucked in the tiny attic area. These two boxes were up there.”
Ginny eyed them, but still had no clue what was going on. “And you brought them back because…?”
“She brought them back because I said it was okay to cheat a little,” Jesse said quietly. “If she had to.”
“Didn’t come down to that.” Dare grinned widely. “There’s a tag on the side that saysDo not open. Give to Ginny or Deb when they ask for them. Until now, you didn’t ask. When your mysterious present showed up at Christmas, I wondered if the two things were connected. Which is why I kept pestering you to solve the puzzle page.”
Tucker settled beside her, and Ginny felt another pulse of excitement. “Do you think?”
“That this is your missingnumber threegift?” Tucker shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
The edge of the cardboard box was taped down. She broke the seal and lifted the lid.
A dozen red journals were lined up neatly inside. “Oh my God.”
Dare peeked in and gasped. “More journals?”
“Wow.” Tucker laid a hand on Ginny’s thigh and held on. Centering her. Keeping her grounded while her heart took flight.
A quick check confirmed it—both boxes held journals. Ginny lifted a book from the pile and opened it at random. Her mother’s familiar handwriting once again covered the page with stories, and memories, and tales of love.
She stared at the ordinary bit of magic in her hands before turning to her sister. “It’s a treasure I never knew I needed. Thank you for guarding it for me all these years.”
“I love you, Truth,” Dare said softly.
“I love you, Dare,” Ginny said back before lifting her gaze to Tucker’s.
She couldn’t say another word, not even to tell him how much she loved him. How grateful she was that he was there, and that he’d promised to always be there. Her throat closed up with too much joy and sadness and full-on contentment.
It seemed she didn’t need words.
“I know, goddess,” Tucker said with a wink. “I know.”
Three months later.
The wooden stairs creaked a warning,and Tucker gave up on the idea of surprising her. He paced slowly to the small area still tucked to the side of the loft and discovered Ginny right where he expected her, doing what he expected.
She glanced up from the journal she’d been reading, wiping uselessly at the tears on her cheeks. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” He noticed the tears, but also the sweet smile. He noticed everything about this woman who was his heart and soul. He settled beside her and leaned in for a quick kiss. “You okay?”
“Yup.” She glanced at the OperationProve Itheadquarters. “I guess I need to accept this will vanish soon.”
“I don’t know. I think I have some pull with the powers that be. It’s important to have spots for…cats…to play.”
A laugh escaped her then, dancing away the sadness. “That’s good.”
“Face it. Hay lofts are multi-purpose at the best of times. The Stone family takes that to the extreme.”
Ginny nodded. “Secret forts when we were little. OperationProve Itheadquarters this past year. Mysterious birthday treasure hideaways. It’s a bittersweet thought that so many years ago, my Mom crawled up here and hid my gift, all the while thinking about our family. She probably laughed over the tangled confusion she was about to cause, but I know she planned on clapping extra hard when the mystery was finally unraveled.”
“She would be proud that you solved it.”
“We solved it together.” She linked her fingers with his. “I love you.”
Getting to say it back was everything. “I love you, too.”
He leaned in, intending on offering a kiss, but she leaned away and held up the book in her other hand. “I’ve been reading the most fascinating entry in Mom’s journal. This one, you need to hear.”
