Angie couldn’t make the picnic baskets fast enough. It seemed that everyone wanted to take advantage of Dry Creek’s spectacular spring weather. They’d even added more picnic tables to the grounds. Dry Creek Village had become such a hot spot for dining al fresco that there were waits to snag a creekside table.
The deli had been a runaway hit. The baskets—Angie’s idea—had been inspired if she did say so herself. Instead of buying à la carte, customers loved getting a full meal and drinks all wrapped up in a pretty, portable cooler basket embroidered with the Dry Creek logo, the ranch’s brand. They could eat in the center or take it to go.
She’d begun using similar packaging for Dalton steaks, ribs, and roasts. Between that and the deli, their meat sales had skyrocketed.
“Angie, Tiffany’s on the phone.” Nina called from the front of the market.
Angie took the call in her office alcove. “Hey, Tiff. I hope you’re calling to say you’ll do it.” She had asked Tiffany to serve on the board of the new Dalton Foundation, an extension of the program Angie had started to distribute food to women’s and homeless shelters.
“I’m onboard,” Tiffany said. “This is such a wonderful thing you’re doing for the community.” Besides using Daltons’ waste to feed the hungry, Angie’s plans included an agricultural program that would help low-income families learn how to grow their own food. Tuff had suggested the idea and Angie had run with it, getting the rest of her family to sign on.
“Yay!” Angie jumped up and down, clapping her hands. No one made things happen in the Sierra Foothills like Tiffany. She was a one-woman machine. If anyone could help get the plan off the ground it was her. “Our first meeting is at the coffeeshop tomorrow at noon. Can you make it?”
“I’ll be there.”
Angie hung up and practically skipped to Tuff’s studio to tell him the good news. She found him in the back, working on a new saddle. Buddy was in his usual spot underneath the cutting table, snoring away.
“Hey.” He stopped what he was doing, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her in for a kiss. “You on a break?”
“Tiffany agreed to be on the board. It’s real, Tuff. The foundation is real.”
“It was always real.” He kissed a trail down her nose.
“But now we have two non-family members participating. It makes it more legit.”
He laughed. “Okay. I’m glad she signed on. The woman is a little nutty, but she’s connected. Between her and Laney, they know everyone in three counties.”
“I know, right? I’m so excited about this.” She rubbed her hands together, grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m excited about us,” he whispered in her ear.
“You didn’t tell anyone yet, right? I want my parents to be here when we make the big announcement.” She and Tuff were going to San Francisco for the weekend to buy the ring. Tuff’s spontaneous proposal had shocked them both.
They’d been eating take-out from Gina’s in Angie’s cabin when he suddenly blurted that he wanted to make them official. “Let’s get hitched,” had been his exact words. Without a ring, he’d improvised with a piece of braided leather.
Despite his lack of planning and dearth of flowery words, Angie thought it was the most romantic proposal she’d ever heard. She’d cried and he’d taken her in his arms, his eyes shining with so much love she felt it all the way to her marrow.
“Not in my wildest dreams could I love anyone more than I love you,” he’d said. “I want us to be together forever.”
“Me too,” she’d soaked his shirt with happy tears. “When?”
“Whenever you want. We can go right now, find a preacher, a justice of the peace, a ship captain, whoever has the power to make it official.”
She’d laughed. “As much as I love the idea, I’d like to have a real wedding for the sake of my mother.” And for her own sake if she was being completely honest. Before, Angie had always considered the expense of a wedding silly, especially when people were homeless and starving. Now, she admitted she wanted the white dress and at least a small party. Marriage to a man as wonderful as Tuff was something to celebrate with her family and friends. “And I think we should wait until after Sawyer and Gina have the baby. That way he or she can be there too.”
“You give me a date and I’ll be there with bells on.”
“Oh no, buster, you’re helping me plan this thing.”
They’d spent the last few nights playing around with ideas ranging from a barn dance to an intimate dinner at Gina’s, finally settling on a creekside ceremony and a mid-sized party in Jace and Charlie’s backyard. They didn’t know they were hosting yet, but Angie had no doubt that her cousins would be delighted. That was the thing about the Daltons, they were all for one and one for all.
“I haven’t told a soul.” Tuff danced her to the corner of the room and pulled out a stool for her to sit. “But there’s only so long I can keep news of this magnitude secret.” He grinned and those not-quite dimples came out to play. They never failed to slay her.
She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. “Soon. My folks are coming next week. You think you can make it that long?”
She still couldn’t believe he’d popped the question. Angie knew how much he loved her. He showed it every day in big and small ways. But he was still learning how to trust…how to believe that the people he loved wouldn’t let him down.
She supposed they were both learning new things about themselves. For her, the biggest lesson was that she could still accomplish her hopes and dreams from right here on Dry Creek Ranch with the people she loved most in the world.
“Maybe,” he teased. “Or maybe I want to sing it from the mountaintops.”
She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. “I’ve heard you singing in the shower. You might want to hold off.”
“You don’t like my singing?” He winked.
“I like everything about you, including your retched rendition of ‘Hey Good Lookin’.” It had been one of Grandpa Dalton’s favorite songs—and now hers.
“That’s good.” He leaned into her. “Because I like everything about you, too. Want to go home early?” He waggled his brows. “My boss is cool with it. How ’bout yours?”
She glanced at her watch. It was only two. “I’ll be docked pay but you’re worth it.”
“You bet your sweet behind I’m worth it.” He hooked her around the waist, whistled to the dog, and locked up.
They walked home, holding hands, brimming with love and optimism for the future of Dry Creek Ranch.