Ryder barely slept the night following the Tuggle wedding. His dreams twisted the past and the present together in weird scenarios, but one thing he couldn’t shake the next morning was the feeling he’d had when he heard about how and why Cody and Kasey had created the PT Foundation. He’d come home and gone online to research their story about how putting their attention on the foundation had changed their lives and helped others.
He sat out under the awning at the Rest Stop, realizing he’d been missing out on the peace that being near the creek brought over him. He thought more clearly down here.
He was antsy to talk to Diane, Reece, and Ross about what was consuming his thoughts since last night, but knew they deserved some extra sleep after all the work that had gone into the celebrity wedding. From here he’d heard the music playing late into the night.
Ryder tacked up Thunder and rode to the family cemetery. There he knelt in grateful prayer for the love he’d shared with Valerie and Ronnie Dwayne, which still filled his heart.
The Tuggles were to have left last night after the reception, so he’d be back in his house sometime today. He wished now he hadn’t made such a big deal of them cleaning the place up. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long. He rode over to the barn to pass the time.
It was long after that Ryder’s phone chirped with a text from Ross. We’re all at Mom’s eating a late breakfast. Come on over.
On the way, Ryder texted back.
He turned Thunder and loped across the fields to Diane’s house. He could smell the bacon from down the hill. By the time he got there, his stomach was growling.
“Morning, Uncle Ryder,” Reece said. She was in sweats and last night’s makeup, with a messy bun on her head.
“You don’t look like the girl I saw last night,” he teased.
She stuck out her tongue. “Well, it’s me. The wedding planner extraordinaire!”
“And her partner,” Ross added.
“It looked picture perfect. Sounds like everyone was pleased,” Ryder said.
Diane’s grin showed how proud of them she was. She slid a plate of hot biscuits onto the table.
Ryder grabbed two and opened them up on his plate. Steam rose from the center. Diane grabbed his hand and the others took hold for the prayer.
“Amen,” they said together.
“They were so happy, and they weren’t upset about the security leak. They were impressed with how we handled it,” Ross said, continuing the pre-grace conversation.
“Excellent.” He refrained from admitting he’d thought he’d been responsible for that leak. Boy, Lorri had been mad, but she’d forgiven quickly. Thank goodness.
He let them banter about every tiny detail of the week. They were proud of the accomplishment. He was proud of them.
Finally, with their stomachs full and exhaustion overtaking the euphoria of the success, things quieted.
“I have something I want to talk to y’all about,” Ryder said.
“Is this about the beautiful lady you were dancing with at the reception?” Reece gave him a wicked smile. “Oh, I noticed. Y’all looked good together. I’d forgotten you were a great dancer.”
He did get a little rush of excitement from the comment, but this was not about that. “No. It’s about my beautiful bride. Your aunt and cousin.”
Silence fell across the table.
“What is it, Ryder?” Diane’s voice held concern. She and Reece exchanged a glance.
“I was really touched by the foundation Cody and Kasey started. Making something positive out of something bad. I was thinking we should start a scholarship fund in Valerie and Ronnie Dwayne’s name.” He swallowed. “I think it would be good.”
Diane reached over and pressed her hand to Ryder’s arm. Tears welled in her eyes. “That’s beautiful.”
“Uncle Ryder. Why didn’t we think of that?” She bopped Ross on the shoulder. “We should definitely do this as a family. It’s something we can start now and carry on for generations.”
Ross said, “I don’t know the ins and outs of how to set that up, but I can figure it out. We could have events to help raise additional money for the scholarship program, like a fund raiser so the whole town can get involved. Host events at The Wedding Ranch.”
“Wait a minute.” Reece rose in her seat. “We could even have a portion of our profits go back into the foundation. Mom! Wouldn’t that be perfect?”
Ryder hitched a breath.
“We’ve just found the focus for this farm again. No more hesitating, Uncle Ryder. We live life to its fullest in their honor and work to have others live better ones because of the loss our family experienced.” Reece sniffled. “My heart is pounding. I feel like everything is coming together.”
Ross said, “I’ll call Cody and get some tips on how to get started.”
Ryder shook his head. “I take it you think it’s a good idea. I didn’t expect this big of a reaction. Thank you.”
“Ryder, we all lost them. We all miss them every day, too. This is such a great thing to do. We’re definitely behind you on this.” Diane stood and took her dish to the sink. “It’ll take time to put it together. We need a plan. We’ll need a logo.”
“Lorri can do all the branding. She did ours and it’s amazing,” Reece said. “And you did dance with her all night.”
“Yes, I did.” He didn’t regret it. “But we might come up with something on our own. I’d rather invest in the scholarship than overhead costs.”
“We’re all in agreement on that. We should set a goal right now for when we want to hold the first event and get it on the calendar,” Ross said.
“True, because our calendar is going to fill even quicker now.” Reece pulled out her phone. “Is a year too long to wait, Uncle Ryder? We can get the branding going and start working on the awareness plan now.”
“The sooner the better.” Ryder stood. “Doesn’t have to be fancy to get started. We could do something over the holidays. People are always in the giving mood then, and it would position us for a scholarship for this year’s seniors.”
“We won’t waste a minute,” Reece said.
Diane, Reece, and Ross gathered around Ryder, holding hands. Ryder said, with tears in his eyes, “Thank you. Really.”
He turned and made a hasty exit. He wasn’t one to cry in front of others. Thunder tossed his head when he saw Ryder come out of the house. Ryder hopped into the saddle, giving Thunder one swift kick, and took off back down to the creek, then back over the hill where Valerie and Ronnie Dwayne were buried.
He knelt there beneath that tree until, finally, peace fell over him.