Almost a year later, a spring sun was shining down on the Sandbur ranch, bathing the grass and new leaves with warmth, and urging the Texas bluebonnets to raise their heads.
Out in the long cattle pen, Gracia was aboard Traveler, her long ponytail bouncing wildly as the horse dived back and forth in front of the little brown steer that was trying his best to get by the horse and rider.
A short distance away from the action, Mingo stood with the aid of a wooden cane. “Spur him, Gracia!” he yelled to his granddaughter. “Move him forward. Closer to the steer. Don’t let him be lazy!”
Outside the pen, watching through the fence, Matt and Juliet looked at each other and exchanged smiles. After months of rehab, Mingo’s speech was almost back to normal. His springy steps were growing steadier every day and only yesterday he’d promised that his cane was going to soon be used as kindling for a spring brushfire.
“Mingo is going to make champions out of both of them,” Juliet said with certainty. “Just look at the way Gracia is sitting in that saddle. And Traveler follows her every command.”
Matt’s green eyes sparkled with love and fatherly pride. “Yes, she’s turning into quite a horsewoman. Dad says she and Traveler will be ready to compete in cutting competitions soon.”
Juliet’s arm slipped across her husband’s back as she quietly studied his face. “And how do you feel about that? You’re not still fretting? Worrying that something bad will happen to her if she rides?”
A faint smile crossed his face as he gazed thoughtfully out at his father and daughter. “My worries are only those of any normal parent now. This past year I’ve learned to have faith in my family and faith in God.” He glanced at her, his eyes soft with love. “Until you came along, Juliet, I didn’t have either. I only saw the darkness around me. I never believed my father could get well. And I never believed I would ever have this much happiness in my life.”
Sighing with contentment, she laid her head upon his shoulder and marveled at the change Matt had brought to her life. She would never be alone again. She had a family now, who’d taken her under their wings and made her one of them. She had a daughter who adored her, and a husband who made every day and every night a precious occasion.
“You’ve made me a pretty happy woman, too, cowboy.”
With a knowing grin, his hand reached over and slid a protective hand over her flat stomach. “Don’t you think it’s time we told everyone about the little one?”
Only yesterday Juliet had gotten the news from her doctor that she was two months pregnant. Matt couldn’t have been more thrilled and she knew he was itching to spread their good news.
She pressed a kiss against his cheek and reached for his hand. “Let’s start with Mingo and Gracia,” she said. “That way the news will spread so quickly that Geraldine will have a barbecue planned for supper tonight.”
Laughing, Matt led his wife into the cattle pen and over to his father.
In a matter of seconds, Mingo let out a loud whoop of joy.