“Are you sure?” she said the words quietly as he took the ring from the orange and put it on her finger.
He stood back up and took both her hands in his. Around them, shoppers went in and out of the large doors, not paying any attention to them. It was too cold to stand outside and make small talk anyway.
But Vicki wasn’t noticing the cold anymore.
“I’m sure. What I have with you is worth the risk. Every day, I want to be with you, and there’s nothing that could ever change that. Getting married to you, is the one thing I know for sure is right.”
She swallowed and let him pull her into his arms. He grinned down at her and shrugged.
“Besides, your Grandma Gertie has been hinting that you’re the only one she has left to see with a ring on her finger, so I don’t want to keep her waiting. Life’s too short, and you never know what’s ahead. All I know is, I want to spend my life with you.”
As they held each other in the parking lot of the grocery store, she knew her life would forever be changed.
She’d found her happy ever after too.
And now, there were no more Quinn grandchildren standing.
* * *
KEEP READING FOR A SPECIAL EPILOGUE - A DIARY ENTRY BY GRANDMA GERTIE QUINN.
10 YEARS LATER
* * *
I hope you enjoyed reading, HEALING HEARTS. If you could take a couple minutes and head back to Amazon to leave a review, (even just a couple words would be perfect!), it would be greatly appreciated :)
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AND NOW A FEW WORDS FROM GRANDMA GERTIE….
Gertie’s Diary
Dear Diary,
I truly couldn't have been more blessed in this life than I have been. And today, I celebrated my ninetieth birthday with my loving husband Harley by my side, and my entire Quinn family around me. The day was beautiful out here on the ranch, and everyone was able to be outside enjoying the warm summer air.
Over the years, my life had its ups and downs, but through it all, one thing has always been constant. And that is my family. I know there aren't any words that could possibly capture the joy I've been blessed with, but today, I want to try summing up the happiness that I've watched in my family over the years.
I married the love of my life when I was still a young girl. We were fortunate to be a part of building the town and the ranch that carries our name. Through it all, our love never wavered, and we like to believe we passed on the importance of love and commitment to our children, and now our grandchildren.
All five our our children married for love, and remained nearby to raise their own families. When we lost our dear son, Richard to a heart attack, it broke my heart. But the family stood together and we came through it. His wife is a part of our family, and always will be.
Our family has been strong, and my children have turned out to be loving parents to their own children. That is all a mother could ever hope for when raising her kids.
And then, for her to be blessed with twenty-five grandchildren who understand the importance of family, and home, it's almost too much to believe. My grandchildren have been my world since the day the first one was born all those years ago, and I'm happy to have been able to be a part of their lives ever since.
Just over eleven or so years ago, all of my grandchildren were still single, living and growing into the people they would become today. And I'm so happy to have witnessed them each find love and build their own families to carry on the Quinn family.
I might not ever have admitted it to them at the time, but I did meddle a bit when needed to help move things along. But I would never have done it if I thought it wasn't going to have a happy ending for them. That's all I've ever wanted for my grandchildren.
Seeing them all today, with their own families growing, made my heart swell with love and happiness. For my own enjoyment, I'm going to write down everything I can about each of them over the past ten years.
Starting with Harvey and Charity's family, who have taken such great care of this ranch where we’ve lived for so long. They’ve been so good to have us keep living near them, making sure we have the ice cream Harley loves so much and that I’m able to host my Wednesday lunches.
Rhodes and his wife Capri continue to bring good things to the Quinn Valley Ranch, and their family continues to grow--with children, dogs, horses, and cattle. Rhodes is a good keeper of the ranch, and thankfully, he’s got his own son to pass the ranch to now, so our family legacy will live on.
Betsy moved to town with her farrier husband, Knox, where they are the proud parents of two little boys, several dogs, and a ton of trees and bushes and flowers that keep Betsy busy. Knox sometimes talks more to horses than people, but Betsy always has plenty to say, of course.
Georgia and Logan bought a ranch south of Quinn Valley, where they’re raising their family of three children and hope to live in a little cabin like Harley and I have, with their children and grandchildren so close. Logan’s mother lives on the ranch with them, and Georgia loves having her so close.
Jessie moved to a ranch on the west side of town with her husband, Flynn, and thankfully, everyone comes back to the ranch to celebrate the holidays, birthdays, and of course, the harvest. Their four rambunctious boys keep Jessie hopping, especially since they all seem to have taken after Flynn’s playful and somewhat mischievous demeanor.
Cami and Clay just had their first child, a darling little girl with Cami’s beautiful red hair. They spent the first ten years of their marriage learning about each other and traveling the world, but it’s nice to see them settling down into a quiet life now.
Our only daughter Libby married Randall Mciver and they blessed me with five grandchildren. Randall is just as stoic as ever, but I love to watch him interact with Libby--they always make me laugh! Libby, true to form, arranged my birthday party, and you wouldn’t believe some of the games she came up with!
Andrew and Rachel: She has taken over as GM at the hotel so their Uncle Bob can retire. Andrew is now Assistant GM, as well as head engineer. We joke that they might as well live there, but they always make time for family time. Their triplets are nine years old and their twins are three and a half. The family continues to tease them because they managed to have the most kids in the least amount of pregnancies.
Heather and Jonathan: She is still a school librarian and it's clear that's where she's meant to be. Jonathan is an actor and has started acting under his real name - Jonathan Ravenwing. He is just finishing up a long-time role on the still popular TV drama Legacy. With all of their kids out of the house, they started collecting corgis. Their son, Sean, just landed his first Broadway role and the family is planning to fly out to watch his debut. Sadie played for the US women's field hockey team that took the gold at the last international games.
Katie and Kenneth: He was a clothing designer, and while his designs are no longer as popular as they used to be, he invested wisely and now they spend as much time at their charitable organizations as they do working. Katie makes soap for fun these days, and mostly spends her time chasing after the kids. Susie is nine, the twins - Willie and Freddie - are six, and little Libby is three. She just announced tonight that she's pregnant again, and made some joke about them finally being done.
Alyssa and Tripp: Tripp is now foreman for the same company his brother works for, and the owner is thinking about turning it over to the two of them. Alyssa got her midwifery certification and joined a co-op with her cousin, Robyn. Their first son, Jermiah, shares my birthday and celebrated with me today. He just turned seventeen! My how the time has flown by. He was complaining at the party today that he can't find any girls around here to date because they're
all related to him. They also have three more boys aged nine, seven and six. Their one daughter is four.
Dustin and Marley: Dusty still has his chiropractor practice, and Marley is teaching Kindergarten again. Her pregnancies were harder on her than anyone else in the family, understandably. It’s amazing how easily she keeps up with her little ones in her wheelchair, and we love having her in the family. Little Finn is eight now, sweet Coral is five, and just last year they surprised us with Baby Shelly. We didn’t think they’d have another one, so we’re so pleased for them. Dusty says they’re definitely done, especially now that his business with Travis is doing so well, but I’ve heard Marley mention “fostering” twice in the last year, so who knows...
Richard and Marcia had five children too, and after his passing, Marcia kept Quinn’s Pub going with the help of her kids, especially Ryder and Maggie, who bought the business from her when she was ready to retire. Soon after, she ran into Harry Peterman, someone she knew many years ago.
Marcia and Harry are happily married now. Harry is retired of course, like Marcia and the two of them have been doing some traveling when they’re not visiting with their children and grandchildren. They just got back from a two week tour of Barcelona and Rome. They said they thoroughly enjoyed “eating their way through Italy.” I have to admit, that does sound fun.
Ryder and Bethany are doing wonderfully. Ryder has done an amazing job managing the growth of Quinn’s Pub. And Bethany is still doing all the cooking—word has spread about her food and they’re so busy now that they’re opening a second location in Riston. They have three children—the twins Ryan and Riley are ten now and Avery is six. Every now and then, they like to head out to River’s End Ranch to play trivia—they still hold the team record for highest score.
Maggie and Charlie are still madly in love. Maggie still co-owns Quinn’s Pub with Ryder and manages the bar. Charlie’s liquor distribution business is thriving. They were the ones that were so sure they didn’t want to have children, but then everything changed when Maggie found herself suddenly pregnant. Turns out they both love being parents and have had two more, a year apart. Caitlin is four, Liam three and Eva is almost two. They still have a houseful of animals too. We all refer to their place as the zoo.
Hannah and David just built an addition onto their lake house because Hannah is expecting again. This will be baby number four. They had twins first, Beth and Bobby are almost five, and Carrie is three. Hannah hasn’t toured in years, but she’s still busy writing songs and recording them. She also works with kids at the local youth center for the arts, running Summer music workshops. All of her children seem to have inherited her gift for music and the house is full of laughter and singing, except for David, who remains completely tone deaf. He loves it though.
Avery and Carter are still running Quinn Organics. They are doing well and expanded with their own store at the farm. They also sell at a Farmer's Markets and offer shares to locals with their popular CSA. They have five kids: Brendan, nine; Dealany, eight; Will, six; Oliver, four; and little Grace who just turned one. Their precious son, Oliver, has been caught eating dirt so many times just like Carter used to do, they all have hopes that at least he will want to take over running the family business someday. But Avery thinks all the kids will want to stay involved, especially the girls who love the horses.
Ivy and Nash are still performing while raising their family. Ivy's a big star now, just like her husband, but they work together to give their family a normal life out of the spotlight as much as they can. But, I don't know if that will work out for long, because the four children they have—Chase, eight; Patsy, six; Cash, four; and Presley, two — told me tonight they've put together a band of their own! Ivy confided later in secret that all they do is bang on stuff to make music, but I reminded her we all have to start somewhere. I know Richard is smiling down at his musical youngest and grandchildren. The kids also let it slip that they are expecting a new little sister or brother in the new year, but that hadn’t been confirmed by Ivy or Nash so we’ll have to see what happens come January.
Robert and April Lynn Quinn where do I start? Bob is happily retired. Who am I kidding! He’s still trying to micromanage Rachel from a distance.
April Lynn has given up her practice and is basking in the knowledge that her most recent book is a USA Today best seller. Their children are blessed to have her as Grandma daycare a few days a week.
*Bobling, who is still trying to get me to call him Jake, and his lovely wife Melinda are still both working at the hotel. Bobling is staying busy helping his clients work off the extra calories they consume eating Melinda’s delicious cooking. Their sweet daughter, Jennika is only eight, but she’s already showing signs of being a skilled baker in her own right. Her two little brothers, Levi and Gabe are only five and four, but they are happy to eat her efforts at simple cookies and cakes. Her baby sisters, Julie and Jill, aren’t quite ready to sample the baked goods yet, but at almost six months, it won’t be long.
*Roxane is still planning the best parties Quinn Valley has ever seen. Ciran is still feeding the masses with his taco truck. Their household is hopping. Little Christian isn’t so little anymore. He’s going to have his work cut out for him with those four little sisters! Those beautiful brown-eyed girls will keep Ciran and Christian busy when the boys start calling. They are stairsteps at two years apart and all just as sassy as their momma. Cindy is eight, Cissie is six, Cassie is four, and sweet little Casey will turn two on Christmas Day.
*Renae is currently injury free. Hopefully she can stay that way because poor Chad is worn out chasing their boys! Leave it to Renae to have five boys in six years. Each one an accident waiting to happen. Robbie and Richie are all about basketball. I hope they are tall like their daddy. Reese and Reggie love baseball and plan to play for the majors one day. Little Ronald rounds out the group. That boy was born with a hockey stick in his hands. I’ve lost count of the broken arms and black eyes those boys have already suffered.
*Raina is still playing with rocks and I’m so glad she does. The ones she gave me to carry around sure help with my old joint pains. Derek is working like crazy at the vet clinic with Joel. Derek is so into animals that everyone teased that Raina might have a litter instead of a baby. Lucky for them the babies came one at a time. Paislee is almost nine, and man can that girl keep her little brothers in line. Noah, Elijah and Jason are pretty rambunctious until Paislee uses her teacher voice on them. She’s going to make one great teacher someday!! Little baby Leah is too small for us to know what her skill is, but her smile can light up a room.
*Riley and Pastor Blake Coleman are keeping super busy these days. Blake has taken over as senior pastor and the church folk keep him busy. Riley is still working as a massage therapist alongside her sister Raina. With seven-year-old twin boys, Scott and Seth, and five year-old-twin girls, Savannah and Sally, it’s no wonder they waited to have baby number five, a girl due in just under a month.
And, my youngest, Harold and Irene. They opened an accountant office, called Quinn's Accounting, of course, which serves most of Quinn Valley. They always hoped one of their children would follow in their footsteps, but that wasn't in the cards.
Brooke and Jared: Brooke is still working at her clinic, and has been able to expand and renovate the old building to serve even more people. Jared hit the NYT Bestseller list with his latest book and he's in talks to have it made into a movie. They spent their first Christmas as a married couple in New York, because he wanted her to get a chance to see the famous decorations in the city. When she came back, they announced they were pregnant, and she had twins, a boy and a girl who are now almost ten years old. They had three more girls, and they all love decorating for holidays as much as their mother, much to poor Jared's chagrin.
Joel and Haylee: Of course, like his twin sister Brooke, Joel ended up having twins at almost the exact same time—a boy and a girl. But then, poor Haylee, ended up becoming pregnant with another set of twins th
ree years later. Their final child was born two years later, completing their family. The Quinn Valley Paws-pital has expanded and serves most of the area. They are now one of the largest rescue centers in the state, helping animals in need. Haylee's sister, Claire, graduated from school and just completed her undergraduate courses to be able to start vet school. And, dear old Stanley. He's living out his golden years with his loving donkey, Winnie, by his side. He doesn't have the pep he used to have, and everyone knows he won't be with us forever, but he's loved and been loved by every member in his family.
Robyn and Ben: Ben's construction business has grown immensely, partially due to the fact he teamed up with Robyn to flip houses in town. He does the construction, and she uses her knack for craftiness to find ways to decorate on a budget. She's still acting midwife in town, along with Alyssa, and together they've delivered just about every single Quinn cousin's baby. They have three children: Lucy, seven; Joseph, five and the youngest, Lisa, who just turned two. Robyn is expecting again, this time with twins, and is due any day.
Travis and Caroline: Caroline has now taken over Quinn's Accounting, finally allowing Harold and Irene to retire. They still go in and help during the busy season, and she's hired some more people full-time so she can take time off as needed to look after her children. Travis still has his practice and has become one of the leading physiotherapists in the country. After his beloved Winnipeg Jets won the Stanley Cup, you would have thought he’d been playing on the team himself he was so excited. They just had a baby last week—a son named Ian after his grandpa. They have three more children: Charlotte, six; Corie, four; and Anne, two. Bentley doesn't do much other than sleep, but they got another cat to keep him company, a lovely tabby named Lennox.
Healing Hearts: Quinn Valley Ranch Book 27 Page 10