It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  He looked a little concerned, but also curious. “Okay. What did you want to tell me?”

  “I know ever since I got here I’ve fought you, telling you you worry too much about safety, and it’s just a ranch. I want you to know I understand now why you’ve been so concerned. There are a lot of things around that ranch that can cause an injury. I’m not going to promise you something I can’t deliver, and I know I’ve never been too good about taking orders or following directions, so I won’t tell you I’ll always do what you say, but I want you to know that I do realize now why you keep telling me things I have to be careful about. And I will try. I will try to listen to you better, and to be more careful. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

  He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Thank you, honey. You can’t know how much that means to me. I have to tell you, though, I learned something this morning. It’s not just me you had worried last night.”

  “I’ll have to apologize to Maria, too. I probably worried her, too.”

  “And Wyatt, and Coy, and Trace, and Charlie, the bunkhouse cook, and all the other hands.”

  She looked up at him. “What?”

  He tried to look and sound serious. “Wyatt tells me you’ve wormed your way into the hearts of all my men.”

  “I have? How? Garrett, I haven’t done anything to encourage any of them, honest. I love you, and only you. I would never—”

  “That’s not the way I heard it,” he said, still attempting to look and sound stern.

  “Why? What have you heard?”

  “I heard that you’ve been taking them ice cold lemonade on hot days, and fresh-baked pies, and homemade dinner rolls. I understand you’ve also found out when their kids’ birthdays are and have been giving them birthday gifts.” Mindy saw the smile he was no longer having much luck hiding. “It’s little things like that that have made all my men see what a wonderful lady you are, and they were all worried about you.”

  She had tears in her eyes. “They told you?”

  “Wyatt told me.” He picked her hand up and kissed it. “I love you, honey. I had no idea you were doing all those things for my men and their families. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for it, Garrett. You have a good group of men working for you. I’ve gotten to know the wives of the ones who are married, and I like them, too. I haven’t done a lot. The birthday gifts are just small things.”

  “They may be small, but the fact that you do things like that at all has endeared you to all of them. Maria’s had three calls, one from each of the wives. You are something special, Mindy, and you can’t possibly know how proud I am of you. I’m very lucky to have you in my life.”

  “But see, I feel the same way about you. I’ve seen how you watch out for all those same people you just named. And now I see you watching out for me, too, and I feel very lucky to have you in my life.”

  He smiled, and moved their dinner out of the way. He sat back down next to her and took her hand in his. “Honey, there was one other thing I planned on doing last night, and although this setting might not be quite as ideal, I’m going to do it tonight, anyway. I can’t wait any longer.”

  “You can’t wait any longer? What is it?”

  “Honey, I love you. Will you please marry me, be my wife, so I can love you and watch out for you the rest of our lives? Last night showed me how much I need to be able to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I want you not just living at the ranch, but in my bedroom, being part of my life. I need to know you’ll be part of my life forever, to love, cherish, and protect, and I promise you I will do all three of those things for the rest of my life.”

  Tears were streaming down her face as she nodded yes. She was speechless, as he watched her try to talk on two occasions. Finally, he pulled her in against his chest and held her. “Take your time, baby. As long as you’re nodding yes and smiling, I’m in no hurry. As long as I have you in my arms, I’m good.”

  She took a couple minutes to compose herself. She held him tight the whole time. Eventually she was able to stop crying and looked up at him. “Garrett, I love you, too. I would be honored to be your wife, and I’ll try to be a good wife and make you proud.”

  “You’ve already made me extremely proud, honey.”

  “But one thing you said I can’t agree with.”

  He pulled back enough to look in her eyes, concerned. “What is it?”

  “You said this isn’t an ideal location. This may not be my first choice of places I’d like to be right now, but considering you planned this for last night, after what happened, I think it’s so sweet, and thoughtful, and caring that you arranged this, with the meal and everything. Because you would do all this for me while I’m in here is part of the reason I love you so much. It’s why you’re so special to me.”

  After a long and passionate kiss, Garrett pulled a ring box out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I got this for you, but if you don’t like it we can exchange it. I made sure of that when I bought it. I want you to have a ring you really like. When the jeweler described this one to me it sounded like you, even before I talked to Wyatt this morning. Now it sounds even more like you, but that’s just a description. I want you to have a ring you like, so let me know honestly what you think, okay?”

  She nodded as she opened it and saw a beautiful ring. It was a nice-sized diamond; not huge, like some she saw and didn’t care for, but it sparkled from every angle she turned it in. It was surrounded by a solid ring of small sapphires, which was her favorite gemstone. They were a beautiful shade of blue. The ring was by far the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.

  She pulled the ring, still in the box, to her heart and hugged it. “Garrett, I mean it when I say it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much.”

  “Do you like it, really? You’re not just saying that?”

  “I mean it. I love it. I love sapphires, and these are gorgeous. And the diamond in the middle is perfect. It’s got a perfect size, a perfect shape, and a perfect sparkle to it. What did the jeweler say about it that you thought sounded like me, though? I don’t think I’ve ever been compared to a ring before.”

  He chuckled. “No, probably not. He said it was a diamond that although it may be on the smaller size, was perfect. I don’t know much about diamonds, but apparently this one is really good in shape, cut, and clarity, which are important to a diamond. What got my attention was when he said it was on the smaller side, but perfect in every way. He went on then to say it was protected all the way around by a band of sapphires. That’s you, honey. You’re the small but perfect in every way diamond in the center, protected by all the family and friends, and now I realize ranch hands and their families, that are around you and love you. If you look close, the one sapphire right at the top, front and center if you will, is just a little bit bigger. That’s me, leading the band of sapphires that love you and want to protect you.”

  “Oh, Garrett,” she said, tears streaming down her face again. “That sapphire at the top, front and center, is perfect, too. Thank you. There could never be another ring as special as this, or another man as special as you.”

  He held her while she cried.

  When Nina came in a few minutes later to check on Mindy, she found her crying in Garrett’s arms, and his eyes were wet, as well. She was instantly concerned. “Oh, my. Is something wrong?”

  Mindy, who had gotten control of her tears by then, quickly looked up and answered. “No. Everything’s right. The most perfect man in this world just asked me to marry him. And this special man found a special ring, with a story behind it.”

  “The other nurses will be so happy to hear this. So, when is the wedding?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Mindy said, “but I hope it’s soon. I don’t want to wait long.” She looked at Garrett and amended it. “I don’t think I could wait very long. I’m lousy at waiting.”

  Garrett laughed as he put his arm around his soon to be
wife. “Soon works good with me, too. I’m free then.”

  All three of them laughed. Nina congratulated both of them. “Let me check a couple things quick and I’ll get out of here so you can be alone.” She quickly checked the IV and asked her a couple questions. She was barely out the door when she made a proclamation. “She said yes!” Garrett and Mindy both heard some shouting coming from the nurse’s desk, and had to smile.

  “Let’s see if this ring fits. If not, I’ll take it tomorrow and have it sized.”

  “Oh, no, you won’t,” she quickly informed him. “This ring stays with me. If it doesn’t fit, we can go together after I get out of here to have it sized. But until then, it stays with me.”

  He grinned at her determination. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, and kissed her cheek. He slid the ring on her finger and was happy to see it fit perfectly. He smiled as he watched her hold her hand out to admire it. She turned it in all different ways, looking at it from every angle.

  “I think it’s the most gorgeous thing ever,” she concluded.

  He looked into her eyes. “I do, too.” He grinned as he added, “The ring’s pretty, too.”

  She blushed just how he liked. “Oh, you.”

  He chuckled. “Right now, I can tell you’re getting sleepy, and I don’t want to wear you out. Let’s lay you back down so you can rest.” He didn’t wait for her response, which he was sure would be to contradict him, but went ahead and took out the extra pillows Nina put behind her back, and lowered her head some so she could rest easier.

  “I don’t feel like I want to sleep, but it’s probably because I’m so excited, because to be honest, I am starting to feel a little tired.”

  His eyes widened at her admission. “If you’re admitting that, then I kept you up way too long. We need to get you resting.”

  “No, it’s not that bad, honest. I meant what I told you earlier, about understanding now why you’re always so worried about safety. You’ve proven to me that you were right to worry about the things I fluffed off, so I really do intend to take you more seriously now. This is a good example. I’m so excited, I don’t want to go to sleep and miss anything. But the doctor earlier today told me I would be really sleepy for a few days, and I should listen to my body and rest. He said the more I rest the easier it will be for my body to heal.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “It’s funny. I knew all that from my training, and I’ve told people that same thing when they were in the hospital, but it’s different when it happens to you. It’s like I’d forgotten everything I’d learned until he explained that to me today.”

  “It became real then; not just something you said from memory.”

  “I guess.”

  “I had a concussion one time when I was playing football in high school. That’s what they told me then, too, and they were right. I felt sleepy a lot the next few days. Mine was just a light concussion, so I figured you had to be getting pretty tired by now. I plan on taking care of you, future Mrs. Garrett Stevenson, and that includes making sure you get the rest you need. I’m glad to hear you’re not going to fight me on this. Thank you for that.”

  “Thank you for watching out for me,” she said right before she yawned. “Do you have to leave?”

  “I’ll stay here a little while yet, but if you’re sleeping soundly I’ll probably go home in about an hour. Wyatt handled everything for me today, but I should be there to help him and the men tomorrow. I’ll be in to see you tomorrow evening, though. I couldn’t possibly stay away a whole day.”

  “Good. I’d miss you too much.”

  “You get some sleep now, honey. I love you.” He kissed her forehead and sat down in the chair beside her, rubbing her hand with the back of his thumb. She was sleeping just a few minutes later. He watched her sleep for several minutes, her ring looking perfect on her hand.

  After several minutes he went out to thank the nurses for their help in pulling tonight off so easily. He accepted their congratulations, assuring them he was the lucky one. He talked to them about her condition, and was told the medicine Dr. Fielding put her on for the dizziness seemed to be helping her a great deal when she was laying down, but when they tried to help her sit up in a chair this afternoon, she got dizzy again trying to stand. They assured him that wasn’t unusual, however, and he should give it another day or two before becoming concerned at all.

  He went back to her room and watched her sleeping peacefully for several more minutes. The nurses had assured him she would more than likely be sleeping for several hours. Remembering how much he slept after his mild concussion, he didn’t doubt them at all. He leaned down and gave her a tender kiss, and went home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Garrett worked with his men the next morning, but spent half his day fielding questions and assuring his men and their families that Mindy would be okay, and agreeing to pass on their concern. He took off a little early, after Wyatt’s assurance he could handle everything again, to visit Mindy over lunch. Maria had anticipated he might want to go see her over lunch, and had three sandwiches, two ham for him and one of Mindy’s favorite chicken salad, and some potato salad, and pickled eggs and beets packed and ready for him to take along. He thanked her and kissed her cheek as he left.

  Mindy was extremely surprised to see him during the day. “I thought you had a ranch to run,” she said with a grin.

  “I do. I also have a very good foreman, who sends his love, by the way. And so does—” He took a sheet out of his pocket and began to read off names of his men and their wives.

  She laid in bed, laughing. “Oh, come on,” she said. “That was cute, but seriously—”

  “I am perfectly serious,” he insisted. “Here, look at this.” He handed her his phone. “Besides all the men who asked me if you were going to be okay, and to send their wishes, look at all the phone calls I got this morning.”

  She did look at his phone and was surprised at all the calls he’d received. “Oh, my. Did you get any work done?”

  “Not a lot,” he admitted with a grin. “So, how’s my future wife doing this morning?”

  “I’m doing good,” she insisted. “Yesterday when Dr. Fielding and the nurses tried to help me sit in the chair for a few minutes I got dizzy as soon as I sat up on the side of the bed. Today I was okay doing that. I still got dizzy when I tried to stand, but when they helped me back to my bed I was okay again sitting on the side of it.”

  “That’s good,” he said. “That’s improvement.”

  “Yes, it is, but I was hoping I’d be able to stand okay today.”

  He took her hands in his. “I know it’s not improving as fast as you’d hoped, but it is improving. You were unconscious for over twelve hours. I know you want improvement faster, and believe me, I understand, but as long as it’s getting better, I’m happy. Remember what the doctor said; the more you rest the easier and quicker your body will be able to heal.”

  “I know. Actually, my body’s making it pretty easy to follow that rule.”

  “You really are sleepy after a concussion, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. It’s crazy. I mean, I don’t do anything but lay here, but it seems like I’m not awake very long before I feel sleepy again.”

  “I think it’s your body’s way of making it easier for you to give it what it needs.”

  “Could be. All I know is I feel like all I do is sleep all day. Hopefully I’ll be able to stand without getting dizzy tomorrow. Dr. Fielding says I have to be able to stand and walk without getting dizzy before he’ll let me go home.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Yeah, I guess it does, but I want to go home. I miss everyone there.” Garrett had been putting the lunch out for them that Maria sent. She looked at the sandwiches and smiled. “Speaking of missing the people there, Maria made my favorite chicken salad for me. I miss her so much.”

  “And she misses you just as much. Why do you think she made your chicken salad?”

  “Be sure to thank
her for making this for me. It was very thoughtful of her.”

  They enjoyed lunch, visiting. “I have to get back to get a little work done this afternoon. I want you to start thinking about something, but don’t wear yourself out over it. This evening when I come back in we’ll talk about our wedding, and when you want to have it. Start giving that a little thought, okay?”

  “Okay. I keep looking at my ring all day. I’ve been sleeping a lot, and having dreams. Every time I wake up I look at it again to be sure it’s real and not just a dream.”

  “I guarantee it’s not just a dream, future Mrs. Stevenson.”

  “I love the sound of that.”

  “Yeah, me, too. You keep sleeping, and listen to the doctors and nurses. I’ll be back this evening.” He kissed her and left, leaving her smiling.

  * * *

  She continued to progress, but slower than she’d hoped. Finally, on Wednesday she was able to stand up and walk some without getting dizzy. Dr. Fielding told her he would release her the next day if she was still able to be up and walking without getting dizzy, but warned her she would have to take it easy at home for a little while yet.

  Garrett was happy to hear it, and made arrangements to be there the next morning when Dr. Fielding would be in to check her. He wanted to hear from the doctor directly as to what he and Maria should be doing for her at home, and what she should be doing. While the nurse helped Mindy get dressed, Garrett asked several questions of the doctor to be sure he understood what he should and shouldn’t be allowing her to do yet, and for how long. The orthopedic doctor also came in and checked her arm and cast before he signed off on her release, and told her when to return to his office.

  Finally, they were heading home, and Mindy was smiling ear to ear. When they got home, the men were all out working, but their wives and children were at the ranch waiting to greet her with hugs and kisses. The kids even made a little welcome home banner that Maria helped them hang in the living room, where she assumed Mindy would be spending a fair amount of her time for the next little while, resting. She saw the banner the minute she walked into the room, and had to hug and thank each of the kids. “I’ll really enjoy seeing this while I’m resting,” she assured them.