“I think you’re right. What do you think Jed and Virginia want to talk to us about?” she asked, taking the turn toward Thorn Hill, where they had all agreed to gather, Mary determined to return the hospitality the Coopers had extended to them after the flood.
“Beats me.”
Though Jed and Virginia had called the meeting, Steel tugged Stella to her feet when everyone was settled in the living room and formally announced their engagement. Everyone already knew, but there were still cheers and congratulations all around when they announced their wedding date.
Noah had an announcement, too. “Mary, Justin, and Liz were looking for a place in town, but they’ve decided to stay on the Flying W instead. We need all hands working together right now, and they’ve agreed to help get the ranch back in order.”
“One other thing,” Stella said. “I met with Joan this morning. Despite everything, we did manage to raise enough money to get started on the expansion of the rehab center to include services for teens. There’s lots more to do, but we’re on our way.”
“Wait—does that mean we Turners win?” Noah grinned.
“Hold up—it was all my idea, remember?” Olivia said. “Besides, Steel shot a serial killer. That ought to count for double.”
“That’s right. Anyway, with Stella marrying into our family soon, I think the rehab center expansion should belong to us Coopers no matter how you look at it,” Tory jested.
“We’re basically all one family anyway now, if Steel and Stella are getting married,” Lance said. “The Coopners.”
“You mean the Turnpers,” Maya corrected him with a grin.
Jed stepped forward—holding Virginia’s hand in his own. “Settle down. Settle down. We have an announcement.”
“What’s up, Uncle Jed?” Stella asked as everyone else’s laughter died down.
“Well, it’s a strange state of affairs… I think the only way to get you all up to speed is to tell a story.”
“What kind of story?” Maya asked.
“Hush your mouth and you’ll find out,” Virginia said, thumping her umbrella on the floor.
Jed cleared his throat. “A long, long time ago, there was a foolish man,” he began.
“That’s him.” Virginia poked Jed with her umbrella.
“Who’s telling this story?”
“Just make sure you get it right.”
“Hush, woman. And this foolish man,” Jed went on, “invited the prettiest girl he knew to the Founder’s Dance, because he meant to marry her soon and he was damn proud of it.”
Stella felt Steel reach for her hand. She squeezed his fingers in acknowledgement. They’d heard some of this, but now she wanted to know how it ended.
“But there were darker forces at work,” Jed said. “In the form of Foster Crake, who wanted the pretty girl for himself.”
“I’m the pretty girl,” Virginia said.
“He came up with a trick—and it worked all too well. He said the pretty girl meant to stand me up and go to the dance with someone else.”
“With a boy I was tutoring,” Virginia said with a humph.
“It made me jealous as all get out,” Jed said. “Foster told me she would pretend to be my date until the very last minute and then humiliate me in front of all our classmates. So I fooled her; I took someone else.”
“And the pretty girl—that’s me—got steaming mad,” Virginia said with a nod.
“There wasn’t any chance she’d accept my proposal after that,” Jed said. Virginia poked him again, and he sighed. “Not for a very long time anyway, you have to admit that, my love.”
Stella blinked. My love?
“But there wasn’t a single god-darn day I didn’t want to propose. I never married anyone else because there wasn’t anyone else I wanted to marry, but I always carried the wedding ring I bought for you, because I hoped that someday—” He broke off and cleared his throat. “That someday I’d be able to put it on your finger.”
He lifted Virginia’s hand, where a beautiful ring sparkled.
“Oh, Uncle Jed, I’m so happy for you,” Stella burst out. “When’s the wedding?”
“As soon as we can make it. We’re no spring chickens,” he said.
“Speak for yourself,” Virginia said, but she seemed mighty pleased, Stella thought.
“People will be coming for Steel and Stella’s wedding soon, anyway,” Maya said. “We can make it a double header.”
“Sounds good to me,” Stella said.
“Me, too,” Steel said.
“It’s a deal,” Jed said. “One other thing.” He cleared his throat. Shuffled his feet a little. “We have a request.”
Stella traded a look with Steel. She couldn’t remember the last time Virginia or Jed had ever asked for anything, even if they demanded things all the time.
“I’d like to bring my bride to my home, the way I would have when I first meant to marry her. We don’t want to put anyone out, but when we win the Ridley property, and I’m pretty sure at this point we have it sewn up between our families, there’ll be plenty of room to build something new for anyone who wants a place of their own.”
“Of course, Uncle Jed,” Stella said.
“Sounds like a perfect solution,” Steel said. “We’ll find a way to make everyone fit.”
Chapter Thirteen
By the time Halloween rolled around, the families had settled into a new normal. There had been a few more storms, and more water damage around town, but they had been prepared, and their ranches had come through all right.
At first there’d been talk of canceling the Harvest Festival, at which the Founder’s Prize was to be awarded, but the prevailing sentiment was that the town needed a celebration, and as usual, plenty of volunteers pitched in to make it happen. As Steel got ready for the occasion, he knew today was only the beginning of the festivities. Tomorrow, he and Stella would get married—as would Jed and Virginia.
He and Stella had agreed to wait to start a family of their own. They wanted to get themselves and their jobs in order first and to just spend time together. Stella had passed her deputy exam with flying colors, and Steel’s transfer to
