what. But something really, really good. He pointed at the label. “They’re the rainbow-colored ones!”
She laughed. “I don’t get it.”
“I thought you could use them when you do those fancy braids you love to do on Sky Dancer.”
“Oh-h. Got it.”
Really? A box of rubber bands?
He studied the box as she held it. “I think there’s something on the bottom. Turn it over.”
She looked at him sidelong, then flipped the box, only to see a blank piece of paper folded in half and taped to the bottom. When she flipped the paper open, she felt her eyes widen as her hand went to her mouth.
“No. No, Cole. No way. No, no, no way.”
“It’s been discussed at length, and we all agreed. This is your Christmas present from all of us.”
“But—it’s a horse!! You can’t give me a horse!” Her eyes threatened to overflow as she ran her fingers over the transfer-of-ownership words on the page. “Sky Dancer’s yours!”
“Haven’t you always wanted a horse?”
“Of course I have! But Cole! No! It’s too much. It’s way too much.”
He shook his head, pulling her into a hug and wiping a tear from her cheek. “It’s not, Jess. And besides, Sky Dancer won’t even look at the rest of us anymore. That horse is completely in love with you. He’s useless to the rest of us.”
“I don’t even know what to say. I’m completely floored.”
“Good.” Cole grinned. “Now open your last present.”
“Are you kidding me? You just gave me a horse! How can there be anything else?”
He shrugged, amusement in his eyes. “It goes with the horse.”
Jess reached into the bottom of the stocking, her heart leaping when she found a shiny box with a fancy bow. She swallowed hard.
“Cole?” She held the box cautiously.
“Don’t panic. It’s not a ring. Box is too big, right?”
“Oh. Right.”
She should be relieved, right? As well as things were going, they certainly hadn’t talked about permanency here. Hadn’t talked about marriage.
Certainly hadn’t talked about kids since that night in the hayloft.
So, why was she actually a little disappointed?
She opened the box gingerly, folding the wrapping paper carefully. In the box were two folded sheets of paper, and she braced herself as she unfolded them.
He put one hand over the words before she could read them, using his other to tip up her chin so she was looking into his eyes. “Before you look at these, there is absolutely no pressure intended. None. We haven’t talked about this, and I respect your right to say you never want to. But I just wanted to let you know that I’m open to all possibilities here.”
What was he talking about?
He pulled his hand away so she could see the print, and once again, she felt her eyes go as wide as golf balls. One sheet was from an adoption agency in Billings, and the other was an informational sheet about foster care.
She felt her forehead furrow as she read the words, but they blurred before she got two lines in. Was he suggesting—kids? Together?
He slid the pages out of her hand, then reached up behind the couch cushion. Before she could process what he was doing, he’d knelt on one knee in front of her.
Oh. God.
“Jessalyn Alcott, I have been in love with you since the day you stepped onto this ranch, only I wasn’t prepared to admit it because it scared the hell out of me.” He closed his eyes and grimaced. “Sorry. That wasn’t very romantic.”
She laughed, squeezing his hand. “It’s perfect.”
“I do love you, and when you agreed to come back here with me this summer, it felt like suddenly, my life fell into place. It felt like all these years, I’ve just been waiting for you but I didn’t know it.”
“That was definitely romantic.”
“Shut up, cowgirl. I’m trying to propose here.”
Jess put her hands to her mouth, laughing and crying at the same time. “Okay. I’m quiet. Go on.”
“This present here? These papers? If we’re meant to have children, then we’ll find a way. And if we’re not, then we’ll be the best damn auntie and uncle in Montana. Either way is fine with me. We’ve got a big family, and there will be kids everywhere. We wouldn’t even remember which ones are ours, anyway.”
She laughed, picturing herds of Driscoll and McKee kids taking over the ranch. Then she sobered, because she’d stayed up way too many nights dreaming of making Whisper Creek her forever home, and she needed to be dead sure Cole didn’t have blinders on