The guys had built several raised beds, so it was easy to tend to the hardy plants they’d picked up the previous weekend at an Amish farmers market. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, and a bunch of other organic items would soon be a daily part of the menu. She was already making great use of the herb garden they’d started just a few weeks earlier.
“Hey, baby,” Chris greeted, coming up behind her and kissing her neck. His body was warm and smelled of clean male sweat.
“Is that a hammer in your tool belt, or are you just happy to see me?” she teased, pushing back against him.
He growled softly and nipped her ear. “Both. How’s it going?”
“I just finished planting the last of them.”
“Good. Then, you can take a break.”
“What do you have in mind?” she asked, sensing she knew the answer. Hoping she did.
“I want to show you something.”
“Hmm. Something big? Thick? Long? Hard? Yeah, I’ve seen it.”
He lightly smacked her backside and laughed. “Something else.”
She turned in his arms and pushed her lips into a pout. “Bummer. I kinda wanted to see it again.”
His eyes heated, and he pulled her closer. “Later.”
“Okay,” she said on a sigh, but inwardly, she felt an inexplicable sense of excitement. “Let me wash up a bit.”
“No need. I like you dirty.”
He laced his fingers with hers and tugged her out of the greenhouse, away from the main building, and in the opposite direction of his—their—trailer.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Further attempts to glean additional information were unsuccessful. They entered the edge of the woods, and her spirits rose. He was leading her to her favorite spot on the property—the idyllic clearing they’d first discovered on snowmobiles months earlier. They’d been so busy once the weather broke that they hadn’t had a chance to get back there. It was the perfect place to have a picnic and make love on a beautiful late spring day.
“Okay, close your eyes,” he said, halting before they reach the clearing, and she was certain she’d guessed correctly.
With a smile on her face, she dutifully closed her eyes and allowed him to tie a blindfold on her. Memories of the last time he’d tied a blindfold on her had her nipples pebbling in anticipation.
“Mmm, kinky,” she said.
Without warning, she found herself lifted off her feet and being carried the rest of the way. She gave herself over to it, soaking up the feel of the sun on her face, drawing in the scents of pine, wild grass, and blooming honeysuckle.
After gently setting her down, he commanded her to keep her eyes closed and removed the blindfold. “Okay, open.”
She did, blinking against the sudden brightness until she could see properly. They were definitely in the idyllic clearing, but it wasn’t clear any longer. A gorgeous wood-and-glass A-frame cabin now occupied the far end.
“What is this?”
“Come on. Let’s go inside.”
He tugged her forward. Inside, the smell of fresh-cut lumber filled her nostrils. The first floor was a large, open space with a fireplace on one side and a small kitchen on the other. A set of stairs led up to a loft where there was a king-size bed.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“It’s not finished yet,” he continued. “The well’s dug, but we still need to hook up electricity to run the pump. There will be a big deck down here and a smaller one off the bedroom. And we’ll need to get some furniture and appliances and stuff, but I figured you’d want to pick those out yourself.”
“This is ours?”
He nodded.
“But when? How? You couldn’t possibly have had time to build this.”
“I didn’t. Not alone anyway. Our friends in Pine Ridge know a guy who builds them. I gave them my designs, and they took care of the rest.”
“Oh, Chris, I don’t know what to say.”
Her emotions were running high, so, naturally, her eyes filled up with tears. Thankfully, Chris was used to it by now and no longer worried quite as much when it happened.
“Are those happy tears?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Very happy.”
“Well, might as well go for the gold then.” Chris went down on one knee before her. “Katelyn Gertrude Handelmann, I know we haven’t been together long, but I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. I’ve known from the first time you smiled at me that I would never again be the same. Will you marry me?”
Both hands flew up to her face as she looked down at the man who had become her everything. Six months wasn’t long in the scheme of things, but she knew in her heart and soul that he was it for her.
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
He grinned and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then, he carried her up the stairs, and they spent the rest of the afternoon making love.
~ * ~
It was hours later when she woke up with a start and realized the sun was setting.
“Shit! Dinner!” She groaned and attempted to crawl out of bed.
Chris reached out and hauled her right back. “Sam and Sandy have it covered.”
“They knew?”
“I told them you deserved an afternoon off, and they agreed.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously.” His grin gave him away.
“They didn’t say a word.”
“I swore them to secrecy.”
After making love again in the light of the glorious sunset, they went back to the trailer to shower and change and then walked over to the main building.
The place seemed oddly quiet.
“Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know. We can look for them after we visit the kitchen. I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
“This is true, but I worked up quite an appetite this afternoon,” he said with a wolfish grin.
She couldn’t argue with that. She was feeling rather famished herself.
The moment they entered the darkened dining room, the lights went on, and they were met with a loud, “Surprise!”
Kate looked around and found everyone from Sanctuary there.
Glasses were shoved into their hands, and arms were raised in a toast when Heff called out, “Wait, did she say yes?”
She laughed and held up her left hand. “I said yes.”
“All right then, proceed.”
Matt cleared his throat and said, “To Mad Dog and Kate.”
“To Mad Dog and Kate,” the others echoed.
As Kate raised the glass to her lips and the champagne tickled her nose, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad that her family wasn’t there to share in the moment with her. Then again, they were celebrating another engagement.
Sandy had shown her the announcement in the Sumneyville Times. Karyn had been right about that, too.
At first, Kate had visited the store a few times when they drove into town. Things between her and her father had been strained at best, and, she’d stopped going in. She hadn’t talked to her mother or Kylie at all, and they’d made no attempt to reach out to her.