Second Chance Ranch Chapter 38

Chapter THIRTY-EIGHT:

Kelly followed the moving truck towing her sedan behind it. For the last leg of the trip into College Station, Finn had begged and begged to “ride in the big truck” with Squire.

She’d finally relented and let him. She’d made sure he’d gone to the bathroom, had a full bottle of apple juice, and his backpack with a new game machine she’d bought just for this trip, his headphones, and all the snack crackers he wanted.

Squire had assured her over and over that he’d be fine with Finn. Of course he would. Squire was fine doing everything Kelly needed him to do. 

She couldn’t get the queen-sized bed upstairs? No problem. Her hot cowboy boyfriend and his Army buddy would show up and do it just the two of them. 

She needed more moving boxes to replace the ones that had gotten wet in her storage unit? Not an issue. He’d bring by a stack of them, put them together for her, and have three of his cowhands come and repack everything from ruined to new.

He wasn’t perfect; she knew that. But sometimes, he sure seemed to be. He’d been moody and quiet for the past week before they’d left Three Rivers, and Kelly could admit she had been too. Sleep had eluded her, and everything irritating or frustrating seemed to light her already-short fuse.

Finn had only cried a little saying good-bye to his grandparents. Kelly had managed to keep her eyes dry, but that was only because she’d cried buckets leading up to this morning’s farewell.

She and Squire had opted to make the drive in one horribly long day. It was six hundred miles, which in a normal car, moving normal speeds, might take eight or nine hours, with regular stops. 

They still had a hundred and fifty miles to go—two hours, plus some—and they’d been driving for 8 hours already. 

She sighed and leaned her head back against the rest. She drove Squire’s truck, as he needed it for school, and he’d thought it easier to tow a smaller car. She certainly didn’t want to drive the moving truck with a car attached, and she could admit that she liked driving a pick-up. 

Sitting up higher off the ground, she could see further. A sense of power also came with being in control of such a big vehicle, and if there was something Kelly needed, it was a sense of being in control.

Since her divorce last year, she’d felt completely derailed. Well, not completely. Working at the ranch and reconnecting with Squire had definitely started to ground her, and now, after a whirlwind four-month accounting job and summer romance, she was only a couple of hours away from entering a new phase of her life.

Still a single mom, but this time in a city she hadn’t lived in for a while. A city without her parents or cousin nearby to help. Without anyone she knew, in fact.

“You have a job,” she muttered to herself. That alone had been the shining star in her decision to come with Squire while he worked on finishing his veterinary degree. 

She loved him, of course. He’d semi-proposed to her that one time in Amarillo, but she still didn’t possess a diamond he’d purchased for her. He hadn’t asked again. They hadn’t set a wedding date. 

Kelly had brought it up a time or two, but Squire had told her he “had plans” and it would all happen in good time. She wasn’t keen to rush into a marriage again, but this second time certainly wouldn’t be like the first.

Squire was the complete opposite of Taylor, and Kelly had asked herself and God every day since the day she’d told him she loved him if that was really true.

It really was.

Not only that, but he loved her. Squire Ackerman loved her through and through, and she believed that when two people loved each other the way they did, even when hard times came, they’d survive.

So the days had passed, just like the last miles into College Station, and Kelly wanted to be Squire’s wife more with each one. 

He made a turn right when he should’ve gone left to his place. Of course. He was going to unload her stuff first. She wasn’t sure why he would’ve gone to his apartment before her house.

She hadn’t bought anything, because she couldn’t afford it, but she’d found a cute two-bedroom, single story house in a nice neighborhood for a price she could handle. She had a job that started bright and early Monday morning.

Squire didn’t start classes until Wednesday, and that gave them two days to get unpacked before she started work, and four before he started school. He would take Finn on Monday and Tuesday, and then Kelly had gotten him into a child care house that allowed before- and after-school care, as well as full care on days the schools didn’t run.

Since kindergarten—she couldn’t believe her little boy was old enough for kindergarten—didn’t start for another week after Squire’s classes, Finn would go there until it did.

So many changes, she thought. She sent up a prayer for Finn. He was a fun, bright boy, but that didn’t mean he got along with everyone. She prayed he’d get a teacher who could help him with his reading, and who understood that five-year-old boys like him couldn’t sit still for longer than ten seconds—and that was generous.

The sun had started to settle in the west, but because they’d left so early, they still had about four hours of daylight. Kelly waited down the street so Squire could pull up to the curb and unhook her car. 

He put that on the other side of the driveway, and then he backed the big mover onto the cement like he did it everyday. Kelly moved his truck into position along the curb, having no idea how they’d get everything off the truck and then do it all again at his place.

Of course, he had far less than she did, because he’d be living alone until they got married, and he needed very little to survive. Or so he claimed. He’d shown up at her house yesterday afternoon with the entire staff on the ranch, and his belongings had only taken up maybe a third of the truck. They’d moved her out of her parents’ basement and filled the rest of the truck—then his—in just over an hour.

But they didn’t have a dozen big, strong cowboys to help them here. Kelly couldn’t carry couches and beds, and Squire had said he’d take care of it. When she’d asked him how, he’d said he’d find some people to help.

She hadn’t followed up with him on that, because when Squire said he’d do something, he did it. So she wasn’t at all surprised to find a couple of pick-ups pulling up to the curb in front of her.

Three men got out of the first one, and two from the second, and she heard Squire laughing though she hadn’t gotten out of the vehicle yet. She did, quickly, because he’d strode across the lawn and was currently hugging each man.

Army buddies, she thought, glad for her boyfriend’s service to his country in so many more ways than one right now. There was something about the Army that bonded people, and she should’ve guessed he’d have “people” to help here.

“Kel,” he said, motioning her over. She checked to make sure Finn was occupied—he ran toward them—and then she stepped to Squire’s side.

He swung Finn onto his hip. “This here’s Finn,” he said. “And his momma, Kelly. Guys, these are some of my friends that I served with in the Army.”

“Howdy,” Kelly said, smiling at them all. “Thank you so much for coming to help.”

“Adam,” Squire said. “Drove the tank after I left. Stephen and Hank served in my company. George and Pennelton were out with me on my first deployment.”

“It’s so great to meet you all,” Kelly said. She looked over to Finn, who curved his body into Squire’s shoulder.

“What do you say now, son?” Squire asked. 

“Howdy,” Finn said. “Thank you for coming.”

Kelly couldn’t hide her grin, and Squire’s burst onto his face too. “Finny, you help with little things, and you put them wherever anyone bigger than you says.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, boys,” Squire said as he bent to put Finn back on his feet. “This is one house of two, and daylight’s burning. Let’s do this.” He swept a kiss along Kelly’s cheek as he turned, and she marveled at the six of them as they fell into ranks, their voices already chattering about this, that, and the other.

Finn ran to keep up with them, and Kelly brought up the rear. She had a feeling she’d always be trailing behind the wonder that was Squire Ackerman—and she didn’t mind that at all.

* * *

Finn snoozed on Squire’s couch—his apartment had come partially furnished, thankfully. Darkness had fallen at least an hour ago, and Kelly put the last few kernels of popcorn in her mouth, ate them, and yawned.

“I should go,” she whispered. The movie they’d put on to entertain Finn so they could unpack Squire’s kitchen and bedroom would be over in minutes, and she had to drive back to her new house.

More work waited for her there, but the Army men had set up the beds, the couches, the dining room table, and unpacked all the kitchen boxes before they’d driven over here to do the same in this apartment.

Squire lived closer to campus, while Kelly had chosen a more familial neighborhood. The city still had a college-town feel, but it had grown since Kelly had last lived here, and it felt like a brand new adventure. Their houses sat about five miles apart, and it had taken her thirteen minutes to follow him over here.

“Don’t go,” he whispered back, bringing her closer and touching his lips to hers. She let him kiss her for a couple of minutes, and then feeling hot and high as a kite, she ducked her head to break their connection.

“I have to go,” she said. “I don’t live here.” She met his eyes. “Can you believe we did this?”

A soft smile stole across that rugged face, making him soft and hard at the same time. Light and dark. Handsome and oh-so-boyish. “It’s kind of exciting, isn’t it?” His grip along her waist tightened. “Being away from our parents. I feel like I just left home for the first time all over again.” 

Kelly giggled while he chuckled quietly, neither of them wanting to wake Finn. “It is exciting,” she said. “Squire.” She waited until he met her eye. “I love you. I’m so glad this worked out. That we got to come here together, and we get to go through this together.”

“Me too.” His smile only widened until he kissed her again. He didn’t carry on this time, and he stood and offered her his hand. “I have something for you.”

“You do?” She put her hand in his and let him help her to her feet. It only took a few steps to get into the kitchen, and Squire opened the freezer and reached inside.

Kelly hadn’t seen him put anything in there. They only had the few snacks and drinks given to them by Pennelton’s girlfriend—which was where the popcorn had come from. She planned to go shopping tomorrow, after getting through as many boxes as she could stand. She hadn’t moved a ton in her lifetime, but she knew that everywhere she went, she always needed something she hadn’t thought of.

A shower curtain here, a garbage can for the bathroom there. So she’d try to get her house put together as much as possible, and then go to the store to get what she needed to be able to live there for the next four years.

Squire closed the freezer, seemingly nothing in his hand. “I kept meaning to do this in Three Rivers,” he said, his eyes down on his closed fist. He definitely held something there, and he covered the one hand with his other. 

He flicked his gaze to hers. “I’ve been….” He swallowed. “Nervous.”

“Oh, is this your nervous face?” she teased.

That got him to crack a smile. “It is.” But he always wore the same face, sometimes with a darker glower than other times. 

Now, he did seem nervous and a bit unsteady as he reached out and put a hand on the countertop and lowered himself to one knee and then the other. “I wasn’t sure I could do this gracefully, and I can’t ask you to marry me standing on two feet.” 

He opened his fingers to reveal a snowy white jewelry box sitting in his palm. “I meant it when I said I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen years old. Kelly, I’ve struggled to understand why I lived through that tank incident while others didn’t. Why I needed to come back to Texas, to a ranch I didn’t want to run. I still don’t understand it all, but I think the Lord was giving me another chance to love you. To forgive you. To forgive myself, and learn, and grow, and love deeper than I thought my hard cowboy heart could.”

Kelly’s eyes filled with tears, and she pressed one hand to her chest to remind herself to keep breathing. 

“He gave you a second chance too,” Squire said, his voice quiet and yet so powerful. “And he’s given Finn the opportunity to have a daddy in his life who loves him and wants him.”

Her tears fell then, and she didn’t care one whit. 

“I will do everything I can to be the husband you deserve,” he said, his words catching in his throat. “Here, in Three Rivers, anywhere. I just want to be with you. I love you.”

“I love you back,” she choked out.

He flipped open the ring box to reveal a gorgeous, dazzling, princess-cut diamond raised above a single gold band. “Will you marry me?” It was everything she’d ever wanted. It had no beginning and no end, exactly the way she wanted her relationship with Squire to be. 

“Yes,” Kelly said breathlessly. She laughed and cried at the same time as she added, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Squire laughed with her as he slid the ring on her finger and then pulled her down for a kiss. Kelly had never been kissed the way Major Squire Ackerman kissed her. The tenderness. The passion. The pure male desire that he possessed for her—and only her.

She kissed him back with equal love, adoration, and heat, but a small voice belonging to the little boy they both loved interrupted her.

“Momma?” Finn came to her side as she pulled away from her handsome Army cowboy—now her fiancé. He rubbed one eye and wore his hair in haphazard angles.

“Yeah, baby.” She stroked his hair down. “Guess what?” 

“Why you on the ground?” Finn asked Squire. He took a step forward and snuggled into Squire’s chest, his eyes falling sleepily closed again. “Momma screeched and woke-ed me up.”

“That’s because I just asked your momma to marry me.” Squire grinned up at Kelly, who simply gazed at the two boys she loved so, so much.

“You did?” Finn pushed away from Squire and looked at Kelly. “Without me?” He spun back to Squire. “You said I might be able to help.”

“You did?” Kelly asked just as Squire said, “You fell asleep, buddy. I’m sorry. I couldn’t wait any longer.” He nodded to Kelly and said, “Look at the ring on her finger.”

Finn looked, but he was five years old and didn’t care about diamonds. Squire reached for the counter again, and as he got to his feet, Kelly held back from helping him. It sure seemed like he needed some assistance, but he managed, and she said nothing.

Instead, she swept Finn into her arms and then stepped into Squire’s personal space. “We’re going to be a family,” she whispered.

“That’s right,” Squire whispered back, enveloping them both in his arms. “I love you guys.”

“I love you too, Squire,” Finn said, wrapping his skinny arms around Squire’s head and hugging him while the man chuckled.

Kelly’s heart had never felt so full, so stuffed with joy. “And I love you both.”