Resisting Rose, page 15
Rose shook her head. “The last few weeks at the farm without you have made me realize how meaningless something can be if the right person isn’t there with you. If the ranch doesn’t work out, which we have to be honest with ourselves and admit is entirely possible, then Bloom’s Farm might be the place for us. Or maybe there is another ranch out there needing rescue. But I loved Russell Ranch. And more importantly, I love you.”
Tate’s smile grew wider. “I love you too, Rose. So much.” Tate shifted in his chair and reached into his pocket. “You know that conversation you overheard between me and Travis? Well, I already told you it wasn’t about the drugs. But I never told you what it was about.”
Rose frowned. “No, I guess you didn’t. It doesn’t matter though. It was a mistake.”
Tate’s smile remained unchanged, his eyes twinkling as he slid from the chair. What was he doing?
On one knee in front of her, Tate looked up and spoke quietly. “Rose Marie Bloom, when I told my brother I was putting family first, I was talking about you. When I said I wasn’t listening to authority, I was talking about my father and his stubborn refusal to give me this ring.” Rose’s eyes flew to the ring suddenly visible in Tate’s hand.
She gasped. “What on earth?”
Tate reached for her hand. “Rose, while we were at the ranch, I was convinced that you were the only woman for me. After our time apart, I’m even more sure. I don’t want to rescue the ranch without you. I don’t even want to face tomorrow without you. If you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my life proving just how much I love you by putting you second.”
She tipped her head with a questioning smile. Did he say second?
He continued, “Above myself. Above the ranch or my work. Above our children someday, I hope. I promise to put God first, so I can lead you well and put you rightly at the top of the rest of the list.”
Rose felt like she shouldn’t be able to cry anymore, but she felt the tears roll down her cheeks, which were stretched with a smile.
“Rose, will you marry me?”
Unable to speak, she simply nodded and covered her mouth as a laughing sob escaped. Tate grinned and slipped the ring on her finger before she pulled him off his knees and into her arms. Polite applause rang out around them in the small restaurant. Rose wiped her eyes on his shoulder and turned her face to his.
As though he could read her thoughts, Tate pressed his lips to hers and sealed the promises he’d made with a kiss. For a brief moment, she drank in the dark, delicious taste of him and curled her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Then they broke the kiss, and he tightened his embrace before releasing her entirely.
Rose sat back down at the table, suddenly aware of all the eyes on them. She covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders shook with laughter. “We’re engaged!”
Tate nodded with amusement. “Yes, at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened.”
“Oh my word. I can’t believe you proposed.”
“Hey, don’t forget that you said yes.”
She laughed. “I’ll bet you I’ll never forget.”
“Only a fool would take that bet. Because I plan to spend my whole life reminding you.”
“Do you want to come inside for a bit?” Rose wasn’t ready to say goodnight yet.
They walked inside together, hand in hand. Her mom and dad were in their customary places in the living room, a baseball game on the television.
Her mother greeted them with a kind smile. “Did you two have a good night?”
Rose felt her cheeks redden, and her own smile was too powerful to contain. She held up her left hand. “We’re engaged!”
Laura Bloom leapt to her feet with a celebratory cheer, scurrying across the living room for a hug. She wrapped Rose in her arms first. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so happy for you. Congratulations!” She turned to Tate. “And you! How dare you call and quit on us? But you’re back now. Keith, get over here!”
Rose looked at her dad making his way across the room. His unhurried shuffle was coupled with a broad smile and already open arms. Rose closed the gap and stepped into them. “Congratulations, Rosie.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Tate cleared his throat. “Mr. Bloom, I suppose I should have asked permission. I didn’t exactly plan on asking tonight.”
“And yet, she has a ring…” Thankfully her father’s voice held amusement, not condemnation.
“May we have your blessing?” Tate’s voice held a hint of trepidation, and Rose lifted her eyes to look at her father.
He looked between the two of them. “I could see how your absence was affecting my little girl over the past few weeks. I know I don’t know the whole story, but can you assure me that whatever came between you will never do so again?”
Rose knew her father was only looking after her. He wasn’t wrong. Just this morning, he’d tried to talk to her about what was wrong, and she’d insisted it was nothing. How had she been blessed with such an amazing family, while Tate’s was the complete opposite?
“I can, sir. I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons in the past few weeks. And I’ll never make the same mistake I did before.”
“What mistake was that?”
“I didn’t listen to Rose when she was trying to help. I ended up trusting the wrong person because I put my pride ahead of my heart.”
Keith wrapped an arm around her mother. “It’s not easy to admit your mistakes.” His eyes shifted to Rose, “It’s also not easy to stand by your partner when they make them. If you two can continue to do that moving forward, you’ll be just fine.”
The next day, Rose got the attention of everyone at family brunch. “Tate and I have an announcement.”
“Don’t you think we figured out that he’s back and you’re together again?” Hawthorne’s sarcastic question drew chuckles around the room, and Rose rewarded him with an eye roll.
“Well, yes. And no.” At the questioning looks, she pulled the ring out of her jean pocket and slipped it on. “We’re engaged.”
Daisy’s excited shriek made Rose wince. She was instantly engulfed in a hug on two sides as Lavender and Avery made their excitement known.
Daisy made her way over, more slowly with her tiny baby bump leading the way. “I’m so happy for you two. You were great as friends, but you are even better as a couple.”
“This is awesome,” Hawthorne said through bites of cinnamon roll. “You guys will be like the next Mom and Dad on the farm. You’re not allowed to fire me though.”
Rose’s smiled slipped. Now wasn’t the time, but when would be the right time to tell her entire family that they might leave?
Tate squeezed her hand, “I think your job is safe, Hawthorne.”
Brunch continued, and conversations swirled around her about the engagement. Topics shifted to Daisy’s baby shower and Andi’s plans to move home soon. If they took over the ranch, she was going to miss so many things moving away. Could she build a life fifteen hundred miles away from everything she’d ever known?
Rose stood up and went to refill her coffee cup, then busied herself making a fresh pot. She jumped lightly when a warm hand landed on the small of her back.
“Hey.” Tate’s deep voice had her wanting to melt into a puddle. “Are you okay?”
She turned around and saw his concerned gaze. “I’m fine.”
Tate looked over his shoulder, then tugged her into the laundry room. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She leaned into his strong chest and took a deep breath. “It’s hard to realize all that we will miss out on not being around here all the time.”
“We don’t have to go, Rose. I mean it.”
She shook her head. “No, no. I want to. It’s just going to be different, you know? But Andi has lived across the country for almost twenty years, and she is still every bit our sister.”
Tate ducked down to meet her eyes. “You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
That brief interaction with him was all she needed, and the tension in her neck and shoulders released. It wouldn’t be easy to be so far away, but it would be worth it.
26
Four months later, Tate once again drove down the dusty road to his family ranch. This time, he was in his own truck, pulling a trailer packed with wedding gifts and the combined belongings of him and his new bride.
Tate turned and watched Rose gently snore in the passenger seat. He knew without a doubt, he wouldn’t be achieving this dream without her. The last few months had been a whirlwind of lawyers and banks and wedding plans.
His brother and father had pled guilty and settled with the USDA to avoid jail time. The resulting fines could only be covered by the USDA foreclosing on the ranch. Thankfully, their prayers had been answered and Tate had been given the chance to make the first offer to buy back the property.
The result was a mountain of debt, but he and Rose were now the proud owner of six thousand acres of the most gorgeous Montana pasture he’d ever seen. Their herd was small, but they’d been allowed to keep any cattle that wouldn’t be sold within the twelve months of removing the DES implants.
As they approached the front drive, he reached over and patted Rose on the thigh. “Wake up, beautiful. We’re here.”
Rose opened her eyes and sat up straighter with a yawn. “How long was I out?”
“You fell asleep just outside of Billings, but I don’t mind. You’re cute when you snore.”
“I do not snore!”
Tate chuckled. “Want to bet?”
Rose didn’t answer, but her eyes danced with laughter. Tate pulled the truck to a stop at the entrance. The sign over the road greeted them. “Russell Ranch,” Rose said proudly as she joined her hand in his.
“You know, I was thinking maybe it was time Russell Ranch found a new identity. What do you say we add another R to that sign and call it Rose Ridge Ranch?”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Tate, are you sure? This is your family ranch. Shouldn’t it stay Russell Ranch?”
Tate gave a small smile. “It’s the land I didn’t want to lose. Not the name. The Russell Ranch name will have a bad reputation for a long time after what my family pulled. This is ours now. I think a new name would be a great way to start fresh. What do you think?”
“I think… I think it’s perfect, Tate.”
He grinned and pulled the truck through the gate and up the gravel drive to their new home. Eight hours later, they collapsed on the front porch swing. They’d been unloading boxes and settling into the house all day. Jimmy, the foreman who had agreed to keep things running in the transition, had stopped by and given them a rundown on the state of things. It wasn’t pretty. They had a long road ahead of them.
But sitting there, with Rose tucked against his shoulder, watching the sun sink below the horizon and painting the sky a brilliant reddish-orange, Tate couldn’t help but say a prayer of thanks.
Rose felt the bed shift as Tate rolled out. She mumbled through the haze of sleep. “I checked them at midnight.”
Tate whispered in response. “It’s nearly four. I’ll just make sure everyone is okay. Go back to sleep, love.”
Rose stretched and let out a yawn. “No, I’m coming. As long as you make the coffee.”
Twenty minutes later, Rose drank deeply from the thermos of coffee and let out a sigh of satisfaction. The spring calving season was well underway, and these nightly checks were part of the job. At least they could share the responsibility with their farmhands, who were rapidly becoming indispensable.
She handed the coffee to Tate after he opened the gate to the calving lot. Without much discussion, they split up to survey the lot and evaluate the progress. Rose grinned when she spotted a new calf along the left fence line with its mother. She quickly slipped a collar around its neck and recorded the information in her notebook. It was a healthy male and was already standing and nursing. When she finished, her eyes searched the lot for Tate.
Her husband was kneeling beside a heifer across the lot and she quickly walked that way. When she knelt next to Tate, Rose registered the wrinkle of worry across his brow. “Did you notice her last night when you checked?”
Rose pulled out her notes. “She wasn’t in active labor at midnight, but her tail was out and she was restless.” There was no telling how long the heifer had been in active labor at this point, but it was less than a few hours. “Let me check her.” Rose examined the birth canal, saw the tiny feet protruding and retracting with each contraction. “She needs help. Can you grab the chains?”
As Rose and Tate worked together to free the calf, Rose couldn’t help but think back to the late nights they’d spent kidding goats at Bloom’s Farm. In some ways, that was where their friendship had truly developed. Despite her initial fears that Tate was a threat to her future, it turned out he was the key to it.
Rose never imagined leaving Bloom’s Farm and her family legacy. But as Tate cleared the calf’s airways and rubbed it down, Rose couldn’t imagine being anywhere else—with anyone else. They stayed by the calf and its mother for an hour, a triumphant cheer when the calf stood on its own.
As the first rays of morning sun peaked over the eastern horizon, Rose tucked herself under Tate’s arm and leaned into his strong frame. Tate looked down at her with a lazy smile and she tipped her chin up in invitation.
His lips met hers in a slow, gentle kiss. Rose would never tire of the way Tate made her feel.
Adored.
Desired.
Respected.
“I love you, Cowboy,” she whispered when they broke the kiss. Tate’s dark eyes were flecked with gold in the morning light as they met hers.
“I love you more,” he replied.
She gave him a cheeky smile. “Want to bet?”
EPILOGUE
Keith Bloom watched through the window, eagerly waiting for Rose and Tate to pull in the drive. The Thanksgiving celebration couldn’t start without them. It didn’t seem possible that they’d been gone for a year. Admittedly, he and his wife were disappointed when they couldn’t make it back for the holidays last year. As much as anyone, he could appreciate how much work there was to be done and the price of being the one responsible. He had spent more than one holiday working on the farm instead of traveling to see extended family.
He and Laura had visited once in the spring, but it had been far too long since he’d seen his youngest daughter and her husband. He’d watched Tate mature before his eyes while he lived at Bloom’s Farm, from a hardworking man with something to prove into a God-fearing man striving to live daily for Christ.
When the rental car pulled into the driveway, he called into the kitchen where the rest of the family was gathered. “They’re here!”
A stampede of footsteps raced out of the house. Little Henry, just shy of two years old now, looked shell-shocked amid the chaos, and Keith swooped him up. “Should we go see Aunt Rose?”
Rose was already wrapped in hugs from her sisters when he made it outside, her wide smile shining as bright as he ever remembered. Henry fussed to be released and Keith set him down to run free. The initial wave of hugs subsided and he stepped closer. Rose looked different. Older, perhaps, but mostly he sensed a deep-seated contentment.
“Oh, Rosie. It’s so good to see you,” he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ve missed you so much.”
Keith let her go and took the offered hand from Tate, pulling him in for a hug as well. “Glad you made it.”
He stepped back and watched Laura wrap Tate in a warm hug. She had been the one who hired Tate five years ago. He remembered the conversation they’d had at the time. It had been mostly one-sided, to be fair, since it was shortly after his stroke. But Laura had been sure Tate was exactly what Bloom’s Farm needed, and—more importantly—that Bloom’s Farm was exactly what Tate needed.
Laura was the biggest blessing in his life, followed closely by the seven wonderful children they’d raised together. When he’d had his stroke, the hardest part hadn’t been the struggle to talk, or even the frustrating loss of independence and extreme weakness. It had been knowing that he had become a burden to his beautiful wife.
When he looked at the faces of his daughters, it was impossible not to notice his wife’s familiar features. Her hair and smile, yes. But also her kindness and generosity. He couldn’t have asked for a better partner to work the farm and raise a family over the last forty years. Looking at Rose and Tate, he knew it would be the same.
Through thick and thin, Rose and Tate would be partners. Now, they were each other’s family. Of course, even though they lived 1500 miles away, they were part of the Bloom family too.
Laura pulled the green bean casserole out of the oven and ran through her mental list of dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. For the first time in more years than she cared to count, all seven of her children were home. Rose and Tate were visiting, taking a short break from the ranch in Montana. Lily and Josh were here, introducing Maia to her aunt and uncle. The small Guatemalan girl was painfully shy, but Laura’s heart nearly exploded each time she saw Lily’s hand wrapped in her tiny fingers.
The recent adoption brought her number of grandchildren to five. Magnolia and Henry split their time between the capital and their house on the farm. Lavender was currently in the other room, nursing four-month-old Caleb, their miracle baby after a difficult journey.
Daisy’s daughter, Brielle, turned one a few months ago and was currently being passed back and forth between her mother and Andi, Daisy’s twin sister. Each time she spotted the other across the room, she reached for them, much to the amusement of the rest of the family. Having Andi home was a special treat, for sure.
Andi was retiring from the Army next summer, but what she would do after that remained to be seen. Laura had never prayed as hard as she did when Andi had been deployed, a staggering four different times, but lately she’d felt a pull to cover her adventurous daughter in prayer even more.
