Serious Cowboy (Cowboys of Duncan Ranch #2)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Zeke stared down at the framed photograph of him and Maria, of her sweet round face and his own. He’d been so young back then. They both had. And absorbing just how young—they’d been kids, really—impacted him for the first time.

Not that he hadn’t known they were a teenage couple who’d married and conceived a child very early in their lives. Of course, he’d known that. But looking back on that time from his mid-thirties made him see it all so differently. Made him understand that losing his wife and his newborn daughter had wrecked him in this fundamental way.

He was sure he would’ve been wrecked no matter when it’d happened, but being just a boy himself at the time meant he hadn’t had the coping skills to deal with any of it. He barely had the skills now. Not that he was any expert on grief and mourning. But he could say that he was getting better. And up until the accident, that frankly, hadn’t been the case.

Zeke hadn’t known it, but he’d been living as if frozen. Everyone else’s lives had gone on around him but not his. Never his. It had been like when Maria and Hadley died, his spirit had died right along with them, leaving nothing but the empty physical husk of his body behind. He’d been going through the motions of life but not actually living it.

Subconsciously, he’d thought it would always be that way.

And then, Callie had blazed across his sky like a shooting star.

He hadn’t been the same since, and though he didn’t know if he deserved the gift that was Callie Blum—kind of doubted it in fact—he sure was appreciative of receiving it anyway. He heard the bustling of many people inside his house, a rarity, and put the last touches on the custom wooden photo collage he’d made.

Inside nine separate panels all built into a single display were his fondest memories of him and Maria, including that one of her big pregnant. He stared at it for a moment, liking how it turned out. Zeke then carried the collage out of his bedroom, past the commotion occurring in his kitchen and living room, and to a place of honor on the wall near his front door.

There, he hammered in the nails necessary to hang it up. A dull pang rolled through him as he did, but the second he slid the collage into its new permanent spot, he felt lighter. This was a release of sorts. A chapter of his life closing so he could turn the next page and keep going.

He would keep going, too. Today was all about that.

Doing an about-face from his memorial to his late wife and daughter, Zeke took in the pandemonium going on behind him. Streamers in sunshine yellow mixed with the same color as Callie’s eyes billowed in upside-down arcs from his ceiling and cottony-looking tablecloths covered a buffet line that included finger sandwiches, an assortment of cold fizzy drinks, and the grand finale, a two-tiered collection of cupcakes that would serve as a birthday cake.

Today, Callie would celebrate her thirty-first rotation around the sun. Even if she didn’t know it yet. Oh, she knew she supposed to go to her brother’s house for some ice cream and cake. But that particular birthday celebration was all a ruse. Right on cue, Lindsey approached him as she announced to her entire crew.

“Okay, people, we’re at T-minus fifteen minutes. Tim’s en route with Callie now.”

Zeke’s mouth curved upwards all on its own. This had become quite the production, but he wanted it that way. Callie would never suspect such slight of hand from him, and it made this party that much more delightful.

Since Callie believed she’d be having a small shindig at Tim and Amanda’s, she had no clue that the real celebration would be held at Zeke’s home instead. Most of the guests were already here. Amanda was here with Brian, Sallie, and Kimmie. Callie’s folks had flown in from Washington again. Erika and the other nurse from Tim’s pediatric practice were also here.

The plan was for Tim to claim that Zeke’s truck had broken down, and they needed to pick him up. If she offered to go get Zeke herself, Tim was supposed to say that he needed to bring over a heavy piece of equipment for him anyway, so he needed to go, too. It should work since Tim could be a convincing liar when the occasion called for it.

Everything was falling right into place.

Too bad every inch of him suddenly morphed into a giant ball of nerves.

He’d been planning and preparing for this day for a month now. It’s why he jumped way outside of his comfort zone and chose to not only have Callie’s nearest and dearest here at his residence, but to have it professionally catered by Lindsey’s business. Good thing he had an in by being employed by her husband. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have even known who to call.

But Lindsey had handled everything. Well, everything she could. The upcoming bit that he felt so nervous about though was up to no one but him. His hands trembling caused him to ball them into fists and stuff them in his pockets.

It would be fine. It would all be fine. He was sure of it.

Mostly.

“Okay, that’s them,” Lindsey shouted over the hubbub as Tim’s car pulled into Zeke’s drive. “Everyone hide.”

They all did, including Zeke. He was astonished at how the situation had gone from noisy insanity to an almost dead quiet. Even the kids were silent, with Brian’s eyes wide in anticipation as he crouched beneath the kitchen table, and Sallie holding one hand over her own mouth while her other had been pressed against her baby sister’s as the two girls concealed themselves behind his recliner.

There was a knock, but Zeke didn’t open it. Just like they’d planned, he heard Tim yell for Callie to get out of the car.

“He’s not answering, but his door’s unlocked,” his best buddy continued his deception. He was really good at it. Tim had allowed an edge of worry to enter his tone. “Hope he hasn’t reinjured himself or anything.”

“You think he might have?” Callie asked, then all at once, an alarmed expression on her face, she shoved past her brother to enter.

And boom…

“ Surprise !” Everyone bellowed as they sprang from their various different hidey holes, then began to sing the Happy Birthday song to her.

Zeke couldn’t conceal the snort trying to escape him as Callie’s face shifted from one emotion to another so fast they could’ve been a traffic light. Her worry flipped to shock then to consternation mixed with chagrin once she realized what they’d done.

What he’d done.

When she found him in the crowd, slowly pacing over to her, she pointed an accusatory finger at him. He just smiled at her, grabbing that finger and kissing the tip of it.

“You, mister, are in big trouble,” she mouthed at him through all the singing, but he had no trouble deciphering her message. What he had trouble doing was not doubling over with laughter. It struck him that in all the years between losing his young family and meeting Callie, he’d never laughed like that.

Not once.

Yet Callie with her cheerfulness and tenacity had enabled him to feel like this again. To feel human again. He owed her, and he would spend the rest of their combined existence figuring out how to repay the constant love and patience she’d shown to him. And this party that he’d arranged would, hopefully, count as one of those ways.

Once he regained control of himself, he dared to ask her, “Am I now?”

She pursed her lips at him, and he snorted. She was just so cute. With the song over, he could actually hear it when she said, “Yes.”

“So, I take it this was a surprise.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You scared me. I thought something awful might have happened to you.”

He tugged on her arms and boldly looped them around his neck, knowing she might be tempted to deck him. Luckily, she didn’t.

“Had to make sure you came in here when we needed you to,” he explained, pecking the tip of her nose with his lips.

Brian hollered, “Ewww.”

A ring of chuckles and giggles soon followed, and maybe because of this, the sternness dropped from Callie’s features. Even as she released Zeke and tossed him another look. “Still. In the future, I’d rather you not give me a coronary.”

He made his face more sincere. “Heard and understood.”

For the next hour, Callie became monopolized by the other VIPs in her circle. Zeke observed from across the room as she hugged those she cared about or worked with, as she blew raspberries on Kimmie’s belly and shared conversations within a group of women that included Erika, Amanda, and Lindsey. He hadn’t even realized that she knew Lindsey.

But it was his close focus on the owner of Sensational Shindigs that signaled him that it was time for the next stage of this party, one that could be monumental to him. At least, he hoped so.

Dismissing herself, Lindsey waved over one of her crew—Zeke thought her name was Beth—and began to insert birthday candles into Callie’s birthday cupcake cake. She then lit the candles. No one but Zeke was paying her much attention. He traversed his living room to stand there beside the table.

“Time to blow out your candles, Callie,” Lindsey spoke loudly over the commotion.

People encouraged her to travel to the table, and a couple of people who strode over before her immediately went wide-eyed over the message. But Zeke made a quick slash over his throat motion at them, so they’d keep that information to themselves.

Callie stood there for a second, not picking up on things yet.

“That’s a lot of candles,” she stated, then with one deep inhale, blew them all out. It was as she peered down at what those candles spelled out that comprehension seemed to dawn on her features. Zeke, petrified now, held his breath as she read it out loud. “Will you marry me?”

She spoke this with confusion coloring her voice, then blinked. Zeke had already lowered himself to one knee, a small black velvet jewelry box sitting in his palm, open. Callie gasped.

“Are you seriously asking…” She trailed off, glanced around at the waiting expressions—all the adults were in on this—of those in attendance. “Zeke?”

“Yes, I am seriously asking. I love you, Callie. With all that I am or ever will be. And if you’re okay with it, I’d really adore it if you’d agree to be my wife.”

That was when she burst into wild shuttering sobs and covered her face with her hands. Everyone froze, no one more so than Zeke. He couldn’t tell if this was good news or bad news. Was she about to reject him in front of all these people? Her weeping sounded so… stunned.

He bounced up to his feet, an action that was slower than it used to be, ringing his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. If she didn’t want to get married, he could cope, as long as she didn’t leave him. Zeke felt more concerned than embarrassed at this point.

Had he honestly upset her by laying all this on her without warning?

“I’m s-sorry,” she cried, and his breath became locked up in his lungs. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

A collective sigh of relief the likes of which he’d never before heard rose up at her pronouncement. Thank goodness.

Talk about coronaries.

After a wave of handshakes, embraces, and relieved laughter that accompanied their many wishes of congratulations, Lindsey’s staff served the cupcakes. Callie had been given the one in the center with the largest frosted flower on it. Zeke held his own, but since his stomach had basically fallen out of his torso over all that, he didn’t eat it.

Instead, he whispered into her ear. “You all right?”

“Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was just…”

“A shock?”

“Definitely. I didn’t see it coming.”

“Not even a little?” he pressed, wanting to make sure she was okay. Sure, he’d done his best to keep everything under wraps, but he had no idea that she hadn’t so much as had an inkling. He thought he’d made his feelings for her clearer than that.

“Not even a little. I guess I just thought you might not want that again.”

Zeke felt a twinge somewhere under his diaphragm.

“I didn’t before I met you. But you changed all that. Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.” Due to her reaction, he’d thrust the jewelry box back into his pocket and out of sight. Now that they were off in their own little corner and no longer the center of attention, he retrieved it. “Would you like to slide it on and see if it fits?”

“Oh my gosh, please,” she said, peering up at him with so much emotion that it made his throat hurt. Since they stood next to a window with the sun shining in, the diamonds not only sparkled, they threw prisms around them. “This is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m glad you think so, since you’ll be wearing it from now on.”

They kissed, then kissed again.

“Yes. Yes, I will.”