When the Heart Falls (26 page)

“
Where is your other wound?” she asked.

He leaned back a little and lifted the side of his shirt, revealing a blood speckled white cloth bandage taped to his side. “It’s just a flesh wound.”

She sighed and leaned back into him as he dropped the hold on his shirt. “I’m so glad you didn’t die.”

He chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. “Me too.”

“
That was a pretty stupid stunt you pulled. I literally thought I was going to have a heart attack,” she said and lightly slapped his chest.

“
I know, I’m sorry. But I had to stop him somehow.”

“
You’re forgiven,” she sighed. “Well, I guess things are going to be pretty boring around here now.”

“
Misty, time with you is never boring.”

She laughed softly. “You know what I mean.”

“
Yes I do. I will admit though, I think I’ve had about enough excitement to last me for a lifetime,” he told her.

She turned her face to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge, Mr. McCoy?”

“
Only if you want it to be, Miss Donovan,” he teased back.

She tilted her chin up and pressed her lips against his for one long moment. “Challenge accepted.”

CHAPTER 22

In the few months following the aftermath, everything had returned to normal. The police searched all of Trent’s properties and were able to locate and return the cattle he had stolen. As it turns out, Trent had been correct about the oil running through the land. Katherine, Jack and Maggie struck a deal with an oil company, leasing them part of their land so they could drill. They had indeed been sitting on a gold mine for all these years and never knew it. The generous amount of money they received from the oil company had been a big help to Katherine in restoring her ranch to the way it used to be.

She had the barn rebuilt and made upgrades to some of the buildings that were in dire need of new roofs and siding. Katherine even had enough money now to rebuild her herd and one hundred and fifty cattle were set to be delivered in two weeks.

*** 

“
Dinner was delicious, Mrs. McCoy,” Misty complimented as she helped clear the table.

“
Oh thank you, dear,” Katherine responded and smiled at Misty.

“
I really did enjoy it very much. I’ll have to get the recipe from you one of these days if you don’t mind,” Misty said. She walked over to the counter and placed the plates and silverware in the sink. She then turned the faucet on and turned the handle to adjust the temperature of the water. “Mrs. McCoy, where is your dish soap?”

“
Oh, honey, you don’t have to worry about those. I’ll take care of them,” Katherine said, waving Misty off. “And yes, you can have the recipe. I’ll write it down for you as soon as I get the dishes done.”

“
I can’t let you wash these after you spent all afternoon cooking. I would feel like such a poor guest if I didn’t help out somehow. Please, I’ll wash the dishes and you can go relax in the living room. Prop your feet up and rest, you deserve it.” Misty smiled and waited for Katherine to accept her offer.

“
Oh, alright then,” Katherine said and laid the dish towel she was holding on the counter. “The soap is under the sink. Thank you, Misty.”

“
My pleasure.” Misty smiled and watched as Katherine left the kitchen. She directed her eyes to Dylan, who was still seated at the table finishing the last few pieces of his pie.

He looked at her confused. “What? Do I have blueberry on my face or something?”

She chuckled. “No, I was just wondering if you were going to be eating that piece of pie all night long.”

“
I’m savoring it.” He smirked and stuck the fork in his mouth.

“
Pshh! You’re just trying to waste time because you know I’m expecting you to come over here and dry these dishes as I wash them,” she said, placing her hand on her hip.

His lips spread into a full on smile. “Caught me.”

“
Thought so.” She smirked and turned to start washing the dishes.

Dylan pushed himself away from the table and proceeded to walk over to where Misty was standing, taking his plate and fork with him. He walked up behind her and slid his arms underneath hers, dropping the plate and fork in the soapy water. His hands wrapped around her waist and he placed a kiss on her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. “I’ll make you a deal.”

She closed her eyes, enjoying the way his arms held her close to his body. His breath on her neck sent goose bumps down her spine. If they were alone, she’d forget all about doing the dishes and haul him off to the nearest bedroom to satisfy the yearning she felt for him at that moment.

“
And what’s that?” she whispered in response.

“
I’ll dry,” he said, placing another kiss on her neck. “If you’ll take a ride with me afterwards.”

Her breath caught as his kiss sent another set of warm chills throughout her body. “That sounds like a deal to me.” She turned her head so she could face him, and she gently pressed her lips against his.

“
Alright then,” Dylan said, removing his arms from Misty’s waist and moving to stand next to her, slapping her bottom in the process. “Let’s do some dishes.”

***

“
A blindfold?” Misty asked and looked at Dylan like he was crazy.

“
Yes, ma’am,” he said, holding it out for her to take.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Isn’t it a little dangerous for me to be riding a horse blindfolded?”

“
Not if I’m the one doing all the reining. Plus I’ve saddled up our calmest horse. She doesn’t spook and she’ll be really nice to you,” he explained.

Misty walked over to stand next to the buckskin mare. “I just don’t understand why I have to wear a blindfold,” she whined.

“
It’s a surprise, and I don’t want you to see it until we get there. Ok, Mis?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine.” She stepped into the stirrup and swung her leg over to the other side. Once she was settled, Dylan handed her the blindfold. “This better be worth it,” she told him and tied the blindfold snuggly around her eyes.

He chuckled as he swung up into his saddle and walked his horse over to Misty’s. “It is, don’t worry,” he assured her. He leaned down, grabbed the lead rope he had wrapped around the mare’s neck and proceeded to walk them out of the yard.

*** 

“
How much further is it?” Misty asked after what seemed to be forever.

“
Are we getting impatient?” Dylan teased.

“
Yes, very. This is very awkward riding a horse and not being able to see anything, Dylan.”

He laughed softly. “We’re almost there.”

In the distance, Misty could hear the soft rippling sound of water and birds chirping. She had a funny feeling that they were coming to where Dylan had his surprise for her. She caught the faint scent of lumber in the breeze and wondered where on earth they could be.

“
Whoa,” Dylan said, bringing both horses to a stop.

Misty could hear him as he hopped off of his horse and walked over to hers. “Now? Can I take this thing off already?” she asked, reaching her hands up to the blindfold.

“
Not yet,” Dylan said and reached up to help her off of her horse. He rested his hands on her shoulders and directed her in a straight path. The water sound was growing louder and Misty started to become nervous.

“
Dylan, I can hear water and I swear, if you have intentions of throwing me in and getting me soaked you
will
 have hell to pay,” she warned him.

He threw his head back and laughed loudly. “I’m not going to throw you in the water, Mis. Stop here. Are you ready to take off your blindfold?”

“
Very,” she said irritated.

“
Ok go ahead,” Dylan whispered into her ear and took a step back from her so he could see her face.

Misty lifted her hands and gently untied the blindfold, slipping it away from her eyes slowly. She blinked a few times and then gasped when she caught sight of what was in front of her. A hundred feet away stood a white Cape Cod style house with a porch wrapping around the front three sides. The windows were accented with deep blue shutters, and the front door was a full panel of decorated frosted glass with a dark stained oak frame. The mulch filled flower bed surrounding the porch contained small ever green bushes and purple pansies. She breathed in the lovely aroma and turned to look at Dylan.

“
What’s all this?” she asked, breathless.

“
Do you like it?” he asked and waited patiently for her response.

She sat there, silent for about a minute and quietly replied, “No.”

Dylan’s mouth fell into a frown and he felt his heart sink. “No?” he questioned her.

She turned to face him with tears filling her eyes. A huge smile spread across her face and she bit her bottom lip. “I love it!”

Dylan’s face lit up into the most breathtaking smile for a moment, and then became serious.

“
Misty, I have something I need to say to you.” He drew her close to him and looked into her eyes, tracing the side of her face with his fingertips. “People don’t really have much of a choice when the heart falls. I’m lucky enough that mine just so happened to fall for you, Misty,” he said and bent down on one knee, taking her left hand into his. “I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. And I promise to keep loving you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?” He lifted the tiny black box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a simple solitaire diamond on a thin gold band.

A tear slipped from her cheek and she gently wiped it away. She smiled and nodded her head, quietly whispering, “Yes.”

Dylan’s face lit up and he pulled the ring out of the box sliding it onto her left ring finger. He stood up and pulled her close to him, lifting her feet from the ground and spinning her in a circle. He set her back down and kissed her for one long moment.

“
Would you like to see the inside?”

“
I’d love to.”

Dylan led her by the hand up the porch steps and stopped when he opened the door. He swept her up off of her feet and carried her across the threshold.

“
I didn’t think you were supposed to do that until after we were married.” She giggled.

“
I’m not trying to bring us any bad luck,” Dylan said and gently set her back on the ground.

He closed the door behind them and smiled when he saw Misty’s expression.

“
Did I do good?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

She nodded. “This is beautiful.”

“
Let me give you the tour,” he said, pulling her in the direction of the first room off of the foyer. “This is the den,” he said gesturing to a large room with off white walls, a tan colored carpet and a huge stone fireplace.

She looked around the spacious room, taking in every nook and cranny then turned to look at him. “No furniture?”

He chuckled softly. “I thought you might like to pick that stuff out.”

“
Oh.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

“
And back here is the kitchen and breakfast nook,” he said, pulling her to the back of the house. The kitchen had dark gray stone flooring and natural stained hickory cabinets, finished off with a dark stone countertop.

“
I love this kitchen,” she said in breathless excitement. She let her fingers slide across the smoothness of the countertop. “I’m going to make that dish your mother made tonight as our first meal in this kitchen,” she told him and smiled.

“
That sounds wonderful,” he said with sheer joy in his voice. “Let me take you upstairs.” He took her hand and pulled her in the direction of the staircase. They made a right when they reached the top of the steps and Dylan opened the first door he came too. “This is one of the bedrooms,” he explained as Misty walked into the room. It was plain and simple, neutral colored walls with tan carpet. “There’s three more down the hall just like this one. And the bathroom is down there too.”

That caught her attention and she turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow when she locked eyes with him. “Four extra bedrooms? Dylan, what are we going to do with all of those rooms?”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and dipped his head before returning her gaze.