—Early March—
Dearest Eva,
Well, sweetheart, I’m impressed. You caught the eye of one of my sons and stole the heart of the other.
I wrote you a different letter months ago. I won’t lie.
I thought you were going to be with my West, and though I saw that your relationship seemed a little unusual, I hoped that you’d have a good influence on him.
Your energy and smiles are contagious—so is your creativity, your optimism, your generous heart, and fun-loving spirit.
Everything that makes up you, I’d hoped would rub off on my West.
But there is only so much that you can do, or I can do, or anyone but West can do. I don’t blame you, in the least. It appears that he lost out, and that’s on him. My heart is the one that’s failing, and yet his healthy one still doesn’t know how to take care of someone as amazing as you are. Honestly, Eva, I’m crazy about my beloved boy, but until he learns how to properly love a woman, he does not deserve a wonderful one such as yourself.
But that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve since thrown that other letter to you in the trash. That’s how sure I am that you are meant for my Cole. I heard you come from a long line of gamblers, so I’m sure you’ll understand… I’m gambling on you. You seem like a smart girl. I think you’ll come back to the one who completes you the most.
Bring me lots of happy grandchildren blessed with your smile and Cole’s honest heart. My son told me about your family situation. And though I understand that you’ll want to continue to nourish those relationships, please know that we are also your family. We are here for you. We love you!
Hugs, your Momma-in-law, Lily
PS: The other letter I had written to you was much longer, I admit. It was pages and pages of advice on how to deal with West, and this one? It’s barely a page. My dear, I don’t think you’ll need a handbook to understand your soulmate. Lucky girl.
Eva folded the letter and tucked it into the pocket of her overalls on her way to bottle-feed Dopey in the barn.
Lily Slade was a saint! Well, an angel, more accurately. Evalovedthat woman!
Eva had caught sight of her mother-in-law’s letter on top of a box of personal items earlier when she was moving in her things to her new home, and she’d decided to reread it.
She hadn’t been sorry!
It reinforced everything she felt for her husband and more when she’d married him… only two weeks ago, so that all Eva had to do when she finished the letter was utter a breathless, “Amen, sister.”
God is good!
The ground in March was hard and slushy with light snow still drifting through a frozen sky. Eva’s gold boots brought her safely through the worst of it. Of course, she saved them from the swamp. It’s not like she’d actually leave such fantastic boots behind. After scraping off the mud, they made the perfect touch to her outfit.
And warm, deliciously warm. Winter was holding on, just like Lily had warned would happen in her letter to the family, but it only made Eva more excited for spring and its rebirth.
She couldn’t wait to experience her first glorious spring in Harvest Ranch with fragrant buds and green pastures. Only last night, Cole had caressed her hair on the sofa, filling her mind with tales of how beautiful the land would be.
They’d had no choice but to talk the night away… they were experiencing electrical outages in their new home, and so snuggling to a movie was out. And still, setting up candles and eating cold leftover pizza was far more enjoyable, especially with her handsome husband.
He made everything fun.
Last night, they’d talked nonstop about their plans for the future.
Their sister-in-law, Cadence, was already planning new additions to Lily’s five acres of gardens. She’d have her twins in a few days, so she’d need plenty of help from Eva in the spring since the children would be so young. Emily had also offered her services with the garden, in between writing songs and her own visits to the OBGYN. She was also expecting. Mimi’s soap business was thriving, and well, so was the ranch. The men in the family had consolidated their land for the cattle and were working together again.
Cole was in his element, swapping jokes with the twins and learning the ropes of veterinarian work from his hero, Hudson. And Eva? She was just excited to be a part of it all!
She’d taken to country life.
Eva wandered around in her boots, flannel jacket, and coveralls. Absolutely no one on TalkieTalk would’ve recognized her as the girl she was four months ago. And now that she was off the grid—so to speak—she was deliriously happy.
Entering the barn, she gratefully sighed under the cozy warmth of the heater. Cole and his brothers were working on rewiring the electricity in the newlywed’s tiny new cottage, but until then, she had to layer—that and cuddle with her husband to stay warm.