Epilogue
The June sun hung high in the midday sky. The weather had finally warmed up enough to break out the shorts. It was strange, but now that all the snow was gone, Maggie kind of missed it. She knew she’d be regretting that thought come mid-January.
The sounds of the ranch buzzed around her as she sat on the porch swing. A few horses neighed. Birds sang in the trees. The ranch hands chatted and called out tasks to each other. It was nice, comforting.
It had been almost two weeks since the shooting. Natalie had actually called her and apologized for her mother’s actions, as much as Natalie could apologize. The woman said her mother had some mental problems since her father died and sometimes forgot to take her medication. It wasn’t an excuse, but it was something.
She’d accepted the apology, but had a hard time forgetting the fact Natalie neglected to mention the necklace the sheriff had found was her mother’s and not hers. If the woman had spoken up, Maggie would never have been shot.
Lizzy was living at the apartment for the time being, running the shop with the help of Jamie and Tony—who was coming along quite nicely according to Jamie’s updates. Colton had agreed with her idea of letting the young man work for her while he worked toward his citizenship. These days, the man agreed to anything she said.
Her shop was running so smoothly with her best friend in charge, she was starting to think about what it would be like if she and Lizzy ran the place together. Her baking and Lizzy doing all the boring business stuff. It would be wonderful to have her best friend around.
Her recovery was coming along nicely, too, thanks in part to Colton waiting on her hand and foot. The man even insisted on carrying her to the bathroom. That’s where she’d drawn the line, however. She was not so feeble she needed assistance in the restroom, thank you very much.
He barely let her lift a finger, though. Even when he was working, he would check in with her every so often, either by phone or in person. It was sweet. She had never felt so loved in her life. He was, by far, the most wonderful man she ever met.
Speaking of the sexy devil.
Colton walked up the porch steps, a huge grin on his face as he ambled toward her. He removed his hat and smacked the Stetson against his thigh, causing a dust cloud to billow up, then used it to motion to the laptop on her lap.
“Hey, Magpie. What cha’ doing, sweetheart?”
Him and his nicknames. They were so endearing now, she had forgotten why she was ever annoyed with them.
She made room for him as he came to sit beside her and showed him the screen. “The review is coming out today. I can’t bring myself to read it.”
“Stephanie already implied it was going to be good, right?” His lips brushed her temple.
She shivered at the contact. Every touch from him set her body ablaze, no matter how small.
“Yes. But what if she changed her mind, or the cupcakes made her sick later, or—”
He held up a hand to stop her paranoid tirade. “Maggie, she loved the cupcakes, and she loved your shop.” He turned the screen back to her. “Now, read.”
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself and typed in the website address. The review was right there on the front page.
Oh, boy. Here goes.
She began to read:
Guilty Pleasures: A Cross-Country Food Journey
I recently went to a charming little town in the mountains of Colorado, just outside Aspen. Peak Town, Colorado is home to “Cupcakes Above the Clouds,” an enchanting cupcake bakery run by the wonderful Maggie Evans. Forget your diets, people, because this place is delicious sugary heaven!
“She likes it!” She glanced up at him, unable to keep the smile from her face.
“I told you.” He turned her chin back to the computer. “Now, keep reading.”
Stephanie went on to say how much she loved the cupcakes and added a lovely sentimental touch when telling the story of how Maggie got the shop from her grandmother.
It is a wonderful little bakery that had been passed down through the generations. I hope Ms. Evans continues with the tradition and passes it down to any future children she may have. So, go visit “Cupcakes Above the Clouds” in Peak Town, Colorado. The owner says she makes everything from everyday treats to cupcake wedding cakes. Something tells me she’ll be making one of those for herself very soon.
Confused by that last sentence, she glanced up to see Colton down on one knee in front of her. In his hand, he held a red velvet cupcake with frosting…and a beautiful diamond ring placed on top.
Her breath caught. Tears blurred her vision.
“Stephanie called me after she heard about your shooting.”
It seemed the small town gossip mill extended to visitors of Peak Town now, as well.
“I let her in on a little secret.” He cleared his throat. “I love you, Maggie Evans. You are my best friend, my better half, my everything. As a kid you were fun, as a woman you are amazing. When you left it hurt, but when I almost lost you forever, it nearly killed me. I don’t ever want to feel like that again. Will you please put me out of my misery and promise to never leave me again, and marry me?”
She could barely speak past the tears of joy, but she managed. She needed him to know how much she loved him, too. “I have loved you since the moment you rescued me from a bunch of kids who knew a horse sneeze couldn’t kill you. I never want to be without you either, Colton. You are the most amazing man I have ever known.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
He looked worried. As if she’d say no. Silly man.
Nodding her head furiously, the tears of joy still streaming down her face, she cried, “Of course that’s a yes!”
“Wahoooo!”
He jumped up, lifting her from the swing in a jubilant embrace. Spinning her around, he kissed her soundly. Then, as if just remembering her injuries, he stopped spinning but didn’t let her go.
“Just so you know,” she said, adding a feisty smile. “Marrying me will not get you free cupcakes.”
He kicked open the front door, making his way down the hallway toward their bedroom. “Spoilsport. That’s okay, though. I know something that’s much sweeter than your cupcakes.” He winked as he placed her softly on the bed.
Maggie shivered with anticipation. As he began to peel their clothes off, she wondered at how blessed she was. Her shop was successful, her best friend was in town, and the man she loved more than anything in this world wanted to spend his life with her. Her roller coaster of bad luck was over.
Colton leaned down, whispering against her lips, “You and me, Magpie. Forever.”
He was right; those words were sweeter than all the cupcakes in the world.
A word about the author…
Mariah began writing at the tender age of five. Her first book George and the Green Glob received high praise from her mother. Many years, and green glob stories later, Mariah recieved a playwriting degree from the University of Wyoming. After a few years in Hollywood, working in “the biz,” she came home to the beautiful rocky mountains.
When she’s not writing Mariah loves to read, crochet, and play her ukulele. She loves to hear from readers.
You can contact her through her website www.mariahankenman.com or on twitter @MAsbooks