Page 65 of The Rancher's Wedding

“A perfect evening for my perfect wife.”

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It was a warm, early summer night, with clear skies overhead and a full moon shining down on them, providing just enough light so they could enjoy their meal under the stars without needing any candles. Michael moved the table outside and brought out the glasses, silverware, and plates. Everything was in place by the time Estelle came down. He pulled out her seat for her to sit down, then poured her a glass of 1872 Zifandel.

“Where is this from?” Estelle asked, gesturing to the bottle.

“This was a gift, actually. A wedding gift from Calvin. He’d picked it up in California and had been holding onto it.”

Estelle laughed. “Of course it was Calvin,” she said. “He might be the sweetest old man I’ve ever met.”

“He’s a pleaser all right,” Michael said. “That’s where he gets his joy in life. I figure everybody’s got their one thing that makes them happy.”

Estelle grabbed her knife and began cutting at the meat on her plate.

“Hold on,” Michael said. “I’m not always the best at remembering to do it, but I think, especially tonight, that we say grace.”

“By all means,” Estelle said.

Michael closed his eyes and held his hands in prayer. “For what we are about to receive may the Lord make us truly grateful. Amen.” And, in his head, he added a few more lines,And thank you, oh Lord, for all you’ve given me. I promise to never question your ways. Amen.

“Let’s eat,” he said.

Estelle carefully cut into the meat, taking a small piece and taking a bite. “Delicious,” she said.

Michael smiled. He never had the desire to eat the best meats or drink fine wine just for himself. Food was just something he needed to power through the day. Estelle gave him a reason to, however, and as he took a bite of his own, he realized how much he’d been depriving himself.

“No kidding,” Michael said. He took another bite, allowing it to sit on his tongue as he savored the tender bit before swallowing. “This may be the best meat I can remember having. At least since I was a child.”

“It’s quite good,” Estelle said.

“Before we get too distracted by the meal,” Michael said, “I need to let you know that I’m going for a cattle drive tomorrow.”

“Can I join you?” Estelle asked.

He sighed. “I’m afraid not. It’ll probably be a couple of days and somebody needs to look after the farm.”

“Can’t Jacob?”

Michael shook his head. “Jacob’s getting better, but I still don’t know how reliable he’d be. It’s been a while since he’s done any farm work.”

“Oh,” Estelle said, clearly disappointed.

“I’ll make it as quick as I can,” Michael said. “We can work on getting Jacob up to speed with everything once I get back so next time you can join me on the longer trips.”

“That sounds fine,” Estelle said, though the subtext was that she still wished it wasn’t the case. She took a sip of the wine, tasted it for a moment, and said, “This wine is quite good.”

“Calvin wouldn’t have given it to us if it wasn’t,” Michael said, happy to move on with the conversation. “He’d be ashamed to.”

“As you said, he’s a real pleaser,” Estelle said, then took another sip.

“That’s right. He loves making other people happy and bringing up their spirits.”

“Right. What makes you happy in life?”

“You make me happy,” Michael said with a smile.

“No, really,” Estelle said. “What’s the reason you get up in the morning? If Calvin lives to make other people happy, what do you live for?”

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