Page 90 of The Rancher's Wedding

It didn’t take too long for them to get out of the town square, where the empty desert surrounded them and the sun cast long shadows over the land. Michael watched Estelle lose herself in the scenery, allowing it to surround her like a pool of water. Eventually, she turned to look at him.

“Michael,” she asked. “Is this ever going to stop feeling like a dream?”

He looked at her and wondered the same thing himself. She was right: it didn’t feel real.

“I imagine not,” he said.

“Good,” she replied.

“I can’t think of anything else I could ever want,” Michael said.

Estelle smiled. “See, that’s where you and I differ.”

“You’re not happy?” Michael asked.

“I’m beyond happy, but I can always dream bigger,” she said.

Michael was confused. They had each other and the animals and a life that allowed them to appreciate nature all day every day. “What more could you possibly want?”

She smiled and left the question in the air for a bit before she said, “You have such beautiful eyes, Michael, have I ever told you that?”

“No,” he said, “I don’t believe you have.” He also wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything.

“I see your two beautiful eyes and you know what I want?” she asked. “I want two more. Or maybe four more. Perhaps even six.”

“You want more eyes?” Michael asked.

“Little eyes just like yours. On adorable little faces, running around the farm with their tiny legs,” she said.

He was beginning to get the picture. It wasn’t something he’d fully considered in the past.

“Don’t you want that, too?” Estelle asked.

“No,” Michael said.

“You don’t?”

“I’d want them to have your eyes,” he said.

***

When they arrived back at the house, a letter was waiting in their mailbox. Estelle pulled it out and an instant smile spread across her face, giving it a soft glow.

“What is it?” Michael asked.

“It’s for Jacob,” she said.

“Oh…”

Michael knew what that meant. Jacob had been checking the mail every day for the past three weeks, ever since Richard left, trying to minimize its importance, but Michael could tell that it mattered more than anything for his brother. It was likely only by chance timing that they managed to grab the letter before Jacob got to it.

“Let’s go take it to him,” Estelle said.

They walked up the path to the cabin and Estelle knocked on the door.

“Yes?” Jacob asked.

“We have a letter for you,” Estelle said, “but we could come back later if you’re busy.”

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