Page 115 of Forged in Steele

“That is if she says yes.” Artie laughed and strode off with his platter.

Jared swallowed again, his throat dry. “I guess there’s nothing left but to find out if she will.”

Bristol handed a glass of iced tea to one of her grandad’s friends and scanned the crowd for Jared. She’d seen him disappear with her dad, and a few minutes later, the pair followed Grandad back to the barn. She had to figure Jared had just asked for her hand in marriage. At least she hoped he had. She’d let go of her final obstacle to marrying Jared. Her fear of marrying a law enforcement officer. If she truly trusted God, then she could accept that God put this man in her life again and that being with Jared was God’s will.

She and Jared had spent nearly four weeks together, confirming their feelings for each other. A short time, some people might say, but after once having been head-over-heels in love with him, it wasn’t hard to fall for him again.

But this Jared wasn’t a boy. He was a man. A fine man who she hoped to build a family with. Just like the one her parents and grandparents had built. She was now firmly a part of the family business. Especially after she succeeded in keeping the lucrative hospital contract when the board had wanted to throw them under the bus as the scapegoat for the kidnapping.

Not a week after the kidnapping, their guard Damon took down a man with an assault rifle in a bag. Without Damon’s quick thinking, the man would’ve shot up the hospital. Impressed with Damon’s diligence, Coglin appealed to the board, and Steele Guardians was given a six-month trial period. She’d assigned Zeke to work full-time out of the hospital, and she spent a few days a week there herself. The rest of the time she worked on landing new accounts and had been quite successful, if she said so herself.

Jared broke through the crowd to approach her. He wore khaki tactical pants and a black polo shirt that deepened his already dark coloring. He could wear pretty much anything, and her heart would kick into high gear when she saw him.

He stopped in front of the table and winked. “Could I get an iced tea, ma’am?”

“Of course, kind sir.” She played along and poured the drink.

“Are you tied to this bar or might you be able to take a stroll around the grounds?”

“My boss allows breaks for sure.” She waved at Teagan who was passing by.

Teagan, wearing a flowery sundress, slipped through the others to join them. “You don’t even need to ask me to take over. The looks you two are sharing could start tonight’s bonfire.”

Bristol swiped a hand at her cousin, who ducked away before Bristol could connect.

“Thank you,” Jared said to Teagan.

Teagan smiled. “Don’t worry, she’ll say yes.”

Bristol eyed her cousin as she moved around the counter. She hated that Teagan put Jared on the spot. What if he didn’t plan to propose to Bristol?

He didn’t seem to mind the comment, but took Bristol’s hand and led her to the back door.

He grabbed a blue cooler sitting next to the wall and held it up. “From your mother. She was really good at keeping my secret. At least I think she was.”

“I didn’t know a thing about this, which in this family amounts to a near miracle.” She laughed.

He laughed along with her and led her to a meadow with tall grass and wildflowers just waiting to bloom. He shook a plaid blanket out. “Sit. I’ll get out the food.”

“What did my mom make?” Bristol took a seat and curled her legs under her.

“She said you loved dill egg salad sandwiches on homemade honey wheat bread, chips, and dill pickles on the side. Plus, your gran brought over peanut butter cookies, and your mom included a few of those.”

He handed her a glass container holding the sandwich, and she quickly prayed then dug into it. “Umm. I was hungry. Been pouring tea and lemonade for hours.”

Jared settled on the blanket, crossing his legs. “Your grandad puts on quite the party.”

Memories of the past came to Bristol’s mind. “He’s done it since before I was born. I remember how fun it was when the night ended with fireworks but the laws have gotten too restrictive for that. Now if we aren’t in a drought, we have a big bonfire.”

“Like your grandad planned for tonight.” Jared took a bite of his sandwich. “This is good. Never had egg salad with dill.”

“It’s another thing I can make so maybe you’ll have it again.” She couldn’t come right out and say she would make it for him for the rest of their lives if he proposed, though the meaning lingered there.

“Speaking of again.” He set down his container and dug into his pocket then helped her stand and got down on one knee.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and a burst of joy so immense, so amazing, swamped her, and she struggled to contain it before she got lightheaded. But she did hold it back. Just barely.

“I know you suspected I was going to do this and knew what was coming. But it’s good that it’s not really a big surprise because we both know how we feel about each other. I mean, I love you, Bristol. Everything about you. The way you wrinkle your nose. Do your very best at everything you try. Your loyalty. Your sense of family and commitment to them. Your big and generous heart. Your sense of humor. I could go on and on, but I’ll end by saying I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

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