Epilogue

Epilogue

Jay could not be prouder of his sister. Somehow she had made the liaison job her own. Guests arrived happy and informed, and Ashley was there to help them in any way possible. After discussions with Nate, she'd taken over booking the rides. She argued it gave her an overview of the kinds of events she could offer to guests. The system worked. Nate gave an indication of available days and Ashley organized everything else. The ranch had been open to paying guests for two weeks by then, and the first proof of the brochure sat on his desk, unopened.

Something was stopping him. The website was working, traffic increasing, and Jay had optimized it for visibility and managed to visit businesses close by to feature local links. As stupid as it sounded in his head, the website was a constant work in progress, but the brochure was a defined goal that he had achieved. He had the PDF on disc. In a matter of minutes, he could have the file up on the website for everyone to see.

Jay picked up the envelope and turned it over. He'd received marketing material proofs before. He knew it was perfect. At this stage, if it was his decision, he'd only reject it for printing errors. So why was this so damn awkward?

Jay left the office with the package under his arm, then made his way up past Marcus's house. Marcus and Sophie sitting on the front step holding hands. Jay didn't stop, he just waved and they both waved back, albeit not enthusiastically. They seemed to be discussing important things, and Jay wondered if Nate had talked to Marcus about this blood thing. He added it to his list of questions, but almost forgot it as he focused back on the package in his hands.

Jay walked on, past the abandoned, empty Strachan place and finally made it to the Todd house. There were no signs of anyone inside, and Jay almost turned around and left there and then.

Until he heard laughter.

All three Todd brothers sat on chairs on the porch. Jay knew from the schedule that Nate had been on a trail ride today with two families. Five hours of riding, exploring and picnicking wasn't Jay's idea of fun.

He settled down next to Nate and coughed to get his attention.

"I heard you coming up the hill," Nate murmured.

"You done for the day?"

"Yep. You?"

Gabriel coughed, then wandered away, with Luke trailing him, likely giving Jay and Nate space.

Jay looked at his watch: 6:00 p.m. and he was all finished for the day. Apart from the damn brochure burning a hole under his arm. "I have something to show you." He waited until Nate sat upright, then passed him the envelope.

"What is it?"

"The brochure. The proof, so we can do final checks."

Nate turned it over in his hands. "It's still sealed."

"I wanted you to see it first. See if it's right."

Nate nodded and slid a finger under the seal. He pulled the full brochure out and placed it on his lap. The front was a view from the outcrop where the older Todds' ashes were buried. Luke had captured the change in season from spring to summer, and the Montana sky was sapphire blue.

Jay looked at the cover through Nate's eyes. Nerves assailed him. "Maybe I shouldn't have used the view from such a special place for you?" He second-guessed himself.

"Why not? It's stunning." Page by page Nate looked at the content. Every so often he commented on a photo and he paused for a long while on the picture of him and Gabe with their boots up on the lower rung of the corral fence. With his finger, he traced the shape of Juno, who was standing next to them in the photo. Finally, he closed the brochure and examined the back. The logo repeated on each page, and the story of the logo with simple words and illustrations faded behind one sentence in bold. Jay read out each page as Nate turned them.

"And there's a tag line with every use of the logo," Jay said. "For your family, from our family."

Nate reached out and curled a hand around the back of Jay's neck. Tenderly he kissed him. Jay assumed this was a good reaction. When they pulled back, they stared into each other's eyes, and something profound passed between them.

"I love you," Nate said. "I love what you have done here, what your family has done. I want this forever."

Nate tapped the brochure with a single finger, and Jay felt himself blushing bright red. He'd never had quite this reaction to a completed job before.

"What do you say to that?" Nate asked.

"I love you, Nathaniel Todd," Jay said immediately.

"And the ‘forever' part?"

Jay huffed a laugh and stole a kiss. "Forever? That's a given."

THE END