A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal

If she were a completely unselfish person, Molly would assure her grandmother that everything was fine, express her joy over the elopement, and wish her grandmother and Homer a safe and enjoyable trip.

But Molly was too overcome with hurt to be completely unselfish. “You left without saying goodbye.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision. Believe me.”

“Then why?”

“I knew if I told you, you’d have probably hog-tied me to the nearest chair.”

“You make me sound like a bad person.”

“No, no, sweetie. You’re a sensible person and any argument you made would have been too sensible for me to resist.” Grandma Em sighed wistfully. “I never dreamed I’d meet a man and fall in love. Not after all these years. Homer’s wonderful. Kind and generous and funny and thoughtful.”

“Why couldn’t he have waited a couple months until the ranch was up and running before insisting you run away together?” Molly closed and latched the pool gate behind her before turning in the direction of the house.

“He was more than willing to wait. I’m the one chomping at the bit.”

“Grandma!”

“I know it sounds stupid, and there’s a hundred reasons why we should have delayed. But I just didn’t want to go one more week without being Mrs. Foxworthy. I’m in love, Molly. Head over heels. Fallen off the deep end. Whatever other silly clichéd saying comes to mind.”

“This isn’t like you.”

“Actually, it is. At least, it’s like the person I used to be. Many years ago.”

“Irresponsible?”

“Impetuous and spontaneous and living for the moment.”

Molly could hear her grandmother smiling, which made staying mad impossible. “Don’t you want us with you when you get married?”

“Of course I do. Homer and I are planning on renewing our vows after we get home and throwing a huge party for family and friends. We were thinking of New Year’s Day.”

“I suppose that’ll be nice. I’ll clear the calendar.” As of yet, no weddings were scheduled.

“You’re young, Molly. I don’t expect you to understand. But when you reach my age, well, waiting for the right moment wastes valuable time. Homer and I don’t want to lose a single second of married life together.”

Had Molly ever sounded this excited and happy when she’d been engaged? Her former fiancés had both been excellent matches with good jobs, bright futures and plans to start a family one day. Molly hadn’t believed she could make a better choice for a husband. Choices, she amended.

Yet both men had dumped her before making it down the aisle, the second one a mere three days before their wedding. The excuses they’d cited weren’t dissimilar, Molly was too uptight, detested anything spur-of-the-moment and refused to admit it when she was wrong.

Coincidentally, two jobs ago, her boss had cited her refusal to admit she was wrong when he’d fired her for consistently low scores on her customer satisfaction surveys. Molly had quit her last job, sensing termination was imminent and not wanting to further tarnish her employment record.

For someone in the service industry, she wasn’t very...what were the words her last boss had used? Ah, yes, flexible and accommodating.

She’d been striving ever since to become a better version of herself. Hadn’t she accepted Owen as his uncle Homer’s replacement and seen to the comfort of him and his kids? She could have thrown a fit instead.

Here, she supposed, was another chance to prove she’d changed. “I’m happy for you, Grandma. Truly. Homer’s a nice man.”

“I was hoping you’d help me plan the party.”

“Of course I will.”

“Did Owen arrive yet?” Grandma Em asked, changing the subject.

“I just finished showing him and the kids to their cabin.”

Molly headed for the kitchen door rather than track dirt into the recently vacuumed front rooms. She noticed Bridget through the kitchen window and hesitated, not yet ready to face her sister.

“He’s very handsome, don’t you agree?”

“Is he?” Molly was purposefully vague, refusing to reveal just how handsome she found him.

“He and Homer are quite close. I really want him and his children to feel welcomed and part of the family.”

Was that a subtle chastising from Grandma Em or was she simply attempting to smooth what could be a rocky transition for everyone?

Uncertain how to respond, Molly said, “Nora’s here, too. She says she’s taking over guest relations. Are you sure that’s a good idea? She can be grumpy.” Except, apparently, when Owen sweet-talked her.

“She’ll do fine. She was once an executive assistant for the president of A-1 Home Insurance Company. Part of her job was arranging corporate events—charity fund-raisers, holiday parties, annual stockholder meetings.”

Nora? An executive assistant?

“Let her do the grunt work,” Grandma said. “You handle the rest.”

“She needs to smile more.”

Grandma Em laughed. “She’ll learn. You did.”

Molly had learned, motivated greatly by having a vested interest in the business and a potentially long-term career for herself.

“Will you send us pictures of the wedding?” she asked.

“Prepare to be inundated.”

Molly’s mood lifted. Her grandmother had found the kind of contentment that thus far had eluded Molly. The least she could do was run the ranch with her sister to the best of her ability for the next month.

“I love you, Grandma.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.”

Molly entered the kitchen and held out her phone to Bridget. “It’s Grandma. She and Homer are in Flagstaff.”

With a squeal, Bridget scurried out from behind the counter, nearly knocking over a bowl of liquid in the process as she reached for the phone. “Grandma, hi!”

Molly helped herself to a cold drink, half listening to Bridget’s side of the conversation. She was considerably more enthused for their grandmother than Molly had initially been.

“Hugs and kisses,” Bridget said when she was done, then returned Molly’s phone. “She sounds ecstatic.”