Circle on Home (Lost in a Boom Town Book 5) (38 page)

“Are we early?” Mrs. Bonner asked, looking around the little house, a fraction of the size of their ranch house. “You don't have very many things, do you?”

“We’re still figuring out what we want.” He motioned to the small living room, which finally had two couches that took up most of the space, a flat-screen TV that he’d mounted to the wall, but he didn't exactly know how to hide the wires to the cable box. They hadn't found any wall art they liked, so the room was pretty spare. “Would you ladies like some tea, or maybe a glass of wine?” Miranda had picked out the wine, so he knew it would be decent.

“A glass of wine would be great,” Allison said. “Would you like some help?”

“I’ve got it.”

She followed him into the kitchen anyway.
 

“Is this what I think it is? Are you asking her to marry you?”

His face heated as he concentrated on opening the bottle of wine, which he realized he’d never done before. Allison took the bottle and the bottle opener from him and opened it with an expert twist.

“I am.”
 

She looked toward the table. “And we’re not the only guests?”

“I invited Dad and Ben. They’re picking up Selena from work on the way.”

Allison blew out a whistle. “This is going to be a very interesting evening.”

Oh, it was. Noah tensed when the doorbell rang again. He’d really hoped Miranda would be home before his dad and Ben got here, in case they had to do some zone defense, but looked like she was running late. Hopefully not too late.

He’d actually told his dad and Ben the purpose of the dinner, so was pleased to see his dad had cleaned up, wore a button-down shirt, his hair neatly cut and styled. Ben had even shaved. Noah couldn't hold back a grin when he admitted them into the house.

“She’s going to know something’s up when she looks at the two of you,” he said, shaking each man’s hand. Damn, it felt good to have let go of all the anger and resentment. He wouldn't have been able to without Miranda.
 

Selena, who he didn't trust not to blab, didn't know why they were having a party, but she loved having all these people in her house.
 

“Do you want to see my room?” she asked to no one in particular, so everyone followed her down the hall and around the corner. Rhett and Scarlett wound around their legs, excited to have so many humans to trip.

“So this is where all the color is in this house,” Mrs. Bonner said, not without humor, as she looked around the brightly decorated room, the walls covered with pictures and mementos from the ranch house, as well as pictures Selena herself had drawn.

“Noah said I could fix it however I like, as long as I pick up after myself.”

“Noah’s a good brother,” Mrs. Bonner said, a touch of fondness in her tone that surprised him.

“Hey, where is everybody?” Miranda called from the back door. “Sorry I’m late! Noah, is that Ben’s truck?”

Noah squeezed past the crush of people in Selena’s room to greet her with a soft kiss.
 

“Sorry I’m so late. I got a new client and we had some paperwork to fill out.”

“It’s fine. Everyone just got here.”
 

The “everyone” he spoke of filed into the kitchen.
 

“Let’s all have a seat, and I’ll get it on the table,” he said, not wanting to delay any longer. He indicated that his father and brother sit on the same side of the table as Selena, Allison’s family across, he on one end, and Miranda on the other. Though he’d prefer to sit beside her, he liked looking down the table at her, and besides, the families might need a buffer.

So far everyone was very polite as they passed the around the roast and the potatoes and carrots, as they plucked crescent rolls from the bowl. Miranda smiled down the table at him and all was right with the world.

“Are you enjoying your job at the taqueria?” Mrs. Bonner asked Rey, as polite as could be.

“Yes, in fact, I’ve come up with a couple of new combinations that they’re going to add to the menu next month. Turns out I’m pretty good at cooking.”

“Do you think you’ll ever go back to being a mechanic?”

He looked down at his plate and shook his head. “There’s too much competition now, and I’m not up-to-date on these new cars. A lot changed in fourteen years.”

Noah held his breath, waiting for someone to make a comment on Rey’s incarceration, but no one did.

“I like cooking, though, so that’s good. You have a little more creativity, and my bosses seem to like what I do. And my being there hasn't hurt business.”

“And you, Ben? Did I hear you’re working for the McKennas now?”

“Yes, ma’am, living out there on the ranch in the bunkhouse. It’s hard work, but they’re good to work for. I already talked to Trace about getting some time off to lead hunting trips in the fall. It’s what I love to do, but can’t do that all year.”

“I’m glad to know it. The McKennas are good people.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Talk turned to the Bluebonnet Festival, and Noah was stunned that Mrs. Bonner was able to talk both her father and brother into volunteering. When she turned her attention to him, he raised his hands in surrender.
 

“Whatever it is you need me to do.”

Everyone laughed, and Miranda practically glowed at him.

Finding the time to fulfill the purpose of the dinner was harder than he expected. After everyone declared themselves stuffed, he chased them out of the kitchen to clear the table for dessert. Miranda offered to help, since she hadn't helped to cook, but he shooed her into the living room, needing her to entertain her family and his father. Ben stayed back to help.

“Dishwasher. Fancy,” his brother remarked, opening the appliance.

“Yeah, look at me, moving into the twenty-first century.”

“Thanks for helping me get on with the McKennas. Sorry I was so stubborn before.”

Noah grunted as he moved all the leftovers to one end of the counter so he could start washing. “Nothing new there.”

“You okay with living in the bunkhouse?”

“It’s all right. Dad has the ranch to himself. I imagine he’ll get pretty lonely out there. I wonder if Lupita will come back to visit.”

“Would you be okay with that?”

“I don't know. He’d really have to show that he’s good enough for her. But I think, I hope, he’s changed enough, matured enough to love someone. And hell, I’d hate to think of him being alone forever.”

That was certainly a different tune than he'd sung before. Noah was glad to see it. Maybe they needed him to get out of the way so they could find their own relationship.
 

“So where are you going to pop the question?”

“It’s on the cake in the fridge.”

“What’s on the cake? The ring?”

“The ring, and the question.”

“Really?” Ben gave him a disgusted look. “That’s how you’re going to ask her?”

“She knows I’m not big on words and gestures, so yeah. I thought it would be the best way.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “You better hope she loves you enough to say yes.”

Noah was sure she did.

Once the kitchen enough for his satisfaction, he sent Ben to call everyone back in for dessert, putting out the plates, then waiting for Miranda to sit down before he brought the cake out from the refrigerator. He set it on the table in front of her, box and all.

“Ooh, from Riley’s,” she said appreciatively, and opened the box.

Then let the lid fall closed and dropped back in her chair. She looked from the box to Noah, and he hoped the expression on his face was a smile, and not what looked like the effect of a stroke. She said nothing, but leaned forward again and opened the box slowly, as if the cake would jump out and bite her.

When she didn't say anything, his heart started to pound. He reached past her for the ring and plucked it from the icing, then went down on one knee beside her. He was aware of her mother’s gasp of surprise, of Selena’s squeal, but only had eyes for Miranda, for the smile that replaced the shock as she scooted out of her chair and knelt before him.

He wanted to give her the ring, because the look on her face said “yes” in so many ways, but he needed to tell her, too, why he needed her to say yes.
 

“I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Miranda. You have a joy in you that is like nothing I’ve ever known. I was afraid of it when I was seventeen, I was afraid of it at thirty-two. But I know it’s something I never want to live without again. If you’ll have me, I’ll never give you a reason to lose that joy.”

“Noah.” She reached up and twined her fingers through his hair. “Seeing you last summer made me realize what I was missing in my life. A home, a family. And I want that family with you.”

“So, yes?” He held up the ring that he knew was a chip compared to what Damian could have given her. But Noah would give her so much more.

She looked at it, covered his hand with hers, and laughed. “Yes.”

About the Author

MJ Fredrick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first publishing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching elementary music, and diving into her own writing—traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

She's a four-time Golden Heart Award finalist, and she won the 2009 Eppie Award with Hot Shot and the 2010 Eppie with Breaking Daylight. She was a 2012 Epic Award finalist with Don’t Look Back.

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