Blazing the Trail (Sunshine & Shadow Book 5) (8 page)

That evening, April had
drifted off in front of the fire. She was woken by Kip touching her leg,
sitting on the coffee table opposite her.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” He
smiled at her and she felt her heart flutter.

“Hi,” she murmured,
stretching her arms. Her throat was already beginning to feel better, what with
all the tea.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was. I
didn’t mean to doze off.”

“You obviously needed it.
Are you warm?”

April nodded.

From behind his back, Kip
produced a large box. It was wrapped in red and green and topped with a giant
gold bow.

“What’s this?” April
asked, taking it.

“It’s your Christmas
present. Sorry, it’s a bit late.”

“Not your fault,” she
murmured. Dropping her head, she lifted the lid and pulled out a large white
blanket. The material was so soft. April wanted to curl up in it right then and
there. Kip helped her unfold it and lay it over her legs. She ran her fingers
over it and smoothed it along her body.

“It’s incredible,” she
said.

Kip smiled. “I’m glad you
like it. I guess it’s good that this was your present, all things considered.”

April nodded. Her smile
faded. Kip was frowning. He looked worried.

“What’s wrong?” she
asked.

Kip looked at her. “I’m
being silly. I’m just nervous...”

“Nervous about what?”

Looking down, Kip almost
mumbled his words. “You love me, right?”

April leaned forward,
trying to get him to look up. “Hey,” she said, taking his hands and holding
them between her own. “Of course I love you.”

Kip breathed deeply twice
and then looked up. His eyes were filled with an emotion April couldn’t
decipher.

“Kip...what is it?”

He moved from the coffee
table, gripping April’s hands. He dropped to his knee in front of her. April’s
mouth dropped open.

“What are you doing?”

“Just...Let me do this.”

Kip closed his eyes for a
moment and when he finally opened them, they were filled with deep love, and
determination.

“April Cooper, I have
loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You’ve been my best friend; my
confidant; my entertainer; and the only person who has ever made me cry and
laugh in the same breath. You’re one of a kind and I know that I will love you
for the rest of my life.”

He opened a small, red
box that he retrieved from his pocket. Inside, nestled in black satin was an
old-fashioned diamond ring, the centre stone surrounded by a halo of smaller
stones, all shining different colors in the dim light cast over them from the
fireplace. April’s eyes filled with tears and she looked back at Kip.

“If you say yes, I
promise to stand by you, through thick and thin, through good times, and bad
times. I promise to spend the rest of my life making you laugh, protecting you,
honoring you, and loving you with my entire heart. April, will you marry me?”

April nodded quickly. “Of
course, I’ll marry you.”

Kip took out the ring.
April watched the way the diamonds sent rainbows over the white blanket coiled
around her waist. He slid it onto her finger, exhaling. It fit perfectly.

April grinned. She
touched the ring gently, feeling as if she needed to make sure it was really
there.

“It was my
grandmother’s,” Kip said.

“It’s beautiful,” April
murmured.

Kip leaned forward and
kissed her gently on the lips. Someone knocked on the lodge door and the couple
pulled apart.

Hailey stuck her head
around the door. “Can we come in? We’re dying out here!”

Kip held out his hand,
helping April stand. She smiled at him, feeling the love make her heart swell.
She looked at Hailey still waiting patiently, not fully inside yet.

“Yes! Come in!”

Hailey burst through the
door, followed closely by Adam and April’s mom and dad. They hugged the couple
firmly one by one.

“I can’t believe you’re
engaged! Finally!” Hailey cooed.

April’s mom was sobbing.
“My little girl...” she cried as she wrapped her arms around April.

“Mom,” April laughed.
“Calm down.”

April looked at her dad
and Adam. “How did everyone know?” She glanced at Kip.

“Kip asked for my
permission this morning,” her dad said. “I couldn’t keep it a secret for very
long.” He wrapped April in a hard hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”

Kip touched April’s back
and kissed her forehead. Hailey had a firm hold on April’s left hand, studying
the ring with ferocious intensity.

At that moment, Caleb
rushed in the door. “Hey! The mustang gave...What’s going on?”

“I asked April to marry
me,” Kip said, grinning.

Caleb came forward,
shaking Kip’s hand. “About time, don’t ya think?”

“That’s what I said!”
Hailey exclaimed.

“What about the mustang?”
April stepped forward, trying to capture Caleb’s attention.

“Oh!” Caleb smiled. “She
had her baby. Little black stud-colt by the looks of it.”

April looked at Kip. “Can
we...?”

Kip shook his head. “You
know as well as I do...give her until the morning to get him dried off, then we
can go see him.”

April was disappointed
but she knew Kip was right. For now, she allowed herself to revel in the
feeling of being newly engaged. For the remainder of the night, she touched the
ring frequently. She shared secret glances with her fiancé, wondering if all
true love felt this way, or if she was lucky. In the moment, she didn’t care
either way; she simply relaxed into his firm, yet caring embrace, and let Kip
kiss her into oblivion.

The colt was standing by
his mother’s side. Willow was calmer now that she had given birth. She eyed
April with caution and April didn’t go closer. She watched the foal with
adoration. He was black, with a short, spiky mane and whip-like tail. He shook
his head often, his inky coat shining in the wintery sunshine. April was
worried he would be cold, but he was already plump and the sun would sink into
his black hair, warming him up.

“Hey, buddy,” she
murmured, holding her hand out over the fence and watching Willow give her a
look. She chuckled. “Calm down, momma. I won’t take your baby.”

Sure-footed, with no fear,
the foal stepped up to her hand, sniffing it twice. April turned her hand over
to touch his silky nose and the colt’s ears flicked back, pinning against his
neck for a moment. He turned around, kicking up his heels in a determined
defiance.

April laughed.

“He’s a little fighter,
eh?” Kip approached from behind, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing
her forehead.

“Yeah,” April said, nodding.
“Have you named him yet?”

Kip raised his eyebrows
in question.

“Come on,” April said, “I
named Willow. It’s only fair.”

He looked at the colt,
standing again by his mother’s side. His head was up, standing his ground
against the humans, but knowing he had no strength without his mother behind
him. He flicked his head, smacking himself with his oversized ears and scared
himself.

Kip laughed. “How about
Maverick?”

April nodded, looking up
at him and squeezing his waist. “I love it.” She snuggled in tighter. “Just
like I love you.”

Kip kissed her cheek.
Leaning his forehead against hers, he said, “I love you more.”     

She shook her head. “Not
possible.”

“Yes, possible.”

They watched the foal
begin to suckle and April sighed. This was her rightful place. This was where
she felt safe, and loved.

She had finally found her
home.