Chapter 90 The Invitation
She sat on a rock and watched Cherry grazing a few feet away. The sound of Clear Creek Falls was in her ears, and she scanned the horizon in silent awe. The ride around the edge of the cliff was hair-raising, but the view that opened up as they came around the last bend made her heart stop. Evan had led her up there and then rode off a little way, leaving her alone.
When they rode away from the homestead on that June morning, he told her that he had a special place that he wanted her to see. “When we get there,” he said. “I’m going to just ride away and leave you alone and let you soak it all in.” He sat in the grass, leaning against a rock some fifty yards further along the trail.
She reflected upon how she had gotten to that place. The journey had been a long one; in it, there was some pain and some tears, but as she looked back over the time, she realized that it was very much like the trail that they had just passed over. There were challenging places where a careless move would send a person plunging into the deep crevasse below. Just as she had managed to make her way around the cliff trail, she had made it through the challenges of her life.
Pittsburgh was far behind her, and a new life was open to her. She was free and at peace. There was really only one thing that had not yet been made complete. Evan had not yet married her. She wondered if he was just assuming that she would stay with him and that he wouldn’t have to make that commitment. It didn’t fit Evan’s personality to assume anything like that, yet she could not fathom why he was waiting. He had come to her in Vegas through a snowstorm, and they had spent a wonderful week together at the National Finals Rodeo. She remembered his invitation after the final performance.
“Alexandra,” he had said. “I have something to ask you. Well, more of an open invitation. I don’t want you to rush into anything. In fact, there isn’t much point in coming until late spring. There will just be a lot of snow up there right now, and you will be bored to death.”
“Would you spit it out already?” she had prompted him. After that lead-in in she was expecting a marriage proposal. In a way, it was a marriage proposal, but in another way, it wasn’t. It left her a little bit confused.
“If you would like to come spend the summer at the homestead,” he began. “I’d love to have you and well, if you decide that you want to stay longer, I’d be about the happiest feller in Colorado.”
“You know we could just dash over to one of the dozens of wedding chapels along the strip and get married,” she teased.
“Yeah, we could,” he replied. It was one of the rare times that he remained serious and didn’t follow along with her joke. “I’d rather do this whole thing right.”
“What are you proposing?” she asked.
“I don’t want to put any kind of pressure on you right now. We haven’t known each other that long, and I don’t want you to go too fast with your decision. I’m just going to put the invitation out there for you, and if that’s what you want, then come along in the spring and we’ll make a decision when we have a little more time under our belts.”
She was about to ask him some more questions and press him further when Evelyn walked up. “There’s the World Champ now!” he called out.
“That sounds kind of strange,” Evelyn said, wrinkling her nose as she came closer. “But I like the sound of it.”
Alexandra dashed to her and gave her a huge hug. “I’m so proud of you. Is it finally official?”
“Yes, it’s official,” Evelyn beamed. “You now have your arms wrapped around the World Champion Barrel Racer.”
Evan stepped in and gave her a hug and a soft peck on the cheek. “I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more,” he said. “You just put Alexandra and me in famous company.”
The rest of the night became a whirlwind of activity with dinner, dancing, and parties that lasted until dawn. Alexandra and Evan went right along with her as she celebrated her win. There had been little time to discuss Evan’s offer any further. When they went to load the horses the next day so that they could start for home, she wanted to ask him more questions, but he stopped her.
“Take your time, Alex,” he said. “I want you to be certain. It’s better for both of us that way.”
“What if I already know?” she asked. She really did already know, and she wondered if it was more his hesitation that was stalled than it was any concern for her.
“Then you’ll know later in the spring, too,” he grinned. “I promise it is better to wait until spring. There is something that I need to show you first. Can you live with that? Besides, you need to go enjoy the victory that you two girls have won. It isn’t every season that a person wins a world championship. She needs you as much now, if not more. Trust me.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “You’ll call?”
“Every damned time I have a chance,” he beamed.
She finally agreed, and she discovered that he had been right one more time. Evelyn did need her. With her winnings and all of the things that had been left undone around the place while they had been on the circuit, they were extremely busy back at Evelyn’s place in Sparks. She worked right alongside Evelyn through the winter, getting things put together. She and Evan talked on the phone every day, and things deepened between the two of them to a point where there wasn’t even a hint of a doubt in Alexandra’s mind.
“Are you going to go to that man?” Evelyn asked as she passed by Alexandra in the barn one morning.
“What?” The question had come out of nowhere.
“Alexandra, if you don’t head into that house and get your shit packed in your car and head out of here before sunup tomorrow, then I’m going to drag your sorry ass off of the place and shoot you in the head.”
“Where the hell did that come from?” Alexandra asked, still in shock. “Are you kicking me off the place?” she taunted.
“Sure as hell am,” she replied. “Your time is up here. As of right now, you’re fired.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“Deadly,” Evelyn replied. Alexandra did not see the twinkle in her eye that usually gave away her jokes. She was getting better at hiding it, but even now, she could see that there was no joke coming.
“We need to get the arena finished and the breeding pens and the...”
“I do,” Evelyn interrupted. “You don’t. Don’t make me be a bitch about this. You belong with Evan. If I don’t kick you off the place, you’ll never go.”
“But he hasn’t really proposed to me,” she said. She had held onto that. She wanted it to be official.
“He will,” Evelyn said. “He just wants you to be sure. Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Then get!” Evelyn turned on her heel and walked away, and that was the end of their discussion.
The next morning, before the sun rose, Alexandra was on her way. They both fought back tears, but they knew that the end of their friendship would never come. She relished the drive from Las Vegas to Evan’s little place near town. When she pulled into the driveway, she noticed that he’d put up a sign that read “Alexandra’s Bend”. She was greeted by all three of them the moment that she pulled into the driveway. From that moment on, everything had been a whirlwind of activity as they got ready to head up to the homestead for the summer.