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“Oh, my god. Areyou seeing this?” I say out loud, unable to believe my eyes.
When Butch came home early last week and found Frankie stuck on the counter in the kitchen, crying for help, he couldn’t fathom how he did it. I tried to tell him he’s been doing this for years. Ever since my father passed, he’s been forced to take walks and eat healthy—god forbid I keep him alive and well for as long as I can.
Butch was so shocked, however, he decided to put up cameras to catch him in the act.
And we’re finally watching the video evidence of how the heck he does it.
We watch as Frankie paces near the corner cabinet and begins nudging the double-hinged door. Slowly, he pries it open just enough for him to lift on his hind legs and turn the very top shelf of the rev-a-shelf (Lazy Susan) to create a stepping area for himself by turning the shelves accordingly. The little trickster then pushes off and—after a few low tumbles—he gets his footing and hops from the top inner shelf to the counter.
And, with the momentum to get him up, the shelf spins back to its original setting beneath him and the partially open cabinet door slowly eases shut. Trapping him on the counter until help arrives.
“He’s a damn Houdini.” Butch chuckles, shaking his head and giving Frankie a rub between the ears. “Did you have one of these shelves at the trailer, too?”
I nod, still at a loss for words as Butch replays the footage. “Yes,” I confirm. “There were a few times the cabinet door would be open when I came home and found him, but I never put two-and-two together. I always thought he got it open from trying to get down.”
“Well, mystery solved,” he says, closing the app on his phone and setting Frankie down. “Looks like we’ll be picking up some cabinet locks on the way home tonight.”
I laugh. “I guess so.”
Butch grabs the basket of goodies for our little impromptu date day as I put Frankie on his leash. I was rather surprised when he suggested having a picnic up on the mountain this afternoon. He claims he found an amazing little spot high up on the ridge when he was passing through to the work site for next season.
I make sure to bring an extra sweater for myself and a small blanket for our little Houdini. With it being mid-September, the weather is cooling down fast. It’s my favorite time to go out on the mountain and take in the stunning views. Fall never disappoints in Montana.
On the drive up, Butch lets Frankie sit in his lap until the road gets a bit too bumpy and he needs both hands to get where we’re going. Holding an excited little sausage in my arms, we finally stop in a dense part of the woods. There are a few pathways leading in at least three different directions, and I’m a bit nervous. Locals or not, anyone can get lost out here.
“You sure you remember where this place is?” I hate even asking, given Butch is a mountain man through and through. I set Frankie down at my feet before gathering the blankets and closing the truck door behind me.
Butch comes around the back with the basket in hand, tilting his chin to the path closest to us. “Yep. It’s right over here. Few minute walk at the most.”
I follow his lead as Frankie sniffs all over the place, his tail lashing behind him in excitement for our little adventure. A few minutes later the trees part to the cliffside and the view has me gasping in awe at the sight.
The rich, lush forest of oak and pine extends as far as the eye can see, filled with bold fall colors of orange, red, and yellow with dots of deep green throughout. All leading to the most stunning view of the mountains I have ever seen. It’s mid-day, yet there’s still a misty fog winding through the trees high up on the surrounding peaks.
“Here. Let me take that,” Butch says, breaking my trance over this view as he takes the blanket from my hand and lays it out on a flat section of stone and dirt.
Frankie waddles a little too close to the edge of a fairly steep drop-off, so I tug him back. “Be careful, buddy. You don’t have enough cushion to save you from a fall like that.”
I sit down on the blanket, folding my legs under me as Butch hands me a treat for Frankie. He waddles over and plops in my lap to enjoy his snack accompanied by the serene views.
“So,” he grunts, kneeling beside me. “What do you think?”
I beam a smile up at him before turning my head back to the mountains. “I love it. I can’t believe you found this place. Usually, spots like this are riddled with tourists.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say I got pretty lucky in finding exactly what I wanted.”
My brow furrows and I turn to ask him what he means by that—when all the breath in my lungs escapes me in a gasp.
Butch’s dark eyes are on me, watching as I take in him beside me on one knee with a little black box in hand. “Sunshine—”
Oh my god.
“—I have loved you from afar for longer than I care to admit,” he says, a handsome smile creeping to his lips. “You make me better than I ever could be without you. I love you more than anything and it would be an honor to call you my wife. Cassidy Marie Clark, will you marry me?”
He opens the small box in his hands, revealing a gorgeous, sparkling round-cut diamond sitting on a white gold band.
“Butch, I—” Tears spring to my eyes as I quickly shift Frankie from my lap and get on my knees in front of my future husband. “Yes,” I finally say. “A thousand times, yes!” I throw myself in his embrace and cling to him as pure joy envelops me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too…my Sunshine,” he whispers, a broken note in his voice as I pull away to witness the few tears of a hardened mountain man break free. He grins wildly at me and I smile in return.
Frankie wiggles his way between us, wanting to be a part of the moment as Butch plucks the ring from the box and slips it onto my finger.
This is the happiest moment of my life.
The first of many to come.
The End.
