She didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until Dad repeated, “Rhett. Rhett Butler?”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Better. Rhett Valentine.”
After she told the story of the last few months, he stared at her in stunned silence.
“I only have one question,” Dad said. “What are you waiting for?”
The rest of the day disappeared in a haze of phone calls to airlines, boarding, takeoffs, and landings.
When Pepper finally ran up to Rhett’s house and pushed the hair out of her face, rain threatened. The misty air probably made it look like she’d stuck a finger into an electrical socket. Whatever. Time to stop sweating all the stuff that didn’t matter. So her hair was in a frizzy half ponytail. She was powered by airplane coffee and three bags of salted peanuts, was in the same pair of jeans she’d worn the last forty-eight hours. She might not be the image of a stereotypical princess about to kiss her Prince Charming (at least she kept travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant stashed in her purse at all times), but this was her own story, her big happily-ever-after moment, so who the hell cared about hair.
She reached for the doorbell. Forget butterflies in her stomach. She had a chimpanzee cage. They were swinging on ropes and juggling bananas.
Twelve paws crashed up the hallway. She smiled at the barking from behind the door. He was home, she loved him and his crazy wolf pack. The door swung open and she stepped forward, arms open, ready for the big embrace and…
“Beau?” She froze, arms out before her like she was Frankenstein’s monster in a game of charades.
“What are you doing?” He glanced over her shoulder. “Where’s Rhett?”
“Isn’t he here?”
“No.” Beau’s brow wrinkled. “He went after you.”
