“They had him caged up?” The back of my throat burned. I was trying not to cry (again) but failing miserably.
“He was in a kennel in the storm cellar under the house. The good news is, we got him.”
I was still mad at Thorne. Madder than a wet hen was what my mama used to say. I’d never seen a wet hen, so I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but my gut told me I was even angrier than that. Even though he’d lied about who he was and why he’d shown up at the bluebonnet festival in the first place, I owed him a debt of thanks for getting involved and going after my dog.
“I suppose I should thank you.” Reluctantly, I turned to face him.
“I’m so sorry for not telling you the truth. Mike made me promise. He warned me that you wouldn’t appreciate him sending someone to watch out for you and I owed him one for some shit that went down over in Iraq.” Thorne reached out like he wanted to touch me, but then thought better of it. His hand hung in the air between us. “He shared little things about you over the years, but he never told me you’d capture my heart the second I saw you.”
“Don’t.” I shook my head. The damn tears started up again. I rubbed at my cheeks, refusing to let them fall.
“Destiny…” His forehead crumpled. “I never wanted to hurt you. My mission was clear. Make sure those assholes didn’t take advantage of you and keep you safe through the festival. That’s all I came here to do. But somewhere in the process, damn girl, I fell in love with you.”
I put my hands over my ears to block him out. It was too late for confessions.
“Baby, please.” He reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “We’ve only known each other for a couple of days, but I feel like you’ve always been a part of me. Meeting you in person felt like a formality. Like I’ve known you were out there somewhere, just waiting for the right time for us to come together. Does that make sense?”
I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt the exact same way. It didn’t make sense. None of it did.
He must have sensed my resistance slipping away. “I’ll understand if you need time to forgive me, but please say you’ll give me another chance. The thought of walking away from here and never seeing you again… I can handle a lot, but I can’t handle that.”
“You lied to me. I can handle a lot too, Thorne, but I can’t handle that.”
He nodded, his eyes full of regret. “I thought I was doing the right thing, making good on a promise I’d made to your brother. I should have told you the truth as soon as I realized what was going on between us.”
“What about Mike? You really think he’s going to be okay with his best friend fucking his baby sister?” It sounded so crude. What happened between the two of us was so much more than physical.
“No. But if I had a little sister as strong-willed and headstrong as you, I’d know she wouldn’t stand for me trying to control her life or make decisions for her. And for the record, I don’t plan on just fucking my best friend’s little sister. What we have is real. I want to lock it down.”
My anger dissipated, bit by bit. I’d needed to know exactly how he felt about me, and he was dishing it up with no hesitation. “I need some clarification, soldier. What does ‘lock it down’ mean to you? I’d like to know the specifics.”
“It means walking away from renewing my time in the military. Building a future with the woman I love. Maybe a nice house in the country on a couple hundred acres. Plenty of bluebonnets in spring and maybe even a kid or two when she’s ready.”
I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from declaring my love right then and there. “How do you feel about llamas?”
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but I’ve heard alpacas don’t spit as much.”
“Reggie’s been growing on me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, he reminds me of you. Cranky and irritable on the outside, but once you show him a little love, his heart seems to melt.” My eyes offered a challenge.
“If my girl wanted a llama, I wouldn’t be able to deny her.” He held out his arms, hesitating like he wasn’t sure I was ready to accept his offer. “What do you say, minx? Can I gift you a llama as a wedding present?”
Henry piped up from the other side of the truck. “I’m sure Reggie would love to move to Hartsville.”
A smile tugged at the edges of my lips. “I wouldn’t mind having Reggie move in. We might have to get him a friend, though. I wouldn’t want him to be lonely like I’ve been.”
“You’ll never have to be lonely again. Be my girl, Destiny? Be my never-gonna-lie-to-you-again, love-you-for-the-rest-of-our-lives, forever girl?”
I sighed and buried my face against his chest. “You ever lie to me again and I’ll cut out your tongue and bury it in a field of bluebonnets.”
“I have no doubt you’d do just that.” Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear, low enough that his brother wouldn’t be able to overhear. “You can bet I’ll never lie to you again. I have too many other plans for my tongue, and all of them involve you.”
Heat pooled in my core. “I wouldn’t mind finding out just what those plans entail. After we make sure Gonzo is okay, you pucker up and kiss my brother’s ass enough times that he decides not to kill you, and we get word that the bad guys have been locked up by the sheriff.”
“Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll make that happen. You make me wait any longer than that to bury my head between your thighs and Mike won’t have to kill me. I’ll die from withdrawal.”
