He put the phone to Clive’s ear. “Say hello to Governor Hamilton, Clive.”
Then he pulled the arm behind Clive’s back up higher, making him yelp into the phone.
Beckett took the phone back, almost smiling. “You hear that, Uncle Jack? That’s the sound of a man who thought he could waltz into our town and threaten one of our own.” He listened again. “Yes, sir. I appreciate it. I know you’ve had your people looking into his business practices since I called you. What did they find?”
The color drained from Clive’s face as Beckett listened to whatever his uncle was saying.
“Is that right?” Beckett’s eyebrows rose. “Tax evasion too? And they found evidence of the forged signatures?” He whistled low. “Well, that’s going to be a problem for Mr. Wallace, isn’t it?”
He crouched down so he was eye level with Clive, the phone still pressed to his ear. “Uncle Jack wants to know if you’d like to add anything before his friends at the FBI and the IRS finish their investigation. Apparently they’ve been building quite a file.”
Clive’s bluster had evaporated completely. He looked like a man watching his empire crumble.
“That’s what I thought.” Beckett stood. “Thank you, Uncle Jack. I’ll let Blaze know to expect a call from your office. Yes, sir. I will. She’s right here.” He paused, then smiled. “I’m planning on it. Soon as she’ll have me.”
He hung up and leaned down to speak quietly to Clive. “Here’s how this is going to go. You’re going to sign over every document you forged. You’re going to return every penny you stole from Marnie. And you’re going to pray that the federal charges don’t land you in prison for the next decade.”
“You can’t do this,” Clive said, but his voice had lost all its venom.
“It’s already done. The investigation started the day after Marnie told me what you did to her. Uncle Jack doesn’t take kindly to men who prey on women. Neither do I.”
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Clive spat.
“I know exactly who I’m dealing with.” Beckett pulled him to his feet but didn’t let go. “You picked the wrong woman this time. Marnie had the strength to leave you, and you don’t know her at all if you think threats would bring her back. She’s survived a lot worse than you.”
He handed Clive off to Blaze. “Would you mind taking him? I need to have a word with my girl.”
Blaze took Clive’s arm. “Let’s head to my office and have a chat about how we treat people in Laurel Valley.”
As Blaze led Clive away, Beckett crossed to where Marnie stood and gathered her gently in his arms. She was shaking—from adrenaline, from relief, from a dozen emotions she couldn’t name.
“It’s over,” he said against her hair. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“I know.” She tightened her arms around him. “I knew the moment you showed up.”
He pulled back to look at her, his gray eyes soft. “How’s your wrist?”
“It’ll bruise. I’ve had worse.”
Something flickered in his expression—pain at the reminder of what she’d survived. But he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he took her hands in his, mindful of the injured one.
“I had a whole speech planned,” he said. “Something about how I’ve loved you since I was nineteen. How I’ve waited fifteen years for you to come home. How every day with you has been better than the last.”
“Beckett…”
“But I think what I really want to say is simpler than that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. “I’ve been carrying this around for two weeks, waiting for the right moment. And I just realized—there’s no such thing as the right moment. There’s just this. You and me. Right here, right now.”
He opened the box. Inside was a ring—simple and elegant, a diamond that caught the winter light.
“Marry me, Marnie. Be my family. Let me be yours.”
She was dimly aware that half the town was watching. That Jenny had come out of the studio and was crying. That Mrs. Baker was probably already on the phone spreading the news.
But none of that mattered. All that mattered was the man in front of her. The man who had waited for her. Who had believed in her when she couldn’t believe in herself. Who had shown her what it meant to be loved without conditions.
“Yes,” she whispered. Then louder, so everyone could hear: “Yes.”
He slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her into a kiss that made her forget they had an audience. When they finally broke apart, cheers erupted from the gathered crowd.
