“You’ve spent five years alone, Dalton. Your heart iced over.”
I stepped toward her, not touching, just letting her feel me. “You’re not Sarah.” I said each word deliberately. Carefully. “It didn’t take me long to figure that out. To realize you saw the reality of ranch life—and didn’t flinch. You saw me at my worst—cold and cruel and pushing you away—and you came back anyway.”
I saw the sheen of tears in her beautiful eyes. “Of course I came back. I told you I would.”
“No one keeps their promises to me. No one except you.” I brushed away her tears with my thumbs. “I love you, Amber. I’min love with you. And I know it’s fast and crazy and probably a dozen other things. But I also know that I don’t want to spend another day without you in it.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “So stay. Please. Just stay.”
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“So am I.”
“What if you change your mind? What if you wake up and realize—”
“I won’t. I know it in my bones, Amber. The same way I know this ranch. The same way I knew from the first moment you walked into my office that you were going to turn my life upside down.” I pulled back to look at her. “You’re it for me. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for without knowing I was waiting.”
“I love you too,” she said. “I’ve been trying not to. Trying to protect myself. But I do. I love you so much it terrifies me.”
Relief flooded through me so fast it nearly brought me to my knees.
“Say it again,” I said.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Dalton King. Even though you’re stubborn and difficult and can be a complete ass sometimes.” She smiled through her tears. “And I’ll stay. I’ll stay and we’ll figure it out. My mom, the ranch, all of it. We’ll figure it out together.”
I kissed her then. Poured everything I felt into it—the relief, the love, the promise of everything we could be.
When I pulled back, she was smiling.
“What?” I asked.
“I can’t believe I’m in love with the cold-hearted cowboy.”
“Not so cold-hearted anymore,” I said. “Not with you.”
“No. Not with me.”
I pulled her back onto the bed, underneath me, and she came willingly. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“What? You need a refresher course?” I pulled the sheet away from her beautiful curves, my body hardening. I could never get enough of her.
And for the first time in five years, I let myself believe in something other than loneliness.
Let myself believe in love.
Let myself believe in us.
EPILOGUE
Amber
Three Years Later… February thirteenth
I woke up to a sharp pain in my lower back and Dalton’s arm wrapped protectively around my very swollen belly.
“You okay?” he murmured, still half-asleep.
