“I reckon itis I would be wanting something more permanent,” he continued.“Something with a ring and a promise.”
Joy almost blinded her.She felt the loony shape of it on her face, felt it fair to burstthrough her skin. “I would want that also,” she managed.
“And maybe,after we’ve squired around Sacramento and all know I’m yours, wemight even have a kid or two.”
Children. He wanted tomarry her, have children with her. He wanted— “A family,” she saidsoftly.
He nodded, that smile sheloved kicking the side of his mouth. “A family.” Cupping her face,he lowered his head.
Lips brushed over hers,over her cheek, her brow, and then took hers so sweetly. Lacing herfingers over his, she kissed him back and for the first time, shecould see her future. For so long, it had held vengeance and coldretribution. Now there was Jake, and children.
Placing her foreheadagainst his, she said, “I should love to be a family with you,Jacob Wade.”
“Are yousure, darlin’? After all, I’m a bad wicked man, a gunslinger,someone your fancy society friends won’t cotton to.” His thumbstraced her cheekbones as dark eyes smiled down at her.
“But you’remy bad wicked man,” she said. “I don’t give a fig what societymight think. You’re mine, Jacob Wade.”
That wicked grin flashed.“I surely am.”
Epilogue
“DARLIN’, YOU WEREN’T TOO enamoured of that fool DeViersand her husband, were you?”
Bleary eyed, Hope raisedher head. Now her concentration was broken, she became aware of theache in her back, the pressure on her hips and, at the sound of itsfather’s voice, the baby started kicking.
Hands braced on the backof the chair opposite her, Jake scowled. Lord above, but herhusband was a handsome man. Maybe more silver threaded his blackhair than when they’d met, and maybe the lines crinkling the cornerof his eyes were a tad more pronounced, but he never failed tosteal her breath and set her heart to race.
Leaning back into herchair, she laced her hands over her swollen belly. The DeViers werebusiness acquaintances here in Sacramento and she and Jake seenthem only last week at a restaurant in town. Hope refused toconfine herself to their home during her pregnancy, and Jake tookdelight in needling those who found it a scandal. “Why? What didyou do?”
“I ain’t donenothing. It was all them.”
A smile tugged at her,but she kept as stern an expression as she could manage.“Them?”
“It was,” heinsisted.
Exaggerating a sigh, sheasked, “What did they do?”
His scowl grew fiercer.“They were talking out of turn against McElroyLogistics.”
“The company?And this has you riled?”
“It’s yourcompany, ergo they were talking out of turn about you. And darlin’,you know I don’t hold with people disparaging my wife.”
Ergo. Disparaging. Herhusband did love a fancy word.
In the three years sincethey wed, Jake had settled into Sacramento life with alarming ease.At first, he’d had itchy feet, wanting to be out on the trail withnothing more than his horse and a desire to keep moving. She hadn’tstopped him when he’d needed to leave, knowing he would always comeback to her, but she’d missed him something fierce. The thing was,he’d missed her, too. The trips had become less and less frequent,until they’d disappeared altogether. He said he much preferred hercompany to that of his horse, and when she’d playfully hit hischest, he’d caught her hand and told her he was hers, he couldn’tbe hers if he was never with her, and he counted his life wellspent if it were by her side.
At first, she’d worriedhe’d become restless and resentful, that a stationary life inSacramento would kill the Jake she loved. However, time had provenhis words true and he’d adjusted to their life withenthusiasm.
He’d thrown himself intotheir social obligations, and far from despising him or lookingdown on him, each one of her acquaintances adored him. He’d charmedthem with his cocky smile and his tall tales, and she would have tofight to keep her eyebrows where they were as he embellished andexpanded, making each more improbable with everyretelling.
His wicked grin, though,he kept solely for her. And she was the only one he calleddarlin’.
When he wasn’t charmingSacramento society, he ran an agency that found bad men for a fee.He joked she kept him in the luxury to which he’d becomeaccustomed, but truth be told the man couldn’t sit still. With awealth of free time, he’d developed his agency such he now employedthree men and was angling to maybe take on a fourth in the newyear. He still enjoyed gathering information, and from time to timehe could be found in one of Sacramento’s hotels or saloons, his hatpulled low as he read a dime novel and listened to those whogossiped around him.
Margaret was still inIronwood, and well on her way to earning a place of her own. Hopehad offered again to help should Margaret wish it, but she wasalways gently rebuffed. Margaret was choosing her own path, and whowas Hope to stand in the way of that?
Callihan, as Hope hadplanned, had faded to obscurity. She didn’t follow him obsessively,not anymore, but last she’d heard he’d been awaiting trial formurders and wrong-doing in Utah Territory. She held no realinterest, though. She’d had her vengeance, and she counted hersuccess in how difficult it was to find word of Callihan. In anyevent, she refused to allow Callihan to influence another moment inher life. Now, she had their soon-to-be-born child and Jake. Shewould always have Jake.
