Page 58 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

Inside everyone stood at the window, eating sweets and blatantly watching Bailey and Cal. “I hope that’s not how he’sgoing to deal with the rest of us,” Jones said.

“Nah, he’d be hard pressed to pick you up, Jones,” Ethan said, smacking him in the gut.

“It’s all muscle,” Jones replied.

“Muscle jiggles now?” Shimmer interjected.

“Those are power vibrations,” Jones said. “I can’t help it my mom’s a good cook.”

“You could if you moved out of her basement,” Cam added.

“Jokes on you, LT, my mom kicked me out of her basement,” Jones said.

“You can live in our basement, Jonesie,” Maggie offered.

“Thanks, Maggie,” he said, giving her a one-armed hug around the neck.

“Who’s going to tell him they don’t have a basement?” Ethan stage whispered, and everyone snickered.

When the pie was finished, they frittered to bed to catch a few hours of sleep before they flew back home. Cam and Maggie curled up on the couch.

“I love it here,” she declared.

“I’m glad,” he said, pulling her into his lap and tucking her close. “Think you could live here fulltime?”

She paused. “I don’t know. As much as I enjoy it, it wouldn’t be an easy transition. And we’d have to leave Amelia and Ethan and Blue and Jane and The Colonel and all our other friends.”

“But we’d be here with Cal and, I’m assuming, Bailey. And then we’d still get to see the Colonel,” he pointed out.

She shifted to see him better. “Are you ready to leave your job?”

“No, but I have three years until my trust matures and then I’m going to have to decide if I’m going to sell out to Cal or keep my part of the ranch. And I’m honestly not sure what todo.”

“A lot can happen in three years.”

“I’ll say,” he said, giving her a squeeze. Three years ago he didn’t even know her, a fact that was unbelievable to him now. What was life like before Maggie? He had no idea. All he could remember was a big gray blob. He’d grown up on a ranch, gone to a prestigious university, been a decorated Navy SEAL, become a spy, and yet it felt like his life hadn’t started until he began sharing it with her.

“We haven’t stayed up all night in forever,” she said.

“I don’t think we’re going to make it now,” he said.

“It’s only two hours until sunrise,” she said.

“Baby, you’re going to be asleep before this conversation ends,” he said.

“No way, I can make it,” she said, yawning.

“That’s right, there’s no way you can make it,” he said, and she laughed. The sound of her laughter made him smile and he held her a little tighter.

“Did I tell you I love you today?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Did I tell you you’re in big trouble for taking point on the mission?”

“Yes.”

“Pretty sure not.”

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