Page 47 of Quinn

“Sorry?”

He nodded.

“For what?”

He was sorely tempted to say for everything and anything she was unhappy about, but he might as well start with the obvious. “For not talking to you before moving forward on a business for Danny.”

“You think that’s why I asked to talk to you?”

He bobbed his head, then paused. “Isn’t it?”

Slowly, she inched toward him. “No. It’s not.”

Right about now, Quinn wished he was better at reading women, because he had no idea what her eyes were telling him. When she stopped inches away from him, her gaze leveling with his, her breath blowing softly against him, his heart almost came to a stop. Or maybe it actually had and he was no longer in Texas, but standing in heaven only inches from the woman who mattered most to him in the world.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do it?” Okay, now he not only couldn’t read women’s eyes, he clearly couldn’t understand their speech either.

“Why did you go to all that trouble to help Danny?”

“He’s a veteran. Not as lucky as my cousin Ethan who made it through multiple tours and came home with a sound mind. All veterans deserve our respect and if we can, our help. I could help. So I did.”

“Is that the only reason?” Her voice came out slow and sweet.

He nodded his head, she raised her brows at him, and then stopped nodding and shook his head just once from side to side. Swallowing hard, he peeled his tongue from the roof of his mouth and croaked out, “Because you love him.”

Her head tipped to one side, her gaze bore into him like a laser beam eating away at unknown debris. “Because I love him?”

Briefly closing his eyes and sucking in a fortifying breath, he leveled his gaze with hers and thought in for a penny, in for a pound. “And I love you. So who you love matters to me.”

A smile began to tip upward at one corner of her mouth before spreading to the other corner, leaving her smiling brightly at him. Before he could fully process what was happening, her arms went around his neck and she lifted up on her tiptoes. “Then maybe it’s a good thing I love you too.”

A hinge squeaked and Ryan called out, “Are you two planning… oops.” Quickly averting his eyes, Ryan backed into the kitchen and the door slammed shut behind him.

Despite their close proximity and momentarily locking lips, the two giggled before pulling apart, her arms still looped around his neck.

“So,” Quinn cleared his throat and left his hands on her hips, “you’re not mad at me?”

Smiling again, she shook her head.

“And you really just said you love me?”

Eyes twinkling, she bobbed her head at him.

“Is it too soon to beg you to marry me? If it is, I can probably hold out for an hour or two.”

Now they were both chuckling.

Giving her a peck on the nose, he sighed and leaning over, touched his forehead to hers. “As much as I would love to get down on one knee and sincerely ask for that beautiful hand in marriage, there’s a lot for Danny to work through and he’ll need you. But I do promise you this, as soon as he’s well enough to let you go, I’ll be down on that one knee in earnest.”

“And I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

Chapter Twenty– Epilogue

“I didn’t realize how large this place is.” Ryan placed the roller back in the painting pan.

Meg grabbed a wet rag and wiped a drip. “I loved living here when I first arrived in Tuckers Bluff.”

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