Page 50 of Valor

Owen had insisted he needed to stay busy. The next day, Doug had mentioned there was a job opening with Timber Lake Construction and that Doug had put in a good word for him. Owen had spoken to the owner over the phone and had gratefully accepted the job as soon as he was cleared by the surgeon to do heavy lifting.

Doug had identified each of the men Owen had shot as having ties to Granger which helped prove Owen’s innocence. Doug was also leading a task force to bring Domingo Hernandez to justice. Owen was grateful the guy had the tenacity of a bull dog when it came to arresting bad guys.

Emily had taken a leave of absence from work for the first week of his recovery, then drove back and forth between Cody and the ranch on her days off. She left Bear with him because of her long twelve-hour shifts. He felt guilty about that, as the puppy clearly preferred to be with Emily, but he’d worked with the little guy to the point he was already listening to a few commands.

“Come, Bear.” The puppy lifted his head at the sound of his voice and galloped toward him. The little guy got excited about everything, and as he bent over to stroke Bear’s fur, he felt happy in a way he hadn’t been in a very long time.

Since his mother’s death, followed three months by Oliver’s murder.

He’d learned a lot about God and faith over the past few weeks. He’d started reading the Bible and was amazed at how Jesus had walked among them, preaching to the people. The more he read, the more he believed he may have been touched by the Holy Spirit the day of the shooting.

If he hadn’t jutted to the side, he’d have died. God had spared his life for a reason.

And he was determined to be a better man from this point forward.

A car headed toward him, and he grinned when he recognized Emily’s Jeep. He patted the ring in his pocket, having already gotten Doug’s blessing. The ring had belonged to his mother and was the only thing of value she had left when she’d passed away. Owen had asked Doug to help him retrieve the ring from the storage locker he had in Colorado. His carpentry tools were the only other items of value he had brought back to Wyoming.

Owen was certain his mother would be glad to know that he planned to pass her ring on to the woman he loved. Thankfully, Doug had agreed to his asking Emily to marry him, but her opinion was the one that mattered the most.

And he was a little nervous she wouldn’t like the small diamond ring.

“Come, Bear.” He strode forward to meet her. Emily stopped the car and eagerly jumped out.

“Owen! Bear!” She laughed when the puppy jumped up on her. “I swear he grows bigger every day.”

“He does.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” They talked on the phone each day she wasn’t at the ranch, but it wasn’t the same. He figured he’d get an apartment in Cody until he could save more money. Having a job was the first step. He could have held her in his arms forever but forced himself to release her. “Let’s go inside.”

“Owen, I have something important to ask you.”

He stopped and turned to face her. “Okay. I have something important to ask you too.”

“You do?” She frowned, then shrugged. “Ladies first. I was wondering if you would consider doing the rest of your recuperation in town, staying with me. You’d have to sleep in the guest room,” she hastily added. “But that way we could see each other more often.”

He smiled, touched by her offer. “I think recuperating in town with you is a great idea.” He pulled his mother’s ring from his pocket, then dropped to one knee. “But first, Emily, will you please marry me?”

Her jaw dropped with shock, and she stared at the modest ring.

“It was my mother’s ring, but we can always get something different,” he hastened to explain. “And I spoke to Doug, he gave me his approval.”

“I—don’t know what to say,” Emily whispered. Then her face filled with joy. “Yes, I do. Yes, I do! I want to marry you, I mean.”

He smiled, slipped the ring on her finger, then rose to his feet. “I should mention that I have a job too. It may take some time for me to get back on my feet, but I promise to do my best to make you happy.”

“Owen, you’ve already made me happy.” Emily pulled him close and kissed him. Bear jumped up, trying to wiggle between them. He broke free from their embrace long enough to lift the puppy into his arms so that he could keep the pup contained while he kissed her again.

When they could finally breathe, he stepped back, took her hand, and led her inside. “At least now maybe Doug won’t kill me for staying in your guest room.”

“Never,” Emily said. “He knows how much I love you.”

“Ah, Emily. You’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been.” He loved her so much and couldn’t wait to get started on their new life.

Together.

---