Page 82 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
“Not a problem.”
They walked the well-worn trail in silence, the moonlight overhead shining a clear path. The sound of the falls grew louder, from a faint trickle to a rumbling laugh as water burst over the top of the cliff and descended to the heart-shaped pool at its base.
When they reached the bench, Finn glanced into the valley, surprised to see more than moonlight shining on the water. “Somebody put up spotlights?”
Karen sat on the bench, and he settled beside her, grabbing her fingers and holding on tight.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and laughed softly, gazing out over the glittering reflections on the water’s surface. “Tamara said her youngest brother-in-law, Dustin, was mucking around out here a while ago. He said he was doing something to enhance the natural ambience. She thinks he was setting it up for skinny dipping.”
Finn laughed. “That’s usually done in the dark, but I can see why putting a little light on the subject would be entertaining. We’ll have to come back here once I get my cast off and give it a try.”
“Two weeks left?”
He squeezed her fingers. “Counting the days.”
“Me too.” She twisted slightly, careful of his leg but adjusting to make full eye contact. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
His breath caught, but he did his best to act as nonchalant as possible. “Shoot.”
“I’ve been thinking lots about what things I want, and you were right. I set a lot of goals over the years, and I’ve been successful in getting stuff done, but many times, I don’t know that what I accomplished was the right thing. I mean, you said that as well. Work’s not always fun, but it should be valuable. Doing something because it’s another person’s priority can’t be how you run your life, can it?”
He stared into her big brown eyes. “Whose goals have you been aiming at that you think need changing?”
“Karen’s.” She snorted. “I know, that makes no sense. But it’s like there’s this part of me with a set of rules and ideas that are so built-in that they dictate everything. Every choice I make and every target I set.”
“Those aren’t the choices you want to make?”
She made a face. “That Karen wouldn’t have Dandelion in the house. New Karen thinks he’s the sweetest thing, and I’m so glad he’s around.”
The whole conversation began to make sense. It wasn’t the confession he’d hoped for, but he was still pleased. This would make a huge difference in her world.
“Good for you.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “What other changes is New Karen planning?”
“You.” Her voice was husky and low.
It seemed those fireflies she’d mentioned before were an epidemic, because his damn belly flip-flopped as if he were full of them. “Go on.”
She took a deep breath then handed him her heart.
“I want to be with you. I want to give us a real chance and not sit here with Old Karen. She’s worried about how hard it will hurt if we have to walk away from each other again. I want to work full-out to make sure we stick.”
Hell. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I want that too. And I’m so damn sorry you were hurt when I left.”
She clung to him, but her head shook gently. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasnoone’sfault. Not really. It was a matter of place and time and there was not much we could do about it.”
A deep flash of anger rose inside him because that was true, but it was also easy to point a finger atoneof the reasons he hadn’t returned to get her after he’d realized walking away was wrong.
But that confession was for another time. Here and now he was hearing the words he’d hoped for since he’d made his way to Heart Falls, and damn if he wasn’t eager to accept every bit of it.
Time to flip her world upside down as well. He met her eyes before he spoke. “I’m all in. Everything you said about striving to make us work…hellyes. If you need space as you figure out what you really want, I can give you that, but I will not leave you. I swear I willnotwalk away again.”
Her fist bumped against his chest with about as much impact as Dandelion with his little furry paw.
“I didnotwant to cry tonight,” Karen complained.
He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her face. Kissed her eyelids. Tasted the salt in the tears streaking down her cheeks. “You have to cry for us both.”
She wiped her cheeks, pushing the corners of her lips into a smile.
