Page 87 of Cold as Stone
I look up at him, this man who’s become my anchor, my safe harbor, my everything. “Now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
His smile is soft, private, the one he saves just for me. “Good. Because you’re stuck with us now.”
“Poor me,” I tease, then squeal as he tickles my ribs in retaliation.
“Hey, lovebirds,” Bones calls out from across the room. “Save the foreplay for later. We’re trying to have a civilized party here.”
“This is civilized?” Mercy asks, gesturing to where two prospects are engaged in what appears to be an arm-wrestling tournament that’s devolved into a full wrestling match on the floor.
“For us? Yeah,” Cash says with a grin. “You should see what our unruly parties look like.”
“I’m not sure I want to,” I reply, though I’m smiling. This is everything I never knew I needed.
Stone approaches our couch, a beer in each hand. He hands me one.
“Welcome to the family, kid.”
I gulp, fighting back tears. “Thanks.”
Lee’s arm tightens around me. “Hey,” he says softly. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I laugh at myself. “Sorry. It’s just… I’ve never really had this before.”
“Well, you do now,” Duck says, appearing beside Stone with his wife on his arm. “And we don’t let go easy.”
Maggie, a petite woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked hair, reaches out to squeeze my hand. “I hope you know how happy we all are that you’re here. Lee’s been like a different person since you came back to town.”
“Different how?” I ask, curious.
“Settled,” she says simply. “Happy. It seems he’s finally found what he was looking for.”
I glance at Lee, who’s gone slightly pink around the ears. “Is that so?”
“Ginger’s got a big mouth,” he mutters, but there’s affection in his voice.
“Maggie’s right,” Stone adds. “You’re good for him, Kya. Good for all of us. Devil’s has become the heart of this community again because of what you’ve done there.”
“I just cleaned it up and fixed the beer taps,” I protest.
“I believeIfixed the taps,” Lee says, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.
“You did more than that,” Bones says, joining our little circle. “You made it a place people want to be again.”
There’s a sharp rap on the clubhouse door. One of the prospects disengages from the wrestling session and returns a minute later, Josie Bright trailing him.
“My apologies for the interruption,” she says, glancing around. “But I have some good news.” She hands Stone a folder. “The council voted down the first residential rezoning bill. As of this morning, the proposal is dead in the water.”
A cheer goes up from the brothers who’ve gathered around to listen. Lee’s hand finds mine, squeezing tight.
“What changed their minds?” I ask.
Her sharp gaze turns to me. “It seems your victory at Devil’s was a strong motivator. When they couldn’t intimidate you into selling, it sent a message to the rest of the property owners in the area. My office has been inundated with parties interested in being represented.”
“So it’s over?”
“This phase of it, yes. They’ll be back eventually—companies like Summit always are. But you bought the community time, and you proved they can be beaten. Legally.” She says the last word as she glares at Stone. He meets her gaze with his own.
The cheer that goes up this time is deafening. Someone cranks up the music, drinks flow freely, and the party kicks into high gear. I’m passed from person to person, receiving congratulations, hearing stories, and getting pulled into the kind of easy banter that makes my heart full.
