Page 24 of Protector of Misty Mountain
I leaned over and kissed the crown of her head. “Guess we’ve both been wrong before.”
When we pulled up to the cabin, Scout bounded off the porch. Appie sat in the window like the judgmental gremlin he was, watching us as we came up the steps.
“Don’t go inside yet,” I said.
Juniper blinked up at me, that soft curiosity lighting her face. “What’s going on?”
I walked ahead and reached for the small motion light. Flicked it on. She followed my gaze to the new wooden sign I’d mounted next to the door—freshly carved, sanded smooth, the edges burned just enough to give it depth.
Wild Haven
She didn’t say anything at first. Just stared at it, lips parted, hands clasped in front of her like she didn’t know what to do with them.
“I figured it was time we named the place,” I said, my voice lower than usual. “Your photos, this mountain, the lodge… what we’ve built. All of it. This is ours now.”
When she looked at me, her eyes shimmered. “You made that?”
“Of course I did.”
“You big soft grump.”
“Don’t ruin my image,” I grumbled, even as she threw her arms around me and kissed me full on the mouth.
It wasn’t like the kiss we’d shared that first night in the kitchen. This one was slower. Steady. Like a promise of forever. Like finally coming home.
