Page 65 of Tough Justice
Duke kissed her forehead. “You just like that I keep pumping you full of chocolate.”
Laughing, she shrugged. “What can I say? You know the way to a girl’s heart.”
The Christmas music piping through speakers on the lamp posts faded, replaced by the crackling of a microphone. “Please make your way to the tree for the annual lighting.”
Suzy tugged on Duke’s hand. “Come on. It’s starting.”
With her hand attached to his, they led the way through the throngs of people until they found a spot where they could all have a good view of tree. Fat snowflakes floated from the sky.
Heather squealed. “Snow! Finally!”
Duke chuckled. “That’s the only thing she wanted to see here. I’m glad she finally got what she came for.”
Tilting her head to the side she studied the strong line of his jaw and gentle slope of his nose under his cowboy hat. “What about you? Did you get what you came here for?”
He ducked his chin to stare into her eyes. “When I showed up on Lane’s doorstep, I didn’t know what I wanted. What I needed. Instinct and a desire to outrun my past carried me to Wyoming. But the second I laid eyes on you, everything changed. My reason for being became clear. You brought me to Hillmore. Your spirit led me here, and your heart is what kept me. I came here seeking peace and what I found is so much more. I found love. I found you.”
Rising on her toes, she circled her arms around his neck and kissed him deep and hard. Happiness filled her entire being as love for this man grew by the second.
A countdown began around them, people cheering and chanting as the number shrank.
She broke the kiss but kept her face close to his as the crowd yelledoneand the lights blazed on the green branches. A gasp caught in her throat the way it always did when the tree sprang to life. “It’s so beautiful.”
“The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She faced Duke, and the look in his eyes told her he wasn’t talking about the tree.
But neither was she, or at least not only the tree. It was the town and the people in it, the family who stood beside her in the moment that made her world look so darn good.
And it was the man in front of her. He didn’t complete her life, but he made it a heck of a lot fuller and filled it with so much joy.
“I love you, cowboy.”
He tipped the brim of his hat. “Darn tootin, ya do.”
She threw her head back and laughed. Life alongside Duke would never be boring and it’d always be filled with laughter and love.
EPILOGUE
The spring wind howled outside, keeping Suzy planted on the couch buried under a warm blanket. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of all this rain.”
Duke pulled her closer. With his arm draped over her shoulder, he brushed the tips of his fingers along the soft skin of her arm. “I kind of like it. At least on days like today when I don’t have to work. Cold enough for the fire blazing in the hearth, and we can cuddle all day and watch movies without guilt. Kind of perfect.”
“Watch movies, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it now?” Her mind drifted back to the way they’d spent their lazy morning in bed. Nothing on a television screen could have tempted her away from Duke and the wicked ways he made her feel.
Her toes curled at the thought of it.
His hoarse chuckle skimmed the back of her neck. “Call it whatever you want as long as we can do it again.”
She slapped playfully at his chest. “Glad to see you plan on taking full advantage of finally having a day from work. You guyshave been so busy lately. I feel like I never get to see you, except when you come into the office for a quick hello.”
He frowned. “It’s been good that business is kicking up, but not without its growing pains. There are a couple of things in the works that might help.”
Intrigued, she tucked her feet under her and shifted to face him. “Really? I haven’t heard anything.”
“Lane and I’ve been discussing adding a new security specialist.”
“That would help,” she said. “Any idea who?”
