His hands rested on her skin, the blood making them tacky against her neck. He could kill her in a split second. There was nothing stopping him, except himself.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Eliza.”
He fell to his knees, letting go of her neck, letting go of his anger. She turned to face him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Tears fell freely down her face as Eliza accepted his love in return.
Grady Wolfe had found his mate.
Epilogue
‡
December, 1873
The cabin was nestled in a perfect valley covered with rich green grass in the summer and a foot of snow in the winter. Guardians of towering trees protected the brook that meandered through the property. A small barn with a new corral completed the picture.
Eliza stepped outside of the house and shivered against the cold. She pressed her scarf to her mouth, and still, puffs of her breath sneaked through into the blue wool. The scarf wasn’t thick enough, but Grady had purchased it for her to match her eyes, so it was her favorite.
Her boots crunched on the snow as she walked slowly to the barn with a pail of water dangling from her hand. It was the day before Christmas, another holiday she hadn’t celebrated in her life. Truthfully, being with Grady was like a holiday every day.
She slid the barn door open and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind her. It wasn’t snowing yet, but the sky was threatening to start at any moment. Eliza wanted to get the animals fed and watered before she had to shovel her way to get to them.
“Good morning, Daisy.” She stopped at the cow’s stall first and rubbed her nose. “I’ll milk you in just a bit.”
The brown-eyed milk cow had been their first purchase after settling in their house. Eliza had missed having fresh butter, cream, and cheese. Although he’d listened when she taught him how to do farm chores, she knew he really didn’t want to touch Daisy’s teats. That was okay with Eliza because her own were much more interested in his touch.
With a smile born of contentment, Eliza went to Bullseye’s stall first. The bay had seemed to adjust nicely to being off the trail. She filled his water trough then moved to the next.
Grady had surprised her with a new horse, a mare with a sweet disposition and a mane as black close to the color of her own hair. The white blaze on her nose was the only color Midnight sported. She came right over to Eliza and nuzzled her as she filled the water trough.
“Good morning to you too, girl. Hungry?” Eliza checked to be sure the blanket was secure on Midnight’s back before she stepped back out to get the feed.
As she filled a scoop from the sack on the crate in the corner, she couldn’t help but think of how different her life was. A year ago, she had been living under the iron fist of her father, unhappy and trapped. Now, she was married to the man she loved, living in a cozy cabin, spending her days cooking and enjoying life, and her nights making love.
Nothing could be more perfect, except for one thing. She had a Christmas gift for her husband and couldn’t wait to give it to him.
After she fed and checked on the horses, she took the now empty bucket to Daisy’s stall. The cow was lowing with impatience to be milked. Eliza hadn’t ever thought she’d enjoy milking a cow, but she did now.
The milk steamed in the cold morning air as it hit the bucket. She finished as quickly as she could to get back into the cabin before Grady woke. The coffee and biscuits were probably ready as well.
She left the barn, and the cold made her eyes nearly freeze. It was colder than she ever remembered it being, and the air was sharp with the threat of snow. The gunmetal sky had gotten darker. As she stepped onto the front porch, a snowflake landed on her nose.
Christmas snow was special, a blanket of white to bring in the day where there was peace and joy everywhere. Eliza stepped into the cabin and closed the door against the icy cold.
“Snowing yet?” Grady sat at the table with coffee and a biscuit, with his shirt unbuttoned and barefoot. He looked good enough to eat.
“Just started.” She slipped off her boots, coat, hat and scarf, then went to stand by the fire to warm her hands. Her skin prickled from the sudden heat, and she rubbed them briskly. Grady came up behind her and pressed his body against hers.
He jumped when they touched. “Jesus Christ, Liz, you’re colder than a wi—um, really cold.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her. “I can warm you up.”
Although they’d made love the night before, her body was instantly and completely aroused. Her nipples peaked against her chemise, a silk one he’d insisted she wear because it was sexy.
“Oh, I think I’d like that.”
He kissed her neck up to her ear.
“Do you find yourself with any regrets?” She couldn’t help but ask because she’d been wondering.
“Not one.”
“Restless perhaps?”
“No, there’s too much to do around here, and you keep wanting to get me into bed.”
Eliza smiled. “You did give up your life and career.”
He turned her around until she could stare into his beloved dark eyes. “No, I gave up nothing. When I married you, I started my life.”
Eliza’s heart skipped a beat at the honesty and love in his gaze. “Me, too. Are you happy?”
“Damn happy.”
She giggled. “Me, too.” Christmas day was too far away. She had to tell him. “I have a gift for you.”
He kissed her while he continued to rub his body against hers. “Tomorrow is for gifts.”
“I can’t wait until tomorrow. I want to give it to you now.”
Grady looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Okay, if you really want to.”
She couldn’t help the smile on her face, so wide it actually hurt her cheeks. “Grady, we’re going to—”
A knock at the door stopped her. He scowled at it. “Who the hell is that?”
Eliza kissed him quick. “It’s Christmas Eve, be nice. Now get yourself dressed while I answer the door.”
“Fine, I’ll get dressed, but I only have to be nice to you.” He pinched her fanny as she walked away from him.
Laughing, she opened the door to find her sister on her doorstep. Eliza gasped in surprise, her stomach somewhere near her throat. She hadn’t seen Angeline since the night in the woods more than a year earlier.
“Merry Christmas, Eliza.”
Eliza turned to look at her husband who stood there with a gun in his hand. Her sister had almost ended their relationship, and now it appeared, she would step back into their lives.
“Merry Christmas, Angeline.”
THE END
About the Author
Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind.
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The Heart Series
Ruthless Heart
Restless Heart
Boundless Heart
Published
by Beth Williamson
Copyright © 2021 Beth Williamson
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ISBN: 978-1-943089-55-0
Ruthless Heart Page 24