He pulled out and I collapsed onto the bed, my knees like jelly. Brody lay on top of me, kissing the back of my neck, the backs of my shoulders, murmuring, “I love you, I love you.”
He lay beside me and I curled up in a ball beside him, my head on his chest, my hand wrapped around his strong shoulder as I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I had my boyfriend back. And he loved me.
* * *
The next morning, Brody rented a car for us to drive back to the ranch. When I asked about the others, he said, “Travis can take a turn driving the bus. He’ll have his mind on Regina the whole way anyway—for the record, don’t get your hopes up, I don’t think it’s going to last—I want to spend the return trip just the two of us. None of my family or your ex-boyfriends anywhere in sight.”
I threw my hand to my chest, widening my eyes in feigned shock. “What—you’re not coming with me?”
Pain crossed his face. “Don’t joke about that. I never once thought of myself as your ex.” He kissed me. “Let’s go home, baby girl.”
“Home. I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue
I was helping Memaw carry trays of biscuits out to the hall when the phone rang in the kitchen.
“Phone’s ringing!” Memaw yelled.
“I’ll get it.” Putting the warm tray down onto the table, I hurried back the way I had come to answer the phone.
“Gotcha!” I said, picking up the old-fashioned receiver of the landline on its third shrill ring. “Hello, CLAS Ranch.”
“Georgia? Is that you?”
“Darlene?” My brows rose in surprise. “What are you doing, calling the kitchen?”
She laughed into the phone. “I’ve been trying to call your cell for days. You obviously gave up on charging it since moving out to the middle of nowhere. I finally called Ted and got the number of the place you’ve been working. But he said he didn’t know the business line. He only ever called his grandma’s kitchen. I think he called her ‘seesaw,’ or something crazy like that.”
“It’s ‘Memaw,’” I giggled. “How are you, Darlene? It’s good to hear your voice.”
“I’m doing well—doing well. Can’t complain. Business is booming—which is why I called.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. It’s been six months.”
The memory of the horrid day I had been fired showed up in my head. In my repression, I’d completely forgotten Darlene had said to check back in six months to see about getting my job back.
Just then, Brody popped his head in the kitchen. I swatted his hand away as he grabbed a slice of bacon from a platter that was waiting to go out to the dining hall. You had to watch those cowboys, or they’d eat every slice before it even made its way out of the kitchen.
“Georgia? You there?”
“I’m here, Darlene. Sorry, there was a distraction.”
Brody’s brow furrowed as he mouthed the words, “Who is it?”
I mouthed back, “My old boss.”
“Your less hot boss?” he whispered, gyrating his hips like Magic Mike.
I suppressed a giggle as I waved him away with my hand. “How’ve you been, Darlene?”
“Um. We already covered that. You sound distracted, is this a bad time? Want me to call you back later?”
I turned my back to Brody. Trying to focus on the call, I said, “No, no. This is just fine. Six months, huh? That flew by!”
“I know, right? We miss you at the Vet and Pet, Georgia. I want you back.”
Wrapping the cord of the phone around my hand, I said, “I miss you too, Darlene.”
“The business has grown tremendously since you left. And you remain my single best employee to date. I want to offer you the position of assistant manager. The salary is about twenty percent more than you were making as assistant, and it comes with education assistance. Vet and Pet will subsidize the fees for you to go back to school part-time, if you use the money toward further vet training. You could get your Masters, or maybe even become a vet.”
“A real vet?” I joked halfheartedly.
“A vet who could run her own practice one day when she gets tired of old Darlene and the Vet and Pet Day Spa.”
A promotion. Moving back to Boise. With a salary that could afford an amazing downtown apartment. Ted and Kaley right down the road. My friendship with Gina healed. Indian food. Crepes. Shopping. Brand spanking new Rag & Bones delivered right to my doorstep.
But no spanking man.
It was a great offer. But it couldn’t compare to what I had here.
I turned back around to face Brody. His funny stripper façade was gone. Concern etched in the lines of his face. Warm brown eyes locked on mine.
Speaking into the phone, but with my eyes on Brody’s, I said, “That’s an amazingly generous offer, Darlene. But I made a year commitment here. And I’d like to see it through.”
Brody did a fist bump in the air. Leaping over to me in a single bound, he had his arms around my waist, lifting me until my Keds were swinging in the air. I laughed as the phone dropped from my hands, Darlene’s faint-sounding voice calling, “Georgia? Georgia?” from the handset.
Swirling me around in a circle, Brody finally put me down. His eyes danced excitedly. “You mean it?”
“Yes.”
And then he kissed me. On the lips. And I melted.
The End
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More Stormy Night Books by Shanna Handel
The Wolf’s Demand (with Maggie Ryan)
When twenty-four-year-old Cassandra Ambrosia foolishly puts her husband’s love for her to the test, the last thing she expects is for him to strip her bare, spank her until she is sore and sobbing, and then master her beautiful body more shamefully than she would have thought possible.
Deo Ambrosia has been gentle. He has kept the fearsome, primal beast inside him hidden. But Cassandra’s rash words have unwittingly triggered an ancient curse which has plagued his family for generations, and if he is to protect his wife he must teach her what it means to be the mate of an alpha wolf. She will be made to submit, to obey, and to surrender herself to him completely.
As Deo dominates Cassandra ever more thoroughly, taking her hard and often and punishing her whenever she disobeys, her passion is rekindled and soon burns hotter than ever. But with a terrible evil closing in, Deo and Cassandra will need more than just their own strength and courage. Their entire pack will have to stand and fight together if they are to prevail.
Buy on Amazon
Her Alpha Mates (with Maggie Ryan)
With his wife in grave danger from an ancient curse upon his family, alpha wolf Deo Ambrosia must take drastic measures, and as a last resort he calls upon the powerful dragon shifter Draco to help protect his headstrong mate.
Cassandra obeys the demands of the wolf. Submits to the call of the dragon. Gives her heart and soul to both. After exchanging the most sacred of vows, they are no longer one, but three. Will their love be enough to break the curse?
Though following the orders of two stern, dominant alpha shifters proves no easy task for Cassandra and she frequently finds herself facing stern and shameful discipline from her mates, she is shocked by the intensity of the pleasure when the two fearsome beasts both claim her at once. But will her penchant for reckless disobedience put the entire pack in even greater p
eril?
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The Power of the Pack (with Maggie Ryan)
With an ancient evil once again threatening to destroy everything she loves, Cassandra Ambrosia grows ever more determined in her search for the truth about herself, and at last she makes a discovery which could hold the key to finally breaking the curse on her family forever.
As Cassandra continues her hunt for answers, however, her mates struggle to keep their headstrong little human safe from both her enemies and her own recklessness. Deo and Draco do not hesitate to correct Cassandra as thoroughly and shamefully as they feel it necessary, yet even when her cheeks are blushing crimson and her well-punished bare bottom is sore both inside and out, she cannot help delighting in the hard, dominant lovemaking of her two alpha mates.
But the final battle is drawing nearer with every passing day, and even a wolf and a dragon cannot overcome the foes who approach on their own. If the Ambrosia family hopes to survive, they will need more than just their skill and courage. They will need the power of the pack.
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Shanna Handel Links
You can keep up with Shanna Handel via her website, her Twitter account, her Facebook page, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links:
https://www.shannahandel.com/
https://twitter.com/shannahandel
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16023769.Shanna_Handel
His Ranch, His Rules Page 18