by Jill Sanders
She ran a warm bath.
“In.” She motioned to the bath.
He smiled again. “Yes, ma’am.”
She laughed. “Don’t think I’m going to crawl in there with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I need to clean all that dirt out of your back side.”
He frowned and winced as she took out the antiseptic from the cabinet.
Before she knew it, he’d walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
“It could have been you,” he said into her hair. “You and Maggie.”
She shook her head, not really understanding him. He pulled back and looked down into her eyes.
“If you had gone on your walk last night. You or Maggie could have fallen through the bridge. It could have been you two down there. It would have killed me knowing that I never got to show you how much I love you.”
She closed her eyes and swayed a little. Just hearing the words caused her heart to skip.
He took her shoulders in his hands. “You said something about scrubbing my back?” She knew he was trying to lighten the mood.
She chuckled and watched him undress and step into the warm tub. He hissed a little when the water hit his back.
His skin was puckered and red and several spots were dark with fresh blood.
“This may hurt.” She grabbed a hand towel and the tweezers and got to work gently removing every pebble from his skin. When his skin was clear, she used a soft washcloth and cleaned his back one more time. He leaned back and closed his eyes, resting his head on the back of the tub.
“Why me?” She looked down at him until he opened his eyes.
He looked up at her in question. Then he leaned up and ran a damp hand over her face. “I guess I saw me in you.” He stood up and wrapped a towel around his waist. She tried very hard not to appreciate his toned body as he pulled on a shirt and shorts. Then he walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. “We’re the same, you and I. I guess we were both running from our demons. You from your uncle, me from my father.” He shook his head and then smiled a little. “Your strength, your caring. I couldn’t stop myself from falling for you.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“I love you, too,” she said, looking into his dark eyes. “I was going to tell you over dessert.” She laughed and shook her head. “I guess sometimes you just have to take it as you can get it.” She reached up and took his face in her hands. “I didn’t think I would ever feel this way about someone. I didn’t think I could.” She shook her head. “But, when I saw you carting Tracy up the hill…” She shook her head and closed her eyes quickly, then looked back up at him. “I knew. I knew I had changed enough to deserve love.”
He shook his head. “You’ve always deserved love, and you’ve had mine for a while now.”
She smiled. “Show me.” She started to pull him closer, but he backed up a step and shook his head.
“No, there’s one more thing standing in our way.” He shocked her by getting down on one knee right there in the bathroom of their small green house. “Savannah Douglas, I love you. I want to raise our daughter and maybe a few more kids as a family. Will you marry me?”
She looked down at him in his cut-off shorts, white cotton t-shirt, and wet hair. He didn’t have a fancy suit, or a fancy box with an expensive ring, but for the first time in her life, she realized this is what she’d dreamed of her entire life.
Smiling, she nodded her head. “Yes, Billy, I’ll marry you.”
Epilogue
Savannah stood at the edge of the dance floor and smiled across the room at Billy. The whole town of Fairplay had turned out for their wedding. She’d been extra happy that Tracy could stand as her only bridesmaid. Even though she had to lean on crutches, the young girl had smiled the entire time. Holly had shown up early at the church and had done Tracy’s hair and makeup. Savannah had to admit, she looked completely beautiful and happy in her silver bridesmaid’s dress.
Every seat in the large church downtown was full, and there had even been a group of people who stood along the back walls.
Everyone had laughed when Maggie had interrupted their kiss with, “Daddy kiss mommy.”
Now, as she waited for the last dance at their reception in the town hall, she glanced over at her mother and father, who were going to be babysitting Maggie for the next week. She didn’t know where Billy was taking her for their honeymoon, since he’d decided it was going to be a surprise. She didn’t care where they went, as long as they went together.
“Ready to leave, Mrs. Jackson?” He smiled at her.
“Only if you are, husband.” She smiled when he pulled her close and kissed her right on the dance floor as they swayed to the soft music. Cheers erupted, causing them to pull away and laugh.
“I say there’s no time like the present.” He took her hand and made a dash for the exit. But everyone was prepared and bombarded them with rice as they dashed out. She was a little breathless when they finally made it to the car.
“Who knew that Holly could run so fast.” She laughed as she looked out the back of the car.
“And Tracy, even with those crutches.” He smiled.
Billy had left the top down on his convertible and so they had continued to be pummeled as they drove away. Holly jogged beside the car and continued to throw rice at them until they made it out of the parking lot.
He chuckled and shook his head as he watched Holly. “Travis has been working out with her.”
She laughed. “I guess it’s a good thing I ended up with you.” She wrapped a lock of his dark hair around her fingertip.
“Oh?” He glanced over at her.
She nodded. “Yeah, I like slow walks and…” —she leaned and whispered in his ear—“fast sex.”
He blinked a few times and then, just on the outskirts of town, pulled the car over into an empty parking lot.
She took this opportunity to hike up her skirt and move over to straddle him.
“You’re killing me here.” He looked around the parking lot.
“Everyone in town is still enjoying the free bar and food at the party,” she whispered into his ear, pulling his face to hers. Then she took his hands and put them on her hips as she started to move over him. “Hang on to me.” She smiled down at him, a wicked sparkle in her blue eyes. “This is going to be a wild ride.”
Other books by Jill Sanders
The Pride Series
Finding Pride – Pride Series #1
Discovering Pride – Pride Series #2
Returning Pride – Pride Series #3
Lasting Pride – Pride Series #4
Serving Pride – Prequel to Pride Series #5
Red Hot Christmas – A Pride Christmas #6
My Sweet Valentine – Pride Series #7
Summer Crush – Pride Series #8
The Secret Series
Secret Seduction – Secret Series #1
Secret Pleasure – Secret Series #2
Secret Guardian – Secret Series #3
Secret Passions – Secret Series #4
Secret Identity – Secret Series #5
Secret Sauce – Secret Series #6
The West Series
Loving Lauren – West Series #1
Taming Alex – West Series #2
Holding Haley – West Series #3
Missy’s Moment – West Series #4
Breaking Travis - West Series #5
Roping Ryan - West Series #6
Wild Bride – West Series #7
For a complete list of books, visit JillSanders.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Follow Jill Sanders online at:
Web: www.jillsanders.com
Twitter: @jillmsanders
Facebook: jillsandersb
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ISBN: 978-1503041110
Copyright © 2014 Jill Sanders
Copyeditor: Erica Ellis – inkdeepediting.com
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
About the Author
Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride Series, the Secret Series, and the West Series romance novels. Having sold over 150,000 books within six months of her first release, she continues to lure new readers with her sweet and sexy stories. Her books are available in every English-speaking country, available in audio books, and are now being translated into six different languages.
Born as an identical twin in a large family, she was raised in the Pacific Northwest. She later relocated to Colorado for college and a successful IT career before discovering her talent as a writer. She now makes her home in charming rural Florida where she enjoys the beach, swimming, hiking, wine tasting, and, of course, writing.