by Liz Talley
He broke the kiss and smiled at her. “See? That’s a beginning.”
Her eyes glowed in the waning light of the day. “So that’s what a beginning feels like?”
“Yep. And just wait till you get to the middle. It’s going to be even better.”
“Juggling our family, this town and our jobs—”
“We’ll do it together. A united team.”
She arched an eyebrow. “You sound sure about that.”
“I am. As certain as I can be.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Taking a chance can be hard for everyone. I know you’ve been hurt, but lots of people have been hurt and they go on, putting one foot in front of the other. They don’t ignore love or avoid it.”
“I wasn’t trying to avoid— Okay, I was trying to avoid love. I wanted to make my world a little more stable. Even though I know I love you, it still feels like I’m climbing into a roller coaster. It feels—”
“Like love should,” he finished for her.
Dawn smiled. “I do like roller coasters.”
“See? I’m already learning new things about you. So buckle up and get ready to scream,” he said, dropping little kisses on her forehead, nose, mouth.
“I’m guessing y’all don’t need this?”
They both turned their heads to where Laurel stood in the doorway. She waved a pathetic piece of mistletoe in one hand.
Tyson bent his head and gave Dawn a peck. “Nope.”
Laurel rolled her eyes. “Jeez. Don’t go grossing me out, Dad.”
He dropped his arms from Dawn. “I don’t need that for Dawn, but I might need that mistletoe for you.”
He leaped toward Laurel who shrieked, threw the parasitic sprig at him, and flew down the hallway toward the stairs. Tyson thundered after her making kissing noises.
The girl’s laughter was the icing on Dawn’s cake. The big cake she’d made for herself in her head. The one that said Happy Ever After.
She couldn’t believe it. Yesterday, her world had crashed around her. Today, it had been resurrected with three little words.
Tyson loved her.
Dawn reveled in the glow. She’d finally found her place in the world. In Oak Stand, Texas. In the arms of the man she loved.
She wasn’t going to overthink it. She was just going to do it.
She mentally clicked that safety belt in place. She was ready for the ride.
EPILOGUE
DAWN KNOTTED THE TIES on the last of the trash bags and sank onto the settee in the parlor. She and Tyson were the last people left at the center after the Tucker House Holiday Extravaganza. Her toes ached in the new boots she’d bought and her voice was scratchy from singing karaoke with Ester. The woman did a mean Elvis Presley impersonation.
The King was likely rolling in his grave. Or on that private island he’d escaped to. Whichever.
But Dawn had never been happier.
Tyson turned off the parlor light so only the glow from the Christmas tree lit the room. He sank onto the settee beside Dawn, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her close so she rested against him. “Whew, you throw quite a party, lady.”
“It was fun. They loved it, didn’t they?”
“Who knew they were such karaoke fans? Poor Rufus pulled a muscle on his tribute to show tunes. I had to get him a heat pack.”
She laughed as she snuggled closer into his warmth. Tyson was like a constant well-tended fire, always warming her, lighting her fire, physically and emotionally.
“Did you like the gift?”
She chuckled. Tyson had given her a beautiful red leather daily planner. “It’s totally appropriate.”
“You’re not disappointed?”
She shook her head. How could she be disappointed? Tyson was as he’d always been. The steadfast guy. The one she’d always needed. No fancy lingerie or flashy jewelry would ever be beneath her Christmas tree. Only well-thought-out gifts that suited her nature and needs. “No way. I need a new one of those.”
“I guess you didn’t look through it?”
She shook her head as a niggling of something popped into her mind. What had he put in her planner?
She sprang from his arms and crossed the room to where she’d set the bag containing her gift. She pulled the planner from the depths and returned to Tyson.
“Did you schedule something for me?” she asked, wriggling into her original position. She fit perfectly beneath his arm.
“I don’t know. You’d better look,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. She fingered the gilded “D” on the front cover before leafing through the pages. She thumbed through January, February and March with no sign of anything unusual. “I don’t see anything.”
“Check out May.”
She turned to May and started through the weeks. At the end of the month she found something that made her swallow.
Hard.
“I know how you like to plan everything. I hope you don’t find it too presumptuous, but that was Grady and Annie’s wedding day.”
Dawn turned her eyes on him. “Wedding day?”
He shifted and pulled a box from the depths of his pants pocket. “It’s a little early. Not yet Christmas. But I bought this in Jefferson. I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
He opened the box and a square emerald winked at her in the festive light of the tree. “Dawn Claire, I love you more than I ever thought I could love a woman. Will you marry me?”
The emotion swirling within her nearly choked her. She could feel the tears coming, the sob lingering at the back of her throat. Her heart contracted so hard in her chest that she pressed a trembling hand to it.
Tyson wanted to marry her.
“I—I—it’s too fast. I don’t want to—”
He pressed a finger against her lips. “No more, Dawn. No more being scared. We’re in this together.”
She swallowed again and looked into his whiskey eyes. They were so warm, so certain.
“Look at the ring.”
She did. It was gorgeous. Square-cut emerald flanked by two rounded diamonds. It was obviously an antique, set in white gold with small etchings.
“I saw it in a window and knew it belonged on your finger. No traditional diamond for my Dawn. You are unique. And I saw the promise in the stone. It’s green, like life. A symbol of what you have given back to me.”
The tears trembling on her lashes fell. This man got her. This man was the right one. So worth the risk. Finally.
“Yes,” she croaked. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His lips brushed hers as he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her left hand. No cold metal, only warmth from the ring. It felt as if it had always belonged there.
And she knew that she belonged in Tyson’s arms.
And on May 28 she’d make it official. She’d stay in his arms forever.
She had to. It was already scheduled in her planner.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7644-8
THE WAY TO TEXAS
Copyright © 2010 by Amy R. Talley
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
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.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book please contact us at [email protected].
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are
registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com