With care, he slipped the ribbon the rest of the way from her hair, and it reminded her of their first true night together, when he’d loosened her hair and it had spread over her shoulders for him to touch, to run his fingers through.
“My Violet,” he said softly. “You know I love you just like you are, right? You know that when I bought you those dresses and booked that makeover, I only wanted to show you how I felt. That I wanted to make you feel special. It’s only that I wasn’t sure how to do that either, and it ended up coming out wrong.”
He’d arrived at that realization without her having to spell out how she’d felt about the shopping spree and spa, and a glow spread from the center of her outward.
They would always be able to read each other.
“So,” she said, just to be sure, “you weren’t making me over so I would be—”
“Like the other women I used to date? I wondered about that, too, until I almost lost you today. No one can even touch you, Vi. No one even comes close.”
Tears gathered in her throat, then flooded her eyes.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She ran her fingertips over his cheek, down to his jaw. A tiny thrill buzzed up her hand, her arm, joining the glow in her core. “That’s something I’m going to work on—trust. I didn’t have any of it after I left St. Valentine, and it was so hard to have it with you when I came back.”
“But I’ll make sure it’s easy for you to have it now.”
“Me, too. I never want you to think that I want a job in San Francisco, or that I’m itching to get back to L.A.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” She impulsively kissed him, letting her mouth linger against his as she spoke. “I kept telling myself that I missed the city, but that was before I knew just what I was going to miss here if I were ever fool enough to leave again.”
“I promise I won’t do anything that’ll make you want to leave.”
“I promise that I’m always yours.”
He smiled against her lips, then laughed, holding up the ribbon from her hair.
After he wrapped it around her ring finger, then tied it, he said, “Will this work for a promise ring? For the time being, at least?”
She raised her hand, admiring the ribbon, a tear slipping down her cheek. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen because the gesture had come from the very depths of him.
“I told you,” she said, “I don’t need expensive gifts when I have you.”
They kissed again, sealing their promises.
And when Davis scooped her into his arms again, she knew that the ring he’d put on her would always be far more valuable than diamonds or gold.
He was her treasure, forevermore.
* * *
Davis carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom, where he set her on her feet then closed the door to the rest of the universe.
As he walked back to her, the sun filtered in through the sliding screen door that led to a balcony, backlighting her so that her hair was a fiery red. She pushed her hair away from her face, and her light brown gaze was shiny, eager, but it wasn’t because she didn’t know what to expect from him this time.
Thanks to her, he saw everything in a different light—this moment between them, when there would be love instead of just lust. He even saw the world in a better way, because this was the woman who’d given him back his pride. She’d had the power to make him recognize just what he’d done for this town and how much he’d grown from the playboy everyone had expected him to be.
This was the woman who would be his partner, his lover, his everything, and he wanted to savor her in a new way—not just as a guy who was making up for something lost, but as a man who had found exactly who and what he needed.
She slipped off her shoes, kicking them away, and he ran his hands up and down her arms, watching as goose bumps spread across her smooth skin.
“I’m going to do that to every inch of you,” he said.
“You already have.”
“Vi, we haven’t even gotten started.”
He rested his hand in the dip between her collarbones, at the base of her throat. As he dragged his hand down between her breasts, it was obvious that he’d excited other parts of her, too, and he cupped her fullness, his thumbs sketching over her nipples.
She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and her reaction sent a shot of heat to his groin.
When he swept his hands lower, to her waist, she reached up to unbutton her top. He stroked his hands to her back, seeking the zipper of her skirt.
She peeled off her top, wiggled out of her skirt, leaving on only her white bra and panties. Her curves made his temperature surge, made him go harder.
He stripped off his shirt then his boots and socks as she unhooked her bra. A hail of clothing hit the ground.
Before she went any further, though, he rested his hands on her hips, caressing her toned stomach with his thumbs.
She held her breath as he lazily traveled his hands up, over her breasts, then explored more of her—down her back, over her rear end. Then he pulled her against him.
When she felt his stiffness, she gasped. And the sound only grew when he coaxed off her panties, bending down so she could step out of them one leg at a time.
He urged her legs apart.
“Oh.” The word escaped her—stimulated, anticipating.
He skimmed his hands up her calves to the inside of her thighs, and up even more until his thumbs separated her.
When he kissed her there, she seemed to lose her balance, but he made sure she stayed standing as he loved her, taking pleasure out of how she moaned and grasped his hair, shifting, restless as she winced, cried out a little, then a lot, then—
She shuddered to a climax, and he brought her to the bed, shucking off his jeans.
Against the white of his comforter, she was flushed, her hands threaded through her hair. The tumbled, satiated look of her spiked a fever in him, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
He took a condom out of his nightstand drawer, slipping it on, going to Violet’s open arms and laying his body over hers.
As he slid into her, she welcomed him as he’d never been welcomed before, surrounded by her in the most intimate embrace. They rocked together in a sultry rhythm that grew more urgent with every moment, tying themselves up in each other like the ribbon he’d wrapped around her finger in an eternal vow.
As he moved in her, he felt cocooned, wrapped more and more… Tangled…lifted…held in the air on a breathtaking pause…
Then, with a rush, he blasted apart, spinning down, unraveling, dizzy—
But just as he thought he would hit the ground hard, he felt her, Violet, holding him, bringing him back together.
Heart to heart.
Soul to soul.
* * *
A few days later, the Queen of Hearts was bursting at the seams, full of family and friends as Violet and Davis stood near the bar.
She looked up at him, unable to stop smiling. Every single person in this room knew why they were here, but she’d been dying to make this official announcement, anyway.
Davis held her gaze with his deep blue eyes and smiled, too. Every time he did it, ecstatic shivers consumed her. But there was something else, as well, and it’d been given free rein ever since the other day.
Love.
And it was only going to grow, Violet thought, slipping her hand into his as they faced the crowd. Davis’s mother was nowhere to be seen, but Violet spied her parents—Mom wiping at the happy tears in her eyes and Dad with his chin raised, although the hint of a smile played on his mouth. Then there was Rita near the front, with Kristy standing on a chair so she could see as she held onto a brunette, ringlet-haire
d doll. Wiley Scott was at the bar with a mug of root beer, ready for a toast, as he beamed at his protégés. Even Aaron Rhodes was here, near the back, at a table of women who couldn’t keep their eyes off of him.
Other townsfolk had turned out, too, mainly the old-timers Violet had been interviewing for her Tony Amati story. But there were a couple of ex-miners on the fringes, as if they were curious about the ruckus and had wandered in.
Oddest of all, though, was the sight of the Jared Colton in the corner of the bar, wearing his black cowboy hat just as low as ever. Violet didn’t know if it was purposeful or not, but he was sitting near the picture of Tony Amati that she had shown him that first night.
You can run, Violet thought, but you can’t hide. She and Davis were going to get to the bottom of his story—and Tony Amati’s—yet.
The town she was growing to love a little more each day would be the better for it.
“Thanks for coming,” Davis finally said, quieting everyone down.
When the buzz fully settled, he went on, his arm around Violet.
“We’re glad you could be here, because there’re a couple things we’d like to share.”
Aaron loudly cleared his throat, and Violet saw that, not far behind his table, Jennifer Neeson was seated with Lianna Hurst and the mayor, as if they were all buddies now. Interesting times.
“Is it going to take you fifteen more years to make these announcements?” Aaron said.
Laughter filled the room.
Davis laughed, too. “There’s nobody who’s been waiting longer than the two of us.”
As everyone applauded, Davis gave Violet another hug, then a kiss that drew even more approval.
“Anyhow,” Davis said, as he kept his gaze on Violet, then reluctantly dragged it away, “there’s more of a civic announcement we’d like to make first. Most of you are familiar with the old Hamill property just outside St. Valentine. You know it’s been deserted for quite a while, but we’d like to put it to good use as a sort of town project.”
The room stilled as Davis outlined what he and Violet had talked about that sunny day at the ranch, just before they’d made love for the first time since she’d returned. He talked about jobs for St. Valentine, a ranch where disadvantaged kids could interact with and raise horses, a glimmer of hope for so many who needed it.
Applause met the announcement until Davis held up his hand. “There’s more.”
Violet couldn’t wait another second, and she held up her hand, showing everyone the simple, elegant diamond ring on her finger. It was twined in a beautiful rope that would never undo itself.
And that was when all control in the room crumbled. Wiley and Rita rushed up to them, congratulating and hugging them. More townspeople took their turns, too. Little Kristy was delighted when it came time to embrace Violet, and she had the new couple hug her doll, too. Even the people whom Violet didn’t think gave a fig about her seemed sincerely happy, and when she caught Davis’s eye, he saw how satisfied he was that she had finally come home.
And that he had found a true one in her, too.
When Davis announced that drinks were on the house, there was even more of a clamor toward the bar, and she was separated from him, pulled away by Rita.
Right away she felt as if she was missing an important part of herself. Out of the corner of her gaze she saw Aaron Rhodes slapping Davis on the back, laughing with his friend.
Rita used her hand to guide Violet’s focus back to her. “There’re other people in the room, you know.”
“Sorry.”
Laughing, Rita gave her another big hug. “I can’t believe it. The infamous Violet and Davis finally worked it out. I’m so happy for you.”
She had said it a little too giddily, and there was a strange blush on Rita’s cheeks.
Something was up.
Violet narrowed her gaze at her, asking without asking, and Rita glanced over at Kristy to check on her. She shouldn’t have bothered, because Wiley was entertaining the girl with the doll.
Rita pulled Violet toward the back of the restaurant, in the hallway near the grill where there was relative quiet.
“What’s going on?” Violet asked.
Rita gave her a massive grin and looked as if she were about to explode.
She’d never seen her friend this way, not even when Kevin, her own first love and the man who’d eventually run off on her, had asked Rita out on her first date in high school.
“It finally happened for me,” she said.
“What?”
“Love.”
Violet widened her eyes. “Wow. I…” She squeezed her friend’s hands. “That’s great. Who…? How…?”
“Last night. He was passing through town on a business trip and… Vi, I know I don’t usually do these kinds of things, but it just happened. And he’s the one. I know it more than I’ve ever known anything.”
Whoa. Rita was probably the most careful woman around. She’d been hurt just as much as Violet and Davis in the past. Besides that, she was incredibly mindful of Kristy and her feelings about bringing another man into the picture.
It was bad enough that Rita had grown up in this town with the reputation of being dumped and pregnant, so she’d always kept to herself. But this?
Whoa.
Rita rushed on. “He had to leave this morning, but he’s going to be back, after he takes care of some ranching business.” She smiled again, absolutely glowing. “I never believed in love at first sight, but there was something about him that made me change my mind. It’s almost a…”
“Miracle?”
“Yes.”
Violet wouldn’t argue with that. “What’s his name?”
“Conn Flannigan. He was in the bar last night.”
Violet hadn’t been working, but she wished she’d been there. Dammit. She had a bad feeling about this.
Had Rita lost her head? It was one thing for Violet to have gotten back together with an old boyfriend, but this Conn guy was a stranger.
Just as she was about to ask her friend a load of questions, Violet’s mom found them.
“There you are. You’ve got to see this.”
Violet gave Rita a helpless glance as Mom pulled her out of the hallway, and Rita just shrugged in an it’s-okay-we’ll-talk-later way.
Yeah, they would talk. That was for sure.
Once out in the main room, Mom pointed toward the bar, where Davis was sitting next to…
Dad?
“Tell me this is a good thing,” Violet said.
Mom patted her arm. “He’s just congratulating him. Your father’s going to be one hundred percent fine about this, Vi. It took a bit for him to let go of his little girl, but Davis has a good heart. Dad really does believe that.”
When Dad heartily shook Davis’s hand, then left the bar, Violet smiled at Mom, then went to her future husband.
“Now,” she said, holding his hand, “we’ll wait for your mother to show up.”
“Right,” Davis said. “Maybe that could happen eventually. If she doesn’t come around, though, I don’t see how she’ll expect a relationship with me.” He kissed her. “You’re my life, my will-be wife…my everything.”
Violet kissed him back. “You’re everything to me, too.”
And as the people of St. Valentine laughed and came together, even in this small way, Davis and Violet wrapped their arms around each other.
Never letting go.
* * * * *
Look for the next book in Crystal Green’s new miniseries,
ST. VALENTINE, TEXAS
Coming soon, wherever Harlequin books are sold.
ISBN: 9781459227347
Copyright © 2012 by Chris Marie
Green
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