by Devney Perry
The family time would be great, but more than anything, I couldn’t wait to give Sabrina this trip. She was more excited than Ella, Peyton and Tanner combined.
My phone chimed in my pocket as I pulled a suitcase from the top shelf in the closet.
Shortcake: Just leaving. I’m kissing the kids and then we’re locking the door.
Hell, yeah. Packing would have to wait until the morning.
Stripping down to nothing, I slid into bed to wait for my wife. Propping myself up against the headboard, I reached for the book on my nightstand.
I had read every single book that Sabrina had written. Romance novels weren’t my thing but hers were the exception. I’d reread most of them more times than I could count. I swelled with pride whenever I read something written by my talented wife. I loved finding hints of Sabrina in her main characters.
The one I held tonight was my favorite, Holt’s Compass. This one was my book.
Flipping to the beginning, I read the dedication.
To Beau.
The hero who stole my heart.
The man of my dreams.
The love of my life.
She’d written that when we were apart, which made it all the more special.
I read it again then heard the garage door open downstairs. Setting my book aside, I grinned and stared at the door. The kids had been right earlier. She was going to be mad. Lucky for me, it wasn’t the real kind of mad. She’d do her best to put on an angry face—it was cute as hell—but with one kiss, she’d be all smiles again.
When her bare feet padded down the hall, I dropped the grin and rested my hands behind my head.
“Beau, you should see the boys. They’re so cu—” She crossed through the door and stopped dead, her eyes widening as her jaw dropped.
“Hi, angel.”
“What. Did. You. Do?”
I grinned. “It gets hot in Florida. I thought this might be cooler.”
“We’re taking pictures, Beau!” She fisted her hands on her hips. “When I bring them back and show everyone, no one is going to recognize you. They’re all going to say, ‘Who is that strange man holding Ella’s hand?’ ”
That or they were going to ask why she’d taken Michael to Florida, because with my hair buzzed off like his and no beard, I was my brother’s doppelganger.
“It’s not that bad,” I said. “Besides, now the boys and I have matching haircuts.”
“Where are those clippers?” She sprinted from the door toward the bathroom.
I whipped off the sheet and ran after her, barely rescuing my clippers before she could take them apart.
With her pinned in my arms, my cock getting hard against the top of her ass, I bent down to kiss her neck. “I’ll grow them back.”
“Yeah, you will.” She was still pretending to be mad but I could feel her shiver when I kissed her again.
“Do you still love me even though I look different?”
She huffed. “You know I do.”
“Do you still think I’m sexy?” I slid my fingers into the waistband of her jeans and fingered her pussy.
“Obviously,” she panted as I rubbed her wetness up to her clit.
My fingers kept working and she started to melt in my arms. “I’ll make you a deal, Shortcake. I’ll promise to let you dictate the length of my hair in exchange for a new puppy.”
“You jerk!” She laughed, yanking my hand out of her pants and spinning around to playfully smack me on the bare chest. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
I shrugged. I’d been wanting another dog for months but she had always refused, not wanting Boone to be put out by a puppy. I admit, this negotiation tactic may have been extreme but I was pretty sure she wouldn’t say no this time.
“What do you say? Have we got a deal?”
She sighed. “Fine.”
Damn, I love this woman.
“Good.” I smiled and wrapped her in my arms, lifting her up to carry her to bed.
The next morning, the bags were loaded, the kids were arguing over puppy names in the back seat of our car, and Sabrina’s hand was holding mine as I drove us to the airport.
I’d told Sabrina once that I wasn’t a dreamer. That was still true. I’d leave the dreams to her and to my children.
Because I didn’t need to dream.
I already had everything I could ever hope for, right here in my car.
Last summer, my husband was invited on a hunting trip to Idaho. He went with a friend of his that has a couple of small planes, so rather than drive, they decided to fly. On their flight out, my husband kept spotting these small strips of bare land in the mountains and asked his pilot friend what they were all about. The pilot shared that those strips were actually U.S. Forest Service outposts spotted throughout the mountains. The open fields were for small airplanes, like his, in case they needed to make emergency landings. When my husband came home and told me about his trip and the flights, I was instantly fascinated by the idea of these outposts and knew it would make a unique setting for a novel. I have taken some fictional liberties with Sabrina’s outpost but I hope you’ve been able to picture it as a place where she was able to fall in love with Montana and with Beau.
I am incredibly, incredibly lucky to have such an amazing team of women who add their special touches to each of my books. To my editor, Elizabeth Nover. My cover designer, Sarah Hansen. My proofreader, Julie Deaton. My formatter, Stacey Blake. Thank you!!!
Also, a huge thanks to Nazarea at InkSlinger PR, the team at EverAfter Romance and all of the amazing book bloggers who have been so wonderful in promoting this series.
And a special thanks to you. Thanks for reading The Outpost.
The Bitterroot Inn
Don’t miss the last book in the Jamison Valley series.
Coming January 2018!
Her past. His secrets. They have more in common than she knows.
Maisy is happily content with the life she’s built for herself and her young son in small-town Prescott, Montana. Her child is thriving, her business is growing, and her family is as close as they’ve ever been. But when a handsome stranger walks into the lobby of her motel, her simple life is swept up in a wave of affection for his gentle heart. None of those feelings can be trusted, though. She made that mistake before with another man. The man she murdered.
Hunter was a different man when he first saw Maisy Holt from afar. He took one look at her and ran in the opposite direction. But years later, he’s back in Montana and unable to keep his distance. He shouldn’t have tried to find her but he never was good at rejecting temptation. The promise of the good she could bring into his life is too hard to resist. Maybe if he can disguise the lies and hide the deceit, he can keep her from learning the truth. Because his only chance at a future with her is by burying his past.
Buy Now: The Bitterroot Inn
Devney lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories.
www.devneyperry.com
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