Awareness shimmered to life in her eyes as she got out of the chair. “I was. All night.”
“And I woke up.”
“Once.”
She was killing him with her short answers. He lifted his hand out of the way as she sat on the edge of his bed, then set it back down to rest on her leg. She covered his hand with hers—
“Mr. Morgan, are you doing okay?”
He laid his head back, frowning in the direction of the nurse hovering in the doorway. “I’d be better if you could take this thing off me.” He gestured toward the monitor as the woman entered the room. “I can pretty much guarantee it’s not going to stay normal for the next couple minutes.”
She glanced between the two of them with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but that’s not possible.”
As his frown deepened, Brittany squeezed his fingers. “Last night the nurse turned the sound off. Can you at least do that?”
The woman nodded and reached to flip a switch on the machine, silencing the elevated beeps. She took a moment to review a few other readouts, then faced them with a stern warning. “Just remember, you are still in intensive care and we are monitoring everything from the nurse’s station.”
Once she left, Joel shifted his attention back to Brittany, who sat silent. Smiling.
He did not smile as he picked up right where he’d been interrupted, his nervousness suddenly gone. “You said something to me last night.”
“Yes.”
He turned his hand to twine their fingers together. “Are you going to say it again?”
“Do you want me to?”
The teasing note in her voice made him tug her closer. “Every day. And I’ll say it right back—I love you, Brittany.”
Tears filled her eyes. “And I love you.”
Now he smiled. “I know.”
She laughed and leaned in to press her lips to his. He wanted to kiss her back, but the whole hospital bed and wires and getting shot really put a crimp in his ability to kiss her the way a man should kiss the woman he loved. On top of that, the chaste brush of her lips only left him wanting more.
When he protested, she argued, “Relax. I can’t tire you out five minutes after you wake up. We’ll have plenty of time when you’re feeling better.”
He leaned his head back on the pillow, happier than he’d ever been in his life. After a moment, he realized while they would have plenty of time, he still had questions he wanted answered sooner rather than later.
Rolling his head in her direction, he asked, “Remember that night we first met? When I called you a city girl?”
“Oh, I remember. You said it as if there was something wrong with me.”
“And you said, ‘Not in my heart.’”
“That’s right.”
He dropped his gaze to their joined hands. “So…”
“Are you trying to ask if I’m going back to Chicago?”
“Yes.”
“You know, we don’t have to talk about this right now.”
Shit. Had she already made her decision?
“Look at me,” she said.
He did.
“I’m not going back to Chicago, Joel. My heart’s with you. Always. Wherever your job may go.”
“You said you wouldn’t want to travel that much.”
A shrug lifted her shoulders. “I’ll deal with it.”
“I’ll deal with the city if that’s what you really want.”
She shook her head. “Even if I hadn’t met you, I think I’d stay here.”
Relief lifted weight off his shoulders. “Good. Because I’m quitting the park system.”
She drew back in surprise. “But I thought you loved your job.”
“I love you more.”
“Oh, no. Don’t be doing that for me.”
He took a deep breath, then wished he hadn’t because it hurt too bad. Concern clouded her eyes, but once the pain subsided, he offered a reassuring smile. “I love parts of my job, but honestly, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple weeks now and I’ve been restless for months before that. I’d like to put down roots and want to know what you think about the idea of buying a ranch.”
“A ranch?” she echoed.
He nodded. “I thought we could breed and train horses here in Colorado. Or anywhere, really, so long as you’re at my side so you can tell me every day how much you love me.”
As she stared at him, the initial shock in her expression morphed into hope. “What are you saying?”
What was he saying? The answer took only a second to come out of his mouth.
“Marry me. Be my wife and it won’t matter where we live. Colorado, Chicago, wherever makes you happy. All I know is, I don’t want to risk losing you ever again.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes again as she leaned in to rest her forehead against his. “Right here makes me happy.”
“We can’t live in a hospital,” he whispered.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do,” he confirmed. “So, that’s a yes?”
“On one condition.”
“Seriously? I’m lying in a hospital bed and you’re going to put a condition on my marriage proposal?”
“Yes.” She looked into his eyes and very seriously said, “I’d like us to be friends.”
He wanted to laugh, but it would hurt too much. Plus, they already were and she knew it. A mock sigh of resignation only hurt a little. “Fine, but if we’re going to be friends, I’ve got a condition of my own.”
Her gaze narrowed, then she laughed. “I bet you want benefits.”
He grinned. “That is a bet you’d win.”
“In more ways than one.” Her sexy smile promised they’d both end up happy.
– The End –
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed EVIDENCE OF TRUST, reviews are always greatly appreciated.
Don’t miss the rest of the Colorado Trust Series, available Spring 2014:
TRUST BY DESIGN
book 2
TRUST IN THE LAWE
book 3
SHATTERED TRUST
book 4
DARE TO TRUST
book 5
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About Stacey Joy Netzel
I fell in love with books at a young age, so for me it seemed only natural to graduate to writing them. I credit my parents for encouraging my dreams of becoming a published author, as well as the very talented friends I've made in Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Wisconsin Romance Writers (WisRWA).
An avid reader and fan of movies with a happily ever after, I live in Wisconsin with my husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. In my limited free time I enjoy gardening and canning, and visiting my parents up north at the cabin on the lake with the whole family.
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Follow online:
Website and Blog: http://www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzel
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel
Stacey Joy Netzel’s Other Titles
Italy Intrigue Series
Lost In Italy
Run To Rome
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Colorado Trust Series
(romantic suspense)
Evidence of Trust
Trust by Design
Trust in the Lawe
Shattered Trust
Dare to Trust
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Romancing Wisconsin Series
(small town contemporary romance)
Mistletoe Mischief (book 1)
Mistletoe Magic (book 2)
Mistletoe Match-Up (book 3)
Autumn Wish (book 4)
~
Welcome to Redemption Series
(small town romance series with Donna Marie Rogers)
A Fair to Remember (book 2)
Grounds For Change (book 4)
; The Heart of the Matter (book 6)
Hold On To Me (book 8)
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Single Titles
More Than A Kiss, contemporary romance
Chasin’ Mason, contemporary western romance
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Novellas
Dragonfly Dreams, contemporary Christmas romance
Ditched Again, contemporary reunion romance
If Tombstones Could Talk, paranormal romance
Beneath Still Waters (Part One), paranormal romance
Rising Above (Still Waters Part Two), paranormal romance
~
Free Short Story
Holding Out For a Hero
Copyright © 2014 Stacey Joy Netzel
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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.
Editor: Stacy D. Holmes
Cover Art: Ravven
Evidence of Trust Page 23