by Rita Herron
Except that she loved him.
But Mitch wasn’t ready to hear that.
When she reached their old house, a sense of gloom swept over her. CeCe disappeared into a quiet funk, her eyes flaring with near panic as they neared the house.
“I don’t wanna go in there,” CeCe said.
Kaylie hesitated on the stoop and knelt to console her daughter. “I know we have bad memories here, but we had good ones, too.”
CeCe shook her head, then started to cry. “No, I hate that house. I don’t wanna live here anymore.”
Kaylie looked up at the place she and Joe had bought together and remembered his lies.
Those lies had gotten him killed and nearly destroyed her and CeCe’s lives.
She made a snap decision. They couldn’t live here, not now, not ever again.
She would put the house on the market.
Then she and CeCe would find another house and start over.
The moment Mitch entered the farmhouse, a sense of loneliness engulfed him.
The house was too quiet.
And Kaylie’s car was gone. He told himself they might have just driven to town to run errands, but he spotted a note on the kitchen counter by the coffee machine, picked it up and read it, his heart in his throat.
Thank you for saving us, Mitch, and for giving us a wonderful Christmas. Your son was a lucky little boy to have you for a father. Don’t forget that.
Love, Kaylie & CeCe
Mitch crushed the note in his fist. They were moving back to their own house.
He had saved their lives but lost them anyway.
Then he saw the small stones CeCe had given him. But they weren’t in the box as he’d left them. They were spread out on the table in the shape of a horseshoe.
Tears clogged his throat. Todd used to arrange the rocks in that same pattern.
He really was here . . .
Grief, anger, and need surged through him, and he strode through the house, missing Kaylie and CeCe. The Christmas tree was still standing, heavy with the ornaments they’d made.
But the lights weren’t sparkling, and the presents were all gone as if yesterday had happened ages ago.
Todd’s laughter, followed by CeCe’s chatter, reverberated through the house. He could still smell the heavenly scent of apple pie and sugar cookies Kaylie and CeCe had baked. He could hear their laughter and feel the warmth they’d brought to his empty house and life.
He should have given Kaylie a present yesterday.
Maybe it wasn’t too late. He could track them down and . . . do what? Take her something from the ranch to remember him by?
Did she want to remember him?
She’d admired the horse quilt she’d draped across CeCe’s bed, and she had sewn placemats for the table. She hadn’t needed expensive linens or fancy things.
She’d also liked the house and the antiques and . . . would she like his grandmother’s antique ring?
And CeCe . . . she wanted Horseshoe. Would she have a horse to ride where she was going?
Suddenly unable to stand the idea of leaving the ranch or living in the house without Kaylie and CeCe, he hurried up to the attic and dug inside his grandmother’s velvet jewelry box. He found the antique silver ring with the rubies in it and jammed it in his pocket.
He wanted Kaylie to have it.
Hell, he wanted Kaylie and CeCe here on the ranch with him, too.
But even if she said no, he would give her the ring. She needed to know how much she meant to him.
That he’d been only a shell of a man before she’d walked into his life, a man drowning in booze and hurt.
A man who no longer cared about living anymore.
Until she’d given him a reason.
Kaylie hammered the For Sale sign in the front yard while CeCe played with Orange in the grass. Neither of them had gone inside.
A cleaning crew had cleaned the bloodstains after the shooting, but she decided to let a friend she’d worked with handle the listing.
There was nothing she wanted in the house. The life she’d had with Joe had been a lie.
The sound of an engine roaring made her look up, and she spotted a truck barreling down the road.
Mitch’s truck.
Her heart went pitter-patter.
CeCe squealed in excitement. “Mr. Mitch, Mr. Mitch!”
Mitch slowed the truck and parked on the curb. Kaylie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and joined CeCe on the lawn. The truck door opened, and Mitch emerged, looking so handsome in his Stetson and jeans, that he robbed her breath.
Lord, she loved that sexy man. She’d only been away from him for hours, and she missed him so badly she wanted to run into his arms.
He strode toward them, his eyes sparkling in the morning light. “You left something behind.”
Kaylie forced her voice to remain even. She couldn’t throw herself at him when he obviously still loved his wife. “I’m sorry. I can go back and pack everything up.”
Mitch’s mouth twitched. “I wasn’t talking about the tree or the decorations.”
Kaylie frowned. “Then what?”
His eyes darkened.“You left me behind.”
Hope budded inside Kaylie.
“I didn’t wants to leave you,” CeCe said, piping up.
A grin twitched at Mitch’s mouth. “I didn’t want you to leave, either, sweet pea.”
Mitch dug in his pocket, spiking Kaylie’s hopes even more. “I didn’t give you your present yesterday.”
She licked her lips. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“You liked my grandmother’s antiques. I thought you might like this.” He opened his palm to reveal a beautiful antique silver ring with glittering rubies.
“Mitch . . . I . . . it’s gorgeous.”
His gaze latched with hers. “You were wrong about me saving you, Kaylie. It was the other way around. You saved me.”
“You were worth saving,” she said, her throat thick with tears.
Mitch dropped to one knee. “I love you, and I love CeCe. Will you come back and live with me on the ranch?”
Kaylie stared at their joined hands, hardly able to believe her ears.
Happy tears filled Kaylie’s eyes. “Oh, Mitch,” Kaylie whispered. “I love you, too.”
“Will you marry me?” Mitch asked gruffly.
Kaylie nodded. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you. I love you more than words.”
Mitch kissed Kaylie’s hand, then stood and pulled her in his arms and kissed her. CeCe threw herself at them as they pulled apart. “Santa did hear me!”
Mitch and Kaylie laughed, then he scooped CeCe and Orange into his arms and hugged them all to him.
“Can Horseshoe be my very own horsie, Mr. Mitch?”
Mitch kissed her cheek. “Yes, sweet pea. Horseshoe can be yours. I think Todd would like that.”
If you liked Safe With Him, then please write a review on Amazon! You can also contact Rita at www.ritaherron.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @ritaherron!
The Manhunt Series
Safe by His Side (Book 2)
Safe with Him (Book 3)
The Keepers Series
Pretty Little Killers (Book 1)
Good Little Girls (Book 2)
Little White Lies (Prequel to Dead Little Darlings)
Dead Little Darlings (Book 3)
The Graveyard Falls Series
All the Beautiful Brides (Book 1)
All the Pretty Faces (Book 2)
All the Dead Girls (Book 3)
The Slaughter Creek Series
Before She Dies (Prequel)
Dying to Tell (Book 1)
Her Dying Breath (Book 2)
Worth Dying For (Book 3)
Dying for Love (Book 4)
The Demonborn Series
Heartless (Book 1)
Mindless (Book 2)
Soulless (Book 3)
Rita’s Lighter Side
Marry Me, Maddie
Sleepless in Savannah
Love Me, Lucy
Husband Hunting 101
Here Comes the Bride
There Goes the Groom
Single and Searching
Under the Covers
USA Today and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job!
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA stories, but she especially loves writing dark romantic suspense tales set in southern small towns.
For more on Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter @ritaherron.