Already Gone
Page 22
Logan caught Maddy’s hand. “You ready to go?” Her eyes were smudged with fatigue, but her smile was glowing.
She tilted her head on his shoulder. “Yes. Definitely.”
They walked out into the brittle cold of New Year’s Day. Maddy dozed in her seat as Logan drove them from Bishop to Hangman’s Loss. At her cabin, he parked his truck behind her car, then got out and rounded the hood. When he opened her door, she woke. He gathered her up in his arms. “I got you, sweetheart.”
He stood her on her feet at the door where a desperate Sophie greeted them. “I know we were pushing it with you, sweetie,” she said.
“Go on inside, I’ll take care of the dog.”
He felt Maddy’s questioning gaze as he retrieved the leash from a hook by the door. When he returned with Sophie, he was surprised to see Maddy sitting on the couch, still in her coat and scarf. He’d thought she’d head straight for bed.
“Logan.” Her voice broke then strengthened. “Will you marry me?”
“What?”
“I love you, I’ve always loved you. Will you marry me?”
He stepped toward her and pulled her up from the couch. “What brought this on?”
“You were going to ask me last night, at midnight, weren’t you?”
“Yep. Would you have said yes?” His hands framed her face, a face more precious to him than life itself.
Her gaze was impossibly dark. “Yes.”
His lips found hers in a potent kiss. He lifted his head to meet her gaze. “But you had to ask me yourself.”
“I didn’t want to wait one minute longer to start our life together. So will you?”
“Do you have a ring for me?”
“Ah, no. But I can get one for you if you want.”
He pulled out the box that had been in the inside pocket of his coat all night. “I have a ring. And since you can’t ask a guy to marry you without a ring, I’ll do the asking.”
He opened the box and took out the diamond solitaire. Her eyes, beautiful eyes the color of the sky reflected in Hangman Lake, went wide. “Madison Marie Gallagher, will you be my wife?”
“Yes, Logan Michael Ross, I will be your wife.”
He took her left hand and kissed the knuckle on her fourth finger as the ring slid past. He raised his gaze to hers. “Will you have a sister or brother for Lily?” He knew what he was asking, but was counting on the tremendous strength she’d always possessed to lead her.
With tears in her eyes she nodded, and Logan gathered her close. “Whatever comes, darling,” he promised, “we’ll see it through together.”
Come back to Hangman’s Loss for Diego and Eva’s story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
National Readers’ Choice Award winner for her novel, Solitary Man, Diane Benefiel has been an avid reader all her life. She enjoys a wide range of genres, from westerns to fantasy to mysteries, but romance has always been a favorite. She writes what she loves best to read – emotional, heart-gripping romantic suspense novels. She likes writing romantic suspense because she can put the hero and heroine in all sorts of predicaments that they have to work together to overcome.
A native Southern Californian, Diane enjoys nothing better than summer. For a high school history teacher, summer means a break from teenagers, and summer allows her to spend her early mornings immersed in her current writing project. With both kids living out of the house, in addition to writing, she enjoys camping and gardening with her husband.
Diane loves hearing from her readers.
Website: dianebenefiel.com
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