“I know. And it doesn’t matter. Not really. But I let it eat at my insecurities because I felt like you’d kept a secret from me. Then, when I found out about your track record with women, I guess I just didn’t want to be your next score.”
He looked at her in shock, his eyes wide. “Are you serious? How could you ever have believed that about me?”
She swallowed. As she spoke the words to him, she realized just how completely unfair she’d been. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, after Todd…”
Jared sighed loudly and leaned back against the bench, crossing his arms in front of him. “Todd. It’s always about him. Did you ever just think that maybe Todd was a jerk and that not all guys are going to be like that? I’ll admit I’ve dated a few women, but I never hurt them, and I never led them on. They wanted more than I was ready to give.” He stopped for a moment and stared ahead at the tree. “They weren’t you.”
As he said the last three words, her heart stopped. Had he even realized what he’d said?
“The thing you didn’t hear about on the Internet is that I had never met anyone I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I just never felt it was fair to a woman to lead her on longer in the hopes my feelings would change. I always knew that someday, I’d meet the one who would matter and who I would know was different. One I would know I wanted to spend my life with, and that’s the one I’d give everything I had to.” He finally looked at her, his eyes searching hers as he told her everything in his heart. “I knew that woman was you, right from that first day at the taco truck. I’ve never lied to you, and I would never hurt you the way Todd did. You’ve never just been a score.”
His voice had lowered, and his hand reached out to cup her face. His thumb wiped at the tears that were trailing down her cheek. “And I would never, ever, choose a woman like Amanda over you. I can’t believe you’d ever have thought that.”
She closed her eyes briefly, not even sure how to admit to him how jealous she’d been. When she opened them back up, he was smiling at her. “Vicki told me what she’d seen that day. Well, actually she kind of ambushed me and demanded an explanation. But once I realized you’d believed her, I will admit I was hurt that you could have thought I’d do that to you.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I wasn’t fair to you. I’ve held onto the anger and pain, and all of the insecurities from what happened to me in the past and I let them eat at me until I couldn’t even think for myself anymore. But I can’t let them control me anymore. I know in my heart what’s true and I know you wouldn’t have done anything like that to hurt me.”
He slowly shook his head. “I love you, Brooke Quinn. I would never let myself, or anyone else, hurt you. You’ve had my heart from the first time I saw you.”
Her chin quivered as she tried to fight the tears. She really didn’t want to start ugly crying in the middle of the moment she’d waited her whole life for. She’d found the man who made her heart full.
“I love you too, Jared. And I know I messed up and don’t deserve it, but if you’ll give me another chance, I promise I won’t let my own worries get between us. I don’t want to lose you.” She hoped he didn’t hear the sob that almost tore from her throat on her words.
His thumb still caressed her cheek as he laughed softly, tenderly moving over her cold skin. “Brooke, you could never do anything to lose me.”
His head came in closer and his lips met hers. She threw her arms around his neck, desperate to hold on to him and never let go. When they finally pulled apart, he grinned at her while holding up his now crumpled piece of mistletoe to show her.
“I never even got to pull this out all the way. You’ve broken it.”
She just shrugged and leaned in to kiss him again. “You won’t be needing that again anyway. You’re free to kiss me whenever you want.” Her heart soared as he threw it to the ground and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight.
Now that she had Jared, she’d found what true love was. It was sitting in front of a giant Christmas tree, being held by a man who she knew without a doubt would never hurt her.
And who she knew beyond reason, she would be happy to spend the rest of her life with.
Epilogue
“Jared, will you please just sit still. I have to get the freezing in the right place or it’s going to be a lot more painful for you.” Brooke squinted as she made sure the needle was going in the best spot to numb the skin next to the wound. But he pulled back again just before she could break the skin.
“No, that needle is way too big. Why can’t you just find a small one? It’s going to hit bone if you try putting that in there!”
“That’s not how needles work, Jared. Now come on. You’re bleeding badly and need stitches. Would you rather have me drive you to the hospital in Riston? Trust me, they won’t be as patient with you as I’m trying to be.”
When he’d fallen, his arm had caught on the broken eave at the back of her house, so he was going to need a tetanus shot this time too. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d pass out during the stitches, so she could quickly give it to him while he was unconscious.
“Well, if Casanova hadn’t decided to break out and go looking for a girlfriend, I wouldn’t be in this mess. This is exactly why I’d rather have a dog. They never get up to the top of a tree and can’t figure out how to get down. Dogs are way too smart for that.”
He screamed out in pain as she finally got the needle in.
“Jared, I would have waited for the fire department. You’re just lucky you didn’t break your neck. What were you thinking?”
Jared had come over and they were enjoying a nice, romantic Valentine’s Day supper together. But Casanova had decided to jump out the window she’d opened to get some of the smoke out from her feeble attempt at cooking. Of course, her screen had been broken so Casanova had no trouble getting outside, making his way along the edge of the downstairs roof and into the tree out back. Then, he’d proceeded to howl and cry, unwilling to come down on his own.
“I was thinking that I didn’t want you to have to watch your cat die on Valentine’s Day, so I should do something heroic to impress you.”
She bit her lip as she concentrated on cleaning the gash on his arm. “When will you believe me when I say you don’t have to do anything to impress me anymore? Honestly, when I saw you fall from that tree, I’ve never been so scared in my life. You’re just lucky you landed on the porch below and that there was a good cushion of snow to break your fall, or I’d be needing a lot more needles right now. Besides, I’m beginning to think you might be a bit accident-prone, so I suggest not doing anything that will put yourself in danger.” She looked up and smiled innocently at him.
“I’ll have you know that until I met you, I’d never once needed stitches.”
His face scrunched up in pain as she started to stitch it up.
“Are you able to feel that? Let me know if it’s hurting.”
“Of course it’s hurting. You’re repeatedly stabbing me with a sharp object.”
She rolled her eyes and waited for him to tell her the truth. “Do you need more freezing?”
“No! Just hurry and get it over with.”
Shaking her head, she tried not to laugh at his discomfort. She’d stitched up young children who were braver than him.
“This wasn’t how I’d imagined this night to go. I had big plans, you know. I was going to show you how romantic I could be.”
She continued working, determined to get this finished so they could continue their evening together. Casanova had finally jumped out of the tree and was now sleeping comfortably up in her apartment, completely uncaring about the trouble he’d caused.
Finally tying the last knot, she sat back and patted his hand. “You were a very good boy, Jared.”
He looked down at his stitches and then back to her. “Well, that wasn’t too bad.”
“Now, just one more thing and then we can call Ciran and order some tacos. Hopefu
lly he’s taking orders tonight, although I’m sure he’s off wooing Roxie.” They’d decided after trying to eat her burned chicken that they would just go out to eat. Of course, that was before the cat had tried to find love for himself.
Jared nodded. “There is one more thing. And I had such a different idea in my head of how this was going to go, but if I don’t do it now, it’s going to drive me crazy.”
Brooke pushed her stool back, letting Jared step down from the table he’d been lying on while she stitched him back up. She was going to have to figure out now how to get him back down to get his tetanus needle.
But before she could worry about that anymore, Jared got down on his knee in front of her. His face was still pale from the pain he’d had to endure, but he had a smile on his face as he looked up at her.
“Brooke Quinn, this is just about the most unromantic proposal in the history of the world, but I can’t wait anymore. I need to know right now before I pass out from lack of blood, if you will make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you, and even if I do suspect you get a bit too much enjoyment out of sticking sharp, painful needles into my skin, I promise to love you for the rest of my life.”
Brooke stared down in shock at the ring he’d pulled out of his pocket. It was simple and beautiful.
“I…I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think…” She lifted her eyes to his and the love she saw reflected in them reached out and grabbed her heart. She knew beyond a doubt he was the one she would grow old with.
She held her hand out and let him put the ring on her finger. “Of course I will, Jared. I love you too.” She got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Never in her dreams had she ever imagined a proposal on the floor of her office could be so romantic.
“And I promise to love you for the rest of my life too.”
He was grinning as he reached up to caress her cheek.
“Right after we give you your tetanus shot…”
I hope you enjoyed reading, BECOMING BROOKE. If you could take a couple minutes and head back to Amazon to leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated :)
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Kay P. Dawson writes sweet western romance - the kind that leaves out all of the juicy details and immerses you in a true, heartfelt love story. Growing up pretending she was Laura Ingalls, she's always had a love for the old west and pioneer times. She believes in true love, and finding your happy ever after.
Happily married mom of two girls, Kay has always taught her children to follow their dreams. And, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 39, she realized it was time to take her own advice. She had always wanted to write a book, and she decided that the someday she was waiting for was now.
She writes western historical, contemporary and time travel romance that all transport the reader to a time or place where true love always finds a way.
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Copyright © 2018 by Kay P. Dawson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover Design - EDH Graphics
Edited - Meg Amor
Becoming Brooke (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 6) Page 10
