by Joya Ryan
The bleachers burst with bustling and chatter. Colt was in shock. Had he heard her right? His muscles twitched, but he couldn’t make any discernible movement.
She cupped his neck. “I’m proud to have you, and I want everyone to know it. I’m sorry—”
He sealed his lips against hers. Wrapping her up in his arms, he simply kissed her. His brain was short-circuiting. He didn’t know how to handle this, how to help JJ—if she even needed help—all he knew was that he had to kiss her.
Colt pulled back and looked down at the fierce brunette. “Again with the surprises.” He saw Yvonne with her jaw on the floor and Colt smiled. “Yep, I’m hers,” he said and squeezed JJ tighter.
Jenna gave a nervous smile and whispered, “Um…” She glanced over her shoulder at the silent crowd. Hundreds of eyes were locked on them. “Wanna get out of here?”
He frowned. “Don’t you want to wait until after they vote?”
She smiled up at him and shook her head. “I have what I want. And I’ve said my piece. If they choose to believe the lies about me, well…there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’m done hiding.”
He wrapped an arm around her. Her small frame trembled and Colt tried so hard to fuse every kind of assurance he had into her skin. He didn’t take his hands away from her, even after they were in his truck, barreling down the highway.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jenna took a deep breath and stared out the window as Colt drove down the highway, eventually turning onto Old Peak Road. It was a vast sea of open grassy plains and space. Exactly what Jenna needed.
He came to a stop. “You all right?”
She nodded. The adrenaline was wearing off, and while Jenna was proud of herself, happy she had cut the strings from all the crap she’d been carrying around with her all these years, she still felt a little shaken. But when she looked at Colt, peace settled in.
“I’m better than I’ve ever been,” she said. And she meant it. “I’m done. Done hiding and worrying. Done trying to control every little aspect of my life. So many years I thought that by keeping my composure, I had control, but I didn’t. I allowed people like Yvonne to have power over me. I want that job, so much, but I’m not going to compromise us for it.” She looked into his deep blue eyes. “I love you, Colt.” She shrugged, fear rising again because she realized he had yet to really say anything about that. “I’m sorry I hid from it the way I did. But the truth is, I fell in love with you a long time ago. I trusted you before I could even trust myself.”
Colt blew out a breath and looked out the front windshield. Then he opened his door and climbed out.
A cold sweat broke out over Jenna’s skin and she thought for sure she’d lose her lunch. She had just stared down Yvonne, her mother, and a purse-sized dog. All that was nothing compared to the rejection she felt right then.
The passenger-side door swung open. Colt yanked her out and wrapped her up in his arms so tight, she could barely breathe.
“Goddamn it, JJ, I’m so in love with you.” He kissed her so hard her toes curled backward. She threw her arms around his neck, tears streamed down her face. “Don’t go doing that, sugar.” He wiped her damp cheek with his thumb. “Can’t have you crying now.”
She smiled. A tremor of happiness raced through her. She had what she wanted. And here, in his arms, she knew she could take on anything.
“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it,” he whispered against her mouth.
God, she loved that word. We. Her eyes creaked open and she pulled back from Colt just enough to meet his gaze. “Ah, Colt…what’s that?” There were small boards in the ground with rope running between them, sectioning off a large chunk of land.
He looked over his shoulder. “That? It’s the outline for the foundation.”
“Foundation for what?”
He let her slide down his body, took her hand, and walked her over to the roped-off area in the middle of the field. Colt stepped in, bringing Jenna with him.
“Foundation for my new house.”
Jenna’s eyes snapped up. “What? You’re building a home? Here?”
“No. I’m building a house. Signed the papers at Bass’s last week.” He cupped her cheeks. “But my home is where you are.” He kissed the breath out of her, and Jenna felt those tears creep up again.
“I love you,” he whispered against his mouth.
“I love you, too.”
“So.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and tapped his boot. “You think you could see yourself living here?”
She smiled and looked down. “Why, Colt McCade, are you asking me to move onto your slab of dirt?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He sank to one knee and pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket. “I was also hoping you’d marry me.”
Joy burst through her veins and the only word Jenna knew how to say in that moment was, “Yes!”
Colt rose, smiling wide and peppering her face with kisses.
Tires treading the dirt road screeched to a stop. A caravan of three flanked Colt’s parked truck. Sebastian, Huck, Penny, Lily, Ryder, and Alex all came running out of the vehicles.
“Miss Jenna!” Alex yelled, arms wide as he ran to her. “Mama says you’re gonna be teaching in the summer!” Alex slammed into her legs and she hugged him.
“What?” She looked down at Alex.
Lily came up behind him. “You got it, Jen! The school board voted, four to one in your favor!”
“Congratulations, sugar,” Colt said and kissed her hair.
Alex was still wrapped around her shins. She looked up at the man she loved, the man who awakened her and made her feel like the woman she was meant to be.
“I already got what I wanted.” She kissed him. “The job is just a bonus.”
Colt took her face in his hands and there, standing on the foundation of what was looking like an amazing future, Mr. Rodeo Romeo made Jenna feel like a Kansas-style Juliet.
Epilogue
“Your hands are a bit south there,” Jenna said.
“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am.” Only instead of moving his hands higher, the confident cowboy currently taking her around the dance floor moved them a bit lower. He gave a little squeeze, and unleashed his own sexy grin. Jenna knew right then how this night would end.
She leaned in, purposefully grinding her body further into his. “What do you say we get out of here and put those hands to better use?”
He groaned. “Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me, sugar.” He kissed her. Just like the first night they were together: hard and slow. And damn if Jenna didn’t lose her mind, and her heart all over again for Colt McCade.
“Besides,” he said, letting her up for air but keeping his mouth just an inch from hers, “this is our engagement party. It’d look bad if we ditched only an hour into it.”
Jenna shrugged. “I don’t care how it looks.” And she didn’t. Because all she cared about was right there, spinning her around the dance floor, a little groping, and best kisses ever.
“Marry me,” Colt said.
“I already said yes to you last week.” When the song slowed, so did they. Continuing to sway, he took her left hand and kissed her knuckles, right above her engagement ring.
“I know, but I want you to marry me. Now.”
Her eyes shot wide. “Like…right now?”
He tilted his chin toward the bar where Penny was slinging drinks for customers, one of whom was Judge Holden.
“I bet Holden would squeeze us in.” Jenna’s mind scrambled. All she wanted was to be Mrs. Colt McCade. She didn’t want a big fancy wedding, but a little ceremony with a cake and her friends—
“Easy, sugar. I’m not trying to stomp on your dreams. You’ll have your dress and flowers and everything you want. I just don’t want to wait two years. Let’s get married this spring.”
That was less than a year away, but something deep in her chest sparked like wildfire. That seemed to be the effect Colt had on her. Made her wa
nt to take a risk. Jump in and just do what felt right. And he felt right. She’d known that for a long time now.
Meeting those intense eyes head-on, she said, “Yes.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded and Colt swept her up and gave her the hottest kiss of her life.
“You’ve made me so happy,” he said and kissed her again.
Jenna couldn’t help but smile. “You say that now, but I hope you know what trouble you’re signing up for when it comes to me.”
“Oh, sugar, if you’re trouble, sign me up for a lifetime.”
And without caring about anything but the sizzling need for Colt McCade, she grabbed his hand and ran out of their own engagement party.
Destination: forever.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you Jill Marsal for all your hard work and believing in me and my writing. None of this would happen without you. Thank you Gwen Hayes for being amazing and fun from day one! You’ve pushed me to be my best and helped me grow. I can’t thank you enough for your support. Thank you Candy and the entire Brazen team for working hard on this book with me.
Thank you boys for making me smile every day. You are my sunshines. I love you.
Finally, thank you Grandma for always supporting me. I drew on your strength when I lost my own. I love you and think of you every day.
About the Author
National and international bestselling author Joya Ryan is the author of the Shattered series, which includes Break Me Slowly, Possess Me Slowly, and Capture Me Slowly. She has also written the Sweet Torment series, which includes Breathe You In and Only You. Passionate about both cooking and dancing (despite not being too skilled at the latter), she loves spending time at home. Along with her husband and her two sons, she resides in California.
www.joyaryan.com
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