by Lea Hart
Fifteen minutes later, Emily walked downstairs and heard an unfamiliar bark coming from the front porch. She hurried across the main room, opened the front door, and let out a laugh. “What have you done?”
“I brought home Mabel’s one true love,” he said as he walked out of the kitchen with two coffee mugs.
Emily took the offered mug and noticed his deeply satisfied smile. “You adopted the Aussie mix?”
“Sure did. Seems he’s a year younger than Mabel and in good health.”
She bent down and stroked her dog’s head. “You got yourself a younger man.” Barely acknowledging the attention, her dog let out a contented sigh and moved closer to her lover boy. “What’s his name?”
“I think we should rename him.”
Pushing herself up, she frowned. “You can’t rename a dog that’s this old. He’ll never make the transition.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”
“Well, that’s too bad, because his former owners gave him the unfortunate name of Puffernutter.”
“Really?”
“No joke.”
“It’s not bad.”
“It’s not great, either. I was hoping we could give him a good ranch dog name like Harly or Killer.”
“They probably called him Puff.” Looking down, she noticed the dog’s ears twitched, and he cocked his head. “That’s it.”
“I guess Puff is better than Puffernutter.”
She wrapped her arm around his waist and gave him a good squeeze. “What made you want to get a dog? There are at least a half dozen on the property, so it wasn’t like you needed another one.”
“Mabel loves him, and I wanted her to be happy. She moaned every time we drove past the shelter, and I just couldn’t deny her the thing she wanted most.”
“You are a big ol’ softy.” Biting her lip at his disgruntled expression, she did everything not to let out a giggle. Her big bad warrior had a marshmallow heart, and she knew there wasn’t a luckier woman on the planet.
Rolling his shoulder, he snorted. “I’m no such thing. I’m a tough as nails SEAL and don’t have a soft spot on me.”
Sliding her hand along his T-shirt, she let it rest over his heart. “That’s not true, but I won’t make a big deal about it on account of your fragile sense of self.”
“I don’t have a fragile—” Covering her hand, he bent down. “Unless that’s something you might like.”
“I like the deep well of kindness you possess and the almost endless love you seem to have for the people you care about.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I’m going to love you, Rick. From your weakest moments to your strongest ones. When you’re happy and when you’re sad. I’m here and plan on loving each and every piece of you. Your imperfections, your strength, and everything in between.” Feeling his hold tighten, she rested her head against his chest and heard the steady thump of his heart.
Home.
She’d finally found her way back.
“I’ve loved you for more than two decades and plan on doing it until they put my body in the ground. There’s not a thing I won’t do to see to your happiness and just want the privilege of loving you every day in the best way I can. There will never be another who leaves me breathless the way you do. You’re the only person who I have a heart for and the one that will make me a better person. I’m all in, Em, and I love you with every breath in my body.”
“All in, Rick.” She pulled her face away from his chest and looked up, seeing tears shimmer in the corner of his eyes. “Which means you are my everything. My fire, rain, wind, and my calm. And most importantly my sword and my shield.”
Cupping his cheek, she let her eyes slowly move over the only face she’d ever loved. “You’re a good man, Rick Blakely, and I’m one fortunate woman to call you my very own. I’ve loved you even when I didn’t want to and know there isn’t a thing strong enough to ever make me stop. So get yourself ready, sir, because I plan on making you a very happy man for a very long time.” She felt his hands twine around her waist, and she held him tightly, knowing they’d somehow made it to the best part of their story.
They’d found their way home to one another, and as far as she was concerned, that was the best happy ever after in the world.
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Acknowledgments
I am enormously grateful for the love and support of my daughters, for whom all of this is done and would like to acknowledge my youngest daughter’s cooperation. It wasn’t always easy for her to understand why Mom’s computer was constantly at her side, and I appreciate her willingness to go along with the program. Mostly.
Next, I would like to thank Heather Howland for her editorial wisdom along with the team from Entangled for everything they’ve done to bring this book to life.
Finally, I would like to stand on the roof and shout out my appreciation to my readers. Without your willingness to pick up a book and join me on this journey, I wouldn’t have a chance at a second act, and for that, I am forever grateful. Thank you!
About the Author
Lea Hart lives in Southern California and write stories about sassy, smart women and the alpha men who fall for them. When she’s not writing, she takes care of her daughters and tries to take long walks. Lea believes in the power of a big glass of wine, the right pair of shoes, and a big dose of sarcasm.
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