He turned at that moment, lifting a hand in greeting and offering her a tight-lipped smile.
Kari slowly approached, her heart thudding. He’d come? Gavin had come for her?
Gavin looked nervous and uncertain. He didn’t rush to her and swing her off her feet, but she didn’t really want him to while she was all sweaty and red-faced from her run. This wasn’t how she’d write this scene, ever. The heroine should feel confident and beautiful when the man of her dreams came for her. Had Gavin come for her? Was he truly the man she’d always hoped for?
“Hey,” he said by way of greeting. “How are you?”
“Fine.” Everything felt stiff and uncertain between them. “How’s Austin?”
“He’s awesome. The best.” His face softened as he talked about his son.
“He is,” she said, agreeing to both statements. “Did you already resolve everything with Janielle?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“No.”
“No?”
“We’re scheduled to meet with the lawyers later today, but I …” He took a small step closer, and his eyes traveled over her slowly. “I spent most of yesterday keeping Austin close and praying for direction. I finally believe the Lord has forgiven me for the mistakes of my past, and now I’m more than ready for a future … with you.” He gave her a fleeting smile. “So I chartered a plane to get here as early as I could this morning.”
He’d chartered a plane to get to her? He’d come without resolving the issues with Janielle? He wanted a future with her? “But what about Janielle getting Austin?” That was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but she needed to know.
He pushed a hand through his hair, looking like he didn’t want to talk about it either. “Of course I’m worried, but I think she’s only after money, and Mama is brilliant. She recorded our conversation with Janielle on Saturday in my office, which was plenty incriminating as she demanded money and Austin in alternating breaths, but even better, Mama recorded Janielle almost eleven years ago agreeing to take a payment of a hundred and twenty thousand dollars to be a surrogate mother. Mama had all the proper papers signed and documentation of the transfer of funds.”
“A hundred and twenty thousand dollars?” Kari gasped.
“Apparently that’s not an outrageous fee for a surrogate mother, and it’s a completely legal way to get a baby.”
“That was really smart of Mama.”
“It was, and like I said, I think it’ll all work out, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“What do you want to talk about?” She’d love to go back to the part of the conversation where he said he wanted to focus on a future with her. Please, please, please.
He stepped closer. “You and me.”
She pulled in a breath, full of hope, but then she caught a whiff of herself and said quickly, “I’d love to … but can I shower first?”
He gave her his appealing half grin and looked her over. “You look perfect.”
“I stink.”
He let out a soft chuckle but didn’t refute her. She’d run long and hard in the heat. Of course she stank. Maybe it was silly but she didn’t want to discuss anything that might lead to a future with him—and lots of kissing in the present, at least if she was lucky—while she was stinky and sweaty.
“I surprised you. Of course I’ll wait while you shower,” he said.
“Thank you.” Kari walked past him, barely able to resist giving him a tight hug no matter how smelly she was. She opened her door with the keypad and gestured him inside. “I’ll hurry. Help yourself to a drink or food in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” He watched her but didn’t say anything as she rushed for her bedroom.
She made it through a shower in record time, then hurriedly put minimal makeup on and dressed in a flattering blue floral sundress. Her fingers were a little unsteady and her stomach was hopping as she hurried out into the living area.
Gavin was sitting on the couch, drinking a bottled water. He stood when he saw her, set the bottle on the end table, and hurried toward her. “You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you.” She tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear.
Gavin took a long breath. “I should never have let you leave Sunday morning.”
“It’s okay. You had a lot going on, and I didn’t want to be in the way.”
“You could never be in my way, Kari.” He took both of her hands in his. “I want you by my side. I want to figure out how to put you first in my life.”
She tilted her head, her heart thumping quicker and quicker. She loved that he’d come to her before even meeting with the lawyers and settling everything with Janielle, but she knew where his loyalties lay. “Austin is first. He has to be.”
Gavin smiled softly. “We talked about it yesterday. He thinks you two can be tied for first.”
Kari bit at her lip. “I might be okay with that.”
Gavin squeezed her hands. “Kari, I realize we haven’t known each other long.”
“Two and a half weeks.”
“Yeah, and you’ve probably figured out I’m not a fast mover.”
She smiled at that. “There’s an understatement.”
He gave her his half of a smile. “I’d like to propose that you move into a suite at the lodge and see if we can get to know each other well. And see if you can fill the huge, bottomless hole that your leaving created in mine and Austin’s hearts. Or, if you want to, you can ditch both of us and break us forever.”
“That was a pretty dramatic speech for a non-dramatic, stoic hero.” She blinked quickly to clear her vision.
Gavin’s smile grew fractionally. “I can be non-stoic. Especially if it will give me a chance with you. I told you I’ve been reading your books.”
Kari tilted her head, considering. She loved that he read her books. “Can my suite be one of the two-story beauties on the sixth floor?”
Gavin’s smile became even bigger. “It can.”
“Done.”
His full smile appeared, and the breath whooshed out of her. Before she could fling herself at him, he swept her off her feet and against his chest. Then he didn’t waste any time on flowery speeches, instead kissing her long and thoroughly. She’d take a gorgeous kiss like that over words any day of the week. As the kisses continued, she was grateful she’d fallen for a stoic hero. Words were overrated anyway.
Epilogue
Green shoots were poking through the melting snow all over the gorgeous valley and mountains, and some spring flowers were even trying to make an appearance on the lodge’s grounds. It was Saturday morning, and Kari was just coming back from a run up one of the trails with Ella, who was visiting for a few weeks. Kari felt like she was almost a Colorado native at this point, as she was running in a T-shirt and three-quarter-length leggings in barely sixty degrees.
The past two months had been incredible. She could admit to anyone that she was head over heels in love with Gavin and Austin. They made life fun, interesting, and exhilarating. She was still churning out books during the weekdays while Austin was in school and Gavin worked, but every evening and weekend she focused on her “real people,” and she loved it.
She saw Austin running toward them. “My dad needs you,” Austin panted, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the spa.
Kari’s heartbeat took off. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Ella hurried by her side.
“He just needs you,” Austin insisted.
She’d found that though Gavin was a pretty serious guy, he had a fun, teasing side too, and Austin brought it out more than anyone. Gavin was also patient, smart, kind, and thoughtful. She loved the way he treated her and his son. Especially how he tried to put her and Austin first, not one in front of the other, but definitely both before work or any hobby or other person.
Ella stopped at the door to the spa and ushered her inside. “Go.” She had a secretive smile on her face that Kari tried to decipher.
She
ran on with Austin. He bypassed the hair, nail, and pedicure stations, all quiet as the spa wasn’t open yet. They raced past the therapy rooms, and he pushed her toward the women’s locker room. “He’s in the therapy pools. Hurry, go.”
“Okay.” Kari put her hands up and laughed. “I’m hurrying, buddy.”
“Thanks.” He gave her an impish grin and went into the men’s locker room.
Kari jogged through the plush women’s locker room and entered the therapy pool room. She loved all the different pools with the assorted jets and temperatures, especially the bubble bed, where she and Gavin had cuddled and shared more than a few delicious kisses.
Gavin stood by one of the warm pools in his swimsuit. The sight of his broad chest and defined muscles still took her breath away. She loved him for all that he was, but she wasn’t about to complain that he looked amazing as well.
He saw her, and his lips turned up in his sexy half smile. “There you are.”
“Hey. Everything okay?”
He nodded. “I have something important to ask you.”
Kari’s throat swelled, and she had a hard time swallowing.
Austin appeared from the men’s locker room. In his small hand were two velvet boxes. He waved happily. “Can I call her Mom now?”
“I hope soon,” Gavin said.
Kari gulped, and joy filled her. This was happening … now? “You can’t ask me something important when I am all sweaty and stinky.” She couldn’t resist teasing him, as he’d often teased her about going to take a shower instead of kissing him when he’d come for her in Arizona.
Gavin’s smile grew. He slowly walked toward her. “I was betting you’d say that.”
She didn’t want to interrupt this moment, but he was supposed to ask something like this while the three of them were on a helicopter ride above the resort, a hike to the falls, or having dinner at a beautiful restaurant with a view. The only thing he’d gotten right was having Austin be involved. And how adorable was the little guy that he wanted to call her Mom? She wanted to be his mom. Thankfully, the biological mom had disappeared when her own lawyer had explained that the evidence was stacked against her and she would never win a case against Gavin and Mama.
Kari wanted to be Gavin’s wife. But she also wanted to shower before she and Gavin sealed the deal with a perfect kiss.
Gavin swept her off her feet and up against his chest. Kari squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned in close and whispered, “You don’t stink to me.”
“That’s because you’re a guy. I’m all sweaty and gross.” This wasn’t the perfect moment for him to ask her to marry him, but she suddenly didn’t care. Real life wasn’t always perfect, and that was part of the beauty of it.
“Don’t worry. I’m planning on fixing that.” He ran toward the nearest pool and jumped.
Kari screamed in surprise and barely got her mouth closed before warm water encased their bodies and they plunged underwater. They surfaced, and he still held her close against his chest. Water streamed from her face and hair. She heard Austin laughing loudly, and she joined in.
Gavin chuckled softly and wiped water from her cheeks. “Now you’re not sweaty and stinky.”
“True. Now I’m a drowned rat.”
“You’re a pretty one.” His eyes swept over her and heated her up much more than the water in the pool could. “Are you okay if I ask you that important question, or do you want to wait until you’ve showered and put makeup on?”
Kari smiled, studying his deep brown eyes. “I’m ready for your important question. I don’t care what I look like if you don’t.”
Gavin’s full smile came then, and she quivered with anticipation. “You look beautiful to me.”
She returned his smile.
He let her feet go; her tennis shoes were heavy in the water, but he held her against his side with his left arm. He reached out to Austin with his right. “You ready, bud?”
“Can I jump in too?”
“Sure, just give me the ring first.”
Austin nodded, as serious as he ever got, and handed over the ring box. He set the other box onto the pool deck, then leapt into the pool, screaming “cannonball!” and making a terrific splash. Kari laughed. Life with these two would never be boring.
Gavin released her to flip the box open and pull the ring out. Her jaw dropped as she took in the gorgeous princess-cut diamond in a white gold and diamond-studded setting. Even the low lights of the spa made it glitter as if it had its own source of light.
Gavin took her left hand in his. “Kari Love … will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she yelled, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck. Gavin kissed her long and slow, his strong arms surrounding her and his lips lighting her up from the inside out.
When the kiss ended, she waited as Gavin slid the ring on her left hand, and then they both turned to Austin. “You’re okay with me being your mom?” she asked tentatively.
“Of course!” He grinned at her, grabbed the other box off the pool deck, and popped it open. Inside were an exquisite pair of princess-cut diamond earrings. “Kari Love,” Austin said, as serious as he ever got, “will you be my mom?”
Kari couldn’t blink fast enough to stop the tears from coming. “Yes!” she yelled.
Gavin took the box from Austin’s hand and snapped it shut so they didn’t lose the earrings in the water as Kari squeezed Austin tight. She planned to put those earrings in and never take them out, but it might be a little dangerous to do so with slippery, wet fingers.
“Love you,” Austin said.
“I love you too.”
Gavin’s arms came around both of them. “I love you,” he said to Kari, kissing her tenderly on the temple. He smiled at his son. “And I love you.”
Austin grinned and squeezed Kari tighter. “Best family ever!” he shouted. He lowered his voice and said, “I have another question … Mom.”
Kari’s heart filled with joy. “Ask away, my boy.”
“Can I have a little brother?”
Gavin chuckled, and Kari’s body filled with heat. Her future husband looked to her for the answer. “How about a brother and a sister?” she asked.
“Sweet!” Austin yelled.
Gavin’s full smile appeared again. “I also have one more question,” he said.
“Okay, I’ve liked your questions today.”
He grinned and said, “Can we elope?”
Kari laughed.
Austin’s brow wrinkled. “What does that mean, Dad?”
Gavin ruffled their son’s hair. “It means we fly the whole family to Kauai and get married on the beach. The sooner, the better.”
Kari’s heart thumped faster. “Well, that’s not exactly eloping, but close.”
Gavin’s voice lowered and he whispered against her ear. “Then it means Austin stays with Trey and Ella for a week while we never leave our very private beach house.”
Kari’s heart was racing out of control. “I’m in. Let’s elope!” she screamed.
“Kauai, here we come!” Austin echoed.
Gavin winked and gave her another lingering kiss.
“Okay, okay, I know you’re into my new mom, but enough with the kissing,” Austin said. “You’re squishing me.”
Gavin chuckled and let Austin squirm from their embraces. He hurried over to the bubble bed, turned it on, and was soon murmuring, “Ah,” as it massaged him.
Gavin focused fully on Kari. “Are you really okay with eloping?”
“Are you really planning on a week in a private villa?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Or longer.”
“Eloping sounds brilliant.” She pulled his head down for a kiss, knowing she could never write anything this brilliant or beautiful, and that was okay, because her story surpassed any other.
Don’t Love an Army Ranger
Chapter One
Mary Coulter flew down the mountain trail. Jumping over rocks and tree roots, she felt more alive and c
arefree than she had in years. Glorious pine and aspen trees surrounded her, yellow and blue wildflowers peeked out here and there through the snow that was still melting in the Colorado mountains. The bright spring sun filtered through the trees to kiss her face and bare shoulders and arms.
Wearing her pink Athleta tank top and swirled black and white tights, she was comfortable and stylish. Yet it made her smile that she even thought of that, nobody in those woods cared that she had an extremely profitable business selling deals and discontinued lines for the top clothing brands and department stores in the nation.
“I’m home!” she yelled to the birds. “I’m really home!”
A deep chuckle came from down the trail then a man jogged around a thick copse of trees.
Mary’s heart started racing and her spine seemed to be rubbing against ice. This trail was a popular one, north of the Angel Falls Retreat ski resort, but she knew the Strong family let mountain bikers, hikers, and runners have access to all the trails throughout their resort and beyond. She’d fancied herself alone on this afternoon run, but obviously she wasn’t. She didn’t recognize the chuckle, so at least it wasn’t Blake coming after her.
Holding her head high and trying not to make eye contact, she planned to sprint past the man and keep on going. She knew few men were straight-up jacktards like her most recent ex-boyfriend, Blake, but she still didn’t need to be alone with the opposite sex in the mountains.
“You’re home?” the man questioned with laughter in his voice as she quickly approached him.
Ignore him, just another guy trying to pick up a girl, but her hands were tingling and her legs feeling weaker. Blake’s harassment and refusal to take no for an answer had really messed with her mind and made her overly cautious and panicky. She hated that, as she’d always felt like a confident, business-minded woman, until lately.
She ran right past him and would’ve kept going, but the man yelled, “Mary! You can’t just ignore your best buddy.”
Mary glanced back over her shoulder, but before she could see who was speaking her foot hit a rock or a root, and she launched forward. Flinging her hands out to break her fall, she slammed into the ground. Her palms and knees stung from the impact. She skidded to a stop, panting.
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