Page 128 of After We Fall
“Wait.” I draw back and look around the room. “How did you get here?”
“I rented a car in Lincoln and drove almost six hours.”
“I thought you went back to Colorado Springs.”
“My guys have a handle on things. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of you driving Finley here all by yourself.”
“Does that mean you need a ride back to Colorado?”
“Am I going to have to listen to hippie music all the way home?”
“Yes. Are you going to chew on a toothpick all the way home?”
He grins, his eyes glittering. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get the heck out of Dodge,” I say. When my words hit me, I cover my mouth and let out a combination laugh and snort. “Get it? We’re in Dodge City. Get the heck out of Dodge?”
Luke pulls me in tight, his hands splayed on the small of my back. His lips twitch, but his voice takes on a serious tone when he says, “Before we go, I need to lay something out in the open. A confession of sorts. Give you the freedom to change your mind now before we take this any further.”
My spine straightens, all my senses on alert. What on earth . . .
“Not too far down the road, I suspect there will come a time when I’ll give you a piece of jewelry for your finger, and we’ll wear specific kinds of clothes to say certain vows, and we’ll figure out where we want to live. Together.”
The air swooshes out of my lungs, and I sway in his arms. I swallow. “You don’t waste time, do you?”
His eyes flash. “Not when I know what I want. You belong to me.”
“Yes,” I say, breathless.
He kisses me. “And I belong to you.”
“Yes.”
He kisses me again. “And I can’t actually back a trailer to save my life.”
My body had already decided to lean in for the next kiss, but at his confession, I freeze. “What?” I blink.
He shoots me a blinding smile. “Baby, I can’t back a trailer. Never have been able to. Collectively, I think I’ve destroyed three pieces of property while a trailer was hitched to the back of my truck.”
I giggle. “Three?”
“U-Haul won’t rent them to me anymore.”
“Are you serious?” I ask through my laughter.
“As serious as the stop sign I mowed over in college when I was moving into a rental house.”
I shake my head. “This is amazing.”
“What I need to know is, in light of this information, will I be able to show my face at the ranch?”
Cocking my head, I tap my lips as if I have to think about this. “Well, as the official program director at Twelve Bluebells Ranch, I feel like I could pull a few strings. Give you a pass.”
His beautiful face lights with recognition, then softens with pride. “You did it.”
I beam at him. “I did it.”
He kisses me again, this time drawing out sweet affection.
