Page 136 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“Me too.”

“So what else happened last night?” Hazel asked as we turned down their road. “When will we know what’s going to happen with Ronny?”

Thea took a deep breath before summarizing our discussion with the sheriff last night. “They’re going to charge him with assault and criminal stalking. I’ve put in for a restraining order, just in case Ronny gets out of jail, but the sheriff thought the district judge would work quickly on this one. It’s likely Ronny won’t get bail and he’ll be sent straight to sentencing. We’ve got a meeting with the county attorney’s office at two to discuss it all.”

With this being Ronny’s second stalking offense, the chances of him getting jail time were high. Prison was going to be hard on a sick bastard like Ronny Berkowitz. My money would make sure of it. And when, or if, he was released, he’d be coming home to a life in ashes.

Sean had been up all night, digging into Ronny’s system. I doubted we’d ever know for sure, but it appeared that his obsession with Thea had all stemmed from his obsession with Angela, the bartender in Texas.

Because of their physical and occupational similarities, Ronny had latched onto Thea. He’d actually known Angela as a kid. They’d gone to elementary and middle school together. From early on, he’d formed an attachment to her, one that had turned sour when Angela hadn’t returned his affections and began dating someone else instead. The same emails that Ronny had sent Thea, Sean had found to Angela. He was still emailing her, even after years of living in Lark Cove.

He’d just added Thea to his routine too.

None of us were sure why he’d come to Montana after he’d been arrested for stalking Angela in Texas. As far as we knew, he had no personal connection here. Sean’s theory was that Ronny had come up here for a vacation after being let out of jail in Dallas and had stumbled across Thea at the bar. Since he couldn’t have Angela, he’d settled here instead.

If not for me showing up, he might have gone on as a quiet, unsuspecting citizen. He might have just admired Thea from afar, never progressing to the extreme.

“I hope they put him away for a good long while,” Hazel said, stopping as we reached the sidewalk leading up to the front door. She stepped closer to Thea, placing her hands on her shoulders. “No more late-night walks.”

Thea nodded. “Never again.”

“And no more scaring me to death. My heart can’t take it.”

“Neither can mine.”

Hazel pulled Thea in for a tight hug, then kissed her cheek. “I’m going to take a nap.”

As Hazel went inside, I tugged Thea’s hand. “Come on.”

I led her around the house and across the lawn, straight to the dock. We walked down the worn planks and stood at the end, looking out across the water. The morning air was crisp and fresh. It was the next best smell besides Thea’s hair. The sky was a cloudless blue, bright with the early sun.

“It’s beautiful this morning.” Thea yawned. “But I’m going to need a nap too.”

“Same here.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” Thea leaned into my side. “How long are you staying?”

“For a while.”

I grinned and patted my jeans pocket. Inside was the ring I’d stashed there this morning.

Proposing today hadn’t been on my agenda. Thea and I were both exhausted, physically and emotionally. I had a lot I needed to explain. I’d only grabbed the ring so Thea wouldn’t find it accidentally. But I couldn’t stop my hand from slipping into my pocket just to touch the delicate band.

Should I? Should I ask her?

Marry me. The words were right there, practically leaping from my lips. I wanted to start building our life together today, and when I told her I was moving, I didn’t want her to have a shred of doubt that I’d ever leave her again.

I should wait.

Fuck it. I wasn’t waiting any longer.

I dug out the ring and spun Thea away from the lake to face me.

“Thea Landry.” I took her hand, then dropped to one knee. She deserved a proposal on one knee.

“Oh my god,” she gasped as panic flashed across her face. She probably thought I was here to beg her to move back to the city. “Logan, what are you—”

“Let me go first,” I said. “When I asked you what you wanted, you said the impossible. But I don’t believe anything is impossible, not for you. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you never have an impossible again. Including living our life together in Lark Cove.”