“You’re serious.” He was smiling like a kid on Christmas.
Zoe lifted her hands to his shoulders. “I left River Bend to find myself, to escape . . .” She didn’t need to finish that sentence. “But I had to come back to you to realize what I had lost. I tried to stop loving you, thought I was successful for a little while there . . . but I was wrong. I’ve never stopped loving you, Luke. I’m really praying our timing is finally right.”
“I’d follow you anywhere.” His hands reached up and held her face. His eyes pierced hers with the sincerity of his words.
“How about down the street?”
“You mean it?”
“I’m staying in River Bend.”
“Staying for good?”
“Yep, unless you and I wanna grow old in Fiji or something, I’m setting my roots down right here.”
Luke bent his head and crushed his lips to hers.
He came up for air. “I love you.”
His kisses came quickly between words.
“I’m never letting you go again.”
Another kiss.
She pulled away, her arms around his neck. “Good, cuz I was kidding about the beer tap.”
He tilted his head, pretended annoyance. “We’ll negotiate.”
It was her turn to kiss him. “What kind of negotiations?”
His kiss turned soft before he whispered, “The naked kind.”
“I think I’m gonna like this.” With swollen lips, she said it again. “Size five and a half.”
“Marry me!”
“Is that a question?”
“I’ll ask the question when I have a ring . . . just promise me you’ll say yes.”
The tiny, unshed moisture in the depths of his eyes mimicked the love in her heart.
“I promise, Luke. I love everything about us and never want to let that go.”
He rested his forehead to hers. “Oh, baby . . . I love you hard.”
“Agent Burton?”
“Jo, how are you?”
“Good. I’m good.” She wasn’t anywhere near good.
“Uh-huh . . . right. Why the out of character call?”
“How do you know it’s out of character?”
“Because I suggested you call a year ago, stop by when you’re in town, have a drink. Nothing. Now I hear from you. What’s up, Sheriff?”
Jo peeked out the curtains of her front window. “Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?”
Agent Burton laughed. “Depends on what I’m wearing and what bar I’m at . . . why?”
“I can’t shake the feeling someone is watching me.” A car drove by and Jo ducked behind the wall to keep that someone from seeing her.
“You sound scared, Sheriff.”
She looked out the window again. “I am.”