BROOK LYNN MOTORED down the winding country roads, dirt blowing behind her tires. What a day! Hope had warmed up to her and told her stories about the kind of dog she’d always and forever dreamed of having. A white puppy with blue eyes she would name Snowflake.
They’d spent hours at the shelter, going through the different rooms, petting the different dogs. Even walking some. Brook Lynn had to stave off tears more than once—and the desire to try to abscond with every single animal. It had just been so sad, all of those dogs desperate for a home, looking at her with a mix of fear, hope and loneliness. It had affected Hope, too, and she’d decided a puppy wasn’t what she wanted, after all. Instead, she’d asked the employees to introduce her to the dog most in need.
Brook Lynn had never been so proud of another human being.
After they’d filled out the paperwork, they’d taken Steve and Sparkles to PetSmart for necessary supplies, then the local vet to be examined. The experience had bonded them. At least, Brook Lynn hoped so.
Were those car lights flashing behind her? Thinking someone had an emergency, Brook Lynn eased to the side of the road. But the driver didn’t pass her. He stopped behind her and got out.
Jase.
She would recognize his towering silhouette anywhere.
Sparkles slept in the passenger seat. Trembling with a sudden deluge of concern, she entered the night. The pulse in her throat thundered.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Yes. You’re not in my arms.”
She felt instant relief...followed by a flood of need. She stopped, allowing him to come to her... He pinned her against her car, his nearness playing havoc with every inch of her body. She trembled. She flushed with languid heat. She had to fight to breathe.
“You couldn’t wait until I got home?” she asked, winding her arms around his neck. “I’m glad.”
Moonlight couched his features, painting him with fantasy and shadows. “I would wait forever for you, but I’m also glad I don’t have to.” He flattened his hands just over her shoulders, letting his strength completely surround her. “Besides, I have to talk to you about something, and waiting was killing me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What?”
He licked his lips. “If Daphne won’t move to Strawberry Valley, I might have to move to the city. I have to be near Hope, Brook Lynn, but I don’t want to be without you.”
His tone begged her to understand, but he needn’t have worried. She’d begun to wonder what would happen when Daphne’s visit ended. And the more time she’d spent with Hope today, the more she’d come to realize Jase would be filled with a need to protect the girl, to give her what he’d never had. An unbreakable family. Brook Lynn would never deny him that chance.
“I don’t want to be without you, either, and I won’t. I’ll come visit you as often as—”
“That’s not good enough. I want you to come with me,” he said softly.
She had wondered if he’d ask—and had already made up her mind. “Yes. Yes, I will go with you.”
He closed his eyes, expelled a breath.
Oh, this man. “I love you, Jase Hollister,” she said.
His lids snapped open.
“That’s right,” she continued. “I love you so much I don’t want to imagine my life without you. I would follow you to the ends of the earth.”
Like a panther, he moved quickly. He was flush against her and framing her face with his big, hot hands in less than a second. “You love me?”
Chin trembling, she nodded.
“I have to have you. Here. Now.” He didn’t give her time to respond, but slammed his mouth against hers, his tongue thrusting deep and sure.