A Forever Christmas(66)
She nodded. “Very sure. But that doesn’t mean you have to marry me.”
“Yes, I do,” he insisted. “I want my happy ending.” He looked at her and said, “You still haven’t given me your answer.”
He was one in a million. And she loved him. “Yes,” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. “Yes, yes, yes,” she repeated, uttering each word in between the kisses she rained on his face.
The final “yes” was followed by a long, soulful kiss that was equal parts joy and relief.
Which was the way Rick found them when, concerned by the silence, he finally opened the pantry door. Taking in the scene, the sheriff of Forever smiled knowingly and quietly closed the door again.
“I can always take the statement later,” he murmured, pleased, as he walked away.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Cowboy Soldier’s Sons by Tina Leonard!
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Chapter One
We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
—Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Shaman Phillips wasn’t expecting a blonde bombshell to show up at the front door of the Dark Diablo farmhouse, but one glance at her shapely legs, long silky hair and beautiful face made him believe tonight might be a lucky night for a lone wolf. “Hello,” he said. “Can I help you?”
“Hi.”
Shaman decided the voice of an angel went with her amazing looks. She was way out of his league—and yet even a man with scars liked to gaze at beautiful things.
“I’m looking for Chelsea Myers.”
“Ah. The Chelsea Myers who married my brother Gage in July. She’s Chelsea Phillips now.” Shaman leaned forward, out of the doorway, planting his well-worn boots on the porch. “They live at the Callahan place, Rancho Diablo, in Diablo.”
The goddess stepped closer, her high fire-engine-red heels clicking on the wood porch. “My name is Tempest Thornbury. I met Chelsea and Cat in July, before I returned to Italy.” She held up a small Louis Vuitton bag, complete with tufts of tissue paper coming out the top. Shaman knew what Louis Vuitton was; his sister, Kendall, was a huge fan. “I brought this for Cat. Is there a possibility you could give it to her?”
“Come on in,” Shaman said, tamping down the wolflike tendencies fighting inside him. “I’ll get their address and you can send it to her. It’d probably be quicker. I never know when I’ll see them, now that the school year has started.”
Tempest smiled. “Thank you.”
Shaman went to get the address, and she followed him into the house. He handed her a piece of paper. “Cat started school in the middle of August in Diablo. She’s real happy there.”
“I’m so glad.”
He decided his visitor was even more beautiful close up. The hot-red suit fit her curves to perfection. She didn’t wear a wedding ring or jewelry, just some gold hoop earrings that kissed her cheeks.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Tempest added.
Shaman nodded, suddenly uncomfortable and not sure why. His first thought was to seduce this angel—what man could resist?—but she was too perfect for him. How dumb was that?
Ten years in the military, most of them spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, might have left him hungry for female companionship, but it had also left him with scars on his back, a chunk missing from his shoulder and a red slash across his sun-browned cheek. He was lucky those were his only visible scars. Many of his buddies hadn’t fared so well.
A little less perfection in a woman would suit him better. “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
Tempest smiled and turned on her heel. “I was hoping to see Cat and Chelsea, but I suppose they won’t be back until the semester is over?”