Montana SEAL (Brotherhood Protectors #1)(40)

Hank pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m leaving the navy.”

Sadie’s eyes widened. “But, Hank. You love what you do.”

He gave her a kiss and then pulled away. “I love you.”

More tears slipped from Sadie’s eyes. “I never stopped loving you.”

“Then what’s stopping you from being with me?”

She raised her hands. “I don’t know.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll prove to you I can handle your life in LA.”

“I don’t want to live in LA. I want to live here.” She sniffed and smiled. “I can cut back to one movie a year, or quit altogether. I don’t need the money. I have more than I know what to do with.” She laid her cheek against his chest. “I want to be with you.”

Hank smoothed a hand over her hair, loving the silky feel of it. “I won’t be your kept man.”

Sadie laughed. “Like you could ever do that.” She looked up at him. “Will you go back to being a rancher and work with your father?”

He shook his head. “Maybe part time. But I thought I might start a business of my own.”

“Doing what?” She laid a hand on his chest.

“I want to create an agency providing protective services for individuals who need it. I’ll hire prior military who need jobs. It combines the best of both worlds. People who need help will get it, and good men who have fought in wars, and are highly skilled at what they do, will have honorable work following their military service.”

“I love it.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “What will you call this agency?”

“Brotherhood Protectors.”

“Hmm. Seems you have it all figured out.” She pulled his head down to hers. “What about us?”

“I only have one thing left to do.” Hank set her away from him.

Sadie tilted her head. “And what’s that?”

He knelt on his good knee, his bad knee aching at being bent, but he didn’t care. The woman he loved was standing in front of him, confessing her love for him. There was only one thing he could do to make this day better. “Sadie McClain, love of my life, for the second time in our lives, I’m asking you…will you marry me?”

Sadie dropped to her knees and lifted his hand to her face. “Hank Patterson, I love you. I’ve never stopped…” She pressed a kiss into his palm.

“You might love me, but you didn’t answer my question.” Hank drew her to her feet and pulled her into his arms. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Hank kissed her, holding her tight. If he could, he’d never let her go again. This was where he belonged. In Montana, his home. In this woman’s arms.





Epilogue





Seven months later…

“Now that it’s complete, what do you think of the design?” Hank stood in the middle of the living room in the house he and Mrs. Sadie McClain Patterson would share for the rest of their lives.

His wife snuggled against his side and sighed. “It’s amazing. And you were right about the heavy beams in the ceiling. They make it more woodsy, like it belongs in Montana.”

“And you were right about the windows. Yeah, it’ll be hell to heat in the winter, but the view of the Crazy Mountains is unbeatable.”

“I like that your office has the same view,” Sadie said. “It’s not the Navy, and you won’t be surrounded by your unit, but you’ll have me.”

Hank smiled. “That’s the best part. I miss my brothers, but the life of a SEAL couldn’t last forever. I’m more than ready to move on to the next phase.”

“Brotherhood Protectors.” Sadie squeezed his hand. “I love the name of your business.”

“We couldn’t have timed the completion of the house better. Swede will be here any minute. He’s the first prior-military protector to join the business. A couple others are waiting for their re-enlistment date before they leave the military. By this time next year, I expect to have three others signed on.”

“Do you have a client lined up for Swede?” Sadie asked.

Hank nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

She turned toward him, her eyes widening. “Already? You’ve barely gotten the word out.”

“Allie’s fiancé wants to hire us to protect her and make sure she gets to the wedding on time.”

Sadie’s forehead dimpled, making Hank want to press a kiss there. “Is she in some sort of danger?”

“Seems her fiancé is fairly wealthy, and he’s afraid someone will try to kidnap her. He has to be out of the country for a couple of weeks before the ceremony, and he wanted someone to keep an eye on her. I told him I’d do it for free. But he insisted on paying for a bodyguard.”

“That’s kind of romantic. He must care a great deal for her.” Sadie leaned her cheek against his arm. “I can’t believe little Allie is getting married.”

“Little Allie is twenty-six, almost twenty-seven,” Hank reminded her. “But you’re right. I’ve barely met the guy. I’m not sure he’s right for my Allie Cat.”