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She closed her eyes for a brief second. “I sent an email to your Stone Jacobs. I included a copy of my resume. He says he has a couple of ideas. One involves a certain wolf sanctuary in the area, and the other idea involves a congresswoman who lives on a nearby reservation. They both need good people, people with my skills. I thought it was a little odd he hadtwo ideasthat just seemed to pop into his head.”
Gunn grunted. “I may have mentioned I hoped you’d want to come back to Yellowstone with me and that you might be looking for work.”
She dug a finger into his side. “You do not have to arrange jobs for me. I’m perfectly capable of finding my own.”
“But they sound interesting, don’t they?”
“You mean, up my alley? Working on causes I can get behind?”
“Yeah. I like that you want to make the world a better place. I just want you to choose a place close enough we can be together.”
She pressed her lips together, then decided to take the plunge. “I’m falling for you, Gunn. Don’t ask me to come if you don’t feel the same way.”
“Well, that puts me in a bind,” he said, his tone wry. “Because I’m already in love with you, Maddie Russo.”
Relief flooded her, but before she got any weepier, she gave him a quick nod, then lay her cheek against his chest. “He mentioned they’d have a room ready for me at the lodge in West Yellowstone.”
“That room’s mine. And it’s ready.”
“Good.”
His chest shook, and he lifted her face. “That’s it? Good?”
“What more do you want me to say?” she said, grinning back at him.
“I don’t know. You should be worried about my intentions. Ask me for a ring.”
“You want me to jump straight to that? No living in sin for a while to make sure we’re a good fit? Don’t guys like to tread more cautiously into relationships?”
He shook his head. “I don’t need more time to know I want you in my life. I want to marry you, Maddie. I want kids with you. A dog with you. I’ll even accept a cat or two.”
“That’s quite a sacrifice.”
“I thought so.”
Maddie laughed. “Well, so long as we’re both thinking along the same line. Yes.”
“You’ll marry me?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, now that we have that over with…” He let out a deep, relieved sigh and then closed his eyes.
She dug her finger into his side again. “Not gonna celebrate?”
“We just ate a month’s worth of meat rations.”
Her gaze hardened.
“Oh, that kind of celebration.”
Somehow, he managed to roll them without landing on the floor. Gazing up at him, she could see every adventure she’d never known she wanted to experience there in his pale blue eyes.