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As much as he wanted to talk to Kelly, he wanted to hold her more. They’d spent so much time planning part of the festival, and because of their fight, they hadn’t been able to spend time enjoying it together. There’d been no walks through the vendors to see what wares they were selling. No shared bowls of guacamole or some of Betty Lou’s donuts. But maybe they could have this. “Will you dance with me?”

Kelly worried her bottom lip with her teeth, and he wanted to run his thumb across it, soothing the hurts she was inflicting on herself. She still looked like she wanted to run away from him.

Taking a risk, he reached out and brushed his thumb across her lower lip. She released her hold on it. “Please, Kel.”

He felt like punching the air in victory when she nodded. Slipping his arm around her waist, he steered them through the crowd toward the area where the temporary dance floor had been set up. Fortunately, most of the people were strangers. He’d heard the gossip around town the last couple of days about him and Kelly, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t be happy about it.

Tate found them a space and pulled her into his arms. The song wasn’t slow, but it wasn’t too fast that their swaying looked out of place. Macy segued into another song, this one slower. So far, Kelly had been holding herself stiffly against him, but at the change of pace, a little of the tension in her faded and she relaxed the death grip she had on his shoulder.

He changed his hold so his hands rested on her waist. Macy crooned about lost souls finding each other again, and the words sank deep into the parts of him that had been hollow since Kelly walked out on him.

His step faltered when Kelly’s arms wound around his neck and her body relaxed fully against him. He breathed deeply and the familiar scent of flowers and sunshine filled him. Peace settled over him. This was the perfect moment. Everything was right. But there were things that needed to be said and apologies he needed to make.

“I’m sorry, Kel,” he murmured against her ear. “I overreacted and took everything out on you when I shouldn’t have. You were there to provide me with support and I threw it away.” He looked up to the sky, swallowed a couple of times before resting his cheek against hers again. “I’ve never had anyone come to me when I needed them. No one was there when Mom died. Trey was at college and Tyler ran off to deal with his grief by getting into as much trouble as he could. And Dad, well, he remained stoic. I wanted to share my grief with someone. I was fifteen. I didn’t know how to feel or what to feel. No one was there and I dealt with it alone. That became the pattern of my life. I was determined to prove I didn’t need anyone and could do everything myself. I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate the gift you were giving me when you came to the hospital.”

Baring his soul to another person wasn’t anything he’d ever done, but he couldn’t deny how freeing it was. To share his burden. No, to acknowledge that he was wrong and wanted to fix it. “I promise to do better. Promise to talk more. I need you, Kelly. These last couple of days have been the worst of my life. I haven’t wanted to do anything. I kept hoping I’d see you at the farm, but you weren’t there. I realized that I’d hurt you so much you couldn’t bear to be near me. I deserved the way you ignored me.

“But I want another chance. Will you give me one?”

*

It was takingeverything in Kelly not to cry. Tate was baring his soul to her while Macy sang about taking chances on love when you find the right person, no matter how scary it was.

She could hear the truth in Tate’s words; hear the pain he was going through. The pain mirrored hers. As she’d been manning her booth in the town square she’d been watching for Tate, even knowing he’d be staying close to the farm and the chances of him walking past her were nil, part of her had hoped she’d see him.

“When you lashed out you hurt me a lot, Tate. I didn’t want to be around you. Again the person I cared for treated me like a worthless possession. Like I didn’t deserve to be an important part of their life. Help you through dealing with whatever happened with your dad.”

“I know, Kel, I know that now. I didn’t see it at the time, but you walking away opened my eyes for me. I’ve said I want a second chance, but I will understand if you feel you can’t give it to me.”

Did she want to go through life the way she’d been feeling the last couple of days? Macy’s words came back to her.You can’t shut off your feelings.And it was so true. It had been so easy to move on from Edwin. Everything she felt with Tate was ten times more intense than anything she’d ever experienced with her ex. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

She tried to imagine a future without Tate in it and couldn’t. She didn’t want to. She wanted to share all his ups and downs. Be a shoulder when he needed it. He would always be a shoulder if she needed it. She wanted to share her ups and downs with him as well. And she wanted children, but not just with anyone—she wanted Tate’s children. He would be a wonderful father. They’d already proven that when they communicated they worked together beautifully as a team.

And there was the gossip of the last few days. Had it really hurt her? She’d allowed it to, she’d given power over to people who didn’t deserve it. Really, at the end of the day, what did it matter if she and Tate were the subject of the town’s gossip because of the age difference between them? Was she going to let that stop her from finding her true love and happiness?

No, she wasn’t. Ever since she’d made the decision to seize the day and live in the moment, she’d been living it with the man holding her. Her life was complete.

“Yes, Tate, my answer is yes to a second chance. I want that so much, too. I can’t bear to think of a future without you. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear this, but I need to say it. I’m in love with you, Tate Prentice. I’ve been miserable ever since I walked out of that hospital waiting room. I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”

Tate’s mouth crashed down on hers, and she whimpered against the onslaught. She missed him so much. His arms banded around her and she sank into the kiss. Wanted to relay to him how much she loved him and needed him. She liked to think he was giving the same back to her.

He pulled his lips away from hers and she moaned. “Oh, thank God, Kel. It killed me to watch you walk away. I should’ve gone after you.” He framed her face, and in the muted evening light, his eyes softened. “I love you, too, Kel. So much.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. He loved her. And it was a true love, not the false love Edwin had given her. He pressed his lips to hers again before reaching into his pocket. She couldn’t see what he pulled out but she gasped when he went down on one knee. The people around them stopped dancing and stared as well. The music came to a halt and for once in her life, Kelly didn’t care that she was going to be the center of attention.

Dangling between his fingers was the bracelet that he’d given her. “Kelly Turner, will you do me the honor of going steady with me for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes,” she practically yelled the word. “Yes, Tate, I will.”

“I know it’s not a ring and we will get the perfect one for you, but in the meantime.” He slipped the bracelet around her wrist.

The crowd cheered and Macy and her band started playing again. Tate slipped his arms around her again and Kelly snuggled in tight. She’d never been happier in her life than she was right now.

Chapter Nineteen

Two hours later,Kelly and Tate arrived at the Prentice farm. After an impromptu celebration at Silver Spurs with a large group that included Tyler, Macy and Gavin, and Gavin’s brothers and their wives, as well as Kelly’s mom. Now they were going to tell Trenton their exciting news. Tate hadn’t wanted to tell his dad over a phone call that they were engaged, and Kelly had no problems with it.

“Everything okay?” Tate hadn’t made a move to get out of the car and she hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts.