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He nodded, fighting the familiar lump that formed in his throat whenever he thought about the family he almost had. “I appreciate that. The accident almost broke me, and since then, I’ve tried to avoid spending time with people…and especially kids, as much as I could. The memories and the grief were just too much for me.”

His pain was reflected in her eyes. “If I would’ve known, I never would’ve asked you to hold the Lambert baby.”

“I know. And I guess you can see now why I got so upset. And why I couldn’t talk about it, but I don’t want my life to be all about the scars I’m carrying. I’ve spent so much time running away from anything good and thinking that falling in love was just another way for life to disappoint me. But being with you has changed all that. You’ve shown me that love doesn’t have to be aboutlosingsomeone or being abandoned, but instead, it’s aboutfindingsomeone. Someone who stays and refuses to let go.”

Her eyes were round now and brimming with tears.

“I told you that I couldn’t give you all the things you deserve, but when I saw you with Pete, something inside of me knew that, for the first time, I wanted to try.” He took another step toward her and picked up her hand. This next part was hard, and he needed to be touching her to get it out. “I kind of already come with a big familyanda dog, but I’m ready to go all in on the other things too, hanging with the grandparents, the white picket fence…” He took another deep breath then let it out slowly, releasing the tightness in his chest as he did. “Even the kids.”

Maisie let out a small gasp and squeezed his hand tightly. “Oh.”

“That’s why I let them all help with this.” He nodded to the bookmobile. “And why I brought them and Moose with me today. To show you that I want to be the one to give you all those things. I love you, Maisie Graham, and I want to build a life with you, one that isn’t about runningfromsomething but runningtowardsomething.Together. I want to give you a life where you never doubt how much you’re cherished or how much you’re loved.”

“Oh, Dodge. I’ve waited for so many years, wishing and praying to hear you say that. And now, I almost can’t believe it’s true. The past few weeks, having you in my life, I’ve done things, said things, that I never thought I would have the courage to say or do. All the things I feel for you, and the fear of being left behind, scare the hell out of me, too. But I don’t want us to be afraid anymore. Like taking that terrifying leap off the high dive and into the pool, I’m ready to jump in, and to face whatever comes our way. I want to be the person who stays for you. I love you, too, and I will never leave you.”

He grinned, her words filling an empty space in his heart. And what he thought was once broken beyond all repair was starting to heal again. He hauled her against him and crushed her mouth in a kiss.

She was still holding his hand and she squeezed it tighter, seeming to pour ten years of wanting him into the way she kissed him back.

When she finally pulled away, he hugged her to him. “I don’t want to think about being with you as denying myself anymore, always trying to resist temptation, and only getting an occasional taste of something sweet.”

She smiled up at him. “I agree. Let’s forget this stupid diet idea, and let’s just indulge in the sweetness we have with each other and savor every moment together.” Her grin turned coy. “And let’s eat cake every day.”

Epilogue

Two weeks later, Maisie and Dodge were spending their Saturday afternoon sprawled on the sofa, their feet tangled together as they each read copies of the same murder mystery, the latest choice in their Secret Society of Book Nerds club.

Maisie’s phone rang, and after a few minutes of listening to the caller on the other end, she hung up, unable to keep the broad smile from creasing her face.

“We won!” she cried, flinging herself into Dodge’s arm. “We won the bookmobile competition! We get a trophy and they’re going to send the grant money next week.”

“Yes,” Dodge said, fist-pumping the air. “You did it!”

“Wedid it,” she told him, her smile growing even wider.

The back door of her house was open to let the late summer breeze in, and Moose came racing in and pounced on them, eager to see what all the excitement was about and no doubt, hoping treats were involved.

Clopping hooves sounded on the hardwood floor as Phyllis followed the dog in, and Maisie laughed as the llama tried to poke her nose into the space between them. She rubbed her face against Dodge’s then cuddled into Maisie’s shoulder. They’d found that every time they went to leave the ranch, Phyllis had done her best to try to climb into the truck after Moose, so Dodge had built a small enclosure in Maisie’s backyard so they could occasionally bring her to town with them and she wouldn’t miss them so much.

Duke had found out through his connections that the llamahadbeen abandoned. She was one of several who had been left on a rundown farm where they’d been breeding them and selling the baby crias. They weren’t sure how Phyllis had strayed so far away, but they were thankful they had found her, and she was now theirs to keep.

So, even though Maisie had said she wanted a couple of dogs—instead, she’d ended up with a somewhat pretentious cat, a beast of a mutt, and a playful and loving llama. Which felt perfect to her. Especially since she and Dodge were already talking about trying to adopt one of the other llamas who had been rescued from the farm.

Her grandmother, Ruby had arrived home the week before, and been amazed at all that had changed while she was gone, most especially that her granddaughter was now in a full-on relationship and was keeping a llama in her backyard.

Maisie looked over at Dodge, the handsome cowboy who had told her he loved her every day for the last few weeks, and she couldn’t believe this was her life.

For so long, she’d felt like the wallflower in one of her books, hanging back from the group, too shy to join in while everyoneelse was out on the dance floor. But now, that had all changed, and she finally felt like the adventurous heroine in her own story, facing the challenges and getting the hot hero.

She loved that Dodge loved to read, loved their quiet moments found while sharing a book, feeling like their hearts beat in sync with every turn of the next page.

“What’s that smile for?” Dodge asked her.

“I was just being a literary dork. And thinking about how lucky I am that I found a fellow book nerd who loves to read as much as I do.”

“I don’t know ifanyonelikes to read as much as you do.” He laughed as he teased her. “But I’m glad too.”

They were figuring it out, this new life together, splitting their time between her house and the ranch, between reading in bed and ravishing each other, but it was working, and she had never been happier.

Now, every day felt like a new chapter waiting to be read, waiting to see where their next adventure took them, and she knew she never wanted their story to end.

So…Not The End…