Page 28 of Resisting My Rugged Enemy

“I want to spend the rest of my life exploring with you,” I continue. “Not just trails and lakes, but everything. I want to be there when you discover more letters, when you write your books, when you finally convince the historical society to fund that expedition to the old mining camps. I want to fix your shelves and listen to your stories and make sure you never run out of cinnamon rolls.”

She laughs through her tears, and I take that as encouragement.

“My greatest adventures don’t wait for me in the wilderness. They wait for me in building a life with someone who understands my dreams. Reese, you’re my greatest adventure. Will you marry me?”

For a moment, she just stares at me, tears streaming down her face. Then she nods frantically and drops to her knees in front of me.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, of course, yes.”

I slide the ring onto her finger with shaking hands, and then she’s kissing me and we’re both crying and laughing at the same time.

“I love you so much,” she says, pulling back to look at the ring. “It’s beautiful. So much history in something so small.”

“I love you too and plan to do so for the next sixty years or so,” I say, standing and pulling her with me.

“Just sixty?”

“Fine. Seventy. Or eighty. But I’m not promising to leave my muddy boots by the door.”

She laughs, the sound echoing through our house—our home—and I know that whatever adventures are waiting for us, we’ll face them together.

Just like all the happy couples who lived here hundreds of years ago.