Page 26 of Branded Mountain Man

The brand was still there, would always be there. But it no longer defined him. It was just part of his story now—not the ending, but one chapter in a longer tale that included love and healing and the kind of happiness he'd never thought he deserved.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Nash.Josh finally agreed to an assessment. Think you can work your magic again?

Sloan smiled, her fingers moving to the wooden medallion at her throat. Marcus's name was worn smooth now from her touch, a reminder that sometimes the most broken things could become the most beautiful.

On my way,she typed back.

Outside, Colt looked up from his work and caught her watching. The smile he gave her was pure sunshine, free of shadows for the first time since she'd known him.

"Where are you going?" he called.

"To help someone else remember they're worth saving," she called back.

His grin widened. "That's my girl."

Yes, Sloan thought as she grabbed her pack and headed for the door. She was his girl. And he was her mountain man. And together, they were exactly what they were supposed to be.

Healed. Whole. Home.

The End