Epilogue
“Let’s put thesofa there.”
Jazz had her hands on her hips and was studying the living room. She didn’t have the same fear of redecorating that had paralyzed Dan. The ugly artwork was gone.
He was glad she’d decided not to pursue the position at McCall. But it was only after a year of back-and-forth travel between Grand and her firefighter position in Helena that she’d finally agreed to move in with him.
The cohabitation agreement she’d insisted on signing hadn’t been necessary. Yes, her family had approached him for money. On multiple occasions. But he’d had even less trouble saying no to them than she had with redecorating the house. If they were any good at extortion they wouldn’t have been living in poverty for as long as they had.
He’d insisted on buying a house for her mother, however. In Las Vegas, of course. He wasn’t moving her to the ranch, as she’d wanted. Her house was in his name and the bills came to him. At least Jazz knew she’d have a roof over her head and food in the fridge. After that, she was on her own. Her brothers were another matter entirely. He’d met with them—Jazz didn’t know—and they would get nothing from him. He’d sat her down and told her if she wanted to give them money then that was up to her, but he was having no part of it. It was time she focused less on how disappointed she believed they were in her and more on how they hadn’t taken better control of their own lives. She wasn’t their mother.
Right now, he had a ring burning a hole in his pocket. He’d chosen a blue sapphire, the same color as her eyes. It wasn’t anything close to ostentatious. He knew all too well her opinion on flashing money around. He planned on giving it to her before the victory party tonight. If she thought her family might hurt his chances for reelection—which they hadn’t—wait until she discovered their take on the sheriff living in sin.
Finding the right time, however, was proving more difficult than expected. His mother and sisters were here, taking care of the kitchen preparations, because it turned out Jazz was a terrible cook. Even worse than he was. Beyond toast and fresh fruit, they were a lost cause. Dallie and Ryan had been in and out all morning too, helping them rearrange furniture.
“Let’s dump all this for a few hours and go for a ride,” he suggested. She’d taken to ranch life like a duck to water and riding was one of her favorite things.
The air was cool. It was early spring, and the ice was barely gone from the river. The yellowed fields hadn’t yet shed their tangled winter coats.
Dan turned the horses toward the swimming hole. “I have something I want to show you,” he said.
“I’ve seen it, and you can forget it. I fell for that bathwater trick once before.” The raw wind nipped the tip of her nose, turning it pink. “We could always slip into the barn on the way back, though. It’ll be a while before anyone looks for us.”
He laughed. And that was why he loved her. She had a great sense of humor. It had taken her months to truly become comfortable in their relationship, but now that she was, he loved her even more. When she made a commitment, she was all in.
“This won’t take long.”
“It never does.”
“Them’s fighting words, ma’am.” He slid from the saddle and gazed up at her on her horse. “Marry me, Jazz.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. He placed his hands over her left one grasping the reins. He eased the ring onto her finger.
She stared at it for long moments. It sparkled bright blue in the sunlight. He was pretty confident of her feelings, but she was taking way too long to say something, right now. Always, when she was speechless, he’d learned to look in her eyes. It was why he’d bought her a ring to match.
She looked down at him. Happiness spilled from her eyes. She slid out of the saddle and into his waiting arms.
“I love you,” she said, and he kissed her.
The End