Don’t I know it.
“You’re a lucky guy, bro. She’s perfect for you.”
“Did she say anything about me?”
“Just that you’re the greatest guy she’s ever known. She seemed sorta sad. Did I miss something? Why weren’t you guys together Saturday night after the rodeo?”
“No. We had a big blow-up when I found out she never intended to stay here permanently.”
Dalton raised his eyebrows. “You’re just gonna let her go?”
“It’s not like I’ve got a choice.”
“Bullshit. Don’t be a dumb-ass, Tell. Convince her to stay. Wow her with some of that McKay mojo I’m lacking.”
He snorted. “Right. Like that’ll work.”
“Then maybe you oughta tell her the truth.”
“Which is?”
“Christ. You’re really gonna make me say it? Tell her that you love her and can’t live without her.”
It couldn’t be that simple. Could it?
It was worth a shot.
Tell grinned at his brother. “Thanks, bro. You know, you’ve got a romantic streak. There may be hope for you yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m goin’ to get my woman.”
Tell cleaned up and dressed in better clothing than he normally wore on a Monday afternoon. On the drive into town, he cautioned himself not to ask what the hell she’d been doing whoopin’ it up in the bar after the shit that’d gone down between them at the rodeo Saturday afternoon. He composed snappy comebacks—a mix of charm, snark and wit. Then he practiced keeping his face a blank mask when he imagining her saying it was a fling, I’m returning to Dallas and never coming back, but he knew he’d never pull it off because he’d be crushed beyond repair if she left.
So what would he do to get her to stay?
What would it take for him to follow her?
He’d never considered that option. Could he seriously pull up stakes and leave his family and everything he’d ever known? Just to be with a woman?
Yes. If that woman was Georgia.
Whoa there. Before he started packing his shit and looking for cowhand jobs in Texas, he’d better find out if that was something Georgia wanted.
Tell fought a massive wave of anxiety as he knocked.
The door swung open and Georgia froze.
His heart began that slow, sad tumble to his feet until Georgia threw herself into his arms and squeezed him so tightly his heart stopped beating entirely. “Cowboy hottie, I am so happy to see you. If you wouldn’t have come to me today, I was gonna drive out to your place.”
“That right?”
“Yes.” Georgia tugged him into the living room and shoved him on the couch. “I didn’t call you because I had some important things to deal with first, not because I was waiting to hear from you first. We’re beyond that behavior, aren’t we?” She perched on the edge of the coffee table, facing him.
“I hope so. What’s goin’ on?”
“I know we need to talk about a lot of stuff. But before we get all this out in the open, I have to ask you one thing.” Her eyes searched his. “Did you mean it when you told Deck that you wanted me for keeps?”
With all my heart. With everything I am. “Yep.”
“You sure? This thing with us was supposed to be a fun diversion with some smokin’ hot sex thrown in and it turned into so much more than that. I don’t think either of us was prepared for how fast everything changed. Although it’s pretty obvious it never was casual. It’s always been something special between us. Something I’ve never felt.”
Georgia was babbling? He put his hands on her cheeks. “Sweetness. Calm down. And if you’re sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’, well, I need to hear every word. Loud and clear.”
She blurted out, “I love you.”
There was that falling sensation again. “Run that by me one more time.”
“I love you. I love you so much it scares me.”
“Why does it scare you?”
“After RJ died, I closed myself off from all relationships. I couldn’t lose anyone else I cared about if I didn’t bother to care about anyone—a friend or a lover.
“I’ve needed to deal with this for a long time. It’s not surprising it came full circle in Sundance. When I was forced to take this job, I swore I’d come back here, exorcise my demons and move on. Then I got involved with you. You changed everything. You challenged me. You accepted me. You freed me.”
He had to breathe slowly, steadily, because the roaring in his ears threatened to drown out the sound of her words.
“I only just realized I’m tired of blaming everything that’s wrong with my life on someone else. On my early, crappy marriage to Deck. On RJ dying. On my parents splitting up. On the way my dad grieved. On my job. Over the last day, it’s become obvious I need to take responsibility for myself and my own happiness and live my life on my terms.
“The God’s honest truth is you make me happy. Happier than I’ve ever been in my life. And isn’t that feeling worth something when making a life-changing decision? Shouldn’t that feeling of happiness determine everything? Yes. So I quit my job yesterday.”
His voice was barely above a whisper when he asked, “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes. So my decision to give up my life in Dallas to be with you here in Sundance is not politically correct. I’m supposed to believe I don’t need a man to make me happy. But you know what? That’s crap. That’s me listening to other people’s opinions instead of listening to my heart. My heart is telling me to stay here with you, Tell McKay. My heart loves you. I love you. I love everything about you.
“I can’t imagine anything better than waking up with you every morning. I love how much you make me laugh. I love how you’ve taught me how to have fun. I love how you’ve shown me what a sense of community means. What friendships mean. I love how you understand family issues and don’t believe everything has to have a quick fix. I hate that we’ve both dealt with sadness and loss, but I love I have you to talk to about it. You accept it all. Every part of me.”
If Tell’s mouth weren’t so damn dry and his heart weren’t beating a million miles an hour, he might have thought he was actually dreaming.
“I’ve had so many choices made for me throughout my life. This time I’m taking a stand and making my own choice. This time I’m choosing you.”