“That sounds perfect,” he said softly.
***
Josh should have felt calm. Ev
eryone was safe. The sheriff had Harry in jail where he couldn’t bother anyone. And Hope had clung to him last night as if she never intended to let him go. But that wasn’t the same thing as a commitment. What if she didn’t want to stay on the ranch? What if it had too many bad memories for her? He wanted to promise that he’d follow her anywhere, but he couldn’t live anywhere he didn’t have room to shift and run on a moment’s notice. He’d thought there was nothing worse than never finding his mate, but loving her and not being with her would be ten times worse.
The sun beat down from almost directly above them, so when they reached the creek, he led her under the shade of the cottonwood trees. From there, they could hear the water rushing over the rocks in the creek. They stood there, quiet and still while he held a running debate with himself. Should he say something and risk hearing an answer that broke his heart? Was it better to ask and get the bad news right away, or should he just be content with whatever she was willing to give him?
Before he could speak, Hope beat him to it. “So much has happened in such a short time. It seems like weeks ago, when you told me about how you loved to come out here and be alone.”
“This isn’t my place now. It’s ours. Whether you decide to stay or not.”
“Josh—”
He kept talking, afraid to hear what she might say. “The ranch can be a little challenging in winter, but we’ve got a lot of people to help with the shoveling, and I’m sure you know what it’s like to wake up and see a pure white blanket over everything outside.”
“Josh, listen. I know I freaked out on you the night we met.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a half-hug. “I shouldn’t have mentioned marriage so quickly.”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I shouldn’t have panicked. I should have trusted you.”
“You barely knew me.”
“That doesn’t matter.” When he didn’t reply, she continued. “Does it? I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my life, and I don’t think you have either.”
“You know I haven’t,” he said huskily. He raised his hand to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear, and when he touched her skin, he felt it jolt through him.
“As soon as I met you, I was attracted to you. Really attracted, obviously.” She reached for his hand and entwined their fingers together. “But I think I was in love with you by the time dessert came.”
“In love?” Josh asked. Nothing had ever made him so happy as those two words.
She blinked away the tears that were welling in her eyes. “Of course.”
He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “God, I love you too. So much. I was so scared last night.”
“So was I. But mostly, I was afraid that something would go wrong, and I’d never get the chance to tell you how I felt.”
A tear tracked down her cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb. “Do I need to ask you again?”
She laughed shakily. “Technically, you never asked me the first time.”
“No,” he said, “I guess I never did get to that part.”
He locked his arms around her waist and looked down into her upturned face, her eyes filled now with happy tears.
“Hope Callahan, will you marry me?”
“As if you had to ask,” she laughed, her eyes shining. As she leaned up to kiss him, he kissed her back with everything he had in his heart, trying to make her feel how precious she was to him. When the kiss ended, she rested her cheek over his heart.
“And you’re sure you want to marry into this crazy family?” he asked.
She straightened up and punched him lightly in the arm. “Stop doing that. You keep warning me about your family. Yes, there are a lot of them. They’re loud and argumentative. They’re also funny and warm and good-hearted.”
“You’re right,” he realized. “I’ve been so worried about losing you, I guess I got kind of fixated on how different they were from how you grew up.”
“Just promise me no more kidnapping.”