Jet and I love you and miss you, Annie. If you give me another chance, I swear you’ll never regret it. Please.
All my love, Dallas.
Annie’s eyes began to mist. Damn him, anyway. Sending his dog to do his dirty work. He knew she couldn’t resist Jet. She fell to her knees and hugged the wriggling dog. “I’ve missed you,” she said, burrowing her face into his soft head. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“What about me?”
A shadow crossed over her, and she looked up into Dallas’s dark eyes. They were filled with remorse. Sorrow. And love.
“Dallas…”
“Hear me out, okay?”
“We’ve been through this.”
“Please.”
“All right. You want to go inside?”
“Dusty’s there.”
“Yeah. The two of you planned this, didn’t you?”
“Guilty. But I want to talk to you privately, so we’ll stay here.” He sat down next to her on the stoop, picked up something shiny, and slipped it in his pocket. He took both of her hands in his large, beautiful ones. “If I could relive the last two weeks, I’d do so much differently, Annie.”
She nodded. “So would I.”
“Don’t be silly. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I told you about the pill.”
“And I should have let you explain. You should have been able to talk to me. Hell, you should be able to tell me anything. That’s how it should be between two people who love each other.”
“I never said—”
“I know you didn’t. But I love you. And that’s enough for now. You don’t have to love me. All I ask is that you give me the chance to convince you I’m worth loving.”
“You’re worth loving, Dallas.”
“I hope so. I can’t change what’s happened, but I can promise you I love you and I trust you. I know who you are. You’re bright, and warm, and caring, and wonderful. There’s not a deceptive bone in your body, and I think I knew that all the time. I won’t let my experiences with Chelsea color our relationship ever again. I swear it. I’ll do whatever you want to prove that. I’ll even go to counseling.”
Annie couldn’t help giggling. Dallas McCray in counseling? “You do love me, don’t you?”
“More than anything.”
“I can’t imagine you agreeing to counseling. You don’t seem the type.”
“If it’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
She sighed. “You don’t need counseling, Cowboy. You need a good stiff kick in the shorts.”
“I’ve gotten that. From Zach, Dusty, and Chad. Even from my ma.” He chuckled. “From Jet, too. And the biggest came from myself.”
Annie stared into his coffee-hued eyes. Could she forgive him? Oh, she wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to melt into his strong arms and live happily ever after.
“Riggs might come after me again.”
“He won’t. He’s going to prison for a long time.”