Kade nodded. “Truth, because if they get past you, they’ll have me to deal with.”
“And I’ll slap handcuffs on them and haul them off to jail,” Tristan said.
Skye shared an amused glance with Katie, who was standing nearby. Poor Everly, with three badass men guarding the gate.
“Congratulations, Miss Skylar,” Earl said after pushing his way past the brothers. “This means you’re not gonna run off, right?”
“No, I’m here to stay.” And as she scanned the room, seeing the people who were here for her and Tristan, her heart sighed with happiness. She really was home. One by one, they came and congratulated her—Fanny, Katie, Miss Bauman, Mary Beth and Melissa, Rebecca, her deputies, Tristan’s cops, and even Luther and Miss Mabel.
Champagne bottles were uncorked, popping a few of the balloons, much to Everly’s delight, as the corks shot to the ceiling. A section was cleared, making a dance floor, and Miss Mabel ordered her and Tristan to dance to the first song, just the two of them.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t like sharing this night with everyone,” Tristan said as they danced. “But the word got out that Katie was decorating the Kitchen, and then their nosy selves learned why, and they weren’t willing to be left out. I could have put a stop to it, but I wanted you to see that this is your town, too. That these people are your people. I hope it was okay.”
She lost herself in his eyes, so full of love for her. “It was perfect.”
And it was.
Acknowledgments
If you’re reading this, that means you just finished reading Tristan and Skye’s story. Thank you! You might have seen the meme going around on how to thank an author...wine and chocolate are never refused for sure, but the best way—and it won’t cost a cent—is a review. We seriously love you for those reviews.
So much goes into writing a book, and that means there are many people to thank. I’m never sure where to start because there are a whole lot of people I want to send some love to. But really, the only place to begin is with you, the reader. Without you, there would be no reason to write my stories. Thank you for reading them, thank you for sharing your enjoyment with me...the things that made you smile or laugh or cry. I heart you all.
Next up—the members of my reader group, Sandra’s Rowdies. OMG, y’all are the best! You earn your name every single day, and I love you troublemakers and your shenanigans so much! Thank you all for the love and support you give me and my books! A special thank-you for all the laughter.
Jenny Holiday and A.E. Jones, you are amazing authors and the best critique partners in the world. Thank you for helping me making my books better. Heather, beta reader extraordinaire, thank you for reading my first drafts and your great suggestions for my stories. Miranda Liasson, we started this journey at the same time, and wow, look where we are today. Who would have guessed? Our long phone calls mean the world to me.
To the book bloggers who read, review, and recommend my books, thank you, thank you, thank you! A special shout-out to Christine from ireadromancetoescape, and to Brandy, Clarissa, and Doni!
Kerri Buckley, I enjoy working with you and Carina Press more than you can know. Thank you for being awesome. Deborah Nemeth, super editor, my stories wouldn’t be what they are without you. Sometimes when I first get edits and read over them, I don’t like you...but it doesn’t last long. Ha-ha! Seriously, you’re almost always right, so thank you for showing me how to make a story shine. Also, a big thanks to everyone at Carina for being awesome great.
Courtney Miller-Callihan, what an amazing journey we’ve been on. Thank you for being the best agent I think I could have. Here’s to many more years together!
Last, but never least, a thank-you filled with all my love to my family—Jim, the best husband in the world, Jeff, my awesome son, and DeAnna, my beautiful and wonderful daughter-in-law.
About the Author
Bestselling, award-winning author Sandra Owens lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her family and friends often question her sanity but have ceased being surprised by what she might get up to next. She’s jumped out of a plane, flown in an aerobatic plane while the pilot performed death-defying stunts, gotten into laser gunfights in air combat, and ridden a Harley motorcycle for years. She regrets nothing.
Sandra is a Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member and a 2013 Golden Heart Finalist for her contemporary romance Crazy for Her. In addition to her contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, she writes Regency stories. Her books have won many awards, including the Readers’ Choice and the Golden Quill.
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Everyone thinks Harper Jansen is dead.
She is not, and she wants her life back. Delta Force operator Kade Church will do whatever it takes to keep the woman he’s falling for safe.