And then the truck door swings open and Brandon steps out, his tall broad frame straightening up so he towers over the roof, stretching out the kinks in his back. I’m frozen to the spot, I can’t move or speak for fear that I’ve conjured him out of pure need.
But then he looks over and sees me, his tired face breaking into a heart-stopping smile, and I take off running down the last few steps and across the yard to fling myself into his arms. I don’t care if he’s come here to deliver Caesar back and leave, I need to tell him how I feel because these last few days have been torture without him.
“Whoa,” Brandon laughs as he catches me, lifting me up so I can wrap my arms and legs around him. “That’s a hell of a greeting.”
I don’t let him say anything else, instead I press my lips to his and kiss him like he’s been gone for weeks instead of days. Thankfully, he kisses me back with an equal amount of passion, his big hands holding my ass.
When our kiss ends, I slide down his body and give his chest a hard slap. “Where have you been, you big jerk?” I cry, propping my fists on my hips.
“Ouch,” Brandon laughs, putting his hand over the spot I just hit.
“Oh don’t give me that,” I scowl. “I hardly touched you, and you’re a big tough soldier. Now tell me where the hell you’ve been and it had better be a place without any phones or internet or else you’re in a whole heap of trouble.”
Brandon laughs and pulls me against his body and despite my best efforts to stay pissed at him, I feel my body melt against him.
“I took a call from my Army buddy. He told me what happened to Caesar’s handler, so I had to go to Oregon to sort it out,” he explains.
“What happened to him?” I ask, looking up into his eyes where I notice a look of pain that worries me.
“He killed himself shortly after coming here.”
I gasp and hold Brandon a little bit tighter. “Oh god, that’s terrible.”
“He’d gone AWOL and taken Caesar from the base so when I asked about him, it flagged him up to the Military Police. They wanted the dog back because he was still actively working. But you’ve seen the state he’s in. He needed to be released from duty. But to do that, I needed to take him back to Oregon to request he be medically discharged into my care.”
Tears fill my eyes at the compassion Brandon has toward a dog that he could have so easily handed back to the Army.
“You wanted to do that?” I ask.
“I couldn’t help Bella in the end, but I’ll be damned if I see Caesar go back into the system when he’s not fit to work. I want to bring him back to himself, I owe it to Bella and all the other dogs that have given up their lives in combat.”
I let out a wet sob and lift up on my tiptoes to kiss Brandon’s lips. “You are the kindest man I’ve ever known,” I whisper. “But why didn’t you call me?”
Brandon closes his eyes with a sigh. “God, I’m sorry, Angel. On the first day, I took Caesar out for a walk at a rest stop, and he got off the leash. I had to chase him, and I smashed my phone. Then I realized I had no idea what your number was. I just prayed you’d trust what I wrote in my note. I know I should’ve called you when I got to Oregon, but I just wanted to get Caesar sorted out and get back to you as quickly as possible.”
“You did?” I ask, hopefully, my heart beating so hard in my chest I’m sure he can feel it.
“I did, Angel. I haven’t been able to think about anything but you. I want a life with you. And I wanted our life together to include Caesar. I mean he’s the reason we’re together, in a way. If he hadn’t cornered your sweet ass in the barn that day, I never would’ve known what it feels like to love the most incredible woman in the world.”
I blink the tears away and gaze up at Brandon. “You… love me?” I whisper, afraid the words will vanish like dust in the wind if I say them aloud.
“I do love you. All of you.” He cups my face in both hands and kisses my lips tenderly.
“I love you too,” I reply, leaning up to continue the kiss, which is interrupted by the rapturous applause coming from the porch where Jake and Livi stand, watching our declaration.
This makes us both burst out laughing and I know that the rest of my life with this man will be filled with love and laughter.
Epilogue
Brandon
It’s been two years since I broke down in Crescent Bay, and my nomadic life has changed more than I can even explain.
Julia and I got married within months of me returning to the farm — she’s my angel forever, now. It was a small, private affair at the farm with just her family and a few friends from both sides. I have no family left, so being taken into their loud Irish clan was a bit of an adjustment, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After a short honeymoon at a cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains, we came back to the farm and set about expanding the business. With a small investment from the bank, we grew the place into one of the most successful doggy day care centers in the state. And we’re even looking into opening a second center in southern California in the next year..
As for me and my angel, that couldn’t be any better. Our love may have been quick to begin, but it’s just got stronger and stronger over the years. We can’t seem to get out of the honeymoon period, and that’s all good with me, I don’t think there’s been a day since I came backwhere we haven’t made love in one way or another. My angel is insatiable, and I’m more than happy to give her exactly what she wants and needs.