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Duncan went to the shelves and grabbed a full shelf of books between his hands. He carried them to his dresser and set them down. “The dresser’s stuck until we make room, so how ‘bout we put the books here and you take ‘em downstairs? That okay?”
“I’m not a cripple, Dunc. I got it.”
“Technically ...” Phoebe teased.
“You!” Vin returned, shaping his expression into mock annoyance. “Are due for a time out, I think.” He picked up the books Duncan had set down, restacking them into an armload.
“You’re not the boss of me.” She pushed behind Duncan and jumped over the dresser. “I’ll carry, too.”
Duncan went for another stack and set them on the dresser. Before Phoebe could pick them up, he caught her arm. “Hey.”
His look was so earnest, she felt a flicker of concern. “Yeah?”
“I like to see you like this.”
“Like how?”
“I don’t know. Playful. It’s the first time, I think.”
“Well, jeez. Am I usually a downer?”
He chuckled. “No, babe. Hardly. You’re just ... lighthearted today.”
Of course she was lighthearted. Lydia Copperman was dead and buried. There had been a few news stories about her disappearance, and then her body had been found. Since then, there had been only two mentions of her in any significant news source: an article about her ‘fatal accident,’ and then her obituary.
Moreover, the repairs to the ranch were done. The stable had a new roof, the fences were repaired and sealed, the road graded—and donations had kept coming in, so they’d had the funds for other repairs and even some improvements. They’d turned the front pasture into a training field, with jumps and barrels and other enrichments.
Now Duncan was moving in. He’d mentioned marriage, in a ‘someday’ way, and they’d talked about kids, which they both wanted ... also in a someday way. For now, though, they were young and happy and together. Vin and Margot loved Duncan, too, and he loved them. They’d all been folded into the Bulls family as well.
For the first time ever, Phoebe could stand in the middle of her life, look around, and be nothing but glad. The present was full of love and the future full of promise. She was happy.
She reached over the dresser and grabbed her man by the front of his t-shirt. “I am lighthearted. I’m light everywhere. I have everything I need, and nobody can take it away. I love you.”
He leaned to her and kissed her with his beautiful, smiling mouth.
EPILOGUE
