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“Instead I’m standin’ here like a dumbass because I can’t run to you and scoop you up in my arms where you belong.”
She paused and stared at him, her heart in her eyes. “How about if I run to you?” she said softly.
“Oh God, darlin’, please. I’m dyin’ over here.”
Channing ran.
He caught her on his right side and hauled her against him. Colby kissed her, not like he wanted to devour her, but with pureness.
Gentleness. With his heart and soul wide open. Like he was giving them a memory to reflect on for the next sixty years when they looked back on this moment. She drank him in and filled him back up, sharing, drowning in everything they freely gave to each other.
She buried her face in his shirt, inhaling the warm intimate scent of him. “I missed you, Colby. God. I was so worried about you.”
“You were?”
“Yeah. I wanted to die when you got hurt. And in the hospital I realized I would wither and die if I didn’t have you in my life.”
“So that’s why you left me?”
Channing butted her head against his stubborn chin. “Temporarily. I had things to get straight in my own life first. And you had other things to worry about than me. We both know you wouldn’t have wanted me around those first few weeks while you were recovering.”
“True. I’ve been grumpier than an old bear. Been in a lot of pain.
Been kind of an ass to everyone, if you wanna know the truth. But a big part of that was because I didn’t know where you were, shug.”
“I’ve been here. Waiting for you.”
Colby’s big, gentle hand shook as he wiped away her tears. “You know I would’ve been here sooner, had I known? Nothin’ would’ve kept me from you, Channing.”
Channing kissed his palm.
“So whatcha been doin here the last six weeks?”
“Learning how to ride a horse. Learning how to take care of livestock.
Learning how to cook. Learning everything I can about life on a ranch.”
“Why?”
Her eyes twinkled. “See, I’ve got my eye on this hot ranching cowboy…”
Colby grinned. Dimple and all.
She melted.
“Yeah? Well, there are a couple of things expected of a proper ranch wife that Gemma can’t teach you.” He frowned. “At least, I hope to hell she ain’t been tryin’.”
“You’re the only man for the job.”
“Always. Forever and ever amen. I don’t share what’s mine.”
“You made that crystal clear a couple of times.” Channing looked him dead in the eye. “I love you, Colby McKay.”
“I know.”
Her jaw dropped.
Colby closed it with his finger and kissed her. “You told me once, and it was enough to stick in my head forever. Although, it kinda seemed like a dream, but I remember you comin’ to see me in the hospital. I heard what you said. It’s what got me through, the idea that a sweet, sexy, sophisticated woman like you loved a roughneck like me. Loved me enough to tell me you’d be waitin’ for me. No matter what.” He brought the back of her hand to his mouth. “I’d get on one knee, but I’m still pretty beat up. So I’m just gonna ask you outright. Will you marry me, Channing Kinkaid?”
Without hesitation she blurted, “Yes!”
“Hot damn.” He readied his crutches. “Get in the truck. You’re drivin’.
We’re goin’ to the preacher right now before you change your mind. Then I’m takin’ you home where you belong.”
She almost forgot her list of demands after Colby said home where you belong. But this was too important. “Ah-ah. Hold it right there. If I take you on, there’ll be conditions.”
His eyes narrowed. “Should I be afraid of these conditions?”
“Maybe.” Channing grinned. “One: You’ll be in my bed. Every night.
No boring, once a week missionary style vanilla sex. I expect you and I will both work to keep our sex life as hot and titillating as it has been.”
“Titillatin’, huh?” He grinned. “I’m down with that.”
“Two: I wanna have kids. Lots of kids. But not right away. I want you all to myself for awhile.”
“Same goes, shug.”
“Three: Between you still recovering from your injury and me being a novice at living on a ranch, we’ll have to be patient with each other. Your family will have to be patient with me. I’ve been an outsider in my own family for my whole life, Colby. I don’t want to be an outsider in yours, too.”
Colby leaned on his crutches and stared directly into her eyes. “You are my family now. Besides, Mama already loves you because I told her all about you.”
Channing didn’t have to feign surprise. “You did?”
“Yep. And she’s gonna kick my dad’s butt when she finds about him not tellin’ me that you called, ‘cause she knows how I’ve been pining by the phone waitin’ to hear from you.” He smiled evilly. “So I think I’ll let her handle him. She can punish him way worse than I ever could.”
“Good. Because I’m in for the long haul. I don’t want little picky stuff to tear us apart when the big picture is so promising.” She smoothed her fingers along the dogged set of his jaw. “Any questions?”
Colby kissed the inside of her wrist. “One.”
“Shoot.”
“Is this where I tell you I love you?”
Channing’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded.
“I love you, Channing Kinkaid. You make me the luckiest, happiest man in the world. Life on the ranch ain’t always gonna be rainbows and butterflies and the heart-poundin’ excitement of rodeo, but dammit, it will be our life. I’ll spend every wakin’ hour makin’ sure our life together fulfills your every fantasy.”
Deliriously happy, she snagged his hat and plopped it on her head.
“Is this where we ride off into the sunset, cowboy?”
“Yep.” Colby kissed her. Long. And hard. “I’d much rather ride you, but hey, I can adapt to anything you throw my way.”
