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He hoisted her onto his hips, and she hooked her ankles tight. And then she kissed him and kissed him and kissed him until his beard rubbed her chin raw, until he finally lowered her to the ground, though he didn’t let go of her for even a second.
“You have a beard!” she whispered through tear-soaked laughter. She tore off one of her mittens with her teeth so she could run her fingers over the coarse hair that made him look wholly new but also still exactly like the man she loved. “And Trudy got a new beagle?”
Eli nodded. “He’s actually a beagle–dachshund mix. She named him Noodle.” He laughed, then rubbed a thumb across her chafed chin. “As for the beard, maybe it wasn’t the best idea.”
“I love it!” she exclaimed, then decided that wasn’t convincing enough. “I love you, Eli. I know this has been hard, but I want to make it work. If you do, I mean.”
He stared at her, eyes clear and blue and sure. “I love you, Mighty Dancer. And I’ll endure New York winters for as long as I have to if it means we’re in this for the long haul.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
“What is it?” he asked.
She shook her head, but then she decided to tell him anyway.
“Back when I first got to Meadow Valley, and you were adamant about me not riding Midnight…”
Eli’s jaw tightened, and he nodded, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Delaney said something to me that has always been in the back of my mind. She said that everything gets easier with time but that some things stick with us for the long haul. I knew she was partially talking about my injury and what it might mean for my career. But I also knew she meant you.” Her throat tightened. “The years before we met were so different for each of us, and I get that for better or worse some part of your loss will always be with you. And that’s okay. I guess I just feel lucky that you have enough room in your heart to love me too, and maybe I didn’t realize it until tonight, but I really needed to hear that you and me? Us? That we’re your long haul too.”
Eli kissed every one of her tears as they fell, and when she looked up at him, she saw that his lashes were wet too.
“Thank you,” he told her softly.
“For what?” she asked.
“For loving all of me, even the messy parts.” He dipped his head so his breath tickled her ear. “And not that it’s a competition,” he whispered, “but I love you, Beth. I love you. For the long haul and infinite days after that. I love you.” He kissed her. “I love you.” He kissed her. “I love you.” And for good measure, he kissed her again. “Pretty sure I won that round.”
“We both won,” she told him, and she felt his lips part into a smile against hers.
“Then I guess we’ll call it a tie.”
That night, they lay in Eli’s hotel bed, her naked body aligned perfectly against his. Her head rested on his chest as he traced lazy circles with his index finger on her back.
“I was thinking,” she began, eyes growing heavy with sleep. Or maybe it was just that this whole night felt like a dream. “That I might like to learn more about rehabbing horses. I mean, I need to earn a living on the off months, right? So I was wondering if you might know of any ranches in your area that need horse trainers.” She kissed his chest. “Of course, this ranch would need to train me how to train the horses, but I’m a quick learner.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath, then felt it as his lungs expanded beneath her.
Beth tilted her head up to catch his gaze.
“Are you serious?” he asked. “You want to come home?”
The way he said that last word—as if he’d been waiting for her to ask that exact question for six months—made her realize that this, right now, was her best night. Her best moment. The happiest she had ever been.
“Yes.” She climbed over him, pressing both her palms to his bearded cheeks. “I want to come home.”
Epilogue
By the time Eli had Holiday—a brown Arabian recovering from a ligament tear in her right rear ankle—tacked and ready to go, Beth and Midnight had already exited the arena and were galloping toward the late-summer woods.
“Show-off,” Eli mumbled as he led the mare into the arena and then through the back gate. He mounted her, gave her neck a quick pet, and then tapped his heels against her flanks. “Yah!” he called, and Holiday erupted into her first trot and soon a gallop since her owners had brought her to the ranch. This would likely be her final ride before she went back home, and Eli wanted it to be a good one.
In the distance, he caught a flash of Beth’s long wild waves, of Midnight’s black coat shining in the sun. He loved how well she knew the way to their secret spot, loved that whenever she wasn’t working or training for the following Christmas performance, she was on the back of a horse, usually Midnight, riding as far as they could go for as long as they could ride.
Beth knew her injury would cut her time in the dance company short, but she hadn’t let it stop her from achieving her dream. And Eli knew the years she spent splitting time between New York and California would be tough on them both but that Meadow Valley would always be home.
By the time he and Holiday made it to the woods, he was grateful for the shade to protect him from the unforgiving heat. Beth made sure they packed uncarbonated water this time, and they even included some cut-up apples and carrots to give Midnight and Holiday a proper feast while he and Beth rested under their favorite tree.
