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“What do you have to figure out?” I ask.
“I want to go back to school.”
I can feel a smile splitting my face. “I’m so proud of you, baby. You’re going to make a great veterinarian.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I want to take some business classes, something that will help me with what I love now. What I love now is running Animal Haven. I’d like to figure out how to hire some help so I’m not killing myself, and I want to grow it into so much more—take on more animals and offer obedience training. I’ve even looked into a program where I would team up with inmates to train dogs who can then be adopted.”
“I’ve heard of those programs.”
“It’ll take time and patience, but I’m willing to put in the effort.”
I nod. “And I’ll be there to help you. We’ll grow it together.”
“You’d want to help me with Animal Haven?”
“Have you listened to a word I’ve said over the last twenty-four hours?”
She laughs when I nibble her neck. “We’re in this together. It’s me and you moving forward. We build this life together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Yeah?”
She laughs. “Yeah.”
“I love you, Monroe Gallagher. I always have. Can I show you something?”
Monroe
Rhett lifts me from his lap, grabs my hand, and leads me toward the barn. We hop on the four-wheeler.
I wrap my arms around his waist and drop my chin to his shoulder. “Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I squeal, tightening my grip when we take off, and when we pull up to the same lookout spot he brought me to before, I climb off.
“Sorry to disappoint you cowboy, but this isn’t really a surprise—although I do love it out here.”
“I love it too, and there’s something else I want to show you. Something better,” he whispers.
“How can there possibly be anything better than this view?”
“See that tree over there?” he asks, pointing off to the left.
I turn my head, and he takes the opportunity to press a kiss along the side of my neck.
“That one?” I ask, pointing to a tree about thirty feet away. I didn’t notice it last time we were out here.
“That’s the one. It’s a Red Sunset maple. It’s only about twenty feet tall now, but it’ll grow to be fifty. In the fall, it turns a stunning shade of red. I planted it out here as soon as I bought the property.”
“Just because?”
Taking my hand again, Rhett moves toward the tree. We’re a couple of yards away when I see a heart engraved near the base. Pressure builds behind my eyes, but I refuse to look back at Rhett.
With a hand covering my mouth, I step away from him and kneel in front of the tree, running my fingers over our initials. They’re carved into the base of this tree, just like the ones on our old oak tree at his parents’ ranch.
“Rhett,” I breathe, finally looking up at him.
