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“Laura just told him to get lost,” Quint replied with a quietly approving smile.
“It’s about time,” Laredo muttered.
The grin Trey gave her was big and wide. “I guess that means we won’t be hearing wedding bells around here any time soon.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Laura replied with a trace of smugness.
As she had known he would, Sebastian abandoned his post by the window and crossed to her side, snaring her waist with his hand. “I believe that last remark requires some clarification,” he stated, addressing the others. “If you will excuse us, Laura and I will go somewhere and discuss this in private.”
“By all means, do,” Chase urged.
Nothing had ever felt so right as the light pressure of Sebastian’s arm around her as he ushered her out of the den and into the living room. But it was nothing compared to the swelling of pure joy within when he turned her into his arms and Laura met his ardent gaze and the suggestion of a twinkle it possessed.
“Have we finally gotten past the money issue?” The husky pitch of his voice was like a caress.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve gotten past it exactly,” Laura demurred with a touch of coyness.
An eyebrow arched in silent challenge. “Then what would you say?”
She slid her hands up to his shoulders and loosely clasped her fingers behind his neck. “That I’ve decided to marry you in spite of it”—Laura paused, a tiny smile showing—“After you sign a prenuptial agreement, of course.”
A smile grooved the corners of his
mouth. “Of course.”
Laura touched a finger to the faint smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose. “I do hope you don’t pass any of these freckles on to our daughters. It would be nice if our sons had them, though.”
“Regrettably, that’s something over which I have no control, Lady Crawford,” Sebastian countered lightly, even as desire darkened his eyes.
“I do like the sound of that,” Laura confessed.
“And I look forward to calling you that for the rest of our lives.”
“I do love you, Lord Crawford.” She made the fervent declaration as she pulled his head down to kiss him and share all the fullness of her love.
Epilogue
Snowflakes fell thick and fast from the cloud blanket that covered the Triple C. Now and then a blustery north wind sent them swirling against The Homestead’s windows, creating shifting patterns of gray and white. Try as they might, the cold and the snow couldn’t penetrate the towering white house that stood so proud and tall on the knoll overlooking the ranch headquarters.
Lights gleamed from its windows in defiance of the premature darkness the November storm had brought to the afternoon. In the den, flames crackled and leaped over the stack of split logs in the fireplace, the heat from it bringing an extra warmth to the room.
Chase dozed in a wingbacked chair next to the fire, halfway between wakefulness and sleep. A heavy sweater hung loosely from his stooped shoulders, the added layer of clothing an attempt to warm his old bones. Dimly he felt the brush of something across his legs and stirred. His drowsy eyes were slow to identify the petitely built woman standing by his chair. For a moment her features swam in and out of focus, but the striking green of her eyes and the shining darkness of her hair, only faintly threaded with gray, registered immediately. Joy swelled within him and a tightness gripped his throat at the sight of his beloved Maggie.
As he reached out to her, she spoke. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, Dad.”
Dad. His hand fell back onto the armrest, the illusion shattered. Chase worked to conceal the bitter disappointment he felt at the discovery it was his daughter Cat standing before him and not his late wife.
He used gruffness to hide any lingering ache in his voice. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“Of course not.” Cat smiled in dry disbelief and bent to tuck the edges of a heavy blanket around his legs.
The action prompted him to notice the new weight of it on his leg. “What’s this about?” Chase demanded, the sight of it making him feel like an invalid.
“I don’t want you getting chilled.”
“So you’re going to roast me instead?” His glance was sharp with reproof.
“Now you know what the doctor said, Dad.” Her voice had that indulgent tone parents used when speaking to their children, further irritating him.
