Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 42

Chapter Forty-Two

Cheyenne

Summer came and went, but this time, Rhett stayed. There were people who seemed surprised by that, including Travis, who I think secretly always expected for him to leave again. But he didn’t. He stayed and worked the trails with me, even as he began putting the plans into place for starting his own business the next summer. The trail guide gig grew on him though, and he admitted that he didn’t want to totally give it up.

He also started training to join our search-and-rescue team, wanting to be a part of something that had helped save him, too—and wanting to replace Sam as my partner. To be honest, that was a relief. As grateful as I was for Sam trying to save me, things were never really the same between us after that day. He broke things off with Emily and apologized to me for the things he’d said. We managed to get along well enough to keep working SAR together, but I deliberately kept some distance between us. I hoped he would find someone else and be happy.

Walker recovered even better than the doctors had predicted, and was back at work, giving Travis the relief he desperately needed. Thomas admitted to being the one who had sabotaged the ladder in retribution for the ranch taking in Diablo. I was relieved it hadn’t been Jimmy. Jimmy had already had a difficult life. I wanted only good things for his future.

Green grass grew in my field, slowly erasing the last traces of the fire. Rhett built me a new barn, as promised, finishing it in time to store our winter hay. The beautiful new space was big enough for Wildfire and Diablo, who moved to our pastures not long after everything had happened. Somehow, Diablo became Rhett’s instead of mine. The change was fine with me. Wildfire was the horse of my heart, and Diablo was perfectly suited for Rhett. The chestnut mare and the black stallion made a pretty pair in our pasture, and I loved watching them.

Early one morning, in the crisp air that signalled the coming of fall, I sipped coffee by the barn and watched the horses graze. Rhett came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Morning, beautiful.”

I laid my head against his chest and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Looked like you were lost in thought out here. What are you thinking about?” he asked before dipping his head to plant a kiss on my neck.

I took a deep breath and bit my lip. “That this is the spot.”

“The spot for what?”

I turned and smiled at him. “The spot where we make a promise to each other, in front of our friends and family.”

He tipped his cowboy hat back and moved quickly, pinning me to the barn wall with a wicked grin on his face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I grinned back, then stole a quick kiss. “What do you think I’m saying?”

“Are you finally going to marry me?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“When?”

“Hmmmm.” I pretended to mull it over, counting days on my fingers. “How about … next month?”

He tipped my chin up and lowered his lips to mine, kissing me hungrily. “I can’t wait.”

Thank you for reading Wildfire Omens ! The Wildwood series will continue with Claire’s story, Shadow Sabotage. In the meantime, you might want to get to know Rhett’s brother, Cole, in Mountain Secrets .

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