Epilogue
One Month Later
Dallas
Dallas shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
Isabelle groaned. “Will you stop fidgeting? I sent Jason to get her. And if you remember—”
He stiffened, then whirled to face her. “Jason? Why did you send Jason?” His voice went up an octave—something he wasn’t all too proud about.
By the way Isabelle bit back a grin, she knew exactly what that information would do to him. No, Camilla hadn’t actually been interested in dating Jason. And no, they didn’t have a past in the traditional sense. But they had gone on a date and the guy had been interested in her.
Dallas scowled at Isabelle, and she snickered.
“Relax. He’s not going to ask her out. I mean, look around you. Do you think a guy like him is into chasing unattainable women?”
He did as she requested. There were rose petals leading from the door of the empty barn to where he knelt. Twinkling lights were strung around the whole space. When Camilla finally agreed to marry him, he wanted it to be right here, where he shared lasting memories with her.
Isabelle had a point.
While Dallas hadn’t been thrilled at the notion, he couldn’t deny that Jason’s help had been instrumental in setting this place up.
He, along with Camilla’s brothers, had cleaned out the storage space.
With the right touches, this place would easily be transformed into a reception center for a rustic wedding.
“Is it too much?” he asked.
Isabelle wrinkled her nose and glanced around the space. “Maybe. But Camilla’s been waiting for this for nearly a decade. I don’t think she’d have any issue with it being over the top.”
“And here I thought you were the hopeless romantic.” He’d meant for the statement to be a joke, but Isabelle didn’t meet his eyes. It was something he’d started to notice. Now that he wasn’t obsessing over winning Camilla back, he’d started to pay attention to the little things.
The Isabelle who had helped him with her sister wasn’t the same woman he’d met seven years ago. She’d changed. It was a small change. And perhaps he shouldn’t pay that much attention to her. But he saw it. The sparkle in her eyes had been dimmed.
What was he thinking?
That was ridiculous.
He shrugged off the feeling of unease and opted for the teasing route like he’d used before. “If I have my way, there’s going to be a wedding by the end of the season. You gonna need a plus one?”
Isabelle shook her head. “Not dating anyone. Don’t think I’d want to bring a new boyfriend to my sister’s wedding, either.”
“Why is that?”
Her eyes flashed to his. “Why shouldn’t I bring a new boyfriend?”
“No,” he drawled. “Why aren’t you dating? The Isabelle I remember used to love talking about guys she was interested in.”
She gaped at him, blushing momentarily. “Were you eavesdropping on my conversations with my best friend?”
“Didn’t she marry some firefighter?”
Isabelle opened her mouth again, but the sound of voices approaching had her ducking back behind a pole. She had her phone poised and ready so she could record the whole thing for her parents.
Dallas turned his attention to the entrance of the barn before he rubbed a clammy hand along his slacks.
The second Camilla came into view, his breath stalled in his chest. She froze in the doorway, her eyes sweeping over the scene before them.
Dallas caught a glimpse of Jason slipping away, but not before his attention snagged on Isabelle.
Momentarily caught off guard by his strange reaction, Dallas didn’t realize that Camilla was now standing directly in front of him.
“Dallas?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
His eyes darted to her, and he gave her a crooked smile as he held up a ring box he’d had since weeks after meeting her. “I knew you belonged with me from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
Her hand covered her mouth. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not to him. Not to the love of his life.
Dallas cocked his head slightly and his grin stretched wider.
“I told you that I knew you would be my wife, and while you might have thought I was insane, this is me proving that maybe we’re both a little crazy.
Leaving you was the hardest and dumbest thing I’ve done in my life, and if you…
say yes…” His voice cracked. “Then I’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens again. ”
Tears fell down her cheeks in streams, and Camilla knelt down in front of him. She wrapped both of her hands around the box he held with a nod of her head.
“I choose you, Camilla. I will always choose you. Forever.”
“I love you, Dallas,” she whispered. “More than anything. More than anyone. You’re my… everything.”
“Yeah?” he rasped.
“Yeah.” She let out a soft laugh. “You better get used to it. Because I’m not going anywhere.” Her hands fell from the box, and he flipped it open.
“I plan on upgrading the—”
Her quiet gasp was music to his ears, and she shook her head profusely. “It’s perfect. Is this…?”
He nodded. “It’s the one I got before I left.”
More tears spilled from her eyes when she blinked. “It really is perfect, Dallas.”
“No more than you,” he said.
With that, she threw her arms around his neck and crashed her lips against his. Their kiss deepened and his hold on her tightened until the sound of someone clearing their throat broke past the haze of exhilaration that surrounded them.
“Congrats, guys.” Isabelle waved her phone in the air. “I’ll send this…”
Camilla gasped again, wiping her eyes as she spun to face her sister. Then she laughed through her happy tears. “To mom and dad?”
Isabelle nodded. “Yep. Unless you want it first.”
Camilla and Dallas exchanged a look. “Nah, go ahead. I’m sure they’ll call the second they get it. Then I can give them all the details.”
Nodding, Isabelle ducked her head as she left the barn. When she was gone, Dallas got to his feet and pulled Camilla to hers. He pulled her into his arms, their embrace lingering. Then he pulled back and flashed her a devious grin. “You interested in dusting off those matchmaking skills of yours?”
Her brows pinched. “What? Who?” She glanced over her shoulder. “Isabelle? She’s not really into dating.”
Dallas brushed his thumb along her jawline. “Maybe she hasn’t met the right guy.”
“Dallas,” she warned, “I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“You didn’t see the way Jason looked at her.”
Camilla’s brows shot upward. “Jason?”
He nodded. “I swear, there was something there.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Are you sure this has nothing to do with your jealousy?”
Scoffing, Dallas pressed a kiss to her nose. “Nope. I have nothing to be jealous about anymore. I already got the girl.” He smiled. “Jason’s not a bad guy. Maybe he just needs the right woman in his life, too.”
“Thank you,” Camilla said, “for knowing I was the right woman for you and for coming back to Copper Creek for me.” She squeezed him in a warm hug.
“You are the love of my life,” Dallas said, his eyes locked on hers. “And I plan to spend the rest of our days together showing you how much you mean to me.”
Seconds later, the phone in Camilla’s back pocket dinged. She pulled it out, got one look at the screen, then tossed her head back with a laugh. Her eyes flicked to him as she answered it. “Hey, Mom. Yes, it’s official! We’re engaged.”
Hello Reader! I hope you enjoyed Camilla and Dallas’s love story. Up next is… you guessed it, Isabelle and Jason.
Years ago, a stranger stepped in and saved Isabelle Palmer on the worst night of her life.
She never knew his name—until the quiet, steady ranch cook beside her starts to feel like more than a friend.
Late-night kitchen lights, early-morning runs, and a dog or two at their heels…
in Copper Creek, small kindnesses can heal the biggest hurts.