Epilogue
Harper
"Harper, can you check the wood stain samples back here?"
I look up from my book order spreadsheet, finding Dean hovering in the bookstore's doorway. He's been acting weird all morning – weirder than usual for my grumpy mountain man.
"Can't you just bring them here?"
"No." He shifts his weight. "They need... the right lighting."
"The right lighting," I repeat slowly. "For wood stain."
He just stares at me with those intense blue eyes until I sigh and stand up. "Fine. But if Boris has eaten another one of my cookies, I'm teaching him vegetarianism."
The workspace is unusually tidy when I enter – no sawdust hurricanes, no tools scattered across benches. Instead, there are candles everywhere, their soft light reflecting off the polished surface of a beautiful bookshelf.
My breath catches. It's perfect – exactly what I'd sketched for the children's corner of my store, complete with built-in reading nook and tiny carved woodland creatures hiding in the scrollwork.
"Do you like it?" Dean's voice is rough with nervousness.
"Like it? It's..." I step closer, running my fingers over a tiny carved owl. "It's amazing."
"Good. Because..." He clears his throat. "Because I was hoping..."
I turn around to find him down on one knee, a small box in his hand. There's sawdust in his hair and a smudge of wood stain on his cheek and he's never looked more perfect.
"Dean," I whisper.
"I had a whole speech planned," he says. "About how you stormed into my life and rearranged everything. How you make me want to be better, braver. How even Boris likes you better than me now."
I laugh, even as tears blur my vision.
"But mostly," he continues, "I just want to wake up to your weird lavender lattes every morning. I want to build you bookshelves and watch you fill them with stories. I want..."
"Yes!" I interrupt.
He blinks. "I haven't asked yet."
"Oh." I bite my lip. "Sorry. Continue."
A smile tugs at his mouth – the rare, full one that still makes my heart skip. "Harper James, will you—"
"Yes!"
"—marry—"
"Yes!"
"—me?"
"Yes!" I pull him up, kissing the exasperated look off his face. "But you should know, if you think I'm going to stop interrupting you just because we're married..."
He laughs against my lips. "Wouldn't dream of it."
The ring fits perfectly. A delicate vintage piece that somehow manages to be both elegant and unique. Just like the man who chose it.
"I love you," I say. "Even if you did use wood stain as an excuse."
"It worked, didn't it?"
A commotion outside draws us to the workshop window. A food truck is attempting to parallel park in front of the bookstore, and not having much luck. Even from here, I can see the driver's frustrated gestures.
"Should we help?" I ask.
Before Dean can answer, Jake’s truck pulls up. He hops out, heading toward the struggling food truck with his usual easy confidence.
The driver's door opens, and a woman steps out – curvy and gorgeous, with wild dark curls barely contained by a bandana. She plants her hands on her hips, looking ready to tell Jake exactly where he can put his help.
But then their eyes meet, and something electric passes between them.
"Oh," I murmur, leaning back against Dean's chest. "This should be good."
We watch as Jake helps guide the truck into place, the woman's initial defensiveness melting into something softer. When she opens the service window and pulls out what looks like a container of food, Jake's whole face lights up.
"Ten bucks says he finds an excuse to come back tomorrow," I say.
"No bet." Dean wraps his arms around me, both of us watching as Jake leans against the food truck, completely captivated while the woman gestures animatedly about something.
Through the window, we watch as Jake takes a bite of whatever she's given him, his eyes widening in obvious delight. The woman – Madison, according to the "Peak Bites by Madison" logo on her truck – beams with pride.
"Well," I say, playing with my new ring, "looks like Wylde Mountain is about to get a lot more interesting."
Dean presses a kiss to my temple. "Good thing we've got front row seats."
I smile, watching Jake hand Madison his card. Her cheeks flush as she takes it, tucking it into her apron pocket.
Sometimes the tastiest stories are the ones you never saw coming. And something tells me Jake and Madison’s is going to be delicious.
Click here to read Jake and Madison’s story now.
Or click here for a free bonus scene , the one after Dean throws her over his shoulder and carries her to his cabin after they visit his stone bench out back. Swoon!
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XOXO - Cindy