Epilogue
Four months later
Claudia woke up to the scent of coffee in the air and the sound of Brody happily humming away in the kitchen.
She’d been living with him on his small ranch in Evergreen, Colorado for the last three months, after giving her notice to Master Derek.
She’d planned to give him thirty days, but he’d insisted she leave when Brody was done teaching his course, telling her finding happiness was more important than waiting tables.
She missed her friends at the Ranch, but Reese and Arlo were arriving today to help them finalize everything so they could open their new animal rescue in a few weeks.
She stretched, smiling to herself as Brody went into a falsetto for the chorus of whatever tune he was singing. The man never ceased to amaze her with his humor, his strength, his intelligence. But mostly, with the way he loved her.
The curtains fluttered with the breeze blowing in through the window, smelling of fresh mountain air. She was about to throw the covers back when Brody came in, holding her favorite mug.
“’Morning, love. Got some coffee for you.”
She sat up against the pillows as he brought her coffee over and set it on the nightstand.
“Thank you, Sir.”
He chuckled. “How many times have I told you there’s no need to call me that unless we’re in scene?”
“Too many. You know I like it. And I think you do, too.”
He broke out in a grin, that sexy dimple creasing his cheek. God, the man was handsome—so utterly hot he made her body heat up simply by smiling at her.
“Yeah, I do. So, Reese and Arlo are due in a few hours. Why don’t you take your coffee into the bathroom to shower, then, if you’re not starving, come on down to the barn. I have something to show you.”
“Oh! Did you finish the new enclosure for the goats?” she asked, always excited for any progress they made that brought them closer to opening the rescue to new animals in need.
“You’ll see,” he said with a wink before walking off down the hall.
“Why all the mystery?” she yelled after him.
“You’ll see, baby,” he called out.
“Humph!” she pouted, but she jumped up and carried her mug to the bathroom.
Once she was showered and dried, and had plaited her hair into a long braid, she got into her jeans and boots and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen table before striding out the front door and crossing the small distance between the house and the barn.
It was a gorgeous spring day. The birds sang in the trees, and it was warm enough that her plaid flannel was the only extra layer she needed, which was nice after a long, snowy winter.
Of course, all that snow had meant more time in bed for her and Brody, so she was not really opposed.
And in his spare time in between coaching Bull’s son’s football team, caring for the animals with Claudia, and upgrading the barn, he’d built a nice dungeon in the spare room in the house, so they’d had plenty of ways to keep busy.
She stepped into the barn and was greeted by the goats bellowing a greeting. She stopped to lean over a stall door to pet their newest baby goat. As she straightened up, something bumped into her leg.
“What the…?”
Dancing around her feet was the cutest gray pitbull puppy with an enormous gold bow tied around its neck. Brody was right behind the pup, a huge grin on his face.
“Brody? Did you rescue a puppy?”
“I sure did. But she’s not going up for adoption. She’s yours, baby.”
“Oh!”
Her eyes stung with tears as she got down on her knees and drew the wiggly puppy into her arms. “You know I’ve always wanted a dog. Oh mon Dieu!” The tears slipped down her cheeks as she cuddled and kissed the puppy—her puppy. “What should we name her?”
“She’s your dog, so you can call her whatever you want, but I was kind of thinking Diamond.”
“Diamond? Hmm, I like it. But where did you get the name from?”
“Why don’t you take a look at her bow.”
She tried, laughing as the baby squirmed in her arms. “I can’t get her to hold still!
Come here, bébé,” she crooned to the puppy, rubbing her cheek against her little forehead, then feeling around the big gold bow.
“There’s a box!” she exclaimed, pulling at the bow to get to it, and finally freeing it.
When she looked up, Brody was on one knee in front of her. He took the small box from her hand and opened it, revealing a sparkling square-cut diamond set in a simple white-gold band.
“Brody?” she asked, her heart beating so fast she could barely breathe.
“Claudia, love, this puppy is going to be our baby. Our baby. And so I thought she should have parents who are committed to being a family. This doesn’t mean I haven’t been committed to you from the first moment I fell in love with you, but I’d like to make it official.
Your love has helped me to realize that my new reality could actually be a good life, and because of that—because of you—I don’t feel lost anymore.
You’ve helped make this such a good life, and these last months with you have been the happiest in all my brief thirty-four years.
I love you more than anything or anyone, and I can’t see my life without you. Will you marry me, Claudia?”
“Oh!” The tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, and she held on to the squirming puppy as she leaned in to kiss him.
His lips were so soft, as always, and he tasted of his morning coffee, and smelled like the fresh air outside. He smelled like her love, her best friend, her treasured Sir. Her everything.
Brody pulled back. “I’m hoping that means yes.”
“Yes! Of course the answer is yes! I just had to kiss you first,” she told him, laughing and crying all at once.
Brody rubbed the puppy’s head. “You hear that, Diamond? Mama and Papa are making it official.”
He stood and pulled Claudia and Diamond into his arms, and the puppy kept wriggling and madly wagging its long tail.
“But, Brody?” she started.
“Uh-oh. There’s a ‘but’?”
“Did you have to mention your ‘brief thirty-four years’?”
“That was just to show you I’ll never forget that you’re far wiser than I am, my beautiful, ageless girl.”
She just grinned at him and shook her head.
Was it only a few months ago that any comment reminding her of their age difference would have hurt?
But now she knew him for the man he was.
She knew his absolute, undying love for her.
And she trusted his love deep down in her bones. This man wasn’t going anywhere.
She was safe with him. And happier than she’d ever imagined she could be. And now…
“Brody!”
“Yes, baby?”
“I’m going to be your wife!”
“Yep. Hence the whole engagement thing. Any idea where you want to have the wedding, or is too soon to think about that?”
“At Rawhide Ranch,” she answered without a pause.
“I had a feeling. I’ve already cleared it with Derek, and he said to just let him know when.”
He grinned, that dimple flashing at her, as if daring her to kiss him. So she did.
In that kiss was every ounce of love she had for him. Every ounce of deep trust, of fiery passion that was there whether they were getting kinky together or working in the barn side by side. Because this man was at her side, and always would be, she knew.
The puppy started to whine, so they broke their kiss to cuddle her. This was all they needed. They were already a family. But now, she had a wedding to look forward to.
“I guess I’ll see you at the altar at Rawhide Ranch,” she said, smiling up at him, suffused with joy.
“And every day after,” he said, his words a promise she knew she could count on.
The End