Epilogue
D ale stood in the backyard of his father’s house, the late afternoon sun filtering through the trees, casting a gentle warmth over the gathering. Laughter and chatter filled the air, along with the delicious smell of barbeque, with Gabe manning the grill.
Most of the ESI guys were there too, along with their families. Carter and Tyler were back at headquarters using schematics they’d somehow gotten their hands on of the device Ricardo used to bypass their security. The duo took it as an insult and a challenge to figure out how it worked, then create an update to foolproof their systems.
He gazed around at friends and family mingling throughout both backyards. It was a relief to see everyone relaxed after the whirlwind of events that had taken place over the last few weeks. His dad was finally home, recovering well from his injuries, and obviously involved with CeCe. Dale suspected the pretty woman had a lot to do with the recovery, as she was pretty much by his father’s side, night and day. That left Dale free to stay with Sadie, who’d offered him her key the night the barn had burned down.
He’d taken her up on it immediately. He wasn’t stupid.
A great many things had come to light that night, and not wanting to spend life without Sadie had topped his enlightenment.
Dale glanced over to where the beauty was chatting with Lori, Loni, and the other girls in her backyard where the party had spilled over. Her sweet laughter rang out clearly over the low hum of conversation, sending warmth seeping through his chest.
Despite everything they had been through, she seemed more at ease now, her smile as radiant as ever. After he and a few of the guys had helped her relocate her craft room to inside a spare bedroom in the house two weeks ago, she’d used setting up a new space as content for her channel, and already had several episodes out.
His chest swelled. He was so damn proud of her and how she was bouncing back from her ordeal. She had a nightmare here and there, but he was right there to help her through them and always would be. Dale was the luckiest man in the world, and still couldn’t believe Sadie still wanted to be with him after he’d let her down.
After he’d allowed her to get hurt.
His stomach clenched, and a lingering rage flashed through him. Not today. Exhaling, he straightened his spine, determined to focus on the good surrounding him.
“Thinking deep thoughts, bro?” Caspian’s voice broke through Dale’s reverie.
He turned to find Cas standing beside him, two beers in hand, offering one to him. “Just enjoying the view,” Dale replied, nodding toward Sadie.
Cas followed his gaze and smirked. “Yeah, she’s a keeper. Not bad for a guy who used to think girls had cooties.”
Dale chuckled, accepting the beer. “I was six, Cas. And you were the one who convinced me girls were evil.”
“Only because you wouldn’t stop hanging around when I was trying to impress them,” Cas shot back, grinning. “But I’ll admit, you did all right with this one.”
“Yes, I did.” Sadie was the best.
He took a swig of his beer, letting the easy banter wash over him. It felt good, normal. Something they’d both missed for more than a decade now. He was quite surprised by the change in Cas in such a short period of time. His jaw and posture weren’t as stiff, and his voice was even less…hard.
Four days.
Four days ago, Caspian had returned after finishing up his duties with the Navy. It was a relief to see his brother back where he belonged, though Cas still had that restless energy about him, like he wasn’t quite sure where he fit now.
Dale could relate. All hell had broken loose when he’d first arrived home, so there hadn’t been time to dwell on it. But once arrests were made, Dale contemplated his two job offers.
Join ESI or the sheriff’s department.
Both were great, but one held a little more appeal to him. Of course, he’d discussed them with Sadie, who’d readily offered her support no matter what choice he made.
He just needed to make one.
“So, what’s the plan with the ranch?” he asked, wanting to focus on his brother for now. “You’ve been pretty quiet about it.”
Cas looked out over the yard, where guests mingled, children giggled, running around the trees, their dad leaning into Cece, smiling at something she said. “Not sure yet. I do know I want to rebuild the barn and get the horses back in it.”
The morning after the fire, Kade Dalton and Mac’s cousin, Connor McCall, whom Dale and Cas had worked for in their teens, had shown up with a large crew of workers and truckloads of material. By nightfall, a small building with two stalls, a tack room, a loft, and feed storage area was finished as a temporary space for Triton and Orion.
Those two men had always been generous as hell, but this went above and beyond, and Dale’s father had been speechless when he’d seen it.
“I don’t intend to raise cattle. That’s not for me. Might make more sense to sell it, start fresh somewhere else. But the other part…” He shrugged. “It’s home, you know? Feels wrong to just let it go.”
Dale nodded. “The ranch needs someone who cares about it. Could be a good project.”
“Maybe,” Cas said, still sounding uncertain. “For now, I’m just going to enjoy being home. One day at a time.”
He lifted his beer in acknowledgment before sipping. “Speaking of which, how’s it feel to be back for good?”
His brother shrugged again, his expression serious. “Honestly? Strange. Leaving the Navy wasn’t part of my plan, but after how they handled Dad’s emergency…” He trailed off, his jaw tightening.
“Yeah, I tried to reach you through several channels,” he said, exhaling as the remembered frustration flickered to life. “But don’t feel bad. You did what you had to do, Cas. And I think a part of you wanted out anyway. Guilt’s been eating at you for years.”
Cas’s gaze snapped to his and narrowed. “You mean Ricardo?”
“Yeah,” Dale replied, having suspected there was more to the story. “You couldn’t have known he’d grow up to cause trouble.”
His brother blew out a breath and shoved a hand through his hair. “He was just a kid, Dale. I saw him hiding, and I hesitated.”
Before Cas could elaborate Mac, Cooper, and Gabe strolled over, drinks in hand, while Carter took over grilling duties.
The sheriff clapped a hand on Dale’s shoulder, grinning. “You two going to stand here brooding all day, or are you going to join the party? It’s not just for your dad’s return home, it’s for the two of you, as well.”
“Yeah.” Cooper smirked. “Last time I checked, this was a welcome home bash, not a philosophy session.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, we’re not turning into a couple of theorizers over here.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Mac raised an eyebrow, glancing between Dale and Cas. “You both looked like you were about to solve the world’s problems.”
Cas lifted a shoulder. “Just talking about life after the Navy. You know, the usual stuff.”
“Which translates to ‘What the hell do I do now?’” Cooper quipped, earning a round of laughter from the group.
Mac and Gabe exchanged looks before regarding him and Caspian closely. “The two of us would be lucky to have either one or both of you working with us,” Mac stated.
“Absolutely.” Gabe sipped his iced tea. “It’s a big decision. No one gets that more than me. I came here to work for Mac and somehow ended up as sheriff. Just got to go with your gut.”
Dale nodded along with his brother. That was his plan.
“My gut’s saved my ass on plenty of occasions,” Cas said.
He and their two buddies agreed, which opened up a discussion of a few of those occasions, and it hit home to Dale just how lucky they all were to still be alive.
Yeah, his gut had never steered him wrong.
Especially where Sadie was concerned. Sure, it had taken him more than a decade to listen, but he was listening now. He was also watching the beautiful woman leave her friends to walk in his direction, a big, thousand-watt smile lighting her face as she caught his gaze on her way over.
Dale felt the voltage zap straight to his chest.
“Incoming,” Cas muttered into his beer.
Smiling, he set his can on the table near his brother. “I know. And just wait until it happens to you.”
Gabe and Mac chuckled in agreement.
Caspian snorted. “Not going to happen. Wouldn’t be right to saddle a woman with my sorry ass.”
Now Gabe and Mac snorted.
“Hate to tell you this, buddy,” Gabe said, cupping Cas’ shoulder, “but the right woman will wipe those thoughts right out of your head, and you won’t have a say in it.”
“Yeah. She’ll show you just how wrong you were,” Mac added with a grin.
Cas grunted. “Civilian life has made you two delusional.” His brother huffed, lifting his beer for another drink.
“What are you boys conspiring about now?” Sadie asked as she approached.
“Just reliving our heroics,” Dale replied with a grin, as she slid an arm around his waist, and he tucked her into his side. “You know, the usual.”
Cas chuckled, nudging Gabe. “And by heroics, he means that one time he tripped over his own feet during a mission.”
“Hey, that was a tactical fall,” Dale shot back, laughing along with the others. His brother had never been on a mission with him.
Damn Cooper and his big mouth.
Mac clapped Gabe on the shoulder. “Well, as much fun as this is, I think Carter is about to mess up the grill. Let’s go see if he needs a hand.”
Gabe muttered something under his breath, then shot Dale a knowing grin. “Time to leave you two lovebirds alone. We’ll make sure the burgers don’t burn.”
“And I need another beer,” Cas said. “Carry on.”
As the guys headed off, Sadie leaned into Dale, resting her head against his shoulder. “Tactical fall, huh? I’m impressed.”
Dale chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her sweet curves in tighter to his body. “What can I say? I like to keep things interesting.”
Sadie looked up at him, her eyes soft with affection. “You certainly do, Dale Taylor.”
God, he could get lost in those beautiful brown eyes of hers.
He lifted his hand to lightly brush her cheek with his thumb. “You make it easy, Sadie. I never thought returning home could feel this good.”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze never leaving his. “Home is wherever you are, Dale. I love you.”
His heart swelled at her words, and he leaned in until they were practically nose to nose. “I love you too, Sadie. And I’m not going anywhere, you know that, right? You’re stuck with me.”
Sadie’s lips curved into a tender smile as she whispered back, “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
With that, Dale captured her lips in a gentle, lingering kiss. It was a kiss filled with promise, because he wanted to convey with quiet certainty that they were building something real and lasting together.
When they finally pulled back, their foreheads resting together, he grinned. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of that.”
Sadie chuckled softly, her fingers tracing his jaw. “Good, because I don’t plan on letting you.”
As they stood there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, a small moving van pulled into Sadie’s driveway.
“Harper’s finally here.” She smiled. “I can’t believe it.”
Dale noticed the way Cas’ attention zeroed in on her, his usual smirk turning into something more thoughtful.
Sadie caught it too and looked up at him with a thoughtful look of her own. “With time and some luck, maybe those two might find their own versions of home.”
They shared a smile, watching as Harper climbed out of the van, completely unaware of his brother’s interest.
Meeting Sadie’s gaze, Dale leaned down and winked. “This is going to be fun to watch.”