Chapter Twenty-three
Walker crossed to the couch, looking
about as tense as she’d ever seen him. “You in pain?”
“Not really.”
“What’s that mean, ‘not
really’? Either you are or you aren’t.”
“It means where I was shot
is starting to hurt again, but it’s not too bad.”
“Shit. Where are your
pills? They sent you home with pain meds, right?”
“They did, but I want to
eat before I take them.”
“Right, eating’s good.
I’ll bring you some of that stew.”
“I’ll eat at the table.”
She pushed the blanket aside to swing her legs to the
floor.
“Wait, what are you doing?
Why are you moving?”
“Walker, what’s wrong with
you? I’m fine.” She rose to her feet. With a panicked expression,
he scooped her up in his arms.
“You need to take it easy.
I’ll carry you to the kitchen.”
But he didn’t, instead he stood with
his boots planted on the floor, holding her close to his chest.
Then he dipped his head and buried his face in her neck, breathing
deep. Her arms went around his neck and she held on.
After several long minutes, he turned
and sat on the couch, holding her securely on his lap. A shudder
wracked his body. “I finally feel like I can breathe,” he murmured.
“I thought I’d lost you.”
Her hold on him tightened as her mind
replayed the danger she’d faced in the mine. “You risked your life
to come for me. I don’t know if I’d have gotten out of there
without you.”
“I helped, but you saved
yourself. That was raw courage, Laney, using a pickax to protect
yourself. You’re the hero.”
“I did what I had to do,
but I’ve never been so relieved in my life as I was when I heard
you say my name in that mine. You could’ve waited for backup, but
you went in without it. You’re my
hero.”
He shook his head. “It was
self-serving. I couldn’t survive if something happened to you.” He
caught her look. “I know it doesn’t sound logical given I was gone
for so long, but it’s true. You’re the most important thing in the
world to me. Nothing else, nothing,
means more to me than you.
“I love you, Laney.” His
eyes gleamed dark green as her heart tumbled in her chest. “You’re
a part of me I can’t live without. That hasn’t changed since the
first time I saw you. No matter what happened or where I went, I
carried you with me.” He hitched up a hip and reached into his back
pocket. Wallet in hand, he pulled out a cropped photo and handed it
to her. “I literally carried you with me. You remember when this
was taken?”
She nodded. The image was from the
summer they’d been together, before his world, and hers, had fallen
apart. They faced the camera, arms slung over each other’s
shoulders. They looked young and carefree and confident in their
love.
Walker’s grin may have lost some of
its cockiness, and her smile was now tempered with the weight of
experience, but that love persisted.
Breaking free of the fears and
confines of the past made her feel suddenly weightless.
She put her hands on each side of his
face, her gaze on his. “I love you, Walker. I never stopped loving
you. You’ve always had my heart.”
Pure elation crossed his face, then
his mouth was on hers, strong and sure in a kiss that held the
promise of a life together.
***
Delaney locked the doors on the store
as the setting sun streaked the sky pink and lavender. Everyone had
already headed home after many assurances she wouldn’t stay
late.
Opening day, and they’d hit the ground
running with the first cars arriving at nine, and the flow not
tapering off until an hour ago. Many of the visitors were friends
and acquaintances from Sisters who’d heard the news of her
kidnapping and rescue. They wanted to talk about it and to see for
themselves she was healing.
Others came to pick berries, and
picnickers had filled the tables in the meadow. Plenty of guests
had carried small paper bags loaded with piping-hot apple cider
donuts with their dusting of cinnamon sugar, then returned to the
bakery for pies and tarts to take home.
Blue Moon had played through the
afternoon, the music carrying on the light breeze. She wanted her
farm to offer a wholesome experience, with a little nostalgia and
lots of good food thrown in, and if comments from the day’s
visitors were any indication, they’d hit the mark.
The day had started well.
She’d woken cradled in Walker’s arms,
having spent the night at his cabin.
Who’d have thought Walker McGrath was
a cuddler?
He’d made his seriously amazing
coffee, and as he’d had blueberries in his fridge, she’d made the
batter for blueberry pancakes.
Bud had stared avidly at Walker as he
worked the griddle, and Delaney learned the little dog would do
about anything for blueberry pancakes. They’d shared a wonderful
breakfast with Bud, and an even more satisfying shower without the
little dog. Walker had been careful of her still-healing injuries
but had managed to help her start her day feeling clean and well
satisfied.
“Hey.”
She turned to find him leaning against
a post. She couldn’t help the smile splitting her face. “Hey,
yourself.”
“You doing
okay?”
“I am.” He’d checked in
with her throughout the day, and midway through the afternoon had
insisted she take a break and sit for half an hour.
“Walk with me?” He
straightened, holding out a hand. His fingers closed over hers as
they set off down the road. “First day a good one?”
“First day was an
excellent one. The bakery and retail shops had more sales than
opening day last year, and people picked buckets of boysenberries.
You were directing cars in the parking area. How do you think the
operation ran?”
“Mostly good. We need more
signage, though, so people know what areas aren’t open to the
public. I had to chase more than a few out the
orchards.”
“We can put up signs.” He
tugged on her hand to take the fork in the road that led to his
cabin. “How’d your phone call go?” she asked.
They’d talked more about his proposal,
and since she’d given her endorsement, Walker had been busy getting
the ball rolling on the hard cider venture.
“I think I found my
planning architect. He graduated from college this month and is
hungry for work. He’ll oversee the planning, design, and
construction of the hard cider operation. I also talked with a
graphic designer who can work up a logo and label design for Cider
Mill Hard. We’ll see what she puts together and go from
there.”
She glanced up at him. “How does it
feel to see your dream coming together?”
“You’re my dream, Laney.
Everything else is frosting on the cake.”
“Jeez, Walker, you say
things like that and my heart melts.”
“Good sign.” His gaze
snagged hers. “Are you going to marry me?”
“What? Marry you? You
can’t just throw that out there.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not
serious.”
He stopped walking and brought her
around to face him. His expression looked dead serious and had the
breath backing up in her lungs. “I’ve never been more serious. I
want to marry you. Always knew you were the one. Since I don’t know
the first thing about rings, I thought you could go with me to pick
one out. I want you to get one you’ll want to wear for the next
fifty or sixty years.”
“Fifty or sixty years? Oh
my god, Walker, you are serious.”
“‘Oh my god, Walker’ is
fast becoming my favorite phrase.” He brought her hand to his lips,
pressing a kiss to her knuckles. His gaze steady on hers, he said,
“I love you, Laney. I want to marry you. I want children with you,
to build a life with you.” He paused. “Any chance you want those
things with me?”
Everything she’d dreamed of, wished
for, yearned for, was being offered to her with the promise of a
golden future. She felt like she was radiating the warmth of a
thousand suns.
She launched into his arms. “Yes! Yes,
to all of it. Yes, to marrying you. Yes, to children with you. Yes,
to a life with you. I love you, Walker.”
“I’ll never tire of
hearing that.” He gathered her against his heart, murmuring in her
ear. “Thank you for not giving up on me. You are my
world.”
Hand in hand, they walked to his cabin
where they shared their news with an excited Bud.