Chapter Thirty-One
AMARIE SPUN ON him. If eyes could slice, Eli would be chunky dog food stewing in his own gravy.
“What are you doing here, Eli Calvary?” Eli had dismounted in a rush, landing wrong on his ankle. He winced with each step, but he kept moving closer to Amarie, praying she didn’t get the notion to run away on foot. Not that he wouldn’t give chase, but it would hurt like a son of a gun in the morning.
Her appearance caught him off guard. Rolled wads of white paper napkin protruded from each nostril like walrus tusks.
“I-I came for you,” sweetheart,” he stammered, trying to catch his breath, shifting weight, without a lick of grace, to his good ankle.
“Is that so?” she challenged, stubborn little chin jutted forward. She glanced at his ankle. “Did you hurt yourself with the Hidalgo race around the lake?”
He caught the reference to Frank Hopkin’s mustang, Hidalgo, who’d won an endurance race against pure-bred Arabians in 1891. Well, Eli’s love for the woman in front of him was pure and undeniable.
“It’ll heal. Will you?” When she didn’t answer, he started with the obvious. He’d ease them into the harder conversation. “What happened to your nose? Are you hurt?”
He took in the car angled precariously close to the ditch at the side of the road. Billy, Jean, and Diana had wandered out of their enclosure and were now in the middle of the road. Had she gotten in an accident? When Kanaan had mentioned a spill, he assumed with the car, not in the car.
“My mom,” she bellowed, but then the sound of horns and shouts in the distance grew louder, drowning out her high-pitched shrieks.
Eli deciphered two words. Kitten. Poop.
“So, that was Bethany’s grand plan.” Eli chuckled, pulling Amarie into his arms.
“My own mother,” she half sobbed. “She could’ve toilet-papered my car. Now it’s too funky to drive.”
He held her tighter. Seconds passed before he felt the weight of her arms surrounding his torso.
“I love you, Amarie Walker. I can live without the vet clinic. I can live away from my family. But I can’t live without you.” Her breath hitched but she didn’t respond. Eli wouldn’t stop. Now that he had her back in his arms, he knew he wouldn’t last a day without her in his life. “I’m begging you for another chance.”
“I love you, too, but I’m scared. Scared you’ll disappoint me. Scared you’ll promise me the impossible.”
He sighed, stroking one hand over her loose coils. “I guarantee…” She stiffened in his arms. “Shh, listen to me. I guarantee I will disappoint you, but I’ll always love you, sweetheart.”
She lifted her head to regard him, her warm brown eyes hopeful, but a little less cautious. “You promise?”
“On my honor,” he whispered.
“And a soldier always keeps his word?”
“I will for you. You’re the woman I want.” He started to sway with her in his arms, sharing the music in his heart. “You don’t have to be beautiful, but you are. I love your body, but I want to make love to your mind, touch your soul like you do mine, build my home in your heart.” Of course, Amarie picked up the melody to Prince’s “Kiss” and started to hum in cadence with his declaration. When she turned her face up to look at him, those soft chocolate eyes liquefied the last vestiges of ice. “You don’t have to be rich to be my number one girl. You don’t have to be cool, but you’re pretty darn awesome to me, Amarie. I want all your extra time, for the rest of our lives, and a lifetime of your kisses.”
“Hmm.” She grinned, melting into him. “Did you just rewrite ‘Kiss’ for me?”
“Sure did. Straight from the hip, too. Come on, sweetheart,” he coaxed, intertwining their fingers. “No one else can love me like you do. Make this grumpy, rule-following, handwritten-policy-writing, TikTok sensation of a veterinarian a one-woman man.”
When she still hesitated, he added. “I’ll make you unlimited snack packs. Pack your lunch for work. And rub your feet, for starters.”
“Even after a twelve-hour shift?” she quizzed.
“Definitely.”
“If you don’t want him, Amarie. Caleb and I could use him at the Black Bear,” Gracie Lou said. “Been talking about adding a massage chair.”
“Okay, this had better be real, and not just to get me back, Eli Calvary.”
“Oh, it is.” He chuckled. “Show her, Kanaan.”
“Yep,” he said, holding up Eli’s phone. “Got the whole thing live streaming on your TikTok page, more than one million likes and climbing.”
“Aw,” Amarie cooed. “You went live for me?”
“I’d do anything for you. Including placing twenty-five-thousand dollars under your name to win me.”
Amarie’s voice hitched, and Eli grinned. “What say you, sweetheart? You’re my one. So are you claiming your prize or do I need to climb back up on the auction block?”
“I wanna be your lover, friend, and partner, Eli.”
“Starting now?” he asked, holding his breath.
“Yes.”
“You ready to head back home?” he asked.
“Nope.” Amarie grinned. “We have to celebrate my winning the auction at the festival.”
“Now?” Eli exclaimed, thinking him professing his love would change her mind. He should’ve known his Amarie would surprise him.
“Since you came to your senses and realized I’m the best thing to happen to you ever. We have to share the good news before we leave for my job interview.”
“I’d prefer to take you home,” Eli whispered.
“No can do, grumpy pants. I’m driving us back. You got shotgun,” she said, stroking his cheek.
“No way. I want to test what Kanaan put under Prince’s hood.” He chuckled. “This is Service. My ankle would have to be broken, and I still might try to take the keys.”
“Well, you own the keys to my heart, Eli Calvary.” Amarie kissed him and they didn’t stop when the hoots and horns started.