Ropes and Revenge (26 page)
Authors: Jessie Evans
“Ditto.” He helped Percy work his ring over his knuckle before plucking hers from the box and sliding it onto her finger just as their gondola stopped at the bottom and the operator reached for the bar locking them inside.
They stepped off, hand in hand, and John walked down the exit plank feeling like he’d won the lottery—no, something way better than the lottery. Money was just money. He’d won a bigger prize. He’d won Percy’s heart and her hand and he was going to be a father again. And every moment with their child and their growing family would be unspeakably precious because he knew what it was like to lose the bond that made a house a home.
He wouldn’t wish loss like what he had suffered on his worst enemy, but loss had taught him gratitude. Gratitude as deep as the ocean, even for the simplest things, let alone the everyday miracle of having a woman like Percy to love. Grief had nearly destroyed him, but in the end it had left him a better, more thankful man than he’d been before.
A man who couldn’t wait to call the woman on his arm his wife.
“Think we can pull together a wedding by Christmas Eve?” John asked.
“If you need three days to plan what you’re going to wear,” Percy said, arching an elegant brow. “I already have my dress picked out and Mia promised us the little church in Old Town any evening we want it. I was thinking tomorrow night, but…”
John turned to her, cupping her face in his hands. “And I think you’re brilliant.”
Percy grinned. “Not really, I just want to be able to sleep in the same bed. I’d like to wake up with you first before Peyton comes in to visit.”
“And before we’ve got a baby waking us up three times a night.”
Her brow knitted. “You’ll help me figure out what to do, right? Since you’ve been through this twice before?”
“You bet. I’ve got your back, Spooky.” He kissed the tip of her cold nose. “But you don’t have to worry. You’re going to be a wonderful mother. You’ve got the love thing down.”
“You too,” she whispered, her words warming his lips. “Now hurry up and kiss me before we get close enough to the restaurant for other people to hear the sounds I make.”
And so he did. He kissed her until she moaned that sexy moan of hers against his lips, until his blood ran so hot he couldn’t feel the cold, and until his chest was so full of happiness it felt like it might burst. But he knew it wouldn’t.
Thanks to Percy, he understood that when it came to love, there was always room in the heart.
EPILOGUE
Fifteen years later
Percy
“I can’t believe you even remembered this old thing.” Mia sagged into the back porch swing beside Percy, dropping a paper bag containing Clementine’s mystery birthday present onto her lap. “I didn’t wrap it. I wasn’t sure when I got my last tetanus shot and I don’t want to end up with lockjaw before the trip to Montana.”
“That’s all right.” Percy peeked into the bag at the rusted box Mia had unearthed at the ghost town not long after Percy and John were married. She still had no idea what was inside or why Clementine was intended to have it, but she remembered the sweet spirit who had delivered the message and was glad the woman’s last wish was coming to pass. “I’ve got extra paper upstairs and I still have a couple of things to wrap before the party tomorrow.”
“You’re so sweet to throw Clem this big shindig,” Mia said, propping her feet on the porch railing. “Tulsi is so upset that she isn’t going to be here. But I told her that’s what happens when you’re insane and get pregnant with your ninth baby after forty. You get bed rest and you miss your daughter’s twenty-second birthday party.”
Percy laughed. “I can’t even imagine. When they were little, four was more than I could handle.”
“Amen, sister,” Mia said.
Percy stood, shading her eyes as she stared at the tree line on the far side of the backyard, where Peyton and Clementine had disappeared for an evening trail walk. “I wonder how things are going.”
“How long have they been gone?” Mia asked.
“Over an hour,” Percy said, chewing on her thumb. “I’m so nervous. Peyton’s been a wreck all week, trying to find the perfect moment.”
Mia slapped her on the leg. “Relax. Clem and Peyton have made it work long distance for longer than a lot of married couples. She’s going to say yes.”
Percy settled back into the swing. “I hope so. If not, I don’t know what Peyton is going to do with himself. He’s always been my tender-hearted one.”
“And that’s why Clem loves him so much,” Mia said gently. “I can see it in her face every time she looks at him. I seriously don’t think you need to worry.”
“That’s what I told her.” John’s voice came from behind them.
Percy turned her head to see her husband stepping out onto the porch and wrinkled her nose in his direction. “And that’s why you’ve been out here three times to see if they’re back.”
“Just checking on you, beautiful.” John grinned as he stopped beside her and leaned down to steal a kiss, the brush of his lips against hers making her heart skip a beat the way it always did, even after fifteen years.
Percy smiled against his mouth. “Liar. You’re nervous, too.”
“Maybe a little,” John said, pressing his next kiss to her cheek.
“Stop, you’re going to make me jealous,” Mia said. “Sawyer’s been out of town for nine days. I will have forgotten how to kiss by the time he gets back.”
“You won’t forget,” Percy said, scooting over to make room on the swing for John. “It’s like falling off a bike.”
Mia laughed. “I know. I just get lonely. I wish he’d never finished working on Old Town. I hate it when he has to go away on consults.”
“You and the kids should come stay with us next time,” John said. “With that many teenagers in the house we’d all be too miserable to be lonely.”
Percy squeezed his leg. “Oh stop. They’re good kids.”
“They are,” John agreed with a soft smile. “Though I wish they’d stop growing up so fast.”
“Me too,” Percy said, pulse leaping as she spied a flash of Clementine’s blue dress through the trees. “I see them. They’re on the way back.”
“Okay, play it cool,” Mia said, leaning back in the swing. “Act like we’ve been talking about something else. Tell me about the last Betterment Society meeting. Was Gerald drunk again? Is he still refusing to vote for the fountain refurb?”
“Yes and yes,” Percy said absently as she reached out to grip John’s hand. “I can’t stand the suspense. Tell me it’s all going to be okay.”
“It’s all going to be okay,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Everything is going to work out the way it should, Spooky. I promise.”
Percy turned to look into the eyes of the man who taught her the rewards of opening your heart far outweighed the risks and knew he was right. Everything was going to work out. And if Peyton had his heart broken, then the people who loved him would help him heal. Because that’s what family did, especially a family like theirs that had known from the start to cherish every moment with the people they loved.
With a sigh and a promise to make the best of whatever came next, she leaned against John, resting her head on his shoulder as she waited for Clementine and Peyton to step through the trees.
The End
Coming in late 2015, a new chapter in the Lonesome Point saga begins,
starting with Clementine’s story.
A letter from the Author
Tell me YOUR favorite part!
Dear you,
Yeah you!
Thank you so much for coming along on this six book journey with me. I have fallen so deeply in love with the citizens of Lonesome Point and there is nothing in the world more amazing than that feeling except knowing readers are enjoying the ride. So thank you. For reading, for tweeting, for reviewing, and for talking about the books with your friends. You have made this fictional creation an amazing part of my day to day real life and my world would be a darker place without you.
Thanks for falling in love with these tough cowboys and their sweet, strong, fierce ladies along with me and for the chance to tell you stories. Look for a surprise Lonesome Point novella this summer and I hope you’ll join me in late 2015/2016 for the start of the spin off series featuring the children of the original citizens of Lonesome Point. Expect the same sexy cowboys, but with new twists and turns and some unexpected surprises I hope will keep this journey an exciting one for all of us!
And as always, if you have a second to leave a review for ROPES AND REVENGE where you purchased the book telling me your favorite part--even a line or two is great--I would be most grateful.
If you’d like to chat about your reading experience please drop me a line at
[email protected]
. You can also catch me on Facebook (my favorite place to hang out with readers)
https://www.facebook.com/JessieEvansRomance
, or sign up for my newsletter so you’ll never miss out on a new release, freebie, or giveaway again
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Wishing you many good reads, and thank you for all your awesome,
Jessie Evans
More about the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary romances she loves to read.
She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.
When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.
Learn more at
www.jessieevansauthor.com
More From Jessie Evans
Sign up for Jessie’s newsletter and never miss a new release:
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(series-ending novella)
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SAVING YOU
(series-ending novella)
Escape to You Novellas
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A Kindle Worlds novella set in the world of
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MELT WITH YOU and meet the Hot Firefighters of Summerville
Chapter One
Whoever said you can never go home again was full of crap.
Naomi Whitehouse had come home again—back to Summerville, Georgia, the only place she’d ever been truly happy—and she was loving every minute of it. Summerville was exactly the same, and with every passing day, Naomi felt the hard, crusty, miserable shell that had been suffocating her soul for the past year crumbling away, revealing a happier, healthier Naomi.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Maddie, Naomi’s younger sister, paused at the entrance to the Methodist Church’s fellowship hall, rubbing her red fingers together to keep them warm.
Before moving back to Summerville a few months ago, Maddie had been living in the Caribbean. This was her first winter back in a place where it occasionally snowed, and she was totally unprepared. This time last week Naomi herself had been in Miami, so she could empathize.
The sisters had made a quick trip to Atlanta to buy coats and hats on Monday—taking a day to celebrate closing on the location for
Icing,
the bakery they would be opening together—but they’d forgotten to pick up scarves and mittens. Yesterday, that hadn’t been a big deal, but tonight the temperature had dropped close to thirty degrees.
After the six-block walk from the car, Naomi’s entire face was numb.
But that was probably a good thing. Hopefully, her frozen face would keep her nerves from showing.
“Seriously,” Maddie said. “Are you ready for this?”