Shane (12 page)

She threw her head back. No matter how long she
wanted this to last, she had to give in and take her pleasure. She squeezed her
thighs and cried out as she experienced pure bliss.

Shane grunted and then she felt his own release fill
her.

He kissed her, caressed her breasts, and ever so
slowly pulled out of her. Lacey sat up noticing the clock on the wall. She’d
promised his mom she’d put the bread into the ovens for tomorrow’s early
morning breakfasts. Darn it, work called.

“I’m going to have to love and leave you,” she said.
“Or your mom will fire me.”

He handed her the dress.

“We can’t have that.”

“Can I borrow your boxers?” she asked, picking up
the shreds of her panties.

****

Shane headed into his mom’s café the next morning
expecting to see Lacey behind the counter.

She wasn’t.

“Lacey out back?” he asked his mom.

“Nope, didn’t you get her message?”

He dug out his phone. He’d heard it ringing while
he’d been in the shower but had forgotten to check it later.

“No, I guess I didn’t.”

“Her poor daddy had a stroke, and she’s had to fly
home. She took her car to the airport and lucky for her, got a flight to Denver
and a connection to Boston.”

He should be thinking of her father, but all that
mattered was she wasn’t here. Wasn’t in Timber Creek with him.

“She’s coming back through, right?

His mom put her hand on his arm. “Sure she is, but
it might be awhile depending on how things are with her dad.”

Shane nodded. He knew that. Everything would be okay,
and she’d be back before he had even a chance to realize she was gone.

****

“Hey, what’s with the long face?” Shane looked up at
Rory. “I bring you out for a steak and a beer, and you’re the worst company in
the world.”

“Sorry. It’s just Lacey’s been gone three weeks
now.”

“But you’ve spoken to her?”
“Sure, we chat for an hour every day.”
“So that’s not so bad.”

“Her dad’s going to rehab, and she wants to be there
for him.”

Rory put his hand on Shane’s arm. “Shane, being
there for her dad means she’s a good woman. He’s her priority right now.”

Shane took a swig of beer and then put the bottle
down. Rory was right. He knew all about family responsibility. Probably why he
was still a bachelor. He’d taken the weight of the Malone clan onto his
shoulders after their dad died suddenly.

“What if she doesn’t come back? What if she realizes
she doesn’t belong here after all?”

Shane was verbalizing his fear. It sounded even
worse when it had spilled out over his tongue.

“Do you love her?” asked Rory.

“I do.”

Shit, he’d just realized that he revealed that to
his brother and hadn’t told even Lacey. What an idiot he’d been.

“As you know, I’m not much of an expert when it
comes to these things, but I think you need to tell her,” said his brother.

He stood.
Rory, as always, was so right.
He
dug into his pocket for his phone. Not to call her, but to check on the next
flight to Boston. A cowboy always told a woman he loved her in person.

****

Lacey leaned over and wiped the corner of her
father’s mouth. He managed to smile at her. That was a good thing.

She rubbed the back of his hand and he smiled again.
She sat down, ready to read him one of his favorite books when she heard a
man’s voice in the corridor.

It couldn’t be. She’d missed him so much that she
was imaging that any man’s voice she overheard was Shane.

The door creaked open, and she wasn’t dreaming.
Shane was here.

“Lacey,” he said taking off his cowboy hat.

“Shane, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell
me you were coming?”
She tried to straighten up her hair where she’d spent most of the day in the
chair by her father’s bed, but he stopped her.

“You look beautiful as you are.”

She smiled. “Shane, I’d like you to meet my father, Henry
Metcalfe. Dad, this is Shane Malone. Sheriff Malone I should say. Dad’s lost
his speech,” whispered Lacey as Shane grabbed her father’s hand.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” Shane ran his
hands around the rim of his cowboy hat. For the first time since she’d met him,
he looked a little unsure of himself.

“Mr. Metcalfe, sir. I’ve traveled all the way from
Montana for two reasons. One, to tell your beautiful daughter something that I
should have told her long before now—that I’m madly in love with her.”

A tear welled up in her eyes as her father tried to
smile and wink at her.

“And sir, where I come from, and how my father
raised me and my brothers, the proper thing to do
is
to get a father’s permission to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.”

Lacey closed her eyes. She’d been reluctant to get
involved, but in the back of her mind she wanted Shane and wanted their
relationship to one day lead to a happily ever after. Her wish had come true.
She opened her eyes. Shane looked at her and then she saw her father pointing
with his finger.

“He wants his notebook and pen,” said Lacey.

Shane handed it to him. Her father scribbled something
and turned it around to her.

Should
I give my permission?

Lacey smiled. “If you don’t I won’t ever speak to
you again.”

Her father wrote something and turned it around to
Shane who smiled.

“Thank you, sir.”

Shane went down on one knee.

“Lacey Metcalfe, will you be my wife?”

She looked at her father. He was crying. She’d never
seen him cry like that before.

“Sheriff Malone, I would be honored to be your
deputy in life.”

Epilogue

Marie smiled as she watched her son and new
daughter-in-law head down the stairs. Or should she say Mr. and Mrs. Shane
Malone.

There was nothing more romantic and breathtaking
than a wedding close to Christmas and their ceremony and reception had been
nothing short of spectacular. The arch they’d been married under had been
draped in Christmas greenery and bows. Poinsettias and candles everywhere you
looked. And what had truly melted her heart was that along with Lacey’s big
sister, they’d asked Emily to be a bridesmaid. She’d looked so beautiful in the
long pink dress and flowers in her hair. She guessed that Emily would be
wearing it for days.

“Mom, thanks for everything,” said Shane hugging
her.

“It wasn’t only me. You have your new in-laws to
thank too. I’m glad Lacey’s dad is doing better.”

“Can I call you Mom now?” said Lacey holding out
both her hands to her.

“If you don’t I’ll be very offended.”

“Come on you guys your taxi awaits you,” said Rory.

Both he and Flynn had acted as Shane’s best man, and
they’d looked so handsome standing there waiting for Lacey and her father to
arrive.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as everyone
made their way to the front of the hotel where the taxi was waiting to take Shane
and Lacey to the
airport.Rory
and Flynn loaded the
bags into the car and Shane and Lacey began kissing everyone and saying
goodbye.

If only their father could have lived to witness
this beautiful scene. Now she hoped that more grandbabies would start arriving.

“I want you to bring me back a pineapple,” said
Emily.

“We’ll send you one as soon as we get to Honolulu,”
said Shane.

“Mom, we love you,” he said before he kissed her on
the cheek. She bit her lip, determined she wasn’t going to cry like she had
throughout the ceremony.

Rory and Flynn put their arms around her as the taxi
left, and Emily took hold of her hand.

“What are we all going to do with the rest of our
evening now that the lovebirds have flown the nest?” asked Flynn.

“Let’s ride in the sleigh again?” asked Emily.

Marie laughed. Lacey, her sister, dad, and Emily had
arrived via sleigh and her granddaughter hadn’t stopped talking about it during
the entire reception.

“I guess I could give us a ride around the grounds
in it,” said Flynn.

“You know how to drive one?” asked Rory.

“I sure do, who do you think’s been assisting Santa
all these years?” asked Flynn. He winked at Emily.

“You coming Mom?” asked Rory.

“Sure, but let me go and get us some blankets to put
over our laps.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you by the sleigh in ten minutes.”

Marie watched Emily and her two sons walk away. Her
first wish had come true. Shane had found the woman of his dreams. Would the
shooting star grant the second one, and would it be Rory or Flynn’s turn to find
true love the next time around?

The
End

www.vanessadevereaux.com

Other Books by
Vanessa
Devereaux
:

www.evernightpublishing.com/vanessa-devereaux

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