Texas Ranger Dad (18 page)

“Oh, Zane,” she began again and he let her speak. “I've been so slow to understanding. But the minute I saw you hang that phone up in Sam's earlier and I saw that look in your eyes everything clicked into place.” She stepped close and cupped his face between her hands. “I realized that no matter how our lives had gotten mixed up over the years, or what the path was
that got us from that first moment when I laid eyes on you to that moment in Sam's, that I loved you because you inspire me to be strong. To be brave. To do what I must in the face of any adversity. And suddenly I understood why you walked away from me.”

He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck and she felt him tremble as he held her so tightly their hearts pounded against each other. “I was so afraid of losing you,” he whispered against her ear. “I would have done anything to keep you safe.”

“Even give me up,” she whispered and he nodded into her hair.

“I know now it was wrong. That I was too close to the case to think clearly,” he said. “But I realized something this afternoon, too.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I realized that God in His perfect timing has brought us full circle and has put us exactly where we were meant to be.”

She nodded and tears glistened in her beautiful eyes. “I know I feel the same way. I love this tiny town. And Max does, too. When I think about the path it took to bring us here it's amazing to me…and yet, this is home. And you being here has made it perfect. I'm stubborn, and a little worried that it won't be completely easy to drop the barriers I've built around my heart—”

“I like the stubborn you,” Zane said softly, smoothing the hair off her forehead and kissing her temple. “And you will drop the barriers when the time is right. I'm here to stay, Rose. You don't ever have to worry that I'll be walking away again. I love you so much. And Max, what a gift…”

Rose felt so safe, so at peace.

Zane stepped back and smiled as he bent down on
one knee. Rose's heart stilled, watching him. And from outside she heard a whoop of joy and knew Max was watching, too.

“Rose, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man alive and spend the rest of your life with me?”

Her heart slowly started to thump, as if she were feeling it for the first time. She swallowed, but her voice wasn't working.

Zane's lips quirked at the edges. “I'm going to spend my life waiting right here on my knee if you don't say yes.”

She nodded; lifting her eyes, she saw Max smiling through the glass. Tears came then and her voice, too. “Yes,” she said, looking at Zane. “I've wanted this for so long.”

Laughing, Zane scooped her up in a hug and kissed her finally with a passion she knew would last a lifetime…and as simple as that her world was right—the shop door flew open.

“So does this mean I get my happily-ever-after?” Max asked, rushing them.

Simultaneously Zane and Rose each lifted an arm and let him into their embrace.

Zane looked into Rose's eyes and smiled. “What do you think?” he asked her, his voice a low rumble that sent her heart thundering with anticipation.

Feeling like she would burst with happiness, she looked from Zane to Max and knew her world was forever complete. “I think,” she said softly, “‘They lived happily ever after' sounds like the perfect beginning to me. Not the ending.”

“Sweet!” Max whooped. “Y'all continue on. I gotta
go invite everybody to a wedding,” he said and spun away; running to the door, he yelled the news to the waiting crowd.

Clapping erupted instantly, as did a stampede.

Zane chuckled against her temple. “I like this beginning.”

Rose melted. “So do I,” she sighed happily. “So do I.”

Dear Reader,

 

Thank you for spending a few hours in Mule Hollow with me and all the gang! I had a blast working on this book because of the lighter aspects of it.

But Rose and Zane had a very complicated background, and as hard as it was for them to overcome it I really
loved
creating it.

Why? Because we all live complicated lives. Lives that are formed by our past, in a good way or a bad way. I believe we must embrace today and use our past, be it good or be it bad, to make us stronger. If we don't then we aren't helping ourselves and we certainly aren't helping God's purpose for our lives. I loved writing about Rose and how she strove to do this, even though she made mistakes along the way. Making mistakes is part of the growth process even as adults.

I pray that you will embrace your life today. And that you will allow God to have the victory in your life, to help you draw strength from Him if you are feeling weak.

I love hearing from readers. Drop by my Web site, www.debraclopton.com, and send me a note, or send me a letter at Debra Clopton, P.O. Box 1125, Madisonville, Texas 77864.

Until next time, live, laugh and trust God with all your hearts!

 

Debra Clopton

 

P.S. In June of 2009, don't miss my novella in the
Small-Town Brides
anthology—I'll be sharing the
spotlight with the wonderful and talented Janet Tronstad! Wedding bells are going to ring for two cousins in Dry Creek, Montana,
and
Mule Hollow, Texas!

1. Did you enjoy this book? If so, why?
   
2. When Rose witnessed a murder, she made a choice to stand up for what she believed to be right. I've always been intrigued by the witness protection program and have thought how hard it must be for law-abiding citizens to have to enter the program. To leave behind most of their family and all of their friends, never to have contact with them again, is asking the unthinkable to me. Can you imagine how alone Rose or an actual living person must feel in that situation? Given the choice, and knowing what it would cost you, would you have come forward and volunteered to testify?
   
3. Zane is a man who looks at the world in black and white or wrong and right. For him there is no gray area. He feels he failed Rose when he crossed the line between professional and personal. What do you think about his belief and his behavior?
   
4. In the beginning of the book, Rose believes that though her life has been hard, God has led her to Mule Hollow. She is happy and Max is happy, and she believes she is exactly where God wants her to be. And yet you sense that there is some unfinished business from her past. Do you think you can be in the place God wants you to be and yet feel this way?
   
5. Rose's unfinished business has to do with a secret that could change her life. Do you think she had valid reasons for keeping the secret? Or do you believe that no matter what she was going through, she should have found Zane right away and told him about their baby? How do you feel about secrets?
   
6. There are many moral issues in this book. Did any resonate with you? List and discuss them, and how you feel about them, if you want to share with the group.
   
7. Zane left after the assassination attempt on Rose. What were his reasons for leaving? What are your thoughts on his motivations?
   
8. Rose has told herself that Max didn't need to know his father. But when Zane comes to town, she must face the reality of her decisions. Discuss this. Also, do you have areas in your life that you are in denial about?
   
9. Rose believes God has a plan for her life—even that He is using the hardships to teach her lessons. Do you believe this?
   
10. Despite Rose telling Zane she was responsible for her choices and her actions, he still feels responsible and refuses to believe otherwise. What do you think?
    
11. Just when you think Rose and Zane could find
    happiness, we realize that Rose has another issue that comes from her past—she has a real fear of giving up her independence again. Why? And do you understand this?
    
12. As a widow for almost six years now, I find this issue of having to be strong and striving hard to be self-sufficient to be a personal issue. On the one hand, like Rose, we single women must embrace this independence to survive…and yet we must also rely on God. If you find yourself in a similar situation for various reasons, do you find it easy to rely on God but hard to think about how this will affect you when God sends the right man into your life? Please discuss and share your thoughts and feelings with your friends.
    
13. When talking with Max about protecting Rose's heart, Zane quotes
    1 Corinthians
    13:4–7. It reads, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Do you believe this verse and apply it to those you love? Do you believe that understanding this verse is the key to Zane understanding and appreciating the strong, yet fragile woman Rose has become?
    
14. What does the prickly pear represent to Rose?
    
15. When Rose and Ashby are talking near the end of
    the book, Rose admits that it would be easy for her, at that point, to forget the past and do the easy thing, which is to marry Zane and give Max the family he wants. What is she afraid of?
    
16. Does Rose believe Max was a mistake? Or does she believe he's the best thing that has ever happened to her? What are your thoughts on this?
    
17. What did you take away from this book? Or what did you like best about his book?