Page 69 of Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

“I know what you said, Dad. That’s not fair. Brent and I have a very close relationship and you’d only be hurting him.”

“You’d be hurting him. You’re the one making the decision.”

“I can’t believe that you’re so blind. The Johnsons didn’t do anything wrong. They barely had enough water to keep their own ranch going during the drought. Besides, you know as well as I do that water rights laws wouldn’t allow them to divert water to our place.”

“That’s not the point. They bought the farm when it went to auction.”

“Someone would have. At least the Johnsons offered to sell it back to you in a way that you could afford it. You refused. That wasn’t their fault. You made the choice to walk away from it.”

Jerome’s face turned bright red and the vein in his neck throbbed with anger. “They killed Kyle.”

“No. Kyle killed Kyle. He was a grown man and knew exactly what he was doing. He chose to drink and he chose to get behind the wheel of the car.”

He clenched his jaw. “They destroyed my family and I’ll never forgive them for that. If you walk away from here to marry that man, then I’ll never forgive you, either. If you walk out of here and marry that man then you’re no longer my daughter.”

“I’m sorry that you feel that way but I’m not going to let you control my life. If you can’t accept the fact that I love Sawyer, then you’ll lose me. But that’s on you, not me.”

With that, she stood and walked to the door. She put her hand on the handle and paused.

“I love you, Dad. Goodbye.”

Epilogue: Gwen

It wasn’t hard for Gwen to figure out where Sawyer lived. Everything was on the internet, and it wasn’t like Meadow Springs was a sprawling metropolis. Her heart raced as she pulled into the driveway of his cozy well-kept house. She glanced at the bouquet of red roses, box of chocolates, and red wine was the best plan in the world, but it was the best she could come up with. It’s not like she had the time to run out and buy an engagement ring for him, even if that was a thing.

She got out of her car, feeling a little silly with the flowers, candy, and wine, but she’d seen a post on social media not too long ago that said men, even the tough, burly men like Sawyer, appreciated it when a woman brought them flowers and treats because it meant that the woman was thinking about them. Besides, it would be interesting to see the look on Sawyer’s face when she gave the gifts to him.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked up to his front door. Regardless of what Abby and her mother said, she was terrified that once she turned Sawyer down, he would shut the door on her and any possibility of a relationship with her.

She knocked and heard a deep bark coming from inside the house. A few minutes later, the door opened. Sawyer’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw her standing on his porch.

“Gwen. What are you doing here?” he asked in disbelief.

She smiled, trying to calm the thousands of butterflies dancing in her stomach. “I came to talk to you. Can I come in?”

He stepped aside and opened the door for her. She stepped inside and looked around. It was very neat, just as she had imagined it would be. Three of the walls were covered with pictures of his family. The overstuffed furniture looked inviting. A huge flat-screen television was on the fourth wall.

She looked at him. He was tall and his T-shirt did nothing to hide his muscular arms and chest. Sawyer was definitely an incredibly sexy man and Gwen had to stop herself from throwing herself into his arms.

“Nice place,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.

“Thanks. So, what’s with the flowers?”

She grinned. “I decided that it would be good to turn the tables, so to speak, and bring you flowers. I also brought chocolate and wine.”

He grinned and took them from her. “I don’t have a vase. I guess my pitcher will do.”

Gwen followed him into the kitchen and watched him fill a clear glass pitcher with water and mix in the sugary food solution. He cut the stems at a forty-five-degree angle and put the flowers in the pitcher, then set it on the table.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” He smiled at her and said, “I’m sure that you didn’t come all this way to give me gifts.”

She shook her head and stepped closer to him. “No. I don’t care what my father thinks. I love you. I’m in love with you. These last few days have been miserable and I can’t stand the thought of spending the rest of my life with this empty feeling inside of me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you if your offer still stands.”

Sawyer’s eyes searched her face as though he was trying to make sure that he heard her right. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m positive. I told my father earlier today that I was choosing you.”

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Of course, I still want to marry you,” he whispered, his voice full of emotion. I want that more than anything.”

---