Page 72 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

“We can talk about it later...” Then he smiled at Josey. “But I wouldn’t say no to a good homecooked meal.”

Josey laughed. “Of course! It’s the least I could do!” It was the first time that Daxton had seen her smile in a while. “How about next Sunday after church?”

“Next Sunday, it is!” Then Doc Morgan’s broad smile suddenly turned serious. “But if you don’t feel up to it—”

“Nope! I feel just fine.” She smiled. “I’ll have plenty of time to rest before then.”

“Then, I’ll be there!” Doc Morgan smiled as he headed to the back room, leaving them alone to talk, as promised.

Daxton crossed the room in a few strides and took her hand as he looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, revealing nothing. “I’m fine.”

Daxton was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know. “And the baby?” He held his breath, fearing the answer, the split second becoming an eternity.

“The baby is fine, too.” But she wasn’t smiling. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Daxton looked into her eyes. A smile lit his lips as he reached for her hand, his heart swelling with love. “Josey, you don’t have to do this alone.”

“But the baby—”

“Is mine,” he finished. “No one has to know anything else.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely,” he replied, pulling her into his arms. “There’s only one thing I want more.”

Josey’s eyebrows rose in concern. “Oh?”

“And that is for you to be my wife.” He paused, awaiting her answer.

One corner of her lips curled into a smile. “Well, that’s the worst marriage proposal I’ve ever heard, but I accept.”

Elation filled his chest as he pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers. His lips moved with hers in perfect unison and she fit the contours of his body like a glove. As if they had been made for each other.

She pulled back a moment later, breathless. “So, when would you like to have this blessed event?”

“Now.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

Daxton smiled. “How about this Sunday after service? I’ll talk to Preacher Henley and see if he can do it on such short notice.”

“I’m sure he can.”

Then he brushed a strand of her hair back away from her face, edging it behind her head. “I have only one request.”

She straightened, her eyes filled with conviction. “Anything.”

He pulled her to him, their eyes only an inch apart. “The baby is mine. No one knows... not even him.” He bit his upper lip and then released it, wanting to say it correctly. “I want him to have a fair chance at a good life. I don’t want any clouds held over his head. We owe him that much.”

A broad grin spread across Josey’s face. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes, it is,” Daxton replied. “So, what do you say?”

One corner of her lips curled into a smile. “I say ‘Congratulations... Pa.”

Pure joy coursed through his entire body as he picked her up and swung her around. “I’m going to be a father!”

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