Page 130 of Death Valley

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. My heart lodges somewhere in my throat.

“Jensen—”

“It’s not what you think,” he says quickly, opening the box to reveal a key. “Not yet, anyway.”

I stare at it, not comprehending.

“It’s a key to the ranch house,” he explains. “I want you to move in with me.”

The words hang between us, fragile and enormous. I take a step back, needing space to think.

“Move in? But…what about my job?” I ask, the first objection that comes to mind.

“The job you’re about to quit? Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”

I drag a hand through my hair, finally voicing the fear that’s been keeping me frozen. “I’m not, I just…I don’t know who I am without the Bureau. It’s been my whole identity for so long.”

Jensen takes my hands in his. “I know exactly who you are.” His voice is low, certain. “You’re the woman who survived all seven levels of hell and came out stronger. You’re as stubborn as Angus the mule, and braver and smarter than anyone I’ve ever met. You’re someone who sees through bullshit and still chooses to believe in people anyway. You’re someone worth keeping close. Keeping forever.”

His words wrap around me like a blanket, warm and secure.

“And,” he continues, “you’re the woman I’ve fallen in love with.”

The confession steals my breath. We haven’t said those words before, though it’s been living inside me for months now, making a home in my heart.

“I love you, Aubrey,” he murmurs. “FBI agent or not. I don’t care what you do for a living. I just want you with me and I’ve known that for some time.”

Tears prick at my eyes and I blink them back.

Can’t compartmentalize these feelings, no matter how hard I try.

I swallow hard, gazing up at him. “You know I love you too, right?”

“I do now,” he says before he grins, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “You could have told me sooner, though. Your words are like food for a starving man.”

“You could have toldmesooner,” I say back against his mouth but then I’m giggling as he wraps his arms around me. “But I still don’t know what the hell I’m going to do for a job out in Truckee.”

“I mean, ranch work ain’t much but it’s honest,” he says. “But why not do what you’ve already said you wanted to do?”

“Which is?”

“The work with Duke. Equine therapy. We could turn the ranch into a therapy center.”

I blink at him. “What about your cattle?”

“They can get therapy too, if they’d like,” he says with a crooked smile. “Don’t worry about the cows. The ranch will stay the ranch, but this will make it better. I think my father would have really liked that. And even my mother, you know, the horses make her feel better too. I really think you could do this, Blondie.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose…”

He shakes his head. “Never. We’ve got the space, the facilities. Could build more if needed.”

My heart skips a beat. “You’d really want that? To turn Lost Trail into something different?”

“Lost Trail’s had enough darkness.” His hand cups my cheek. “Time to bring some light to the place.”

The future unfolds before me, sudden and clear—mornings waking beside Jensen, days spent building somethingmeaningful, nights under stars unobscured by city lights. A way to make a difference in this world in a more honest way.

I take the key from the box, the metal warm in my palm. It feels right.

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