Page 108 of Montana Manhunt

She stood frozen. No expression on her face.

Noah began to sweat. The silence couldn’t be a good sign. Wasn’t the love of your life supposed to at least smile when you confessed your love for her? He dredged up the courage to say the words he never wanted to utter to Violet. But she must have the choice, even if it killed him. “You don’t have to say anything right now. I know I surprised you. Promise you’ll think about giving me a chance. Test drive the idea and see how it feels. I won’t push you for an answer right now.”

Total lie. He was desperate to know if he was in this boat by himself. Some Special Forces soldier he was. Noah was almost at the point of begging.

A sweet smile curved her mouth.

That was promising, right? If she hated the idea, Violet wouldn’t smile at all. He breathed a little easier. This had to work out. No other outcome was acceptable.

“How do you test drive love?”

“Easy. Say to yourself every hour, ‘Noah loves me.’”

“And?”

“And if that sinks in deep and feels right, like it’s natural, we’ll go to the next step.”

Amusement lit her eyes. “What’s the next step?”

“I ask you to marry me in such a way that you can’t turn me down.” He’d successfully accomplish this mission, no matter how long it took. He needed Violet Trevelyan in his life permanently.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“If it’s a fast one. We’ll have company soon.” He was surprised their teammates hadn’t returned already with the drinks.

“I love you, Noah.”

Now it was his turn to freeze. Seconds passed while his brain scrambled to come up with a response. “You do?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I have a second secret.”

“What?”

“Ask me the question from the second step first.”

Heart slamming against his chest wall, Noah gazed down into her eyes. Did she mean it? He prayed, begging God to grant him the greatest gift of his life. “Will you make me the most blessed man on this planet by becoming my wife, Violet Trevelyan?”

She rose on her tiptoes until her mouth brushed against his. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’d love to marry you.”

Joy and relief exploded inside Noah. Thank God. For a minute, he’d been terrified that the woman of his dreams might reject him, crushing his heart. Instead, she’d made him the happiest man in the world.

Noah claimed her mouth in a long, deep kiss, conveying without words the depth of his feelings for his woman. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the presence of Grant and Rayne in the suite.

Gradually, he softened the kiss until he was exchanging a series of butterfly kisses with Violet and bringing their pulses out of the stratosphere. When he finally lifted his head and broke the sizzling kiss, he smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?”

“Trusting me with your heart. You won’t regret it.”

“Have something to share with the class, Mann?” Grant asked.

Noah didn’t take his gaze from his soon-to-be-wife. He raised his eyebrow.

“Not yet,” Violet said to Grant. “When our teams are together again, we’ll make an announcement. We want to tell everyone at one time.”

Rayne pumped her fist. “Yes! This will be a good announcement, won’t it?”

“The best.”

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