Page 66 of Scent of Evil
“Your work is admirable,” Raine said. “It’s just that I made a mistake once before and don’t want to repeat them.”
“Everyone has made mistakes. I had a girlfriend who cheated on me too. That’s something we have in common, but I can tell you that I would never do that. And I trust you too. All that matters is how we feel about each other. You and me, Raine.” He spread his arm wide. “There’s nobody else here but you and me.”
A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You’re right, Justin. All that matters how we feel about each other. I love you. I never dared to imagine you might feel the same way about me.”
“Well, I do.” He tugged her close and gave her another long kiss. “I love you, Raine. And I know it’s fast, so I won’t pressure you. But will you please come stay at the ranch for a while? A few days would be great.”
“I’d love to meet your family.” Her smile widened. “You’ve met mine. Our mom died years ago, and our dad left when we were young. All I have is Camille and Ginny.”
“And I like them both very much.” He glanced down as Stone tried to wiggle between them, eager to be a part of their hug. “We’d better hit the road.”
Raine didn’t pull out of his embrace. Instead, she stared up at him for a long moment. “I didn’t plan on this, but I love you, Justin. More than I ever would have thought possible.”
“I didn’t plan on this either,” he admitted, remembering how he and his twin, Joel, had scoffed at their older siblings settling down and starting families. When Joel had fallen head over heels for Trina Wallace, Justin had thought his twin had gone nuts. Joel pointed out that when the right woman comes along, you had no choice but to grab the opportunity with both hands.
Turns out his twin was right. Now that he had Raine in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.
“I love you. And we’ll figure out the logistics of how we’ll make it work, later.” He kissed her again, hoping Raine would love the ranch as much as he did.
But if not, he knew that no matter where they ended up, when they were together, they’d be home.
EPILOGUE
Three weeks later...
Raine couldn’t deny feeling a bit overwhelmed by the Sullivan family. There were just so many of them! She had never known anyone who had eight brothers and sisters, and she found herself wondering what it had been like for Justin and the others to grow up here on the ranch.
Chaos was the only word that came to mind. Utter and complete chaos.
Griff had finished his investigation into Decker’s escape and Rowe’s role as his accomplice. Digging into Rowe’s computer, they’d found a conversation between the two men that included Rowe’s alias of Sawyer Collins, a connection that had started several months before Decker had attempted to kidnap Ginny the first time, only to get arrested and tossed in jail. Rowe was one of them, which made her feel sick to her stomach at what her boss may have done if they hadn’t figured it out in time.
With help from other FBI agents in Washington, three other pedophiles from the dark web had been caught and arrested. As wonderful as that was, Raine knew there were still more out there.
Evil men preying on the innocent.
As glad as she was that the case was over, she stood at a crossroads. She’d lost her motivation for her job, yet she couldn’t just give up her career without having something else lined up.
Her new boss, a guy by the name of Terrance Quail, wanted to meet with her the following Monday. Raine had been on an extended leave of absence since shooting Rowe and knew that she’d have to make a decision about her future soon.
“Raine?” Justin tapped on the door to her cabin. She was staying in the cabin where Chase and his wife, Wynona, and their son, Eli, had lived before they’d moved into the ranch house.
She opened the door, smiling in greeting. Stone wagged his tail with excitement, so she bent to pet his silky fur. “You finished with the horses already?”
“Yep.” He stepped over the threshold. “Come, Stone.”
She stepped back, shivering a bit as the breeze kicked up. The weather was still mild for the end of September, but winter wasn’t far away. When she closed the door, Justin wasted no time in enveloping her in a big hug, then he kissed her. After a long moment, when they needed to breathe, he asked, “Are you ready for dinner?”
“I guess.” She loved his family, but mealtimes were a little crazy with so many people crowded around the various tables. Now that most of the Sullivans had gotten married or engaged, as in the case of Joel and Trina along with Trina’s son, Ben, they didn’t even fit at one table. There were two tables now, and a third in the works for when Maya and Wynona, and now Jessica, had their babies.
Then there were the dogs. There were nine K9s, then the K9 in training, Bear, along with the newest puppy, King, that Joel had bought for Ben. Between the people and dogs, chaos didn’t begin to describe their family meals.
“Hey, if it’s too much, we can just eat here.” He searched her gaze. “I know my family can be annoying.”
“Overwhelming, not annoying.” Although the way they teased each other often made her laugh. “It’s fine. I don’t know why I’m nervous.”
Justin hesitated, then shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the chair. “We’ll stay here for a bit.” Then he took her hand and led her into the living room in front of the fireplace. She’d thought his intent was to give her some time to adjust before heading over for dinner, but he surprised her by dropping down on one knee and pulling a ring box out of his pocket.
“Raine, I love you with all my heart. Will you please marry me?”
